China's Largest Oil Refining Base Completed

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The last new hydrocracking unit at China National Petroleum Corporation's (CNPC) (Beijing) Dalian Petrochemical base has successfully begun production, marking the completion of China's largest oil refining base. The $1.57 billion, 435,000-barrel-per-day (BBL/d) refining base includes seven production units and auxiliary production systems.

The first unit at the base, the 10 million-ton-per-year atmospheric vacuum distillation facility, was completed in March 2005. Five of the units are the largest of their kind in China. With the launch of the last hydrocracker, the annual primary and secondary refining capacity of the Dalian Petrochemical base was nearly doubled from about 220,000 BBL/d.

Statistics show that sulfur-rich oil is beginning to make up a higher percentage of the world's crude oil supply. Crude oil from major oil-producing regions in Saudi Arabia and Iran is mostly sulfur-rich oil. Upon completion of Dalian Petrochemical's series of hydrocracking facilities and desulfurization facilities, it could process most types of crude oil. At the same time, the base's quality of product oil has also been improved.

In late August, Dalian Petrochemical received its first batch of 2 million barrels of crude oil from Saudi Arabia.

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