On January 10, the market price of n-Pentane, Isopentane, Pentane Foaming Agent, n-Hexane, n-Heptane, n-Octane and D series solvents, the upstream raw material naphtha was mainly stable, the market price of hydrocarbons was temporarily stable, the demand for downstream EPS foaming agent and refrigerator refrigerant increased, the operating load of manufacturers increased generally, the supply of Pentane Blowing Agent market was tight, and the market transaction was OK. The profits of Pentane Foaming Agent manufacturers increased. The market price is expected to remain stable. tomorrow.
◎ Chemical Hotspots
The market weighed the tight supply situation, the weaker than expected U.S. employment data and the outlook of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, and the international oil price closed down after rising sharply in the session. NYMEX crude oil futures 02 contract fell by US $0.56/barrel or 0.70% at 78.90; Ice oil distribution futures 03 contract 81.75, down $0.24/barrel or 0.29%.
◎ How does the sudden tension in Kazakhstan affect the crude oil market?
Due to the strong resistance of crude oil pipeline transportation to epidemic situation, bad weather and other factors, unless the pipeline is damaged or the input end of the oil field is damaged, the transportation capacity will remain stable. Therefore, the impact of the situation in Kazakhstan on China’s import of crude oil from Kazakhstan may be slight. Previous tensions in Myanmar similar to this incident failed to have a significant impact on the transportation of China Myanmar crude oil pipeline. The tension in Kazakhstan this time, unless the deterioration of the situation affects the facilities related to crude oil production and export, the impact on the international crude oil price may be very limited, and it will not restrict China’s normal crude oil import. Junyuan Petroleum Group will continue to pay attention to the follow-up progress of this event.
Cyclopentane
The prices of n-Pentane and Isopentane foam blowing agents rose by 0.76% and 1.56% respectively today.
Market review from January to June 2021:
From January to June 2021, the domestic pentane foaming agent market showed an “m” trend, and the overall price was higher than that of the same period in previous years. The highest node is one week after May Day, and the price is 5800 yuan / ton. The lowest node is at the beginning of the year, and the price is 4500 yuan / ton, and the difference between high and low prices is 1300 yuan / ton.
The first stage: from January to mid March (price rise stage): the price of pentane foaming agent rises with the support of good cost and demand. On the cost side, the oil market is improving, and the price of raw material mixed C5 rises, which gives a certain rise support to the cost side; On the demand side, the downstream EPS is boosted by the rise of styrene. In addition, the terminal purchase is active, the EPS price rises, and the price receiving capacity of auxiliary materials is strengthened, giving pentane foaming agent some room for rise.
The second stage: from mid March to early April (price downward stage): the price of pentane foaming agent decreased rapidly due to the weakening cost side and the slowdown of downstream demand. On the cost side, crude oil rose in mid March and fell sharply, bulk commodities generally fell sharply, the raw material market fell, and the cost support was insufficient; On the demand side, the price of styrene has weakened significantly, the EPS market has fallen sharply, coupled
with the slow improvement of downstream packaging and insulation demand, the slow delivery speed of merchants, the obvious pressure on the finished product inventory of most EPS factories, the reduction and shutdown of some EPS factories in East and South China, and the overall transaction atmosphere of the market is insufficient.
The third stage: from early April to mid May (price upward stage): pentane foaming agent is supported by cost rebound, coupled with tight supply of some positive high models in the field, and the price is upward. On the cost side, boosted by the rebound in the oil market, the price of raw material mixed C5 rose; On the supply side, due to the slow price increase and pressure on the cost, pentane foaming agent continued to reduce the supply in some factory parking lots, and many companies mainly sold inventory; On the demand side, most downstream EPS demand models are positive high. In addition, the polyurethane industry has a strong demand for n-pentane monomer, the positive high models in the field are tight, and the price rises accordingly.
The third stage: from mid May to the end of June (price downward stage): the price of pentane foaming agent is downward due to the weakening cost, insufficient downstream demand and increased on-site supply. In terms of cost, due to the strict investigation of environmental protection, safety and taxation, the social oil activities are reduced. In addition, the use of mixed C5 decreases as the weather turns hot, the demand of raw material mixed C5 is restricted, the price is at the bottom, and there is no strong support for the cost of pentane foaming agent; On the supply side, the on-site supply increased, and Jiangsu Xinhai, Dongying Runze and zhongtuolihe added pentane supply, increasing the competitive pressure; On the demand side, the price of styrene fell sharply, the EPS market fell, the terminal merchants mainly replenished at different stages, and the overall delivery was cold. In addition, affected by the inspection, some factories were shut down for transformation or decline, the overall operation of EPS was insufficient, and the demand for pentane foaming agent decreased.
According to the statistics of internal chemical data of Junyuan Petroleum Group, the total output of pentane foaming agent in China from January to June 2021 was 139,500 tons, of which the output from April to June was 97,000 tons, a decrease of 11,100 tons compared with 108,100 tons in 2020.
The average profit of the domestic pentane foaming agent industry has declined continuously for nearly three years. The average profit from January to June 2021 was 186.45 yuan / ton, down 131.41 yuan / ton from 317.86 yuan / ton in 2020, and the average profit in 2019 was 550.45 yuan / ton, down 364 yuan / ton. At present, it is at the lowest profit level in recent three years.
Today, the price of blowing agents for forming foams rose again. The prices of two pentane blowing agents increased by 1.54% and 1.59% respectively
Polyurethane raw material prices rose across the board, and expanding production capacity became the main theme of the industry at the beginning of the new year
In 2021, the refrigerator industry experienced the development process of “restraining first and then increasing”. At the beginning of, traffic disruption and logistics disruption hindered the production of refrigerator enterprises. With the continuous recovery of refrigerator production capacity, especially after entering the third quarter, the overseas epidemic intensified, which once led to a sharp increase in refrigerator export orders. The release of downstream demand has strained the supply of #polyurethane raw materials (including foam blowing agent, black and white materials) in the upstream of the refrigerator, followed by a sharp rise in prices. In order to meet the demand of the refrigerator factory, in 2021, the polyurethane raw material factory will increase the production capacity on the one hand, and expand the application of new technologies on the other hand to help the whole machine factory reduce the production cost.
