How is the cross-border sulfuric acid concentration of 98.0%–102.0% measured online in SAR spent acid regeneration units?

Sulfuric acid is a critically important raw material in chemical production, used across numerous applications: fertilizer manufacturing; production of phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid; synthesis of sulfur-containing compounds (e.g., dyes, fabric softeners, surfactants, explosives, fibers, pharmaceuticals, plastics); production of rayon and viscose; titanium dioxide production (for paint manufacturers); sodium sulfate (for glass and detergent manufacturing) and aluminum sulfate production; battery electrolyte; desiccant; and acid baths in steel mills. The chemical formula of sulfuric acid is H₂SO₄. At 99.99% purity, it is a colorless, odorless, oily liquid with strong hygroscopicity—capable of mixing with water in any proportion while releasing substantial heat during dilution. Concentrated sulfuric acid and oleum can instantly destroy any cotton-based fabric. Oleum is absorbed by concentrated sulfuric acid, followed by controlled dilution with water to achieve the desired concentration. Therefore, real-time monitoring of sulfuric acid concentration during this dilution process is essential. With the liberalization of private capital, petrochemical and synthetic fiber enterprises have rushed into the refining and petrochemical sector, fueling more vigorous industry growth. A few resource-endowed companies have aggressively integrated their industrial chains, giving rise to giant conglomerates. The Jiangsu Hengli Petrochemical Dalian Changxing Island 20-million-ton-per-year refining & petrochemical integration project, and the Shenghong Refining & Petrochemical Integration Project—including its crude-to-paraxylene complex—are supported end-to-end by France’s Axens. Their alkylation and Spent Acid Regeneration (SAR) technologies are licensed from DuPont; Catofin technology is supplied by CB&I; UNIPOL PP process technology is licensed from Grace; and Hostalen ACP polyethylene process technology is provided by LyondellBasell. Zhejiang Petrochemical’s 40-million-ton-per-year refining & petrochemical integration project in Zhoushan and Hengyi Brunei’s 8-million-ton-per-year refining & petrochemical integration project both adopt holistic solutions from Honeywell.

List the world’s top ten upcoming petrochemical projects scheduled for commissioning.

1. Zhejiang Petrochemical — May 2019: trial operation commenced; October 4: successful first-time commissioning of the 1.4-million-ton-per-year ethylene unit’s cracked gas compressor, marking entry into feedstock introduction and startup phase; December 6: successful startup of the extrusion granulator for the 300,000-ton-per-year HDPE unit, producing qualified HDPE pellets—signifying full commissioning of all downstream processes following the polymerization reaction unit, and laying a solid foundation for subsequent feedstock introduction and startup of the HDPE unit. Zhejiang Petrochemical is, in every sense, a large-scale integrated refining & petrochemical project commissioned fully in one go. Once its hydrogen production unit is operational, diesel and gasoline hydrotreating and naphtha hydrotreating can commence; catalytic reforming and fluid catalytic cracking will then accelerate, along with ramp-up of related unit loads. Zhejiang Petrochemical is expected to achieve full commissioning in the first half of this year. 4. Hengli Petrochemical — 1.5-million-ton-per-year Ethylene Unit The 20-million-ton-per-year refining segment achieved full-process commissioning at full load in May 2019; for the ethylene segment: EG Line 1 was mechanically completed on November 25, 2019; on December 11, the final EO reactor for Hengli’s ethylene project was lifted into position—marking completion of all equipment lifting tasks for the 1.5-million-ton-per-year ethylene project. The 1.5-million-ton-per-year ethylene unit is scheduled to commence operations in the first half of 2020. 5. Hengyi Brunei — 8-million-ton-per-year Refining Project On November 3, 2019, the ‘PMB Petrochemical Project’ achieved full-process commissioning and comprehensive startup, successfully producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, PX, benzene, and other products. The Brunei refining & petrochemical project completed handover of utility systems in March this year; completed comprehensive mechanical completion of main process units in July, entering integrated commissioning phase that same month; and produced qualified intermediate products from its crude distillation unit in September. Hengyi has now become China’s leading integrated PTA–polyester producer. With the completion of the Hengyi Brunei PMB project, the company has taken a critical step toward vertical integration into upstream refining and petrochemicals. The project employs globally cutting-edge process technologies—for example, reforming and aromatics extraction and hydrocracking use Honeywell UOP process packages—and incorporates the world’s largest single-train aromatics complex and the world’s sixth flexible coking unit. All products post-commissioning meet China’s National V standards—significantly surpassing Brunei’s current finished fuel specifications. 6. Turkey STAR Petrochemical Project A $6.3-billion, 10-million-ton-per-year refinery investment by SOCAR (State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic). The STAR Refinery is the largest new refinery built in Europe over the past several decades—and Turkey’s first newly constructed refinery in the last 30 years. All STAR Refinery equipment entered service by end-March 2019. In January 2019, STAR delivered its first batch of Petkim naphtha to market; diesel and jet fuel entered the market in February. Downstream, BP and SOCAR Turkey plan to build a new PX/PTA complex—a $1.8-billion project targeting 840,000 tons/year of PX and 1.25 million tons/year of PTA, scheduled for completion in 2023. 7. Zhanjiang Zhongke Refining & Chemical

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