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MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont Clean
Technologies (DuPont) has announced that an IsoTherming hydrotreating unit
installed at the CNOOC Huizhou Refinery in Guangdong Province, China has
successfully completed its performance test, certifying that the unit is meeting
performance guarantees, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
The
IsoTherming® VGO hydrotreater at CNOOC is designed to process 51,419 bpsd (2,600
kmta) of a vacuum gasoil feedstock as feed for the FCC unit. The IsoTherming®
hydrotreater was designed for output of <1000 wppm sulfur and <600 wppm
nitrogen.
The VGO hydrotreater was initially commissioned in late
September 2017 but, due to the market-driven, reduced refinery throughput, the
IsoTherming VGO hydrotreater ran at various lower rates until recently.
The performance test results highlight the IsoTherming technology’s ability to
sustain catalyst activity over a long period of time with the unit still
satisfying performance guarantees.
CNOOC has indicated the IsoTherming
VGO hydrotreater had a lower investment cost and offered greater than
USD4,000,000 per year savings in utility costs compared to conventional trickle
bed technology. This, along with sustained catalyst performance, has provided
CNOOC both an economic and social benefit.
Operating costs savings in the
form of reduced consumption of utilities, as well as capital cost advantages
when compared to conventional technologies were key drivers for CNOOC to select
the IsoTherming® technology for this project. CNOOC also chose the
IsoTherming® technology for a 71,637 bpsd (3,400 kmta) ULSD hydrotreating unit
(again at the Huizhou refinery) which was also commissioned in September 2017
after passing its performance test in 2018.
It’s great to see how the
IsoTherming technology showcased sustained catalyst performance over the past
few years with the unit still able to achieve start-of-run performance
guarantees,” said Kevin Bockwinkel, global business manager, IsoTherming®
hydroprocessing technology.
IsoTherming® hydroprocessing technology
utilizes a novel liquid phase reactor system that is superior to conventional
hydroprocessing technologies, as it uses the hydrogen and catalyst more
efficiently. It also offers lower capital and operating costs compared to
conventional hydroprocessing technologies in achieving the desired product
quality. This technology is suitable for a wide range of applications, including
kerosene hydrotreating, transmix hydrotreating, diesel hydrotreating, FCC feed
hydrotreating (VGO hydrotreating), mild hydrocracking, dewaxing, gas-to-liquid
(GTL) upgrading, and heavy oil upgrading for both grassroots and revamp
configurations.
To date, DuPont has 27 IsoTherming® hydroprocessing
technology licenses globally, of which 15 are in commercial operation. These
licensed units include a diverse set of applications ranging from 100 percent
kerosene to 100 percent light-cycle oil (LCO), and various mixtures of
distillates and heavy gas oils, including coker blends, with capacities ranging
from 1,500 bpsd to 80,000 bpsd.
Growing global demand for cleaner
transportation fuel continues to drive refiners toward operations that maximize
hydroprocessing capacity and capability through unit debottlenecks or new unit
construction. More stringent environmental regulations and the processing of
cost-advantaged sour and heavy feed stocks make meeting this demand even more
challenging. Licensed and marketed by DuPont, as part of its Clean
Technologies portfolio in Overland Park, Kansas, USA, IsoTherming®
hydroprocessing technology provides a proven solution to meet this growing
global demand.
As MRC informed earlier,
China's top offshore producer CNOOC Ltd reported record-high oil and gas output
of 257.9 million barrels of oil equivalent, or 1.42 million boe/d, in the first
half of 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic dampening global energy
demand.
We remind that CNOOC will trim annual
investment by 10% to 15% in 2020, while maintaining its goal of increasing
domestic crude oil and natural gas production for the year, according to the
company's statement in May, 2020.
We also remind that in early May,
2018, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Shell Nanhai B.V.
(Shell) announced the
official start-up of the second ethylene cracker at their Nanhai petrochemicals
complex in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Ethylene and propylene are
feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene
(PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report,
Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,496,500 tonnes in the first eight
months of 2020, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of all ethylene polymers
increased, except for linear low desnity polyethylene (LLDPE). At the same time,
PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months
of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports -
and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased
exclusively of PP random copolymer.
China National Offshore Oil
Corporation (CNOOC), the largest offshore oil & gas producer in China. CNOOC
businesses cover the main segments of oil & gas exploration and development,
engineering & technical services, refining and marketing, natural gas and
power generation, and financial services. |
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