Foaming agent: HFO replaces HFC acceleration
With the increasing requirements of the refrigerator industry for environmental protection and energy-saving technical indicators, the foaming system of China’s refrigerator industry has changed from cyclopentane + polyether binary blend foaming system to cyclopentane + HFC-245fa + polyether ternary blend foaming system. The reason why “electrical appliances” reporter learned that compared with the traditional cyclopentane foaming technology, HFC-245fa+ cyclopentane blending foaming technology can not only effectively reduce the thermal conductivity, improve the energy efficiency of the refrigerator, but also reduce the foam density, which helps to reduce the cost of polyurethane foam.
It can be seen that HFC-245fa is widely used in refrigerator industry as foaming agent. In 2021, the outbreak of COVID-19 pneumonia caused a sharp increase in the refrigerator exports in the second half of the year. No matter the whole plant or the polyurethane raw materials factory transferred production to China, the demand of HFC-245fa showed a rapid growth trend.
Inventory and Prospect of Solvent Market in 2022
Crude Oil
The quality of epidemic control is the key factor determining the rise and fall of crude oil. There will be no high price of crude oil until the epidemic in the world is effectively controlled. Now the world economy is recovering slowly. In the future, COVID-19 may be as normal as a cold. The epidemic has already brought the world economy to the cards in advance, and the recession is inevitable. China can not be left alone. At this stage, the overall situation of China’s market is that high-end products rely heavily on imports, and the low level of products has a serious surplus.
In 2021, the primary processing capacity of crude oil will exceed 900 million tons / year, resulting in serious overcapacity. In 2021, China’s self-produced crude oil was about 195 million tons, and its domestic crude oil processing capacity was 674.4 million tons. In 2021, China’s total imported crude oil was 542 million tons, reaching a new high. The dependence on foreign crude oil reached more than 72%, and the form of energy security is still very severe.
Naphtha
Naphtha is an important raw material for ethylene, reforming, blending gasoline and solvent oil. In 2020, the national naphtha output will be 38.97 million tons, the demand will be 45.99 million tons, and the import volume will be 7.02 million tons. In 2021, the national naphtha output is about 42.32 million tons. In the future, the naphtha supply gap will gradually increase and the contradiction between supply and demand will further intensify.
Ethylene is one of the important standards to measure a country’s petrochemical development level. It is the core part of petrochemical industry and plays an important role in the national economy. Ethylene is known as the mother of chemical industry. Its products account for more than 75% of petrochemical products, and the downstream is polyethylene, ethylene glycol, ethylene oxide, styrene, PVC and so on.
China is the second largest producer and consumer of ethylene after the United States. However, with the continuous improvement of consumption, it is still in short supply. The main domestic production areas are the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta and Northeast China, and the main sources of imports are South Korea, Japan and the United States.
In 2020, China’s ethylene output will be 25.85 million tons and its consumption will be 51.55 million tons. In 2021, China’s ethylene output will be 21.6 million tons. In recent years, the average annual import volume is about 18 million tons. It is estimated that by 2025, the domestic ethylene production capacity will be about 58.8 million tons, the output will be about 46.8 million tons and the consumption will be 67 million tons. The whole “14th five year plan” period is a period of vigorous development of ethylene in China. Therefore, there will be strong demand for naphtha in the next 5-8 years.
Export of refined oil: the export volume of refined oil will be 66.85 million tons in 2020 and 61.83 million tons in 2021. This year, the state will continue to open the export of refined oil by private enterprises. Although the export volume has decreased compared with previous years, the export of refined oil is still a strong fulcrum to boost the demand for naphtha.
Common solvent oil
The general solvent oil market continues to shrink this year, with a sense of decline. Affected by the national safety and environmental protection policy, the end users of general solvent oil are stopping work and moving. Especially in the Yangtze River Delta, a large number of end customers require to be moved out. From vigorously recruiting and supporting more than ten years ago to today’s deportation, they have become proud of the national solvent oil distribution center for more than ten years, This is no longer brilliant.
#6 Solvent Oil
Due to the adjustment of industrial structure, the demand of No. 6 solvent oil has shown a downward trend in recent years. It is expected that the market of No. 6 solvent oil will not change much this year. Due to the index requirements of No. 6 solvent oil, its yield in production is relatively low. Therefore, No. 6 solvent oil can still maintain a certain space in profit. Because No. 6 solvent oil has an irreplaceable role in adhesives for the time being, it will be barely maintained in the next few years.
No. 120 Solvent Oil
This year, No. 120 solvent oil still shows a downward trend. Due to the large proportion in the processing and production process, the market supply exceeds demand, and most of the time, the price of No. 120 solvent oil is equal to that of naphtha. Therefore, in the future, 120 solvent oil may enter the chemical industry less and less, and most of it will enter the field of oil transfer and reforming.
No. 200
This year, the market development of No. 200 solvent oil fluctuated, and the field of chemical oil products continued to decline. However, it is not the terminal paint industry that really determines the market price and demand of No. 200 solvent oil, but the diesel industry. Whether national standard or non-standard, the trend of No. 200 market has been guided by diesel demand in recent years. In previous years, a large amount of diesel demand has ensured the No. 200 market and the normal operation of solvent oil enterprises.
However, after the Spring Festival this year, the No. 200 market has been in a downturn. For the first time in four years, the price is lower than No. 120. The reason is that the diesel market has been bad. The main reasons for the bad diesel market are as follows: 1 After the epidemic, the market did not fully recover and the transportation industry was depressed. 2. There are still a large number of goods stored during the Spring Festival. 3. There is heavy rain in the south, and the progress of the project is slow.
On the whole, although the glory of processing ordinary solvent oil with naphtha is long gone, there is still a great demand in the market. However, the profit point is constantly declining, and many ordinary solvent oil production enterprises are just to ensure the commencement. For the clef solvent oil market, we don’t make money, we only make production.
