China Petroleum Processing and Petrochemical Technology

New Refining Technology 2017, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp 1-5 December 30, 2017

Roles of Emerging FCC-based Technologies in Shifting to

Petrochemicals Production
Xie Chaogang; Gao Yongcan; Zhu Genquan; Zhang Jiushun
(SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, Beijing 100083)

Abstract: The emerging FCC-based technologies are applied in an attempt to shift to the production of designated light
olefins (including mainly ethylene and propylene) as well as light aromatics (including benzene, toluene, and xylene)
developed by the Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP), SINOPEC. The RIPP’s proprietary technologies
covering the Deep Catalytic Cracking (DCC), the Enhanced Deep Catalytic Cracking (DCC-PLUS), and the Maximizing
Catalytic Propylene (MCP) have been playing decisive roles in the processing of crude aimed at closer integration of
petroleum refining and petrochemical production both inside and outside of China since 1990. Three cases of commercial
applications in five refineries, including Case I — the closer integration between the steam cracker and the DCC/DCC-PLUS
unit, Case II — the petrochemical refinery provided with a DCC-PLUS unit, and Case III — the integrated petrochemical/
fuels refinery provided with a MCP unit, have highlighted their far-reaching effects on global petrochemicals production.
Key words: deep catalytic cracking; propylene; benzene; toluene; xylene

1　Introduction These emerging FCC-based technologies for manufacture

For many years, the closer integration of petroleum
refining with petrochemical production has been a
favorite focus. There recently exist several incentives
for more shifts or expansion to the petrochemical
refinery from conventional one engaging mainly in
production of transportation fuel amid implementation
of increasingly stringent fuel standards, tax reform, and
crude oil price collapse along with the great difference
in expected growth rates of transportation fuels and
petrochemicals. In China, some additional factors, such
as severe domestic oversupply of transportation fuels,
serious deterioration of ecological environment leading
to preference for electric vehicles over gasoline-fueled
ones, and higher consumption tax on transportation fuels,
have been pushing the shifts to the extensive growth of
petrochemical refineries. During the processing of the
crude aimed at closer integration of petroleum refining
and petrochemical production, the emerging FCC-based
technologies for manufacturing light olefins (including
mainly ethylene and propylene) as well as light aromatics
(viz. BTX) production, developed by RIPP, SINOPEC
have been commercially proven and applied both inside
and outside of China since 1990.
of designated petrochemicals including the Deep Catalytic
Cracking (DCC) [1-2] , the Enhanced Deep Catalytic
Cracking (DCC-PLUS) [3-4] and the Maximizing Catalytic
Propylene (MCP)[5] have been playing crucial roles in the
following three commercial cases.
2　Commercial Cases
2.1　Case I—Closer integration between steam
cracker and DCC/DCC-PLUS unit
The flow diagram of Case I which achieves the closer
integration between steam cracker and DCC/DCC-PLUS
unit is shown in Figure 1.
This case can be viewed as the process scheme for
manufacture of all target petrochemicals derived from
light hydrocarbons and light/medium crude oils. Light
hydrocarbons including ethane and propane, and light
crude oils covering the light waxy crude such as Daqing
or Minas crude can be processed as follows:
Received date: 2017-11-21; Accepted date: 2017-12-01.
Corresponding Author: Prof. Gao Yongcan, Telephone: +86-
10-82369226; E-mail: gaoyc.ripp@sinopec.com.

