Hydrogen in Petrochemistry

Process description

Among the largest industrial consumers of hydrogen are the petrochemical industry and the upstream oil and gas industry. However, both industries require hydrogen less as a raw material than as a cleaning agent.

Crude oil and natural gas, as well as the refinery products derived from them, contain sulfur-containing compounds that must be removed. This is because the combustion of these compounds, for example in fuels, produces sulfur oxides that are harmful to the environment and damage both catalytic converters in motor vehicles and in other petrochemical processing operations.

To prevent this, the industry uses what is known as hydrodesulfurization on a large scale. In this process, added hydrogen reacts with sulfur on a catalyst to form hydrogen sulfide. This, in turn, can be isolated to produce a considerable proportion of the sulfur produced worldwide, an important basic chemical. The hydrogen used thus also contributes indirectly to sulfur chemistry.

Hydrocracking is another petrochemical process with a high hydrogen demand. It allows heavier and more viscous residues from petroleum refining to be converted into lighter components, from which fuels such as kerosene and diesel can be obtained.

Requirements

• High pressure and high temperature requirements.
• Hydrosulfurization at 20 to 80 bar and about 320°C to 360°C.
• Hydrogenation process at high temperatures up to 500°C and high pressures up to 250 bar.

Solutions

KLINGER Schöneberg offers a wide range of design features and resistant materials such as Monel and Hastelloy that ensure safety and reliability in handling sulfuric acids, ethylene, etc. guarantee safety and reliability.

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