Pentane
For pentane, the national market demand is about 300,000 tons / year. Most of them enter the oil transfer field in the middle of the period, and the other part enters the chemical industry, mainly as pentane foaming agent. The actual annual demand for pentane foaming agent is about 150,000 tons. In the future, the market of pentane foaming agent may be further expanded.
Pentane, as a foaming agent, mainly foams polystyrene and polyurethane. Pentane has a low density of about 0.62 and is volatile. As a foaming agent, it uses its volatile characteristics to leave small holes in polystyrene or polyurethane.
Pentane and isopentane are used to make polystyrene foaming agent in a proportion of pentane blowing agent. The finished product is polystyrene foam EPS, and pentane to EPS foaming is already a very mature technology. Polystyrene foam is widely used in building engineering, thermal insulation materials, roadbed filling, and packaging industry.
Polyurethane foam is mainly used in building, thermal insulation materials, such as heating and insulation pipes, fridge insulation, building external wall insulation and so on. The main application of polyurethane foaming is Cyclopentane.
At present, the dosage of polystyrene foam is greater than that of polyurethane foam. In addition, n-pentane and isopentane can also be applied to the #polyethylene industry.
n-Hexane
This year, the whole market demand for n-hexane will rise slowly, whether coal based or petroleum based. Especially in the second half of the year, the demand of vegetable oil extraction industry, polyolefin industry and rubber synthesis industry will increase. This year, 1-2 n-hexane manufacturers will enter the industry. In the future, the profit of n-hexane will decrease significantly. N-hexane is becoming a rotten Street product from high-end fine chemicals.
n-Hexane, 60%
The demand for 60% n-hexane has been relatively stable in recent years.
The requirements are as follows:
1、 Continuous merger and integration of large domestic oil enterprises, such as COFCO.
2、 The continuous promotion of international grain and oil enterprises to build factories in China, such as YIHAI KERRY, etc.
3、 The number of imported soybeans increased steadily. In January 2021, China imported 102 million tons of soybeans, a record high, and will increase this year.
4、 Increasing production of domestic soybean. In 2021, there will be 19.6 million tons of domestic soybeans. According to the fact that about 30% of domestic soybeans are used for edible oil production, plus some imported Russian soybeans, it is estimated that nearly 7 million tons of domestic soybeans will enter the vegetable oil extraction industry.
5、 The comprehensive recovery of aquaculture industry and strong feed demand also increase the operating rate of oil enterprises.
Many favorable factors, such as the above, will increase the market demand for 60% n-hexane. However, it is also because major demand enterprises implement the low-cost joint bidding procurement scheme, forcing suppliers to keep the price to the lowest, or even lose money, which will greatly reduce the profit of 60% n-hexane.
It can be said that n-hexane has become a low profit product, and the main culprit of damaging the whole n-hexane industry is the demand enterprises of major domestic bidding.
n-Hexane, 80%
80% n-hexane is mainly used in polyolefin, rubber synthesis industry, and some in vegetable oil leaching industry.
Polyolefin
Just take polyethylene as an example. There has always been a large gap in domestic high-end products such as polyethylene, most of which are heavily dependent on imports, and high-end polyolefins will even be imported on a large scale in the next few years.
The industrial chain of polyethylene is crude oil naphtha ethylene polyethylene plastics.
China is the country with the largest consumption of polyethylene. Polyethylene consumption is mainly concentrated in East China, North China and South China. Although domestic polyethylene production enterprises are constantly launched, they still can not meet the market demand, especially the scarcity of high-end polyethylene. Domestic high-end polyethylene production capacity is insufficient to meet the growth of high-speed consumption. They can only rely on imports, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, United States, Singapore, Qatar, etc.
In 2020, the domestic polyethylene consumption will be 34 million tons, the output will be 18 million tons and the import volume will be 11.5 million tons. In 2021, the domestic polyethylene output was about 20.3 million tons, the import volume reached 18.6 million tons, and the external dependence exceeded 48%. Last year, the global production capacity was about 130 million tons, and the new production capacity was 9.4 million tons. It is expected that China’s polyethylene import volume will slow down after 2023. By then, the global polyethylene production capacity will reach 150 million tons / year
From 2020 to now, Zhejiang Petrochemical, Dalian Hengli, Panjin Bora, Sinochem, Quanzhou, Yantai Wanhua, Heilongjiang haiguolong oil, Yanchang Yuneng phase II, Lianyungang satellite petrochemical and other units with a total of nearly 7 million tons have been put into operation, but they still can not meet the domestic demand.
The production of HDPE is mainly slurry polymerization process, and the slurry stirred tank process mainly includes German Hostalen slurry process and Japanese Mitsui CX process.
Both processes use n-hexane.
Synthetic Rubber
Synthetic rubber is mainly used in the production of tires, rubber shoes, etc.
With the adjustment of national policies, butadiene production capacity is released, the source of raw materials is more relaxed, and the profit of cis-polybutadiene rubber begins to increase significantly. Major domestic manufacturers start operation one after another, the operating rate is maintained at about 70%, and the output is also increasing significantly. The output of styrene butadiene rubber and ethylene propylene rubber will be increased.
For example, solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber is a copolymer formed by random copolymerization of butadiene and styrene with n-hexane as solvent. It is mainly used for rubber pre rubber products such as tires and rubber shoes.
Solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber is a high-end technical product with high technical barriers. At present, domestic supply is still in short supply. The total global output of solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber is about 2.58 million tons. The main producing countries are the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Italy, Hungary and other developed countries. Solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber with a production capacity of more than 100000 tons are European and American enterprises.
For example, EPDM is a terpolymer formed by copolymerization of ethylene, propylene and non conjugated diene monomers. EPDM has superior oxidation resistance, ozone resistance, corrosion resistance, and good processing and application properties. At present, it has been widely used in automobile industry, electronic and electrical, construction and other fields.
EPDM is a solution polymerization process, which is a homogeneous reaction. Usually, ethylene, propylene and the third monomer (dicyclopentadiene) are polymerized with n-hexane as solvent and aluminum salt as catalyst. The temperature and pressure are adjusted to control the degree of reaction. After that, catalyst removal, polymer and solvent separation, monomer recovery, drying, packaging, etc.
