article · Journal of Engineering and Applied Science
Declining demand for transport fuels alongside rising consumption of petrochemicals is prompting refineries to reconfigure operations towards higher value chemical production. Using a validated Aspen HYSYS simulation based on an operational Egyptian refinery, an integration framework was developed to redirect naphtha feedstock away from fuel production and towards high-value aromatics. The proposed scheme incorporates five downstream units: BTEX extraction, aromatics fractionation, paraxylene recovery by selective adsorption, xylene isomerisation, and heavy aromatics conversion. Operating parameters were computationally optimised to maximise yields. The simulated modification increases high-purity benzene production from 0.40 wt.% to roughly 36 wt.% at over 99.5% purity. It also yields approximately 30 wt.% para-xylene with greater than 99.7% purity, alongside 6% methane and ethane side products suitable for petrochemical use.
As the world transitions toward renewable energy and the demand for fossil fuels falls, refineries face shrinking profit margins. Shifting processing capacity from traditional petrol towards essential petrochemical building blocks allows industrial facilities to stay commercially viable. This work outlines a practical pathway to repurpose existing infrastructure for higher-value, lower-carbon refining without building entirely new plants.
This research provides a simulated retrofit design intended for refinery operators and engineering design firms looking to reconfigure conventional naphtha reforming units. The application focuses on boosting revenues through high-purity benzene and para-xylene production. Because the design has been modelled and optimised in simulation software using real operational plant data, it represents an applied study that requires detailed engineering and capital expenditure before commercial implementation.
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Abstract The global shift from fossil-based to renewable energy will reduce fuels demand while increasing petrochemical consumption. This shift, motivated by market demand and increased profit margins for petrochemicals, improves the overall profitability of the complex. Therefore, refiners are reconfiguring operations to maximize petrochemical feedstocks such as naphtha, propylene, and reformate. The main objective of this work is to integrate a naphtha reformer unit into a refining-petrochemical complex to enhance the production of high-value aromatics by redirecting naphtha feedstock from gasoline. A case of a naphtha reformer unit from Egyptian refinery plant is modified to maximize aromatics yield, employing Aspen HYSYS V.14 simulation software for building a validated model of the actual plant. The modification included five downstream conversion units: BTEX extraction unit, aromatics fractionation unit, paraxylene recovery by selective adsorption, xylene isomerization, and toluene & heavy aromatics conversion to boost high-value petrochemical feedstocks (para-xylene, benzene, and ortho-xylene). Additionally, utilizing HYSYS optimizer, optimal operating parameters are determined to maximize aromatics content. The integrated scheme enhances a conventional reformer into an aromatics complex, boosting high-purity benzene production from 0.40 wt.% to approximately 36 wt.% with over 99.5% purity, and producing nearly 30 wt.% para-xylene at over 99.7% purity. It also generates about 6% methane and ethane as side products, suitable for petrochemical feedstock, aiding in providing a practical framework for upgrading existing refineries toward low-carbon, high-value refining–petrochemical integration.
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DOI: 10.1186/s44147-026-00985-w
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