Question
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Gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel are still expected to dominate refinery markets to 2030; what reactor and catalyst systems will be the most effective in maximising fuel production?
Jan-2024
Answers
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Pierre-Yves le-Goff, AXENS, Pierre-Yves.LE-GOFF@axens.net
For gasoline production, among the building blocks of the gasoline pool, we can mention isomerate and reformate. For reforming, maximisation of gasoline production is linked to a reduction of cracking while ensuring a stable operation. The addition of modifiers is one of the possibilities to reduce cracking; however, rigorous selection process is needed to ensure that stability and regenerability are not impacted. Axens, formerly Procatalyse, has been involved in such a field of expertise since the mid-1990s.
From a process standpoint, reduction of the pressure will improve the fuel production. However, such a reduction needs to be compatible with unit constraints (for example, pressure drop). To mitigate these pressure drops, a possibility is to move from a standard axial flow reactor to a radial flow reactor. Axens has already performed such modifications and has proprietary internals to improve gas distribution.
On the isomerisation side, depending on the octane target and feed composition, different schemes can be proposed. For example, if the feed is rich in C6 paraffin, the deisohexaniser (DIH) column can be implemented to maximise octane without selectivity debit. In addition, to reduce cracking, the use of high-activity catalyst is of paramount importance. Therefore, Axens process expertise with ATIS-2L catalyst provides the best combination for isomerisation unit optimisation.
Jan-2024
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