FCC Catalyst Age Distribution Impacts Unit Performance
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July 06, 2011 VOL: 2 ISS: 12 FCC Catalyst Age Distribution Impacts Unit Performance Grace Davison has Developed Sink/Float Method to Track Ecat Performance and Optimize Addition/Withrawal of Purchased Ecat and Fresh Catalyst The FCC unit is one of the most dynamic and performance of the various age- and complex processes in a refinery. distributed fractions of Ecat using the In This Issue... The reactor-regeneration configuration Sink/Float method, the health of an FCC and the tons of catalyst flowing per min- unit’s catalyst inventory (e.g., remaining FEATURE ute means the unit can quickly become activity, metals poisoning, etc.) can be FCC Catalyst Age Distribution Impacts unstable, requiring immediate operator determined and steps can be taken to Unit Performance interaction. To better manage FCC cata- improve operations. lyst inventory and mitigate the cost of Grace Davison has Developed Sink/ adding fresh catalyst, it would benefit Float Method to Track Ecat Perfor- Why Separate Ecat? mance and Optimize Addition/With- the refinery operator to know the age FCC Ecat generally displays a skeletal rawal of Purchased Ecat and Fresh distribution of the catalyst in circulation. density between 2.4-2.8 g/ml. Ecat is Catalyst For this reason, FCC experts at Grace mixed with varying concentrations of Davison have developed the “Sink/ tetrabromoethane (TBE density = 2.96 PROCESS OPERATIONS Float” method for distinguishing the g/ml) and tetrachloroethane (TCE = 1.58 Improving Hydrocracker Quench Design separation and percentage of FCC Ecat g/ml). TBE:TCE ratios are adjusted until into fractions based on their respective the desired split is achieved. Providing Real-Time Compositional densities. “Older” fractions tend to have Due to continuous catalyst additions, Data in FCC Operations higher density than “younger” Ecat frac- the catalyst inventory has a broad age Avoiding Catalyst Reversal in FCC tions. By evaluating the characteristics distribution. Recently operations Cont. page 2 Crude and Product Blending Optimization Refinery Emissions Monitoring Intensifies INDUSTRY NEWS Heavy Maintenance in June Curtailed Chinese Refinery Processing Plans for New Ugandan Refinery Follows Recent Crude Discoveries Pakistani Refinery Increasing Capacity Azerbaijan Refineries Reduce Throughput Indian Refiners Looking to Process more Saudi Arabian Crude New Report on Iran Refining Industry EDITORIALLY SPEAKING Small Refineries at Higher Risk of Closure Figure 1. Determining length of time that catalyst is in the unit CALENDAR Copyright 2011. Refinery Operations RefineryOperations.com | 2011.07.06 1 July 06, 2011 added catalyst will display relatively Cyclone Problems An economical solution is this case may high activity and low metals. Older Another case demonstrates how the be to continue withdrawing catalyst and re- fractions may be in the unit for weeks Sink/Float method helped predict an place with purchased Ecat. This will lower or months and have high levels of met- impending cyclone problem. In this ex- overall Ecat activity but allow for the purge als and low activity. Understanding how ample, a “standard” gas oil feed with of older fractions. The use of purchased equilibrium catalyst age distribution an initial catalyst addition rate of about Ecat and fresh catalyst may also provide impacts catalyst performance can lead 0.28 lbs/bbl and 137 days that Ecat was an economical way of maintaining catalyst to unit improvement opportunities as in the unit before being withdrawn (τ = withdrawals, keep unit inventory healthy shown in Figure 1 (on page 1). 137 days). However, a developing cy- and keep activity constant. n To demonstrate the importance of clone problem resulted in a τ value of knowing the amount of time that a only 79 days and a higher catalyst addi- Editor’s Note: More details on determining catalyst is circulating in a unit, several tion rate of about 0.48 lbs/bbl needed to FCC catalyst age distribution with the Sink/Float “real world” examples (e.g., heavily hy- match the losses. method and employing this information to trouble- drotreated feeds) developed by Grace At this point, the refinery opera- shoot unit operations will be discussed in the Fall Davison experts show the frequency tor could decide to stop withdrawing 2011 issue of the Grace Davison Refining Tech- of Ecat turnover and catalyst addition catalyst until the cyclone problem is nologies Catalagram #110 (www.grace.com). rates. For example, due to the low delta resolved. The “challenged” cyclone is coke displayed by the heavier fractions retaining the older, heavier and less ac- (higher density), high additions of an ac- tive catalyst particles. So, the activity