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 Xie Chaogang, et al. China Petroleum Processing and Petrochemical Technology, 2017, 19(4): 1-5
Figure 1　Closer integration between steam cracker and DCC/DCC-PLUS unit
1) The crude is separated by atmospheric distillation unit
into naphtha, middle distillates/AGO and atmospheric
residue. The naphtha and AGO are pyrolyzed by the
steam cracker. Conversion of AR is accomplished in
either a DCC or a DCC-PLUS reaction system.
2) Light hydrocarbons can be pyrolyzed by steam cracker
individually or in admixture with naphtha/AGO.
3) Products from both the thermal and catalytic
conversion systems are processed in a conventional gas
recovery plant. Disposition of the products are as follows:
(1) Ethylene, propylene and butylene are sent to the
petrochemical derivative units to produce intermediates
and products.
(2) C4+ cracked naphtha is sent to the aromatics recovery
unit for manufacturing BTX after being treated through
either simple hydrogenation and separation or other
processes to increase the aromatics yield. BTX are
also sent to petrochemical derivative units to produce
intermediates and products.
(3) Mixed C4 from the olefin recovery unit can be routed
to DCC/DCC-PLUS unit for further conversion.
(4) H2 can be separated as the product.
(5) Residual gases and cycle oil are used as the process
fuel and fuels for steam and power generation.
In case of processing medium crudes, such as the Arabian
light crude (AL), it is normally to include VGO/AR
desulfurization before processing in the DCC/DCC-PLUS
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unit. Besides the processing benefits to be derived from
metals and CCR reduction, the additional hydrogen yield
to produce substantial economic benefits has been verified
by two commercial units, among which one is located
in Saudi Arabia, and the other is located in Thailand,
respectively.
A commercial DCC unit in Saudi Arabia with a capacity
of 92 000 bpcd using HT-VGO derived from AL as the
feedstock that is integrated with an ethane cracker, has
been put on stream since May 2009, with the annual
production of polymerization-grade ethylene and
propylene reaching 225 kt/a and 950 kt/a, respectively.
The aromatics content in the heavy cut of the DCC
naphtha is around 85%.
A commercial DCC-PLUS unit in Thailand with a
capacity of 29 770 bpcd using ARDS liquid products and
C4 stream from steam cracker as the feedstock, which
is integrated with a naphtha cracker, has been put on
stream since March 2016, with the annual production of
polymerization-grade ethylene and propylene reaching
74 kt/a and 326 kt/a, respectively. The aromatics content
in a mixture of light cut and heavy cut of the DCC-PLUS
naphtha is around 55%.
2.2　Case II—Petrochemical refinery with DCC-PLUS unit
The flow diagram of Case II involving a petrochemical
refinery with DCC-PLUS unit is shown in Figure 2.
 Xie Chaogang, et al. China Petroleum Processing and Petrochemical Technology, 2017, 19(4): 1-5
Figure 2　Petrochemical refinery with DCC-PLUS unit
This case can also be viewed as one for manufacturing all
target petrochemicals from light/medium crude oil with
a minimum output of transportation fuels, or optionally
some target fuel products, such as jet fuel. In comparison
with Case I, the catalytic reforming unit of virgin naphtha
is incorporated to further enhance the total aromatics
yield in this case.
In this case, the DCC-PLUS unit can be operated either
in a severer mode or a mild mode, in which the severer
mode would result in higher ethylene yield in the range
of 10%—16% of FF as well as higher aromatics content
in naphtha, while the mild mode could lead to an ethylene
yield in the range of 4%—6% of FF as well as a medium
aromatics content in naphtha.
A commercial DCC-PLUS unit in China with a capacity of
1.50 Mt/a using a paraffinic base AR as the feedstock under
severer mode has been put on stream since July 2014, with
the yield of polymerization-grade ethylene and propylene
reaching 15.5% and 21.6%, respectively. The aromatics
content in the DCC-PLUS naphtha is around 82%.
Another commercial DCC-PLUS unit in China with
a capacity of 2.20 Mt/a using a stream consisting of
50% of AR and 50% of hydro-cracker bottoms as the
feedstock under mild operating mode has been put on
stream since June 2016, with the yield of ethylene and
propylene reaching 5.1% and 21.5%, respectively, while
the aromatics content in the DCC-PLUS naphtha reaches
around 50%. In this case, the C2 minus stream from the
DCC-PLUS unit at present is not sent to the conventional
olefin recovery plant for ethylene separation, but is
directly used as the reaction feed of styrene unit.
2.3　Case III—Integrated petrochemical/fuels refinery
with MCP unit
The flow diagram of Case III which is an integrated
petrochemical/fuels refinery with MCP unit is shown in
Figure 3.
The preceding two cases are extreme ones, because