In 2020, China’s EPDM output was 217000 tons, the demand was 439000 tons, and the import volume was 230000 tons, accounting for more than 52%. The main importing countries were the United States, South Korea and the European Union.
Vegetable oil leaching
The stable production capacity of low-temperature soybean meal and corn oil provides an effective guarantee for the demand of 80% n-hexane.
After discussing the products related to n-hexane in the above three aspects, it can be seen that the demand for 80% n-hexane will increase in the next few years.
High purity coal based n-Hexane
Since the previous year, coal based n-hexane has been accepted and trusted by most customers. In the past, some defects of coal based n-hexane have been removed with the improvement of raw materials and production process. It has been widely used in polyethylene, synthetic rubber and some vegetable oil leaching industries. Due to the low production cost, good yield and friendly market price of coal based n-hexane, It has become a good choice for end customers.
At present, high-purity n-hexane in the market is produced from coal, and the market response is good. High purity n-hexane is mostly used in the pharmaceutical intermediate industry, and the annual market demand is about 25000-30000 tons. The market demand for high-purity hexane began to decline significantly in the past two years. The main reason is that most manufacturers choose to replace n-hexane with n-heptane, resulting in some oversupply of high-purity hexane. However, with the shortage of 80% n-hexane in the market, some high-purity hexane has entered the polyethylene, rubber synthesis and vegetable oil leaching industries, High purity hexane will maintain a relatively flat supply-demand relationship.
The raw material of coal based n-hexane is normal structure stable light hydrocarbon. Due to the high normal structure content of normal structure stable light hydrocarbon, the content of n-hexane is easy to increase in the production of n-hexane, and the content is more than 95%. Therefore, the market share of coal based n-hexane has gradually increased in recent two years.
It can be said that the domestic n-hexane industry has continued to increase steadily in recent years, mainly due to the vigorous development of coal chemical industry in recent years, more and more coal chemical enterprises have entered the n-hexane industry, driving the continuous and vigorous development of domestic n-hexane industry.
With the continuous launch of domestic coal chemical Fischer Tropsch synthesis projects, the development of coal to n-hexane is getting better and better, and the production capacity and output value of coal based n-hexane are rising.
However, at present, the homogenization of domestic n-hexane products is serious, the product competition is fierce, and the price fight is everywhere. However, the imported high-quality and high-purity n-hexane still has a certain market. Therefore, improving the product quality of n-hexane is our top priority.
Heptane
n-Heptane is mainly used as pharmaceutical intermediates, phase change materials, organic synthesis and so on.
Firstly, the demand for n-heptane has maintained an upward trend in the past two years, overwhelming n-hexane as the mainstream in the application of some terminal pharmaceutical APIs.
Secondly, it is to press imported n-heptane and firmly occupy the domestic market.
Third, the increasing export volume makes n-heptane one of the few export-oriented fine chemical products in the solvent oil industry.
In the future, the market demand for n-heptane will further increase.
Today’s achievements in the n-heptane market should be thanks to the vigorous development of China’s coal chemical industry.
Although the market of n-heptane has developed well, it is only a small variety in the solvent oil industry, and many people do not know its existence.
D series Solvent Oil
D series solvent oil, also known as light white oil. D series solvent oil has become a rotten variety in the past two years. The price fight is fierce. It was hit by isoalkanes last year. Several old D series manufacturers in the industry are also struggling, and it is more difficult for new enterprises.
In the D series, the varieties with low flash point have no profit, and the high flash point can be barely maintained. The D series of many enterprises are forced to enter the oil transfer field. This situation is the same as that of ordinary solvent oil. How can I cut it out and transfer it back to me.
With the continuous release of aviation coal output of Dalian Hengli and Zhejiang Petrochemical, the increase of liquid wax of coal chemical industry, and more and more D-series solvent oil raw materials, several enterprises will start construction this year. At that time, the price competition will be more intense. Overall, this year, the D-series market demand will not change significantly, the sales will be more difficult, and the overall profit will decline significantly. It can be said that the D-series market is facing a reshuffle.
D series has been in the market for more than ten years, with slow development. Up to now, it is faced with being replaced, which is worth pondering.
n-Alkane
N-alkanes are mainly used for linear alkylbenzene, dibasic acid, chlorinated paraffin, aluminum products binding, nylon, etc. at present, several varieties with slightly better demand from n-octane to n-tetradecane in the market are n-decane, n-dodecane and n-tetradecane. Due to the single terminal demand, the demand has not been very large. A few years ago, n-alkanes were relatively low-key in the market. In recent years, due to the emergence of coal to liquid wax, n-alkanes manufacturers have increased.
At present, the profit point of n-alkane single product is OK, but the sales volume is limited. In addition, there are too many accessory products and almost no profit. Therefore, manufacturers are on the edge of chicken ribs for n-alkanes.
This year, n-alkanes will still develop slowly. It is suggested that new demand channels need to be developed to obtain more recognition from the terminal. Personally, in the future, n-alkanes will continue to develop high-carbon products, such as n-Pentadecane, n-hexadecane, n-Heptadecane, n-octadecane, etc. these varieties are available in developed countries and have a promising future, This is also a supplementary point and profit growth point of the solvent oil industry.
Isoalkanes
Isoalkanes are mainly used in aerosol, dry cleaning, cosmetics, environmental protection coatings, metal processing lubrication, etc. isoalkanes are high-end products of solvent oil and can also be understood as the ultimate products of solvent oil. IP series is mainly used in China, and isododecane and isocetane are mainly imported.
In 2021, the import volume of isoalkanes is about 40000 tons, while the sales volume of domestic isoalkanes greatly exceeds that of imports, and the annual market sales exceed 80000 tons.
This year, the isomeric alkane market will still increase steadily, will be trusted and recognized by more end customers, and the market will develop healthily.
In the future, the isomeric alkane market will expand year by year. However, with the reduction of technical threshold and cost, more enterprises will participate, and the price war will inevitably rise again.
