Abstract: To address the issue of increasing pressure drop in downstream vacuum gas oil (VGO) hydrogenation units, CNOOC Ningbo Daxie Petrochemical Co., Ltd. commissioned a 0.70 Mt/a VGO de-phosphorization and de-ironization unit in August 2024. This unit utilizes the two-phase low-temperature de-phosphorization and de-ironization technology for VGO, along with its proprietary adsorbent, both developed by SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd., marking the first industrial application of this technology. The industrial calibration results indicate that at an adsorption temperature of approximately 237 °C, the average removal rates of phosphorus and iron reached 90.0% and 78.7%, respectively. This effectively achieved the targeted removal of these contaminants, exceeding the guaranteed design values. Two months of stable industrial operation indicate consistent adsorbent efficiency, confirming its suitability for long-term operation. Compared to the previous operation cycle, the rate of pressure drop increase in the downstream 2.10 Mt/a VGO hydrogenation unit has been significantly reduced, thereby substantiating the role of the de-phosphorization and de-ironization unit in alleviating pressure drop rise in downstream facilities.

Key words: vacuum gas oil, two-phase, low-temperature, de-phosphorization, de-ironization