Processes Overview

• Atmospheric distillation process

  Atmospheric distillation, which involves separating various useful components from crude petroleum based on different boiling points, is the basic process for all the production operations of SK Incheon Petrochem. In this process, crude oils are heated to high temperatures in a furnace then pumped to an atmospheric distillation tower where various petrochemical compounds are separated and collected. In the atmospheric distillation tower with dozens of horizontal trays, lightweight and less viscous components float to the top of the system by evaporation, while heavy components sink to the bottom by liquefaction. In this way crude oils are separated into semi-finished products such as naphtha, kerosene, gas oil and R/C.

• Gas recovery process

  Gas recovery is the process whereby propane and butane are collected and purified as a result of the atmospheric distillation, naphtha reforming, and desulfurization processes. Also as a result of this process small amounts of the inert gases, methane and ethane are produced as by-products. Those gases are collected then used as fuels for the heating furnaces of the refinery.

• Vacuum distillation process

  Vacuum distillation is used for extracting specific components for asphalt products by separating the heaviest components from the bottom distillates of the atmospheric distillation tower. This process is based on the principle that the lower the pressure is, the lower the boiling point becomes. In order to create an absolute vacuum in the tower, an instrument called an ejector is used.

• Hydrogen desulfurization process

  Hydrogen desulfurization is used for removing impurities in naphtha, kerosene and diesel, and for saturating unsaturated hydrocarbons with catalysts and hydrogen. This process is used to process naphtha, kerosene and diesel, and produces treated naphtha, a raw material for the catalytic reforming process.

• Sulfur recovery process

  By-product gases including hydrogen-sulfide generated in the desulfurization process are selectively removed by specific recyclable reactants like amines. The removed hydrogen sulfide is recovered as liquid sulfur with a purity of at least 99.8% by a combustion control system in the sulfur recovery process.