What is the impact of slurry specific gravity on operations?
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Our unit is a wax oil catalytic unit; the specific gravity of the slurry is around 0.96 under normal conditions. The process specifications require that this specific gravity not exceed 1.0. Can a high specific gravity of the slurry in the wax oil catalytic unit affect operations? How to control it?
Generally, the specific gravity of catalytic slurry rarely exceeds 1.0, unless it contains large amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or if the amount of catalyst powder is excessive, or if there is a high content of coke particles, which can cause the specific gravity to exceed 1.0. This post was last edited by 660 on 2008-2-7 13:59 ]
An increase in the specific gravity of the slurry reduces its flow rate, which leads to a longer residence time and an increased likelihood of coking, as well as making it easier for the pipelines to become blocked. It also reduces the heat transfer coefficient of the slurry, thereby decreasing the utilization of heat at the bottom of the tower.