[Chemical Knowledge]：The nature, use, upstream and downstream raw materials, storage methods, light cycle oil includes.

Light Cycle Oil Properties

Light Cycle Oil (LCO) is a kind of middle distillate oil fractionated from crude oil, and its boiling point range is between 200 ℃ and 370 ℃. The main components of LCO are alkanes, naphthenes and aromatics, and the content of aromatics is relatively high, usually between 40% and 70%. This results in LCO having a higher density and a lower cetane number, typically between 30 and 50. LCO's high aromatic content and low cetane number make it face some limitations when used directly as diesel. These properties also give LCOs unique advantages in other areas.

Light cycle oil use

Despite the limited performance of LCO as a direct vehicle diesel, it has a wide range of applications in the petrochemical and refining industries. LCO is an important raw material for the production of high-octane gasoline. In a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, LCO can be further cracked and reformed to produce more light oil and gasoline. LCO can also be used to produce marine fuel oil, industrial fuel oil and boiler fuel oil, especially in applications where fuel quality is not required. With the improvement of environmental protection requirements, LCO's desulfurization technology is also constantly developing, so that it can be used for more high value-added products.

Light cycle oil upstream feedstock

The production of LCO mainly depends on the primary processing of crude oil, especially the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit. FCC is an important process for converting heavy oil into light oil and chemicals in the refining process. Its upstream raw materials are mainly heavy crude oil, vacuum residue and vacuum residue and other heavy fractions. These heavy feedstocks are converted to light hydrocarbons, including gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and light cycle oil, by cracking reactions in the FCC unit. Therefore, the production of LCO is closely related to the quality of crude oil and the operating efficiency of the FCC unit.

Light Cycle Oil Downstream Products

LCO's downstream products mainly include gasoline, diesel and various industrial fuel oils. The aromatics and naphthenes in the LCO can be converted to high octane gasoline components by hydrocracking and reforming processes. Through the desulfurization and upgrading process, LCO can also produce higher quality diesel, which can be used in the transportation field. For industrial use, LCO can become boiler fuel and industrial heating oil after simple processing. LCO is also an important component in the production of marine heavy oil, especially when the shipping industry has high requirements on fuel cost and supply stability.

Light circulating oil storage method

The storage of LCO is similar to that of other middle distillates and is usually stored in storage tanks. These tanks are typically made of steel and require a corrosion resistant liner to prevent corrosion of the tank by the oil. LCO has a certain volatility, so the tank must have good sealing performance to reduce the volatile loss. It is necessary to avoid high temperature and fire sources during storage to prevent fire and explosion accidents. In order to ensure the quality of the oil, the storage tank also needs to be cleaned and maintained regularly to prevent the quality of the oil from declining after long-term storage.

Environmental Protection and Safety Management

In the production, storage and use of LCO, environmental protection and safety management is a crucial link. LCO contains a certain amount of pollutants such as sulfides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which will release harmful gases during the combustion process. Therefore, production enterprises must adopt advanced desulfurization and environmental protection technologies to reduce pollutant emissions. During storage and transportation, safety regulations must be strictly followed to prevent leakage and accidents. Enterprises need to establish a sound emergency plan and conduct regular drills to deal with possible emergencies.

Light cycle oil market prospect

With the continuous growth of global energy demand and the increasingly stringent environmental protection standards, the market prospect of LCO has been widely concerned. On the one hand, LCO is an important raw material for the production of high quality gasoline and diesel, and its demand is expected to maintain steady growth. On the other hand, with the continuous progress of desulfurization and upgrading technology, the application prospect of LCO in the environmental protection fuel market is also increasingly broad. Especially in the field of marine fuel and industrial fuel, LCO is expected to occupy a larger market share in the future due to its cost advantages and supply stability.

Conclusion

As an important intermediate product in the oil refining industry, light cycle oil has broad application prospects and market potential. By optimizing the production process and improving the environmental protection technology, the application field of LCO will continue to expand and further improve its position in the energy market. In the future, with the adjustment of global energy structure and the improvement of environmental protection requirements, LCO will usher in more development opportunities and make greater contributions to the development of petrochemical and oil refining industries.