Petrochemicals Drive Cars Forward

Oil: Car's "Delicious Delicacies"

In the history of the automotive industry for more than 100 years, gasoline and diesel have always been its main fuel. It can be said that there is no car without gasoline. With the rapid development of China's oil refining industry, the production of gasoline and diesel continues to increase rapidly, providing a strong impetus for the development of the automotive industry.

At present, China's crude oil processing capacity ranks second in the world. In 2010, China's crude oil processing capacity has reached 477 million tons, of which refined oil production reached 253 million tons. In the same year, the amount of refined oil consumed by China's autos was 245 million tons. In terms of quantity, China's refined oil production can basically meet the demand of automobiles and other industries.

Raising the quality of refined oil and producing clean oil products are the key points of development of the oil refining industry in China. Since entering the new century, in order to tie in with the development speed of the automobile industry, China's oil production has been accelerating the pace of quality upgrades, and it has taken less than 10 years to pass through the path taken by European and American countries for 20 to 30 years.

Following the realization of lead-free gasoline in 1997, in 2003 China again implemented new national standards for gasoline and diesel, reduced the gasoline* content from 2000 ppm to 800 ppm, and reduced the diesel* content from 5000 ppm to 2000 ppm. For the first time, the benzene, olefin, aromatics and other impurities in gasoline have been put forward as limiting requirements. After a short period of 2 years, from July 1, 2005, China’s gasoline and diesel* content has further dropped to 500ppm; by July 2010, China’s gasoline* content has dropped to 150ppm, and diesel* content has dropped to 350ppm to reach ultra-clean fuel levels. By the end of 2009, domestic vehicle gasoline had all met the national III standard; in 2010, domestic vehicle diesel all reached the national III standard. In order to welcome the opening of the World Expo, Shanghai has made a direct transition from State II to Shanghai IV on October 23, 2009.

In recent years, with the increasingly tense supply of traditional energy sources and increasing pressure on greenhouse gas emission reduction, the development of alternative fuels for vehicles has become a global consensus. At present, the alternative fuels for vehicles that China has developed include: liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, alcohol fuels, dimethyl ether and biodiesel.

The main components of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for vehicles are propane and butane, which have high octane number, high burning speed, good anti-knock performance, lower cost of use than alcohol, gasoline, diesel, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides, etc. The emission of harmful substances such as NOx is also lower than that of gasoline. It can basically eliminate black smoke and particulate matter, and reduce engine operating noise.

The main component of vehicle natural gas is methane, which is compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Automotive natural gas has relatively stable chemical properties, high combustible components, high calorific value, high octane number, good anti-knocking performance, and high ignition temperature and wide range. Compared with the use of gasoline and diesel, exhaust pollution is significantly reduced. Hydrocarbon (HC) in the exhaust gas is reduced by about 90%, CO is reduced by about 80%, and NOx is reduced by about 40%.

Alcohol fuels are mainly methanol and ethanol, with high octane number, large latent heat of vaporization, and low calorific value. As automotive fuels, alcohol fuels themselves contain oxygen and can increase the oxy-fuel ratio during engine combustion. CO and HC emissions are lower than those of gasoline and diesel, and almost no soot emissions are emitted. In addition, due to the high latent heat of vaporization, the intake air temperature can be reduced. Improve the efficiency of gas charging, so that the maximum combustion temperature is low and engine NOx emission is low.

In 2009, China's fuel ethanol production reached 1.7 million tons, and ethanol gasoline accounted for nearly 20% of the country's total gasoline consumption. The two national standards for vehicle fuel methanol and methanol gasoline for vehicles have been officially implemented on November 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009 respectively. Zhejiang, Shanxi, and other places have begun to promote the use.

Biodiesel refers to renewable diesel fuel that can replace petrochemical diesel oil produced by transesterification process using oil crops, wild oil plants and engineered microalgae and other aquatic plant oils and fats, animal fats and catering waste oil as raw material oil. At present, China’s biodiesel technology has achieved significant results: Hainan Zhenghe Bio-Energy Company, Sichuan Gushan Oil and Fat Chemicals Company and Fujian Excellence New Energy Development Company have all developed technologies with independent intellectual property rights, and have built scales of more than 10,000 tons in succession. Factory. In November 2010, biodiesel for vehicles had taken the lead in the use of gas stations in Hainan Province.