In the next five years, the consumption of domestic isoalkanes will increase explosively. It is conservatively expected that the market of isoalkanes will reach 250000-300000 tons per year.
Compared with Japan’s 100 million people in Asia, the annual demand for isoalkanes is about 50000 tons, while that of South Korea’s 50 million people is about 35000 tons. The market prospect of isomeric alkanes in China must be very broad. If the category increases again, the market demand will increase significantly.
It is expected that in the future, isoalkanes will become the leading products in the solvent oil industry and reshape the glory of the solvent oil industry. Isoalkanes may be the last overlord of solvent oil products.
The price of pentane foaming agent rose twice in a row today.
The prices of pentane foaming agent products adjusted twice today. The prices of products with larger propotion n-Pentane content in mixed pentanes have increased by 0.83% and 0.82% respectively. The prices of other foaming agents, pentane, hexane, heptane and octane products have not changed. In the last week, there were 10 products with rising prices, accounting for 67%, and 1 product with falling prices, accounting for 7%; 4 flat varieties, accounting for 27%; Among them, the top three products with price increase are Pentane Blowing Agent (↑ 1.67%), n-Pentane, 95% (↑ 1.59%), n-Hexane, 60% (↑ 1.33%), and n-Heptane, 99% (↓ – 6.58%) with the largest price decrease.
During the month, due to the spread of the new crown variant strain “Omicron”, and the effect of the existing vaccine against “Omicron” was not as good as that against the early new crown strain, the global financial and commodity markets fluctuated sharply, and many chemicals fell deeply. However, in the middle of the month, the national development and Reform Commission The Ministry of industry and information technology, together with relevant parties, jointly issued the implementation plan on Invigorating the operation of industrial economy and promoting high-quality industrial development. A series of measures to stabilize prices and ensure supply have gradually achieved results, and the downward trend of bulk commodities has gradually slowed down. In the second half of the month, with the continuous surge of European energy prices, crude oil has rapidly rebounded to a high level, and the rebound of energy and costs has increased the confidence of chemical products, The market of chemicals was strong at the end of the year, but on the whole, most of them still fell during the month.
n-Pentane: under the pressure of product cost, the prices of pentane manufacturers continue to rise; Subsequently, affected by the epidemic in Zhejiang, the delivery of Ningbo Juhua was blocked, and the load of the unit was reduced. Under the expectation that the on-site resources may be reduced, the mentality of the operators is acceptable, the inventory of the production enterprises is not under pressure, and some cargo holders are reluctant to sell, and the focus of negotiation is rising; With the price rising to a high level, the fatigue of the downstream demand side is becoming more and more obvious, and the on-site trading is slightly light. However, under the support of small inventory pressure, the market mostly maintains the trend of horizontal consolidation.
n-Hexane: in early January, the n-Hexane market continued to rise. On the one hand, the naphtha market fluctuated upward, the cost side actively pushed up, and n-Hexane followed up. On the other hand, tight supply and demand supported strong prices. At the beginning of the month, the start of n-Hexane decreased, the downstream market was bargain hunting and replenishment, and the center of gravity of n-hexane moved upward; Although some maintenance devices were restarted in the middle and late ten days, the on-site inventory was low, the export volume of main manufacturers was small, and the spot was tight. Near the Spring Festival and new year’s Day holidays, the downstream market had a tendency to prepare goods, and the procurement enthusiasm was OK. However, with the rise of n-Hexane price, the downstream resistance increased, the procurement slowed down, and the on-site was in a state of submission and investment at the end of the month.
n-Heptane: in December, the domestic market price of n-Heptane continued to fall. At the beginning of the month, the external market of butadiene was more stable than expected, the merchant’s mentality was supported, and the intention was to make an offer. However, the supply of goods in the market is abundant, and the spot transaction is slow, resulting in inventory accumulation. Sinopec’s supply price has been lowered continuously, gradually approaching the market price. The market price of domestic n-Heptane fell due to the superposition of multiple negative factors. In the middle of the month, the delivery of some slightly high price offers was not smooth, and the merchant offers followed the transaction price down. However, as the price of n-Heptane fell to a relatively low level, the downstream bargain hunting boosted the market, the transaction atmosphere improved slightly, and the decline of n-Heptane market slowed down. Some goods in the northern market were sold with a small price increase, and the mentality of merchants was supported to test the price increase shipment, but the downstream demand was limited. After a small rise in the market, it fell back and gradually fell to the lowest point of the year. In terms of supply, the n-Heptane unit is basically in normal operation this month. The manufacturer expects that the maintenance will be completed next month. In addition, the phase II unit will be put into operation soon, and the supply stock increment is expected. During the month, the arrival at the ship port increased, the trade volume in the tank farm circulated slowly, and the overall inventory was relatively high. Downstream procurement enthusiasm is not high, sporadic rigid demand exists, and the contradiction between supply and demand in n-Heptane market deepens. On the whole, the price competition between the internal and external markets intensifies, the self delivery of cans in Qingdao is gradually lower than the price in the external market, and the price difference still tends to expand. Moreover, the external market is affected by the decline of the domestic spot market, and there is still a downward trend under the continuous pressure of trading. Due to insufficient follow-up of downstream demand and continuous decline of inquiry price, it is difficult to find favorable support for n-Heptane market. It is expected that the domestic n-Heptane market price will continue the weak and volatile trend next month. On December 28, the price of n-Heptane decreased the most in the previous month, with a decrease of – 6.58%.
