Novel FCC Catalysts and Processing Methods for Heavy Oil Conversion and Propylene Production

Converting more residue (hereafter resid) feed into light products is the key for survival in the refining industry. As one of the greatest refinery moneymakers, the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process plays an important role in heavy oil conversion. In China, FCC operations are processing heavier and dirtier feeds. Currently, 80-90% of the FCC Units (FCCU) process resid blended feeds, and the ratio of resid to VGO is increasing. For example, the average vacuum residue (VR) blending ratio reached nearly 35% in FCCUs of SINOPEC and PetroChina in 2005.