no or a minimum amount of transportation fuels is
produced. Under some specific circumstances, it will
be more economic to take advantage of the synergism
resulted from co-production of these products. Case III
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 Xie Chaogang, et al. China Petroleum Processing and Petrochemical Technology, 2017, 19(4): 1-5
Figure 3　Integrated Petrochemical/Fuels refinery with MCP unit
can provide the integration of arm’s-length interaction
between refining and petrochemical production based
upon differing relative values of the intermediate
streams. MCP is employed for manufacture of limited
petrochemical products, such as only propylene or mixed
C 4 hydrocarbons as well as basic components of the
gasoline and diesel pool to be subject to necessary hydro-
desulfurization treatment.
Currently, Case III has only been commercially realized
to process the light waxy crude, such as the Jiangsu crude
oil in China. The simple process flow diagram adopted
thereby is described as follows:
1) The crude is separated via atmospheric distillation into
naphtha, middle distillate/AGO and atmospheric residue.
2) The virgin naphtha is reformed to produce the basic
component of the gasoline pool.
3) The virgin AGO is desulfurized to produce the basic
component of the diesel pool.
4) Conversion of AR is accomplished in the MCP reaction
system. Only C3—C4 streams are processed in the olefin
recovery plant for further production of petrochemical
derivatives, while the C2 minus stream instead of being sent
to the expensive cryogenic ethylene recovery is directly
used as the reaction feed of dilute ethylene aromatization
unit to produce mixed light aromatics. Naphtha and LCO
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after being subject to necessary hydro-desulfurization
reaction can be used as the supplement blending
components for the gasoline and diesel pool, respectively.
5) Additional gasoline is also produced by the alkylation
unit and/or oxygenates using C4 stream or propylene from
the MCP unit as well as C5 minus stream from the naphtha
reformer. The blending pool can produce low-sulfur
and low-olefin content gasoline, in which the benzene/
aromatics content can be controlled by regulating the
alkylate/reformate ratio and/or by extraction of aromatics.
The first MCP unit with a capacity of 250 kt/a using
AR from the Jiangsu crude oil (paraffinic base) as the
feedstock has been put on stream since July 2011, which
has demonstrated a high selectivity of propylene yield
(17.05% of FF) and iso-butylene yield (5.51% of FF), and
a better quality of LCO with a cetane index of 30, while
lowering the C2 minus output (with the yield of (H2 + CH4)
equating to only 1.48% of FF) and the coke formation.
The propylene to (H2 + CH4) yield ratio reaches as high
as 11.52, which is dramatically increased by 82%—115%
in comparison with other current available FCC-based
technologies for the designated propylene production.
3　Conclusions
The FCC-based technologies for production of designated
 Xie Chaogang, et al. China Petroleum Processing and Petrochemical Technology, 2017, 19(4): 1-5
light olefins (including mainly ethylene and propylene)
as well as light aromatics (viz. BTX) developed by RIPP,
SINOPEC have been commercially proven and will play
more key roles in bringing about global shifts to the
petrochemical mode of refinery.
Acknowledgement: Financial supports from the SINOPEC
Research program (S111088, S105086, and S193046)
are gratefully acknowledged. The authors also gratefully
acknowledge the researchers and colleagues at RIPP, who have
not been named here.
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shown below: (1) Application of the quantum dynamic
study has verified the route for evolution of catalytic
active sites in order to develop the novel ligand and
electron donor, resulting in the innovation of catalytic
materials; (2) By taking into account the fast ethylene
trimerization reaction and low mass transfer rate,
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high mass-transfer kettle-type reactor with forced
internal circulation of gas and liquid streams; (3) An
innovative technology for inhibition of low polymers
and the technique for quick removal of resins without
shutdown of process units has been developed; and (4)
The technology for stabilization and storage of water
and oxygen-sensitive catalysts has been developed to
meet the needs for long-distance transportation and low-
temperature storage of catalysts.
In the next phase the PetroChina management plans to
construct respectively in the Northeast and Northwest
the 50 kt/a hexane-1 units, coupled with concurrent
development of the PDP for manufacturing 50 thousand
tons of hexane-1 per annum in order to actively disseminate
the package technology for manufacture of hexane-1.
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