Axens wins work on giant paraxylene project

AXENS has been awarded a contract to proved technology for the world’s largest crude-to-paraxylene complex on Changxing Island in China.

Hengli Petrochemical is building a complex with the capacity to process 400,000 bbl/d of crude into high-purity paraxylene to supply PTA plants for the production of PET. The complex will include a refinery focussed on the production of naphtha and an aromatic complex to maximise production of high purity paraxylene.

Axens will provide two parallel trains of its H-OilRC process, using ebullated-bedhydrocracking technology to convert vacuum residue – a bottom product from the vacuum distillation unit – combined with a solvent deasphalting unit to remove asphaltenes, metals and other impurities from the unconverted residue. The ebullated-bed technology is a type of fluidised bed reactor that uses bubbling to distribute the reactants and catalyst; and in Axens’ process fresh catalyst is continuously added as spent catalyst is withdrawn to maintain yield.

Output from these two units along with the straight run vacuum distillate will be fed to two Axen’s hydrocracking units, while another two units will process atmospheric gasoil.

It will also provide one naphtha hydrotreating unit; three parallel units using a continuous catalytic regenerative reforming process to maximise aromatics production from naphtha; two parallel aromatics units using countercurrent adsorption processes for paraxylene purification combined with technology for full isomerisation of C8 aromatics into paraxylene; plus one MBTE unit.

Axens has not disclosed the value of the contract but told The Chemical Engineer the work will be completed by the end of 2018. The company says over the last 12 months it has been awarded paraxylene production capacity totalling 7m t/y.

The new complex will be the largest in the world for the production of high purity paraxylene and continues Hengli’s push into superlative petrochemical production. Last month, it awarded Clariant a contract to develop the world’s largest single-train co-processing dehydrogenation unit at the site.

Hengli, which claims to be the world’s largest producer of polyester and industrial yarn, broke ground on the massive new complex in December. The US$11.5bn refinery and petrochemical complex will process 20m t/y of crude oil and will be completed in two and half years, China Daily reports.