Sinochem Hongrun Petrochemical Co. Ltd., which operates as a subsidiary of Sinochem Group, has let a contract to Honeywell UOP LLC to provide licensing for an alkylation unit based on ionic liquids (IL) alkylation technology at the operator’s 100,410-b/d refining and petrochemical complex in the Binhai Economic-Technological Development Area of Weifang City, Shandong Province, China.
As part of the contract, UOP will supply Sinochem Hongrun its proprietary ISOALKY alkylation technology that—developed in conjunction with Chevron USA Inc. in 2016—uses IL instead of hydrofluoric acid (HF) or sulfuric acids as a liquid alkylation catalyst for production of alkylate for high-octane, clean-burning fuels, UOP said.
Following the project’s completion, Sinochem Hongrun will become the first petrochemicals manufacturer in China to license ISOALKY technology, which can produce alkylate from a wider range of feedstocks using a lower volume of catalyst that can be regenerated on site.
UOP disclosed neither a capacity for the new unit nor a timeframe for the project’s commissioning.
The ISOALKY contract follows implementation in a demonstration unit at Chevron Corp.’s 53,000-b/d refinery in Salt Lake City, Utah, where it operated successfully for 5 years and where Chevron currently is converting the refinery’s existing HF alkylation unit to the new technology (OGJ Online, Feb. 8, 2017; Oct. 4, 2016).
Sinochem Hongrun complex overview
According to reports from local Chinese media—alongside its 70,300-b/d heavy asphalt and 30,100-b/d distillation units—Sinochem Hongrun’s complex is equipped with the following major capacities:
- Delayed coking, 28,100 b/d.
- Catalytic cracking, 12,000 b/d.
- Hydroprocessing, 24,100 b/d.
- Gasoline hydroprocessing, 12,000 b/d.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
