Sulfur sensitivity of Pt/Re catalyst in naphtha reforming

The role and state of platinum/rhenium in naphtha reforming catalysts have been the subject of substantial research in the last two decades. The role and effect of sulfur has not been studied as extensively especially as it relates to normal onstream operation of a commercial catalytic reformer. This paper presents Pt/Re catalyst performance data showing the effects of feed sulfur on yields and cycle lengths. These laboratory and commercial reformer results are discussed with respect to published fundamental studies results on the state of platinum/rhenium and the effects of sulfur on bimetallic reforming catalyst performance.