On June 21, 2011, Yanchang Petroleum KBR (Beijing) Technology Co. Ltd. (Company) was formally established by the Beijing Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (“BPEC”) and the Kellogg Brown & Root, Ltd (“KBR”). As the only joint venture of the KBR in China, the Company will, for the first time, introduce advanced technologies, such as the Veba-Combi-Cracking (VCC) process, Advanced Catalytic Olefines (“ACO”) technology, and Transport Integrated Gasifier (“TRIG”) technology and, based on the great strengths and global service networks of the Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co., Ltd. and the KBR, promote the engineering development and industrialized application of poor heavy oil hydrogenation, residue hydrogenation, coal tar hydrogenation, light oil fluidized bed catalytic olefin making, advanced gasification, coal deep conversion and of some other key technologies in fields such as the petrochemical industry, the natural gas chemical, and the coal chemical in China or even all the world to find a more efficient industrial route closely combining efficient conversion of natural gas and coal with the petrochemical industry and contribute to sustainable development of the energy chemical industries of China and the world.
Best technology for processing of poor heavy oil (residue) and coal tar: veba-combi-cracking (VCC) process
Developing from the direct coal liquefaction technology of Germany in 1930s, this process is particularly applicable to processing of poor or heavy vacuum residue and coal tar. Compared with the currently widely used delayed coking technology, it can generate more liquid oil by more than 20 percent. In particular, it can significantly improve the yield of diesel. The higher the asphaltene content and the carbon residue in a raw material, the yield difference between the VCC process and the delayed coking technology will be. The VCC process is highly flexible and can handle any vacuum residue raw materials. With this process, the metal contents, asphaltene contents, and carbon residues in raw materials will not have impacts on the devices. The raw materials may be the vacuum residues of M100 fuel oil, M180 fuel oil, and 380 fuel oil, the deoiled asphalt of solvent deasphalting devices, catalytic cracking slurry oil, ethylene cracking tar, coal tar, and coal tar pitch.
The Company has realized the process package design and long-lead-time devices (such as reactors) ordering of the domestic first set VCC process based coal tar hydrogenation device with an annual capacity of 500,000t. The BPEC is now quickly handling engineering design and project contracting. According to the schedule, the project will be put into service in 2013.
A technological revolution in the ethylene industry: Advanced Catalytic Olefins (ACO) technology
Surpassing the traditional method of making olefines through the steam thermal cracking process, the ACO technology is used for producing ethylene and propylene by means of catalytic cracking. It ensures a ratio between ethylene and propylene (P/E) close to 1:1 that is larger than that in the steam thermal cracking process by more than one time. Compared with the steam thermal cracking process using the same conventional petrochemical raw materials (such as virgin naphtha), this technology is extremely advantageous in terms of device investment, product yield, total energy consumption, carbon emission, and operation and maintenance costs. It will lead a revolution among olefine production technologies.
The global first set of ACO industrialized demonstration device was successfully put into service in Ulsan City, South Korea in October 2010 and is now in good condition. The global first set of ACO industrialized device with an annual capacity of 400,000t will be used in the oil, gas, coal and salt comprehensive utilization project of the Company in Yan’an. The KBR and the BPEC have conducted process package design and engineering design for the project.
Brand new technological route for making synthesis gas through coal and IGCC electricity generation: Transport Integrated Gasifier (“TRIG”)
The TRIG coal gasification technology is a technology based on advanced circulation fluidized beds. Used with high solid circulation and high gas rate, it can provide larger outputs and higher carbon conversion and device efficiency. TRIG coal gasification devices are fed with powered coal. The daily feeding capacity of a single gasifier may be up to 4,000t. The ash will not be melted in raw materials. This technology is particularly suitable for the processing of low-rank coals, such as subbituminous coal, lignite, and other coals with a high ash or moisture content.
The TRIG circulation fluidized beds based coal gasification device is characterized by large feeding capacity, no spare device, burner or sewage, simple operation, long service life (more than ten years), heat recycling through waste boilers, etc. It is therefore extremely advantageous in terms of device investment, total energy consumption, carbon conversion, operation and maintenance costs, and environmental protection and can be widely used in the chemical production field and the IGCC electricity generation field both using synthesis gas as the raw material. The large-scale and low-cost synthesis gas production technology will lead a technological revolution in the coal chemical industry and the power industry and find a more efficient industrial route closely combining efficient conversion of coal with the petrochemical industry and the power industry.