On July 10, 2019 the project of a 600 kt/a isobutane unit at the SINOPEC Jinling Branch Company passed the appraisal organized by the Science and Technology Division of the Sinopec Corp. The experts attending the appraisal meeting have highly evaluated the project by admitting that the technical scheme of the project is advanced and reasonable, the engineering design is safe and reliable, and the energy saving effect is remarkable,along with the outstanding performance of hydrotreating catalyst featuring an innovative nature and independent intellectual property rights, with the overall technology commanding an international leading position.

The said isobutane unit is designed by the SINOPEC Engineering Incorporation (SEI) to produce high-purity isobutene by using a combination process involving extractive distillation and hydrotreating technology, the hydrotreating section of which uses the high-performance SHP-C4 hydrotreating catalyst developed by the SINOPEC Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology(SRIPT). Compared with domestic and overseas similar catalysts the SHP-C4 catalyst has an obvious advantage in terms of its performance. This isobutene production unit after being successfully started in June 2017 at the first attempt has been smoothly operating for 25 months, with all operating indices meeting the requirements despite frequently fluctuating composition of feed oil. In April 2019 this unit was subjected to 72-hour calibration tests under full load, with all indicators exceeding the design targets.