13-11-2017

ENAP selects hydrotreating catalysts from Honeywell UOP

Honeywell today announced that Empresa Nacional del Petroleo (ENAP) has begun using Honeywell UOP’s HYT-6219 Unity hydrotreating catalyst in conjunction with Unity hydrocracking catalysts to produce cleaner-burning diesel fuel at its Bío Bío refinery in Hualpen, Chile.

The HYT-6219 catalyst pretreats the petroleum feed used to make diesel fuel, removing sulfur, nitrogen and aromatics that would otherwise hurt the performance and longevity of hydrocracking catalysts later in the refining process. The refinery also uses Honeywell UOP’s HC-130 and HC-120 Unity hydrocracking catalysts as part of its production process.

“ENAP chose the Unity catalysts for hydrotreating and hydroprocessing based on their superior economics,” said Mike Cleveland, senior business director for Honeywell UOP’s refining catalysts product line. “The catalysts meet all of ENAP’s demanding performance requirements of less than 5 parts per million of sulfur and longer catalyst life.”

Hydrotreating is a critical step in the refining process where hydrogen and a proprietary catalyst are used to pretreat petroleum and other products by removing contaminants before conversion into transportation fuels. The process helps produce cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel that meet increasingly stringent global fuel regulations such as the Euro V standard, which specifies sulfur content of less than 10 parts per million in transportation fuels.

Honeywell UOP’s line of Unity catalysts includes more than two dozen hydrotreating catalysts for hydrocracking and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) pre-treat, and diesel, kerosene and coker naphtha hydrotreating. Honeywell UOP also offers catalysts for naphtha hydrotreating and FCC gasoline desulfurization. The Unity portfolio is a total solution for hydrocracking loads.

Honeywell UOP inaugurated the use of catalysts in the refining industry in 1931, beginning with solid phosphoric acid. This and subsequent processes significantly raised the yield of high-octane transportation fuels. Today, Honeywell UOP is recognized as a leading developer of advanced catalysts for the refining industry.

According to the International Energy Association (EIA), global demand growth for transportation fuels is shifting toward emerging economies with a diesel bias, while quality specifications for international marine fuels will drive a shift from residual fuel oil to marine diesel. Trucks, which are a key enabler of commercial activity in emerging economies, will lead to a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 900 million tonnes through 2050, heightening the need for cleaner-burning diesel fuels.