C3-C12 light hydrocarbon and naphtha comprehensive utilization technology development

C3~C12 light hydrocarbon resources (light hydrocarbons and naphtha) are important petroleum fractions, which are generally used as raw materials for steam cracking, catalytic reforming, etc. to produce light olefins, aromatics and high-octane gasoline blending components according to the traditional petroleum refining concept.

New energy and new energy vehicles, an important national development strategy, have impacted the traditional refining industry, limiting the development prospects for demand for gasoline and diesel; aromatics demand is still showing a growth trend, with the market showing diversified changes in demand for BTX; and light olefins, especially propylene, are a lucrative market.

According to the concept of component refining, especially molecular refining, and in accordance with the principle of "aromatic as appropriate, alkene as appropriate and oil as appropriate", we have developed a new generation of series of technologies to transform naphtha and light hydrocarbon resources into high value-added products that meet market development needs.

1. Propane/isobutane dehydrogenation technology

There are two main mainstream technologies for propane/isobutane dehydrogenation, i.e. moving bed dehydrogenation and fixed bed dehydrogenation

2. C5~C6 isomerization technology

During the catalytic reforming process, only a small proportion of C5 and C6 alkanes are converted, most of which are cracked into small molecules, affecting liquid yields and hydrogen purity, making C5 and C6 unsuitable as catalytic reforming feedstocks.

3. Light hydrocarbon aromatization technology

These technologies are fixed or moving bed processes using saturated liquefied gas, mixed C4 and light naphtha as raw materials and selective molecular sieve catalysts. The most important feature is that the feedstock does not need to be refined, the reaction does not require pro-hydrogen and the product can be flexibly adjusted to market demand. Depending on the type of product, aromatization technologies can be divided into：

-Gasoline aromatization technology

-Aromatic aromatization technology

-Propane aromatization technology

4. Naphtha catalytic reforming technology

Reforming catalysts are an important core technology for the production of high octane gasoline components, aromatics and hydrogen, with 30% of the world's gasoline and 70% of the aromatics (feedstock for chemical fibres, plastics and rubber) coming from catalytic reformers.