MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont Clean Technologies (DuPont) announced the startup of the STRATCO alkylation units at the Zhongke Refinery and Petrochemical Company LTC refinery in Zhejiang, China and the Sinopec Shanghai Company (SPC) refinery in Jinshan, Shanghai, China, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Both STRATCO alkylation units at Sinopec Zhongke and Sinopec Shanghai are designed to process MTBE raffinate feedstock and produce 9,240 bpsd (360 kmta) and 10,240 bpsd (400 kmta) of alkylate, respectively.
The generation of low-sulfur, high-octane, low-Rvp alkylate with zero olefins enables Sinopec to meet the criteria of the China VI standard at these two refineries.
“In the last few years, DuPont and Sinopec have had the opportunity to start up several STRATCO alkylation units together, providing DuPont with the opportunity to develop a strong relationship with each refinery. The success in both startup and operation continues to meet and exceed expectations, enabling the Sinopec organization to make a vast amount of high quality alkylate to improve the overall quality of their gasoline pool. We are very appreciative for the experience we’ve had with each of these refineries,” said Kevin Bockwinkel, global business manager, STRATCO Alkylation Technology.
The startup of the units brings the number of STRATCO alkylation units in operation at the Sinopec organization to six, with a seventh unit being readied to come online this year.
As MRC wrote previously, state-backed Sinopec Corp. has recently started a 5.17 billion yuan (USD811 million) refinery upgrade at a subsidiary plant in eastern China that aims to produce cleaner fuels and boost output of higher-value chemicals. The investment in Yangtze Petrochemical Corp, in Nanjing city in the province of Jiangsu, covers eight key facilities, such as a 2.6-million-tonne-per-year residue hydrocracker and a 2.8 MMtpy catalytic cracker.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.
China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) is a super-large petroleum and petrochemical enterprise group established in July 1998 on the basis of the former China Petrochemical Corporation. Sinopec Group"s key business activities include the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, petrochemicals and other chemical products, oil refining.
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