Radial temperature of the catalyst bed in the hydrogenation unit
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The radial temperature in the catalyst bed of the hydrogenation unit changes with the feed rate. Before reducing the operation volume of our unit, the radial temperature difference in the lower part of the reactor was 4°C; after the temperature was reduced, this difference was 0.5°C. The difference between these values is quite large – what does this indicate? It seems that as the catalyst activity decreases, there is an increasing reliance on the layer below. But the cause has not yet been found, so this issue cannot be explained.
Based on the information you provided, the radial temperature difference in the bed layer before and after the reduction in the device’s capacity is quite significant, dropping from 4°C to 0.5°C. This may indicate a decrease in catalyst activity, resulting in reduced reaction capacity in the lower bed layer. However, this does not determine the specific cause, and further investigation and analysis are required. Possible causes include catalyst aging, contamination, or changes in operating conditions. It is recommended that you further investigate and resolve this issue by examining factors such as the catalyst’s service life, its quality and impurity content, as well as changes in operating parameters. .
There may be a problem of hot spots in the bed; one of the thermocouples shows a temperature much higher than that of the rest of the bed. The cause could be issues with the catalyst packing, which lead to channeling and collapse, resulting in uneven distribution of the material. As a result of adjustments to the feed rate, heat release becomes uneven.
Generally, as the feed rate increases, the temperature rise will be greater; reducing the feed rate may lead to a smaller temperature difference. It’s hard to say whether this is related to a decline in catalyst activity, after all, with less feed, there is also less heat released. It mainly depends on whether the oil you export is of qualified quality, which then helps determine the issue with catalyst activity