Industry
PSA Hydrogen Purification & VPSA Oxygen Solutions for Petroleum Refineries
Over 40 PSA-H₂ plants delivered — providing refineries with high-purity hydrogen (up to 99.999%) for hydrocracking, hydrodesulfurization, and catalytic reforming at lower costs and higher efficiency.
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40+PSA-H₂ Plants
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99.999%Hydrogen Purity
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0.29–0.32 kWh/Nm³O₂ Energy Consumption
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100,000+ Nm³/hProcessing Capacity
The Industry at a Glance
The oil refining market size was valued at USD 1,838.46 billion in 2024 and is predicted to surge around USD 2,800.91 billion by 2034 with a CAGR of 4.30%. Refineries across the globe are upgrading their configurations to meet tightening sulfur content regulations and to respond to changing product demand profiles, particularly with the rise of middle distillates and petrochemical feedstocks. As low-sulfur fuel mandates expand worldwide and heavier crude slates demand more hydroprocessing, VPSA hydrogen purification and oxygen supply have become critical refinery infrastructure — driving demand for cost-effective PSA/VPSA gas separation technologies.
Where Our Products Are Used
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1
PSA Hydrogen Purification from Reformer Syngas
H₂ can be purified from H₂-containing gas mixtures such as shift gas, refinery reformed gas, and refinery FCC dry gas, delivering product purity up to 99.999%.
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2
Hydrogen Recovery from Refinery Off-Gas
PSA systems can be used to recover H₂ from refinery off gases, to capture CO₂, maximizing hydrogen utilization and reducing waste.
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3
Hydrocracking & Hydrodesulfurization Supply
H₂ is used in various processes of petroleum refining and petrochemicals, such as hydrocracking, catalytic hydrogenation, hydrorefining, hydrodesulfurization, benzene hydrogenation to cyclohexane, etc.
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4
VPSA Oxygen for Gasification & Partial Oxidation
VPSA-O₂ plants supply 80–93% purity oxygen for refinery gasifiers, enabling syngas production from petroleum coke or heavy residues at lower energy costs than cryogenic ASUs.
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5
PSA-CO Separation for Petrochemical Integration
PKU Pioneer’s PSA-CO technology purifies carbon monoxide (≥98.5%) from syngas for downstream chemical synthesis including DMC, acetic acid, and phosgene.
Pain Points & Solutions
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The Challenge
Tightening sulfur regulations (Euro VI, IMO 2020) are driving rapidly growing hydrogen demand for hydrotreating and hydrodesulfurization — straining existing H₂ supply.
Our SolutionPKU Pioneer has built over 40 PSA hydrogen plants, which are widely applied in the petroleum and chemical industries, providing enterprises with efficient and stable high-purity H₂ supply (up to 99.999%).
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The Challenge
Conventional hydrogen purification systems suffer from high investment, long cycle time, and large footprint, limiting economic returns for mid-scale refineries.
Our SolutionPioneer’s fast, low-consumption, high-efficiency PSA-H₂ separation process successfully solves these problems, significantly improves utilization efficiency and reduces one-time investment and long-term operating costs.
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The Challenge
Refinery gasification units require continuous, large-volume oxygen supply, but cryogenic ASUs involve high CAPEX and lengthy construction periods.
Our SolutionVPSA-O₂ plants with energy consumption of 0.29–0.32 kWh/Nm³ offer faster deployment, lower investment, and flexible load regulation — among the lowest energy consumption around the world.
Why Choose Us
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Built over 40 PSA hydrogen plants, widely applied in petroleum and chemical industries
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High purity of H₂ product gas (up to 99.999%) and high yield — meeting the most demanding refinery specifications
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Honored as one of the Top 100 Suppliers in China’s Petrochemical Industry by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation
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Proprietary PSA-H₂ adsorbents and independently-developed lithium-based adsorbent PU-8 featured by high adsorption capacity
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Over 500 complete sets of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide generation systems provided for various industrial applications
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Full value chain coverage: R&D, process design, manufacturing, engineering, commissioning, O&M, and equipment leasing
Success Snapshot
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Listed State-Owned Chemical Enterprise
PKU Pioneer has entered into three partnerships with a leading listed chemical enterprise in China to supply PSA-CO/H₂ units for the plant. The total CO production capacity exceeds 15,000 Nm³/h, and the total hydrogen production capacity exceeds 32,600 Nm³/h, both of which are used for the production of PC and TDI.
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Large Coal-to-Chemical Complex
Deployed a PSA-H₂ plant cluster processing over 100,000 Nm³/h of syngas to produce high-purity hydrogen for downstream chemical synthesis. The PSA-H₂ units are used to synthesize TDI, DMC, acetic acid, ethylene glycol, and other chemical products, effectively enhancing production efficiency and reducing raw material costs.
Trusted by Industry Leaders
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“PKU Pioneer’s PSA carbon monoxide separation unit and PSA hydrogen production unit are highly efficient at processing our feed gas. Over more than a decade of continuous operation, there has been no decline in product purity or yield, and the system has demonstrated exceptional reliability.”
Mr. S
Chief Process Engineer
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“We evaluated multiple PSA suppliers and chose PKU Pioneer for their competitive energy consumption and proven track record. The hydrogen recovery rate exceeded design specifications.”
Mr. D
VP of Operations
FAQ
Engineered Solutions Built for Performance
Typical Cases
12,500 Nm³/h VPSA Oxygen Plant for Changjiang Steel
PKU Pioneer successfully commissioned a 12,500 Nm³/h VPSA oxygen plant for Changjiang Steel, helping reduce liquid oxygen dependence and significantly lower blast furnace oxygen enrichment costs. The project was completed in just 73 days and delivers daily savings exceeding $14,285, further strengthening energy efficiency and cost competitiveness for large-scale steel production.
12,500 Nm³/h VPSA Oxygen Plant for Copper Smelting
PKU Pioneer successfully commissioned a 12,500 Nm³/h VPSA oxygen plant for Wuxin Copper, helping eliminate oxygen supply bottlenecks and improve oxygen-enriched smelting efficiency. The project significantly reduced oxygen production costs, enhanced automation capabilities, and supported the customer’s capacity expansion and green metallurgy upgrade.
Blast Furnace Oxygen Enrichment PSA Project
PKU Pioneer successfully commissioned a second-phase 14,000 Nm³/h PSA oxygen plant for Chifeng Yuanlian Iron & Steel, expanding total oxygen generation capacity to 28,000 Nm³/h. The project significantly reduced oxygen production costs, improved operational flexibility, and supported the steel mill’s energy-saving and low-carbon transformation goals.
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