Rubber Accessories: "Functional Cells" for Cars

In addition to tires, a car has many automotive rubber products, including hoses, transmission belts, sealing products, shock-absorbing rubber and safety products. The average number of rubber parts required for each car is 100 to 200, and the number is 200 to 500, and the rubber consumption is 15 to 60 kilograms. The cost of automotive rubber products accounts for about 6% of the total cost of automobiles.

Although automotive rubber products are all small parts, they are very useful. Take the rubber hose as an example: The fuel hose and air-conditioning tube require good resistance to permeation; the brake hose requires high pulse and high pressure resistance; the water tank hose requires good heat resistance. With the increasing demand for automotive performance, ride comfort, and handling stability, the amount of rubber parts, especially rubber shock absorbers, in automobiles has been increasing year by year.

China is a world leader in the production of hoses, with an annual output of more than 600 million standard meters of hoses. The products include wire reinforced rubber hoses, fiber reinforced rubber hoses, resin hoses, cloth hoses, special purpose hoses and various structures, specifications and performances. Pure hose and so on. There are about 50 automobile hose manufacturers in China. Products not only meet the needs of domestic automobile manufacturers, but also occupy a certain share in the international market. The application of rubber raw materials for automotive hoses covers almost all synthetic rubbers such as neoprene, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, and acrylate rubber. In recent years, the use of special rubber in automotive hoses has continued to increase, such as fluoroelastomers, polyacrylate rubbers, hydrogenated nitrile rubbers, chlorohydrin rubbers, and silicone rubber.

The annual production capacity of the conveyor belt in China exceeds 350 million square meters, and the V-belt annual production capacity is approximately 2.5 billion A meters, ranking first in the world. The output of automobile transmission belts in China basically meets the needs of cars. The products include high-performance tooth-cut V-belts, V-ribbed belts and timing belts. At the same time, double-sided V-ribbed belts and synchronous belts have been developed. Following the widespread application of neoprene rubber, EPDM rubber and hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber have also been successfully used in the production of automotive transmission belts to improve the heat resistance and fatigue resistance of the tape. In addition, the development of film-based flat belts and various narrow V-belts has also been rapid, and production and quality have been improved in tandem.

The skeleton oil seals for automobiles are mounted on the engine, transmission, axles, cylinders, etc., to prevent penetration of the sealed medium (gas, liquid) and foreign matter into the body. During the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, China’s focus has developed high-grade oil seals for engines, gearboxes, and valves. High-quality materials such as acrylic rubber, nitrile rubber, and PTFE have been used as materials, and the structure has been exposed. The semi-exposed composite skeletal and fluid power oil seals meet the automotive requirements for high-speed, high-temperature oil seals.

Car seals are widely used in doors, windows, bodies, sunroofs, engine boxes and trunks, etc. They have the functions of sound insulation, dust prevention, seepage prevention and shock absorption, and maintain and maintain the small environment inside the car. Protection of passengers, electromechanical devices and accessories in the vehicle.

In recent years, in order to improve the safety, comfort and operability of automobiles, the variety and number of shock-absorbing rubber products used in automobiles have been increasing. The number of shock-absorbing rubber products on a car has reached 50 to 60 pieces. Automotive shock absorbing rubber products include engine mounts, suspension members, rubber springs, rubber air springs, and collision rubber guards. Because of the different parts used, the type of rubber used is also different. In 2010, the national demand for automotive shock-absorbing rubber products (excluding the maintenance market) was as high as 360 million.

Plastics: The Energy Saving Magic of Automobiles As the automotive industry with large energy consumption, the challenges faced by the global low-carbon economy are self-evident. The use of plastic substitute steel to increase the amount of plastic used in automobiles and expand the range of applications to achieve lighter weight is the best solution for the automotive industry to achieve energy-saving emission reduction targets.

