Multicriteria optimization of gasoline catalytic reforming temperature regime based on a kinetic model with grouped hydrocarbons

The authors elaborated a detailed kinetic model of gasoline catalytic reforming that accounts variation of temperature and the reaction mixture mole number. Particular components of the reaction mixture are grouped according to the hydrocarbon class: aromatic hydrocarbons; five-membered naphthenes; six-membered naphthenes; isoparaffins; and normal paraffins. An industrial facility—a catalytic reforming unit L-35-11/300—workflow data were used as experimental data. The schematic diagram of a reactor section and reformate stabilization section was examined. The inverse kinetic problem was resolved and kinetic parameters of the main stages were calculated. For resolving the issue of catalytic reforming restrictions for commercial Euro 6 Standard petrol (benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons content), the authors proposed to define and resolve the task of multi criteria optimization of conditions which would simultaneously account several criteria based on the kinetic model. The optimality criteria are as follows: the yield and octane number of reformate, the octane number of the whole mixture, and content of benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Multi criteria optimization task resolution provided for defining the temperature mode in the reactor section, which allows one to lower the yield of benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons without any substantial reduction of octane number and increase in the reformate yield.