The Selection of Fluid Catalytic Cracking Catalysts and Additives: The Significance of Attrition Studies

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is an important secondary conversion process in refinery that converts heavier gas oils and residues to valuable petroleum products. In the present and future crude oil availability scenario demand for FCC process that increases the refinery margins is growing. Continuous attempts are being made to improve FCC margin through process optimization, selection and use of improved catalysts and additives as well as hardware modifications. Refiners often face challenging task of judiciously selecting and switching to improved catalysts and additives for maximizing profits without violating hardware constraints. It is very difficult to select catalyst or additives based on vendor's claims and testing the catalyst directly in the plant is also risky business. It is important to match the plant performance closely to understand unit constraints and exploit the new catalyst capabilities to full extent. Detailed study with respect to catalyst deactivation, microactivity studies, comple...