is tive catalyst are required for units with lower than expected despite the elevated severely hydrotreated feeds. catalyst addition rate of 0.48 lbs/bbl. PROCESS OPERATIONS Improving Hydrocracker Quench Design The hydrocracker reactor’s (Figure 1) below the quench box after the intro- quench zone is an integral part of the duction of the quench stream. reactor internals dictating stability of Hydrocracker quench boxes that are the hydrocracking catalytic reactions. in poor condition could result in higher The hydrocracking reactions occur- than desirable radial temperature ring on the zeolitic catalyst has a high spread in the bed below the quench apparent activation energy, due to the box. Hydrocracking technology sup- interaction of nitrogen adsorption and pliers such as Axens have developed cracking reactions. quench boxes for optimal remixing In design, the maximum tempera- of the effluents between beds. For ex- ture rise per bed is usually limited at ample, Axen’s emphasizes that its pro- 20 to 25 °F for hydrocracking catalyst prietary EquiFlow quench boxes are according to guidelines developed by particularly useful when hot product control experts at H2Advance (www. from the previous bed is mixed with h2advance.com). A good quench box fresh, cooler hydrogen, providing the design should limit the radial tem- mixture with a uniform temperature Figure 1. Modern hydrocracker operations perature spread for the bed inlet to benefit from improved internals and reactor before it makes contact with the sub- control schemes. less than 5 °F. sequent bed. The function of a well designed The combination of the reactor in- quench box is to reduce the tempera- ternals revamp and an improved reac- ture spread for the stream coming from tor control scheme enables a reliable the bed above the quench box to attain operation for hydrocracker reactors. n minimal temperature spread to the bed Copyright 2011. Refinery Operations RefineryOperations.com | 2011.07.06 2 July 06, 2011 Providing Real-Time Compositional Data in FCC Operations Editor, Rene Gonzalez, Refinery Operations Process gas chromatographs are in- a role in FCC unit optimization and PO Box 11283 creasingly being used to provide performance, including: real-time compositional data in up- Spring, TX. 77391 USA • Monitoring the CO-to-CO2 ratio Mobile: +1 713-449-5817 graded refinery process units, such in the flue gas leaving the top Office: +1 281-257-0582 as with FCC process control systems. of the regenerator: This ratio is Fax: +1 281-686-5846 The typical vacuum gas oil (VGO) critical to regulating regenerator [email protected] feed to the FCC unit can also be temperature since high tempera- supplemented by coker gas oil and tures damage the catalyst Published biweekly by nEMESIS Media Group, LLC other heavy petroleum streams such • Monitoring main fractionators PO BOX 5416 as from the deasphalter. In general, overhead vapors: This gas chro- Kingwood TX 77325. USA FCC optimization objectives include matograph application is typi- Phone: (713) 344-1379 the ability to process a wider variety cally used for two purposes. The [email protected] of feedstocks from thermal conver- first is to minimize the loss of sion units (e.g., coker gas oil) and Support naphtha/gasoline components in catalytic conversion units (e.g., hy- the overhead stream by keeping Client Support drotreated feeds). the C concentration low. The [email protected] 5 Based on information avail- second purpose is to monitor the Advertising able from Emerson Process Man- C and C olefins generated in agement Gas Chromatographs 4 5 Advertising & Marketing Dept. the reactor. These olefins are im- [email protected] Division (www.emersonprocess. portant feed components to other com), they have reported on op- processes in the refinery such as Group Subscriptions portunities that exist where pro- the alkylation unit. n Client Services cess gas chromatographs can play [email protected] Copies & Reprints Circulation Dept. Avoiding Catalyst Reversal in [email protected] Subscription / Renewal FCC Operations I want to subscribe to Refinery Operations for $739/yr or $1,378/2 yr, and receive biweekly issues plus unlimited access to the The FCC unit’s reactor-regenerator reactor-regenerator section. Ensuring online premium content and archives. configuration and the tons of cata- the differential pressure measurement lyst flowing per minute can quickly is working properly is crucial, as the Name:____________________________________ lead to unstable operating conditions. impulse lines for this application tend Title:_____________________________________ With elevated temperatures and se- to plug. In addition, the main frac- Organization:______________________________ vere operating conditions, field in- tionator bottoms is