Seize the opportunity of transformation to achieve low-carbon development

The petroleum refining and chemical industry is an important pillar industry of the national economy, and it is also a key industry for upgrading and transformation under the background of “double carbon” goal. At present, China’s petroleum refining and chemical industry is in a critical period of restructuring, improving quality and efficiency, and reducing energy consumption. Domestic refineries are currently facing challenges such as slowing demand for refined oil products, lack of high-end chemical products, and increasingly stringent environmental emission standards.

Liu Maoshu said that the petrochemical industry may be a traditional industry in everyone’s impression, in fact, it is a high-tech industry, its technology-intensive and device automation level, in the leading position in the entire industry, than other discrete industries, including the automotive industry, more basic advantages of digital transformation.

For the refining and chemical industry, the “dual carbon” goal is of great significance to promote the green transformation and upgrading of the industry. The “double carbon” goal is the driving force to promote the long-term and sustainable development of the industry, and puts forward higher requirements for the green and sustainable development of the refining and chemical industry. It will force the petrochemical industry to eliminate backward production capacity, accelerate technological upgrading, and optimize the industrial layout of the park. Focus on efficiency, safety, environmental protection, sustainable development of refining and chemical enterprises will be more competitive. Refinery transformation will strongly promote the ultimate realization of carbon peak and carbon neutral goals, and under the spur of the goal to achieve process adjustment as soon as possible, technology upgrading, to achieve future sustainable development.

The future of China’s petrochemical industry continues to be full of opportunities, which will have a positive and important impact on Honeywell’s business and that of its customers in China. Under the spur of the “double carbon” goal, Liu Maoshu believes that the petrochemical industry can start from the following aspects to achieve green and low-carbon development:

◆ Actively embrace digital intelligent technology: Digitalization is an important means to practice sustainable development, which can effectively help the oil refining, petrochemical and chemical industries to save energy and reduce carbon emissions.

◆ Resource utilization of fossil energy: the refining and chemical industry needs to adjust the product structure, and the current product ratio of about 20% of crude oil for the production of chemicals such as olefins and 80% of crude oil for the production of gasoline and other oil products has been reversed. The coal chemical industry should develop green and low-carbon innovative paths, and form an industrial pattern of complementary and coordinated development with petrochemical industry.

◆ Accelerate the development of renewable energy: The development of renewable energy will play a huge role in promoting the reform of the energy structure and promoting low-carbon development.

◆ Use of innovative technologies to reduce emissions and increase efficiency: biomass utilization technology (such as green hydrogen and blue hydrogen production and optimization technology, end-to-end greenhouse gas emission control technology), resource recycling technology, CCUS and other technologies to recover carbon dioxide are important starting points to achieve carbon neutrality.

Bai Wei believes that the petrochemical industry is more complex and more stringent than traditional manufacturing. Heavy resource input, continuous operation of petrochemical enterprises, in the face of market volatility and uncertainty, the challenge will be more difficult. However, in this context, the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry is also more meaningful. In addition to a large number of mature digital solutions focusing on process control, production control, and enterprise management, Shenghong Petrochemical is also looking forward to more applications of cutting-edge technologies, such as AIGC, machine learning, XR technology, and other digital technologies in the field of industrial production.

Bai Wei said that artificial intelligence technology is developing so rapidly today, if the petrochemical industry can explore in this regard, build a road to intelligence and even autonomy, achieve active adjustment, and even self-learning, self-improvement, self-improvement and other functions, will vigorously promote the development of the industry. In fact, whether it is intelligent or autonomous, the ultimate goal is to achieve safer, more reliable, more efficient and more sustainable production and management of enterprises and industries.

Looking to the future, Shenghong Petrochemical will continue to deepen the concept of digital transformation around the refinery and other various production units, expand its influence in the industry, form a radiation effect, and give full play to the leading role of the benchmark smart factory.