Pressure drop in the catalytic reforming reaction system
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I’d like to ask the experts! What factors are related to the pressure drop in a catalytic reforming reaction system? Are there any calculation models?
The pressure drop in heavy-duty systems is mainly influenced by factors such as air velocity, the degree of carbon deposition, and the extent of catalyst damage; at least I’ve never heard of any method for calculating it
Since there is a pre-hydrogenation reactor before the feedstock enters the reforming reactor, impurities present in the feedstock, such as coke powder and metal ions, will deposit in the pre-hydrogenation reactor, and thus have little to no effect on the increase in pressure drop in the reforming reactor! Therefore, it is necessary to consider the process after pre-hydrogenation as well as the catalyst packing effect in the reforming reactor: 1. After the feed leaves the pre-hydrogenation reactor, it passes through a heat exchanger and a heater; inevitably, impurities such as coke particles are generated, and over time these impurities gradually accumulate at the top of the first reforming reactor. 2. Poor catalyst packing can lead to bed collapse. 3. Over time, the catalyst in the reaction bed undergoes coking, resulting in a decrease in the bed’s porosity. These conditions can be identified by observing the increase in pressure drop across each bed!
The main reasons are as mentioned above. The specific device pressure drop will vary; the calculation of pipeline pressure drop can be found in pipeline hydraulics.
For continuous reforming, the main issues are the packing efficiency of the catalyst bed, coking and agglomeration of the catalyst, as well as pressure drops caused by dust generated due to wear during catalyst lifting, which in turn blocks the Johnson screens