Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical (ZRCC) has officially put its independently produced eco-friendly coke inhibitor into service in ethylene cracking units recently. All performance indicators of the homemade product meet formal production standards, and the ethylene cracking unit maintains stable operating conditions after commissioning. This marks the first industrial production and on-site application of eco-friendly coke inhibitors across China’s petrochemical sector. The successful commissioning realizes independent substitution of imported coke inhibitors for ZRCC’s ethylene cracking facilities and lays a solid foundation for the enterprise to expand the high-margin special petrochemical additive market.
As an essential special auxiliary chemical, coke inhibitors guarantee efficient and long-cycle stable operation of ethylene cracking units. During high-temperature cracking reactions, carbon cokes will continuously adhere to inner furnace tube walls, causing tube aging, heat transfer efficiency decline and mandatory unit shutdown. The coke inhibitor can slow down furnace tube coking and material aging, directly extending the uninterrupted operation cycle of ethylene cracking units and reducing routine shutdown maintenance frequency.
ZRCC completed the first batch of pilot production of the eco-friendly coke inhibitor in April 2025. Compared with conventional outsourced imported coke inhibitors, the self-developed version has two prominent competitive strengths. First, it meets strict domestic and international volatile organic compound emission standards with lower toxic byproduct discharge in use. Second, it eliminates long-distance procurement, import tariff and agent logistics costs, bringing obvious overall cost advantages for long-term unit operation.
To break the long-term technical monopoly of foreign coke inhibitor formulations and production processes, ZRCC launched joint technical research with Sinopec Dalian Research Institute. The two parties jointly constructed China’s first integrated industrial production device that adopts propylene and liquid sulfur as raw materials to synthesize both coke inhibitors and vulcanizing agents. Before formal production, the technical team conducted more than 40 repeated bench-scale and pilot tests. It solved core bottlenecks including raw material side reaction control, product purity stabilization and corrosiveness reduction. After continuous process iteration and precise operating parameter debugging, the team finalized all key production parameters and achieved full-process smooth industrial production without outsourcing core links.
The independent localization of eco-friendly coke inhibitors fills the domestic technical gap in low-carbon special ethylene additives. For ZRCC, it will form a new profit growth point by exporting excess product capacity. For China’s petrochemical industry, it reduces the industry’s reliance on imported high-end auxiliary chemicals and supports the low-carbon transformation of ethylene production lines nationwide.
