On January 6, 2021, the project “Development and application of highly-efficient and environmentally-benign package technology for industrial liquid-phase hydro-deolefinization of reformate oil”undertaken by the SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) in collaboration with the SINOPEC Catalyst Company and the SINOPEC Changling Branch Company had passed the appraisal of the technical achievements organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF).This reformate deolefinization technology is the only one available on the market with the olefin removal rate and aromatics loss rate complying with the needs to completely substitute for the deolefinization process using industrial clay particles.

The research workers have developed a novel catalyst TORH-1 for removal of olefins, and a series of techniques,such as catalyst preparation, start-up procedure, catalyst regeneration, and novel approach for reinforced hydrogenoil mixing to form a package technology starting from the catalyst preparation and ending with the process for liquidphase hydrotreating of reformate for removing olefins. The catalyst TORH-1, which does not need extra-presulfidation,has good feedstock adaptability coupled with simple startup procedure and is green and environmentally-benign in nature with excellent reactivity, selectivity and stability. This technology can be used in hydrofining of the whole reformate fraction, or the benzene fraction from the aromatics extraction unit, or the light aromatic fraction, or the raffinate oil from the extraction unit in order to remove olefins without affecting the downstream equipment, adsorbents and catalysts.

This research achievement has been successfully applied in six reformate deolefinization facilities of the CCR units,demonstrating that during the liquid-phase hydrofining process the catalyst TORH-1 has excellent olefin removal activity.When clay is not used for treating the reformate oil, the average olefin removal rate achieved by hydrofining of reformate oil over the catalyst TORH-1 can reach 98.5% along with an aromatics loss rate of less than 0.2%. The said technology besides its ability to reduce olefin content of reformate can also improve the operation of extraction unit, such as the improved oil product color, and the enhanced market competitive edge of delivered product to ensure the on-spec compliance of the product’s bromine index delivered from the downstream unit,resulting in obvious economic and social benefits.