Pure Benzene: this month, the domestic pure benzene market rose and fell. At the beginning of the month, after the price of pure benzene fell, pure benzene rose with the shock due to the rebound of styrene. However, due to the high inventory operation in East China, the market was cautious, the buying was relatively light, the market was short, the price fluctuated and fell, and some of the early gains were put back. In the middle of the month, affected by the news that new downstream devices were about to enter the market for purchase, traders actively bought goods, which promoted the price rise. However, the new devices were not put into operation as scheduled, the market mentality quickly changed to caution, and the market price changed from rise to fall, mainly downward. In late June, the pure benzene market rebounded after falling. The external price of American Mobil unit rose sharply due to the fire, mainly in the domestic market. Its price rose rapidly. The impact of the health incident in the Yangtze River pilot center continued. The subsequent expected shipping schedule was delayed. The market was worried about the future supply, the on-site trading was positive, and the pure benzene market continued to rise. In the future, the external news surface, crude oil and pure benzene external disk support is better. In terms of supply and demand, in January, the demand for pure benzene is expected to increase before the downstream Festival and the new unit is put into operation. Due to the impact of the epidemic, it is difficult to pick up the goods at the port, and the operating rate of hydrogenated benzene may continue to increase. Pure benzene may continue to operate at a high level in the middle and first ten days of January, but the market may fall with the end of pre holiday preparation. It is expected that the overall trend of pure benzene Market in January will be strong first and then weak.
Junyuan Petroleum Group’s view: the global epidemic data continues to grow, there is no sign of slowdown, and the impact is still expanding. However, the domestic economy is currently in the transition stage from stable credit to wide credit, bulk commodities have formed a “policy bottom”, the expectation of the real estate market is gradually improving, the average interest rate of enterprise loans is at a record low, and the comprehensive financing cost of enterprises is steadily decreasing; Overseas, under the pressure of viruses and supply chain problems, US holiday season consumption hit a 17 year high. The increase in consumer confidence in December exceeded expectations, indicating that the economic recovery has a certain toughness. It is expected that chemicals may maintain an upward repair market before the Spring Festival.
Hot spots in chemical industry
February WTI crude oil (CLG22) on Tuesday closed up +0.91 (+1.20%), and February RBOB gasoline (RBG22) closed up +1.98 (+0.88%).
WTI crude oil and RBOB gasoline prices on Tuesday closed moderately higher, with crude climbing to a 5-week high. Crude prices rallied Tuesday on optimism the less severe omicron Covid variant will not derail the global economy and energy demand. Crude prices rose despite the action by OPEC+ on Tuesday to boost its Feb crude output target by 400,000 bpd.
OPEC+ on Tuesday agreed to boost its crude production output by 400,000 bpd in February, as expected. Crude prices gained even after the decision by OPEC+ to hike output since the group’s production increases are likely to be less than what they agreed to. According to Energy Aspects, only 130,000 bpd of additional OPEC+ crude will hit the markets in Jan, and only 250,000 bpd will make it to global markets in Feb as some countries such as Angola and Nigeria struggle to hit their production targets.
Tuesday’s global economic data was mixed for energy demand and crude prices. On the positive side, German Nov retail sales unexpectedly rose +0.6% m/m, stronger than expectations of -0.3% m/m. Also, the German Dec unemployment rate unexpectedly fell -0.1 to a 21-month low of 5.2%, showing a stronger labor market than expectations of unchanged at 5.3%. On the bearish side, the U.S. Dec ISM manufacturing index fell -2.4 to 58.7, weaker than expectations of 60.0 and the slowest pace of expansion in 13 months. Also, the U.S. Nov JOLTS job openings fell -529,000 to a 5-month low of 10.562 million, showing a weaker labor market than expectations of 11.079 million.
Crude prices have carry-over support from Monday when the OPEC+ Joint Technical Committee cut its global crude surplus estimate for Q1 of 2022 to 1.4 million bpd, 25% smaller than the 1.7 million bpd it estimated a month ago. The committee said it saw only a “mild and short-lived” impact from the omicron Covid variant, as “the world becomes better equipped to manage Covid and its related challenges.”
Reduced crude output from Libya is supportive of prices after Libya’s National Oil Corp. said Saturday that Libya crude production will fall by -200,000 bpd to about 700,000 bpd, the lowest in a year, as workers try to repair a damaged pipeline. The outage comes less than two weeks after militia shut down the Sharara oil field, Libya’s biggest oil field.
Concerns about reduced fuel demand in China are bearish for crude prices. Goldman Sachs on Tuesday said that China would stick with its Covid Zero strategy and maintain its tight border restrictions for the rest of this year as it prepares to hold the Winter Olympics and other political events later in 2022.
The rapid spread of the omicron variant has bolstered concern that countries may impose travel restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, which would hurt fuel demand and is bearish for crude prices. New pandemic restrictions are being imposed in parts of Europe. A record 10 million people worldwide became infected with Covid in the week through Sunday. The 7-day average of new U.S. Covid infections rose to a record 485,363 on Monday.
An increase in global crude oil stored on oil tankers worldwide is bearish for crude prices. Vortexa on Monday said that crude oil stored on tankers that have been stationary for at least seven days in the week ended Dec 31 rose +8.6 w/w to 97.32 million bbl.
In a supportive factor for crude oil prices, Iranian crude oil exports are unlikely to come back onto the market anytime soon. A senior U.S. official said that Iran hadn’t shown seriousness in the latest talks to rejoin the 2015 nuclear agreement, and the U.S. is preparing for a scenario where restoring the deal won’t be possible.
Crude prices rose more than +10 cents/bbl above their Tuesday afternoon closing level when the API reported that U.S. crude inventories fell -6.43 million bbl last week. The consensus is for Wednesday’s weekly EIA crude inventories to fall -3.65 million bbl.
Last Wednesday’s weekly EIA report showed that (1) U.S. crude oil inventories as of Dec 24 were -7.7% below the seasonal 5-year average, (2) gasoline inventories were -5.6% below the 5-year average, and (3) distillate inventories were -13.3% below the 5-year average. U.S. crude oil production in the week ended Dec 24 rose +1.7% w/w to a 19-1/2 month high of 11.8 million bpd, which was -1.3 million bpd (-9.9%) below the Feb-2020 record-high of 13.1 million bpd.
Baker Hughes reported last Friday that active U.S. oil rigs in the week ended Dec 31 were unchanged at a 1-3/4 year high of 480 rigs. U.S. active oil rigs have risen sharply from the Aug-2022 15-year low of 172 rigs, signaling an increase in U.S. crude oil production capacity.
