JX Nippon Oil starts trial operations of experimental catalytic cracker

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. announced that it has completed a 3,000-barrel-per-day experimental high severity fluid catalytic cracker at its Mizushima A refinery. The cracker unit is now operational and will yield 20% propylene and 35% 100 octane gasoline, compared with a typical FCC unit, which produces 5% propylene and 50% 90-octane gasoline. The new unit, which cost 20 billion yen (US$246 million), has started trial operations, a company spokesman said. JX aims to acquire technologies to build a commercial HS-FCC unit, under a project funded by Japan’s trade ministry. The company said it has plans for an even larger commercial cracker to be constructed. (May 18,2011)