High-efficiency Technology for Adsorptive Separation of C5—C6 Normal Alkanes with Low Material Consumption Developed by RIPP

Recently the technology for adsorptive separation of C5―C6n-alkanes developed by the SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) has passed the technical appraisal organized by the SINOPEC Science and Technology Division.

The research staffs of RIPP through systematically studying the rules for crystallization of the zeolite 4A and the technique for preparation of the adsorbent―zeolite 5A have acquired new understanding relating to regulation of zeolite crystallinity and control over crystal size, as well as the control over the adsorption capacity of the spherical matrix and its mechanical strength, resulting in the development of the RAN-520 type adsorbent for separation of normal alkanes.

Through systematic study on the influence of the rules for desorption of normal alkanes with different carbon number on the RAN-520 adsorbent and the effect of operating temperature and desorbent type on the separation performance coupled with the outcome of testing the process regime of simulated moving bed,the research staffs have developed the process flow diagram for adsorptive separation of C5―C6normal alkanes in the simulated moving bed, and the control system of simulated moving bed designated for the Recane process and the adsorption tower grid. On the basis of the above-mentioned research work, RIPP has successfully developed the package technology for adsorptive separation of C5―C6normal alkanes, featuring high efficiency of separation and low operating energy consumption, which not only can work in tandem with the technology for isomerization of C5―C6normal alkanes to significantly increase the octane rating (RON) of isomerate,but also can serve as the means for optimized utilization of resources such as naphtha and the topped reformate.