The lightweight of a car is to reduce the car's service quality as much as possible while ensuring the strength and safety performance of the car, thereby improving the car's dynamic performance, reducing fuel consumption, and reducing exhaust pollution. The data shows that every 1% of the vehicle's own weight can save 1% of the fuel; for every 1% of the vehicle's moving parts, it can save 2%. The specific gravity of the general plastic is 0.9 to 1.5, and the specific gravity of the fiber-reinforced composite material does not exceed 2.0. The specific gravity of the metal material is 7.6 for steel, 8.4 for brass, and 2.7 for aluminum. Obviously, plastic is the material of choice for automotive lightweighting. A car with a total mileage of 150,000 kilometers will save about 1,000 liters of fuel during its use if the total weight of 7.5% is replaced by plastic.

Plastics can not only reduce the weight of vehicles, reduce fuel use costs, but also reduce manufacturing costs and improve vehicle safety performance. Plastics can be recycled, which can save the resource consumption in the automobile manufacturing process, and use plastic parts instead of expensive non-ferrous metal and alloy material parts, can increase power, adapt to harsh environments, and realize the safety and manufacturing cost of automobiles ascending and descending. At present, developed countries have taken the proportion of automotive plastics as an important indicator of the level of automotive design and manufacturing.

The application of plastics in automobiles can be divided into three categories according to function: interior parts, exterior parts and functional parts. The exterior parts such as the bumper can be replaced by plastic, which can reduce the weight of the car and achieve the purpose of energy saving. The interior parts such as dashboard, seats and headrests have higher requirements for safety, environmental protection and comfort performance, and can absorb impact energy and The vibration energy of the elastic body and foamed plastic to manufacture, can reduce the impact on the human body in the collision, improve the safety factor of the car; fuel tank, engine and chassis and other functional components, the use of high-strength engineering plastics or special Engineering plastics, to reduce weight, reduce costs, simplify the process. In addition, high-temperature, oil-resistant polyamide structural parts, plastic panel materials that can meet the requirements of on-line body painting, and polycarbonate window materials that can make the field of vision more open and design more flexible are favored by automobile manufacturers.

In addition to general plastics and engineering plastics, bioplastics have also begun to be used in automotive manufacturing. There are more than 1.5 million Ford cars that use soy polyurethane materials, and Mazda hybrid cars use heat-resistant bioplastics.

New energy vehicles have become one of the main directions for the future development of automobiles. Since the electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle alone may add an additional 200 kilograms of weight, new energy vehicles require much less weight than traditional cars. At present, some companies have proposed using high-performance polyamides to produce battery packs for electric vehicles in order to reduce the weight and cost of electric vehicles.

Tires: Safety "Running Shoes" for Cars

Tires need to withstand the load, but also to generate driving force and braking force, but also need to buffer and shock absorption, took on the role of the car "running shoes."

According to statistics, in China, 46% of the traffic accidents that occurred on the expressway were caused by tire failures, and 70% of them were punctured. When the vehicle reaches a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, if the vehicle encounters a puncture accident, the death rate is 100%. Once a problem arises with the tires, both the vehicle and the person in the car are at great risk. Therefore, this pair of running shoes tires also become the most important safety component of the car.

Since the founding of New China 60 years ago, China has become the largest producer of tires in the world. It has built a complete industrial system with various specifications and series of products and has obtained a series of international cutting-edge technologies with original innovation characteristics. In 1949, only 26,000 tires were produced in China, and only biased tires were produced. In 2010, the tire production reached 420 million, ranking first in the world; in 1982, the first industrialized domestic passenger car radial tire went offline, and the Chinese radial tire output in 2010 It reached 340 million and the radialization rate was 80.9%. At present, China's tire production accounts for about 1/4 of the world's total production.

China's tire product structure has also been further optimized. The semi-steel radial tire has basically achieved no internalization, and high-performance, ultra-low-profile and high-speed grade radial passenger car tires have developed rapidly; the ratio of radial-loaded radial tires and non-tube-loaded radial tires has greatly increased; The engineering radial tire has achieved significant development. At present, China has been able to produce two major types of tires such as heavy load, light load, sedans, agriculture, engineering, and industrial, such as the meridian and skew, with about 2000 specifications, which can basically meet the needs of users at home and abroad.

