Sinopec refineries start up new alkylation units

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) has commissioned new alkylation units to two of its subsidiaries’ refineries in China (OGJ Online, Dec. 5, 2017).

E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co.’s DuPont Clean Technologies has completed performance tests certifying two of its proprietary STRATCO alkylation units recently installed at Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Co. Ltd.’s (YPC) 281,151-b/d refinery at Nanjing, Jiangsu Province and Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co.’s (ZPCC) 461,890-b/d refinery at Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province are meeting performance guarantees, the service provider said on Apr. 20.

Designed to enable the two refineries to produce low-sulfur, high-octane, low-rvp alkylate that helps ensure quality of their fuel production complies with China VI (equivalent to Euro 6) emission standards, the YPC and ZRCC alkylation units—which process methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) feeds—have alkylate production capacities of 7,700 b/sd 7,500 b/sd, respectively, DuPont said.

Both units have completed startup and are currently in operation, according to Kevin Bockwinkel, DuPont’s global business manager of STRATCO alkylation technology.

First announced in 2017, the YPC and ZPCC alkylation units follow DuPont’s delivery of five earlier STRATCO units to Sinopec refineries (OGJ Online, Nov. 10, 2017; Aug. 25, 2017; Jan. 26, 2017).