In 2022, the price changes of pentane, hexane and heptane during the new year’s Day holiday and the prospect of the trend after the holiday. On the eve of the New Year’s Day holiday, domestic pentane and hexane pushed up all the way, with an increase of nearly 100 yuan per ton. According to the real-time exchange rate of RMB against the US dollar today, it is about US $16 / ton. The price of n-Heptane products fell, with a decrease of up to 500 yuan per ton, about US $78/MT. Supply tightening is the main boost. On the one hand, Junyuan Petroleum Group, a leading manufacturer of Pentane, Hexane and Heptane, took the lead in increasing the quotation while controlling the volume of shipments; On the other hand, the replenishment of domestic trade ships is limited, and the impact on the delayed arrival of imported ships is small. The inventory in Qingdao and Shanghai ports continues to be less than 30,000 tons. The cargo holders have no shipping pressure, have a positive attitude, push up actively, and focus all the way up.
During the New Year’s Day holiday, the market atmosphere was relatively quiet, and most operators withdrew from the market to wait and see, waiting for the market to become clear after the festival.
Changes in main factors affecting price fluctuations
Cost Side
Firstly, based on the analysis of the price trend of main raw materials for pentane, hexane and heptane production, the price of naphtha rose before the new year’s Day holiday. Considering the decrease of imported cargoes from January to February, the new n-Heptane unit is put into operation, and coincides with the extension of the unloading period of n-Heptane import ships on the shore, n-Heptane is expected to be transferred to the warehouse removal stage; However, it should also be noted that after the new n-Heptane production unit is put into operation, the negative pressure of non integrated n-Heptane caused by intensified industry competition will directly pull down the price of n-Heptane. Therefore, it is expected that in the first ten days of January, n-Heptane will mainly fluctuate at a low level, focusing on the shipping situation in Shanghai and Qingdao and the production process of downstream n-Heptane.
Secondly, considering the average contract price, the starting point of the average price of Pentane and Hexane in January is high, and there is little room for contract households to make profit and ship goods, so it needs to be treated with caution.
Supply Side
From the perspective of domestic supply, it is reported that the major pentane, hexane and heptane manufacturers planned to store, shut down and overhaul their units in January, and the contract has corresponding reduction expectations. In addition, considering the immediate demand or stock mood in the first ten days, it is expected that there will be little pressure on domestic goods supply in the first ten days.
The price of foaming agent rose slightly today, among which the price of foam blowing agent with high Isopentane content increased by 0.81 percentage points, and the price of foam blowing agent with high n-Pentane content increased by 0.85 percentage points. The price returned to its position on December 24.
The prices of other key products such as n-Pentane, Isopentane, n-Heptane and n-Hexane remain unchanged today.
Chemical Market Focus
U.S. commercial crude oil inventory and refined oil inventory decreased, and international oil prices continued to rise, but the epidemic in Europe and the United States severely restrained the increase again. NYMEX crude oil futures 02 contract 76.56, up $0.58/barrel or 0.76%; Ice oil distribution futures 02 contract 79.23 rose $0.29/barrel, or 0.37%.
Industry News
◎ judging from the US economic data, crude oil prices rose and fell
Recently, the US dollar index has weakened, reaching 96.09 on December 27, down 0.50% from December 17. The decline of the dollar mainly stems from: on December 20, Goldman Sachs Group lowered its forecast for U.S. economic growth because Democratic Senator manqin said he would not support the core content of President Biden’s economic agenda, that is, the $2 trillion tax and expenditure plan. Manchin’s statement actually killed the Democratic Party’s plan to pass the bill called build back better. Economists at Goldman Sachs said that if the bill could not be passed, it would have a negative impact on U.S. economic growth and would make the U.S. economy face the dilemma of slowing down in 2022. The weakening dollar supported the rise of crude oil prices to a certain extent.
◎ domestic LNG price in terms of apparent consumption
Affected by the epidemic situation, the comprehensive statistics of domestic apparent natural gas consumption from January to February 2020 is 52.7 billion cubic meters. Without splitting, the annual apparent natural gas consumption in 2020 is 320.38 billion cubic meters. Except for the epidemic situation at the beginning of the year and the Spring Festival factors, it is relatively stable throughout the year and increases in the heating season. There will be great changes in 2021. Although the overall consumption increases greatly, the consumption growth rate is unstable. As of October 2021, the apparent consumption of domestic natural gas totaled 302.893 billion cubic meters, an increase of 24.51% over the same period last year. And this year, the apparent consumption in October near the heating season decreased by 2.34% compared with September. The reason is that under the demand expectation and supply guarantee requirements of this year’s heating season, the domestic natural gas reserve work is carried out in advance, and the overall reserve is relatively sufficient. With the promotion of carbon peak and carbon neutralization, the strengthening of environmental protection work by local governments greatly limits the industrial demand, so the demand shrinks near the heating season.
◎ needle coke market summary in November
In November 2021, the import volume of needle coke was 20900 tons, an increase of 11% month on month. Among them, oil measures are 8700 tons, accounting for 41.6%, and coal measures are 12200 tons, accounting for 58.4%. From January to November 2021, the cumulative import volume of needle coke is about 205400 tons, and the oil series is 97500 tons, accounting for 47%. Coal measures account for 10.79%, accounting for 52%
◎ liquefied gas: the market rebounded at a low level after ether appeared on the positive support of supply and demand
The supply of some oil producing countries has decreased and the market demand prospect has been better supported. The international crude oil trend is strong, which has obvious positive support for the relevant industrial chains in the region. However, as the end of the year is approaching, there is a certain demand for inventory discharge by enterprises, and the market atmosphere tends to be conservative. It is expected that the market will maintain stability in the short term, and the power for both rise and fall is insufficient. After the year or due to the centralized replenishment of downstream goods, The market has a “good start” again, but under the influence of policy, there is uncertainty. Follow up, pay close attention to the startup and shutdown of upstream and downstream devices.
