Comparison of Catalytic Reforming Processes for Process Integration Opportunities: Brief Review

摘要

Catalytic reforming process is one of the most important processes in oil refineries that produce high octane number gasoline. Catalytic reforming processes are commonly classified into three types based on the regeneration systems of the catalyst, namely (i) semi-regenerative catalytic reformer process (SRCRP), (ii) cyclic regenerative catalytic reformer process (CRCRP) and (iii) continuous catalytic regeneration reformer process (CCRRP). The major difference among the three processes is the requirement to shut down for catalyst regeneration. The mechanism for the regeneration steps could be classified into fixed-bed catalyst system; fixed-bed catalyst combined a swing reactor and a move-bed catalyst with special regenerator of SRCRP, CRCRP or CCRRP type respectively. The CCRRP produces a higher octane reformates in the range 95-108 with a low feed quality compared to the other reactors types. Furthermore, the process produces hydrogen gas continuously at higher catalyst activity. High yield of hydrogen is also achieved at lower recycle ratio and lower operating pressure (50 psig). As the process requires continuous energy supply to maintain the optimum temperature of the reactor, simultaneous integration of mass and heat can be used as means to identify opportunities for design improvement.