[Catalytic Cracking] Can the ignition procedure for sulfur recovery be adapted to the ignition process in catalytic cracking?
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I wonder if those who work with catalytic systems have ever struggled with the ignition process during each start-up: dealing with airflow issues, pressing the igniter, checking the ignition window, and performing purging after the furnace is turned off. . . . . . (10,000 words are omitted here; it’s all tears.) People often think that one has to rely on luck when doing this, and although there is certainly a scientific basis for it, it’s difficult for operators to determine the right approach. Even with experience, at least one additional verification is needed to ensure successful ignition. After switching to work with sulfur, it was necessary to light the furnace again this time as well; to be honest, I was quite worried. I did a lot of research over the course of time, and I have certain opinions regarding the procedure for lighting the furnace. Later, the ignition process was also extremely difficult; it failed many times. Upon returning, the root cause of the problem was identified: no power was being supplied for electric ignition: L. Since the ignition device is installed as a single unit, I always assumed it was powered by the same circuit; it was only after several failures that I started to consider this possibility. Following the subsequent ignition procedure is so easy. The operations are programmed in a logical manner; the entire process requires only two interventions (adjusting the air flow and activating the gas supply). If it fails, the program will try again; basically, no intervention is needed! Moreover, during the subsequent ignition attempts, everyone had great confidence in this ignition procedure, and each attempt was successful, which **reduced the difficulty of the operation**. Having worked in catalysis for so many years, I’m wondering if this program can be ported to catalysis – are there any issues with that?
Does the newly installed catalytic unit also have a programmed automatic ignition system? I seem to have seen one at Factory H last time, but no one there could explain it clearly. Could someone give me an introduction?
Simply put, it involves turning some of our previous manual operations into programs. It’s somewhat similar to the catalytic ESD logic: the circuit is followed according to the logic, and when certain conditions are met, the next action is taken; otherwise, the process returns to its starting point! The specific details cannot be made public~ I recall that you guys also have sulfur treatment facilities; you could go there and ask, as this kind of facility should be available there!
There are advantages as well as disadvantages. If everything is automated, any malfunction can prevent the furnace from starting. It’s best to combine automation with manual control, so that if the automatic system fails, it’s possible to switch to manual ignition
Based on the results of operation, there have been almost no instances of failure to ignite. It seems that the high-voltage discharge used for ignition is not the kind of spark we might imagine, but rather a relatively distinct arc that lasts for about 5 seconds; this increases the probability of successful ignition! I have seen domestic ignition procedures; indeed, there are those that require manual ignition. The difference lies in the fact that in one case the ignition procedure is carried out manually on-site, while in the other it is carried out from a control room. But the Duke only has automatic ignition; it seems that foreigners are quite confident in their own ignition system!
Igniting sulfur is slightly simpler than igniting other types of furnaces. In recent years, sulfur used in such furnaces has been equipped with automatic ignition systems, but few people use them, preferring manual ignition as it seems safer. I’ve never used catalytic ignition, but it seems that automatic ignition is also rarely used for the furnaces in atmospheric and vacuum distillation processes
In fact, the safety of automatic ignition is quite high! The structure of the atmospheric and vacuum distillation furnaces is not of the same type as that of sulfur furnaces, while catalytic cracking furnaces share similarities with sulfur furnaces; that’s why the idea arose of whether it might be possible to transfer that technology over!
There is a refinery in Dalian whose hydrogen production furnaces have automatic ignition
In fact, this automatic ignition system can be thought of as a small torch – it basically performs automatic ignition! The furnace for hydrogen production is relatively small; maybe it will work!
Catalysis is used to heat the air, which is quite troublesome for the pilot combustion chamber. I’m not sure what the automatic ignition procedure for sulfur is like; it’s quite difficult to design a catalytic auxiliary combustion chamber that can achieve automatic ignition, and it’s hard to control the ratio of gas to air in the igniter
Having worked in catalytic cracking for over 20 years, I know the difficulties involved! As for the parameters, comparisons have also been made!