MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell Catalysts & Technologies (SC&T) has successfully commercialized OparisNext, their latest generation catalyst, at Ningbo Zhongjin PetroChemical Co, Ltd. Ningbo Zhongjin is one of the leading paraxylene (PX) producers in China, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Over the past decades, the Oparis series has offered proven catalytic benefits for key PX producers, resulting in more efficient operations and significant financial benefits. With the latest patented zeolite innovation in the OparisNext catalyst, it serves as the bedrock of attaining high ethylbenzene conversion while achieving excellent PX-ate at high space velocity (refer to charts shown below). These performance indicators are crucial in maximizing margins and strengthening the competitive position of Ningbo Zhongjin PetroChemical in the PX industry.
"We are very glad to be the first user of OparisNext, very happy to see that all the performance data can meet the guarantees. The excellent EthyleneBenzene (EB) conversion, low C8 ring loss are helping Ningbo Zhongjin to maximize operating margin. We believe the new catalyst will help us be more competitive in the PX market in China," said Mr Li Libo, Operating Vice-President of Ningbo Zhongjin. Having total PX capacity of 1600 KTA, the EthyleneBenzene Reformer (EBR) unit has undergone a catalyst changeout to OparisNext and successfully commissioned in 2021 with stellar performance results exceeding guarantee requirements.
In addition to high-performance catalyst, SC&T also offers excellent dedicated technical support to its customers to maximize the long-term profitability of the site and thereby maintaining its stronghold market share in China. “We are pleased to see the successful commercialization of OparisNext in Ningbo Zhongjin. We are also very glad to see our market-leading EBR catalyst being the key to maximize their returns since 2005.” said Ms. Agnes Lim, Marketing Manager of Specialty Catalyst, SC&T.
As of mid-2021, SC&T maintains two-thirds of its EBR catalyst inventory in China and expected to grow given the successful commercialization of OparisNext catalyst.
As MRC wrote before, Royal Dutch Shell plans to reduce its refining and chemicals portfolio by more than half, it said in July 2020 without giving a precise timeframe. The move is part of the Anglo-Dutch company's plan to shrink its oil and gas business and expand its renewables and power division to reduce greenhouse gas emissions sharply by 2050.
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 1,176,860 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of exclusively low density polyethylene (LDPE) decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
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