Hengli Petrochemical Co. Ltd has selected Axens to supply technologies for its petrochemical project, to be located at Changxing Island in China's Liaoning Province. The crude to paraxylene complex, with a capacity of processing 400 000 bpd of crude, will supply high purity paraxylene to purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants for PET application.
The complex includes a final conversion refinery oriented towards the production of naphtha and an aromatic complex to maximise high purity paraxylene production.
As part of the project, Axens will provide the following technologies:
- Two parallel trains of H-Oil™RC units, using ebullated bed technology, for the hydroconversion of vacuum residue, combined with a Solvahl™ deasphalting unit for processing the unconverted residue.
- Two hydrocracking (HyK™) units for processing straight run vacuum distillate and those produced by the H-Oil™RC unit along with the deasphalted oil from the Solvahl™ unit.
- Two parallel trains of hydrocracking units to process atmospheric gasoil in maximum naphtha production mode.
- One naphtha hydrotreating unit.
- Three parallel Aromizing™ units using a continuous catalytic regenerative (CCR) reforming process to maximise aromatics production from naphtha.
- Two parallel aromatics chains using Eluxyl® 1.15 technology for paraxylene purification combined with Oparis® technology for full isomerisation of other C8 aromatics into paraxylene.
- One MTBE unit.
The new complex will be the largest site in the world for the production of high purity paraxylene along with LPG, gasoline and diesel fuels meeting China 5 specifications, jet fuel and base lube oils, the pitch from Solvahl feeding a gasification unit. Axens’ large technology portfolio and ability to maximise naphtha production, and therefore paraxylene production, were key criteria for selecting Axens as the main technology provider.
Over the last 12 months, Axens has been awarded a cumulative paraxylene production capacity of about 7 million tpy.
Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling