Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinochem Group, has commissioned its 240,000-b/d refining complex at Quanzhou in southern Fujian Province, China (OGJ Online, Dec. 2, 2013; Mar. 7, 2011).
Following the successful passing of trial runs by all units at the site in January, the Quanzhou refining project formally was rolled out on July 9, Sinochem said.
Located in Quanhui Petrochemical Industrial Park of Quanzhou, the refinery—which is a key project in China’s 12th 5-Year Plan period—required a total investment of nearly 30 billion yuan ($4.8 billion), the company said.
All gasoline and diesel production from the refinery will meet Euro 5 emission standards, Sinochem said.
Equipped with 19 units to accomplish atmospheric and vacuum distillation, residue hydrotreating, vacuum gas oil hydrocracking, continuous reforming, heavy oil catalytic cracking, delayed coking, and polypropylene processing, the Quanzhou refinery also includes associated dock and storage facilities.
With energy efficiency a central focus of the project’s design and construction, Sinochem said the refinery also features a BT energy consumption index reaching 131.2%, a leading level among the country’s other refineries.
In addition, the refinery can be made to suit any desired diesel-gasoline ratio within the range of 1.2-2.3, based on actual market demand, the company said.
The Quanzhou complex also features advanced safety and environmental protection controls, including refinery waste treatment technologies for water, flue gas, and solid wastes, as well as technology to desulfurize and denitrate the refinery’s flue and gas emissions, Sinochem said.
In response to some industry experts who have argued the country’s refining capacity in general already exceeds domestic demand, Sinochem said that capacity has been lacking in advanced, high-level refining capability.
Given the newly commissioned project’s economies of scale, advanced technologies, and environmental friendliness, the Quanzhou complex can better satisfy China’s market demand for high-quality petroleum products as well as promote the upgrading and transformation of the country’s petroleum refining industry, according to Sinochem.
