Regarding the coking issue of UOP continuous reforming catalysts?
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I have a question regarding the role of the regeneration air cooler and the regeneration electric heater in the catalyst coking process – why does the regeneration gas need to pass through the electric heater after going through the regeneration air cooler? I would appreciate an answer from those with expertise in reforming. Thank you
Because after the regenerated gas exits, it is difficult to determine its temperature due to varying degrees of catalyst carbon deposition; moreover, the regenerated gas needs to be at a fixed temperature when it returns. Therefore, after the gas is cooled air-cooled, it passes through an electric heater to control the temperature. This is my understanding, but in reality, the temperature of the circulating gas is indeed unstable due to changes in the catalyst condition. I think this design is aimed at precisely controlling the temperature of the regenerated gas
That’s indeed the case. UOP’s continuous reforming process requires that the temperature of the recycle gas entering the regeneration gas be around 476 degrees Celsius. The air-cooled fans used for the regeneration gas establish an upper temperature limit, while the electric heaters provide only a lower temperature limit: handshake
I don’t think so, because during normal operation the regenerator heater is not turned on; an electric heater is used only at the start-up stage when the carbon content in the catalyst is relatively low. In my understanding, the purpose of this design is to ensure stable temperature of the exhaust gas going to the alkali scrubber. To be honest, I don’t quite understand either.
The regenerated gas must reach a certain outlet temperature under the controlled distribution by the air cooler and the regenerative electric heater before it can enter the regenerator