◎ game between cost and demand, stalemate in polyester filament Market
With strong cost support and weak demand as a foregone conclusion, polyester filament needs to pay more attention to its own fundamental data. As we all know, the load of direct spinning factories in the Spring Festival is higher than that of looms, so the inventory of polyester filament factories from January to February is expected. According to the market understanding, the inventory of some polyester filament factories has been at a high level. Near the Spring Festival, the factory or machine price exchange is not ruled out. At this time, polyester filament is in a shock downward trend in the game of cost and demand, or dragged down by demand.
◎ the supply of polyester bottles and chips is reduced, and the spot in the market is still tight
From the order receiving situation of polyester bottle chip manufacturers, the order receiving amount of the factory has decreased recently. Since mid September, due to the influence of dual control, some production enterprises have limited operation and reduced supply, and the spot circulation of polyester bottles and chips shows signs of tightening. In addition, the increase in foreign trade shipments has exacerbated the tense atmosphere of spot circulation. The large downstream soft drink manufacturers will advance the procurement cycle and the centralized purchase time to November. In the fourth quarter, according to the past performance, the demand is off-season, and the bottle chip factory is overhauled during this period. However, this year is different from previous years. The off-season is “not light”, and the demand side makes collective efforts. As a result, the polyester bottle chip factory has no spot to sell and can only sell far month futures. Last weekend, a 600000 ton unit of a large factory in East China was overhauled as planned, the supply was further reduced, and the price of polyester bottles and chips rose steadily.
◆ industry newsletter
◎ EU economic Commissioner gentiloni said that the EU is considering amending the stability and growth pact to no longer set a unified debt ceiling and allow member states to set a reasonable debt scale according to their national conditions. Since March 2020, EU member states have unanimously decided to suspend the implementation of the EU stability and growth pact until the end of 2022.
◎ the US merchandise trade deficit in November increased to US $97.8 billion, expanding to a record high. Among them, the import volume increased by 4.7% to a record high of US $252.4 billion; Exports fell to $154.7 billion. In addition, US wholesale inventory increased by 1.2% and retail inventory increased by 2% in November, the largest increase since 1992.
◎ the second-hand housing contract volume index of the United States unexpectedly fell by 2.2% in November, while it fell by 2.7% year-on-year. The real estate market, boosted by strong demand and low borrowing costs, began to cool towards the end of the year, and high house prices and limited inventory still put pressure on house purchase activities.
◎ the Ministry of industry and information technology and other six departments jointly issued the implementation plan for the recycling of industrial wastewater, which proposed to strive to achieve the reuse rate of industrial water above Designated Size of about 94% by 2025, and the water consumption of 10000 yuan of industrial added value decreased by 16% compared with 2020. Focus on key industries such as petrochemical and chemical industry, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, papermaking, textile and food, and implement the action to improve the recycling of wastewater.
◎ according to the 14th five year plan for copyright work issued by the national copyright administration, by 2025, the construction of a copyright power will have achieved remarkable results, the number of works registered across the country will exceed 5 million, and the added value of the copyright industry will increase to about 7.5% of GDP.
Thursday (December 30)
06:00 Singapore’s total fuel inventory for the week ended December 29 (10000 barrels)
21:30 US initial jobless claims for the week ended December 25 (10000)
At 21:30, the number of Americans who renewed their claims for unemployment benefits for the week ended December 18 (10000)
22:45 Chicago PMI in December
Cyclopentane Product Description: used as solvent for solvent polymerization and cellulose ether for polyisoprene rubber and so on, instead of Freon used in fridge, freezer and other hard PU foaming agents.
Cyclopentane product parameters: cyclopentane / ultra dry solvent / 99%, ultra dry, moisture less than 50 ppm, spcseal / / normal temperature storage – / if you need more detailed information on product performance and application, please contact us
Is cyclopentane an aromatic hydrocarbon?
Answer: alkanes, alkenes and alkynes belong to aliphatic hydrocarbons, while benzene, cyclohexane and cyclopentane belong to cyclohydrocarbons, and benzene is the aromatic hydrocarbon in cyclohydrocarbons. Cyclopentane, cyclobutane and ethyl cyclohexane are all cycloalkanes in cyclohydrocarbons.
Since the entry into force of Montreal Protocol in 1989, people began to look for an alternative to CFC-11 foaming agent. So far, the foaming agent for household appliances has gone through three stages of substitution, and the fourth generation foaming agent cyclopentane has also entered the alternative ranks.
Introduction to Cyclopentane
Cyclopentane (molecular formula: c5h10) is a five carbon naphthenic hydrocarbon. It is colorless, clear and highly flammable liquid at room temperature, with smell similar to gasoline. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in most organic solvents such as benzene, alcohol, ether and carbon tetrachloride. Melting point – 94 ° C, boiling point 49 ° C.
Name in Chinese | 环戊烷 | Name in English | cyclopentane |
---|---|---|---|
Chinese Alias | Pentamethylene; Cyclopentamethylene; | English Alias |
Cyclopentane,AcroSeal,Extra Dry;pentamethylene;CYCLOPENTANE;L-selectride; |
CAS# | 287-92-3 | Molecular Formula | C5H10 |
Molecular Weight | 70.13290 | Precise Quality | 70.07830 |
PSA | 0.00000 | LOGP | 1.95050 |
Cyclopentane is an important basic chemical raw material. Because its ozone depletion potential and global warming potential are zero, it can be used to replace CFCs. It is widely used in the production of fluorine-free refrigerators, freezers, cold storage, pipeline insulation and other fields.
Cyclopentane / 2,2-dimethylbutane system is not only an azeotropic system, but also an azeotropic system. In industry, the common separation methods are extractive distillation, azeotropic distillation and extraction. Traditionally, single solvent is used as extractant in extraction. In recent years, some scholars began to study the use of mixed solvent as extractant. Lee and brown in the United States developed the extractive distillation method using mixed solvent, and some scholars in China have carried out relevant research. However, so far, there are few studies and detailed technical data reports on the extractant screening of cyclopentane / 2,2-dimethylbutane system at home and abroad, and there is a lack of systematic and feasible vapor-liquid equilibrium data of the system.
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