Honeywell announces that Empresa Nacional del Petroleo (ENAP) has begun using Honeywell UOP's HYT-6219 Unity hydrotreating catalyst in conjunction with Unity hydrocracking catalysts to produce cleaner-burning diesel fuel at its Bío Bío refinery in Hualpen, Chile. The HYT-6219 catalyst pretreats the petroleum feed used to make diesel fuel, removing sulfur, nitrogen and aromatics that would otherwise hurt the performance and longevity of hydrocracking catalysts later in the refining process. The refinery also uses Honeywell UOP's HC-130 and HC-120 Unity hydrocracking catalysts as part of its production process.
Hydrotreating is a critical step in the refining process where hydrogen and a proprietary catalyst are used to pretreat petroleum and other products by removing contaminants before conversion into transportation fuels, according to Honeywell. The process helps produce cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel that meet increasingly stringent global fuel regulations such as the Euro V standard, which specifies sulfur content of less than 10 parts per million in transportation fuels.
Honeywell UOP reportedly inaugurated the use of catalysts in the refining industry in 1931, beginning with solid phosphoric acid. This and subsequent processes significantly raised the yield of high-octane transportation fuels, according to the company.
ENAP is a public commercial enterprise owned by the State of Chile whose main activity is the exploration and production of hydrocarbons through its subsidiary Enap Sipetrol SA and the refining, transport, storage and commercialization of petroleum products through Enap Refinerías SA. The company develops activities and operations in Chile, Argentina and Egypt and is headquartered in Santiago de Chile.
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