Heat balance of commercial catalytic cracking units

This article reports on a test of the correctness of the procedures that have been adopted to calculate the heat balance of a reactor-regenerator section from results obtained in operating tests performed in 1A/1M commercial units at two petroleum refineries. The catalyst circulation rate was determined from the heat balance of the reactor. Account was taken of the heat influx with the catalyst, residual coke, feedstock, slurry, steam fed to the reactor for catalyst transport and to the desorber, and stack gas taken from the regenerator. The temperature of the fluidized bed is determined from the heat balance of the regenerator. The accuracy of calculation of the regeneration temperature is 4/sup 0/C. The feasibility of extremely accurate determination of the catalyst circulation rate from the heat balance of catalytic cracking units is demonstrated.