Optimizing FCC Sulfur Removal and Petrochemical/Diesel Production

FCC units need to meet the most stringent gasoline sulfur requirements while gaining flexibility to convert gasoline to petrochemicals to capitalize on increased demand for petrochemicals. FCC gasoline contributes approximately 30-50% to a refinery’s gasoline pool and is the primary contributor to sulfur. Implementation of stringent gasoline sulfur requirements has led to increased octane loss across the FCC gasoline block due to a loss of valuable high-octane olefins across the HDS unit. In many parts of the world, there are also requirements to maximize crude-to-petrochemical, or gasoline-to-petrochemical for the existing refineries. An FCC-based refiner would generally want to minimize the octane loss in gasoline while having flexibility to maximize petrochemical production. This presentation will discuss ways to reduce octane loss to nearly zero for FCC gasoline desulfurization, and options to further increase petrochemical production in terms of both aromatics and propylene in petrochemical mode. This presentation will briefly cover sources, regulations and challenges refineries face with sulfur and the technology solutions being employed by refineries to manage sulfur and adjust to the shrinking gasoline market.