Reevaluate the activity of your catalyst system

摘要

The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit is a major contributor to a refinery's profitability. It handles a diverse quality of heavy feedstocks and converts them into high-value distillates. This unit can swiftly respond to changing market demands through efficient use of catalyst and additives. Exploiting this flexibility is a major aim of refiners while attempting to operate the unit under optimum conditions. Due to severe temperatures and hydrothermal conditions, FCC catalysts do lose activity, and fresh catalyst is added often on a daily basis. FCC catalyst in the unit is often referred to as equilibrium catalyst or Ecat. The authors discuss ways to optimize measuring Ecat activity to improve FCC unit operations.