China has also formed a group of world-class tire companies. In the 2010 Global Top 75 tire rankings, China's mainland companies reached 22, accounting for 29.3%; Hangzhou Zhongce ranked 11th with US$2.36 billion and joined the world’s $2 billion club. The 19 tire companies that have entered the world’s 1 billion dollar club, China’s Delta Group and Shandong Linglong’s. In 2009, there were 12 enterprises with production of more than 2 million all-steel radial tires, and 14 enterprises with production of semi-steel radial tires exceeding 5 million.

The series of high-performance passenger car radial tires developed in China not only has stable running, low noise, but also has good anti-slip performance and high-speed performance.

The proportion of tubeless tires in heavy-tire radial tires has increased substantially. This type of tires can save rubber, steel wire and other raw materials due to the absence of inner tubes, pads, and retaining rings, reducing the overall wheel quality, reducing tire rolling resistance, reducing fuel consumption, and safety. Obvious economic benefits. The use rate of tubeless tyres for medium and long-distance freight vehicles in some areas in China is close to 50%, and tubeless tyres are also commonly used in buses in large cities.

In addition, the giant engineering radial tires, which are monopolized by a very small number of foreign companies, have also achieved mass production in China. In 2008, they also achieved zero breakthroughs in aircraft radial tires.

Fine chemicals: automotive beauty and health products

In 1924, the cooperation between Auckland Auto Company and DuPont Paint Company brought the color of the car. The first color car launched by both parties was blue. In the 1920s, a mineral oil that did not contain any additives was used in the engine to provide lubrication. This was the birth of automotive lubricants. After that, products such as antifreeze and brake fluid were developed and continuously introduced.

Since the beginning of the new century, as people have continuously improved the performance requirements of various aspects of automobiles, the types of automotive fine chemicals have become more and more, and the specificity of products has become stronger. So far, the automotive fine chemicals are mainly divided into five categories: automotive lubricants, automotive cleaners, automotive protective fluids, automotive coatings, and automotive adhesives. Among them, lubricating oils include engine oils, non-oil lubricating oils, lubricating oil additives, etc.; vehicle cleaning agents include cleaning agents, cleaning and polishing agents, polishes, paint removers, etc.; protective fluids include antifreeze, brake fluid, Glass anti-fogging agent and other automotive protective products; automotive paints include primers, varnishes, color paints, enamels, anti-corrosion coatings, etc.; automotive adhesives include general adhesives, automotive body and other special adhesives, adhesive repair adhesives. , car sealant and so on. These fine chemicals, called "healthcare products" and "cosmetics" for automobiles, satisfy people's aesthetic needs and maintenance needs.

The rapid progress in the overall strength of the petrochemical industry has effectively promoted the development of the automotive fine chemicals industry in China. Before 1960, China’s basic research and application of automotive fine chemicals were basically left blank. With the discovery and large-scale development of Daqing Oilfield, China has thrown off the “poor oil” hat and the automotive fine chemicals industry has started. In the early 1960s, China extracted engine oil from Daqing crude oil. Soon after, China began to study synthetic brake fluid. Since 1980, China has successively stipulated standards for automotive chemical products such as engine oil, brake fluid, and antifreeze. The development of automotive chemical products has entered a period of rapid development, and its quality and performance have been greatly improved. Since the beginning of the new century, with the improvement of China’s economic level, automobiles have begun to enter millions of households, and the demand for automotive chemical supplies is increasing.

At present, China has become the world's second largest consumer of automotive lubricants, and it is also one of the fastest growing countries in demand for automotive lubricants. China is also the world’s largest paint producing and consuming country, among which automotive paint production exceeds 500,000 tons. In order to meet more and more stringent environmental protection requirements, China has overcome the difficult issues of the coatings industry and developed green water-based automotive coatings. Compared to traditional oil paints, waterborne paints have better leveling, adhesion and wear resistance. According to estimates by professional agencies, the use of water-based paint can reduce 115 kg of VOC emissions per year, which is equivalent to the exhaust emissions of more than 100 vehicles a year.