T h e development and pilot plant testing of synthetic silica-magnesia catalyst for use in fluid catalyst cracking have been carried out in various pilot plants, including the 100-barrel-per-day unit. The over-all results show that this catalyst is superior to synthetic silica-alumina and treated natural clay with respect to gasoline yield. The gasoline octane numbers are, however, lower than those obtained with silica-alumina, but approach those obtained with natural catalyst. Silica-magnesia is indicated to be superior from the standpoint of activity maintenance and is now in commercial production.S L Y two types of catalysts have been employed to any 0 appreciable extent commercially in the fluid catalyst cracking process-namely, natural clay and synthetic silica-alumina. The latter was especially adapted for the production of high octane and volatile gasoline plus large yields of butanes arid butenes, and it was used extensively during the war period for making aviation gasoline. -4 new type of catalyst, designed primarily for motor gasoline product, is a synthetic silica-magnesia composition of the gel type. The purpose of this paper is to describe the pilot plant results obtained with this catalyst and to point out some of the possible advantages in cracking operations primarily directed toward obtaining high yields of motor gasoline.The fluid catalyst cracking process has been accepted for wide commercial application during the past few years ( 7 ) . Previous articles discussed the process ( 5 ) and its pilot plant development ( 3 ) in considerable detail. The nominal 100-barrel-per-day feed capacity pilot plant a t Baton Rouge was relied on for the major part of the process data and engineering studies required for the commercial designs, and this pilot plant has been used also to test a variety of catalysts.Since the 100-barrel-per-day pilot plant was first described ( S ) , it has been modified by an improved downflow design for fluid catalytic cracking. Engineering and mechanical features of the commercial downflow design have already been reported ( 6 ) . A brief description of the present 100-barrel-per-day unit follo!w. Figure 1 is a general view of the plant, and Figure 2 is a flow diagram of the equipment. The reactor coiisists of a vessel with a bottom section of 15 feet of 17-inch-diameter pipe which enlarges to a 22S/8-inch-diameter top section 18 feet high. The regenerator is 32 inches in diameter and 34 feet high. The general scheme of cat,alyst and oil flows described previously (6) for commercial downflow units is essentially the same for the 100-barrel-per-day pilot plant. Catalyst testing and development are also carried out, a t the Baton Rouge laborat,ory in several snialler units-i.e., 200-cc. testing units, 2-liter fixed-bed units, and 4-barrel-per-day feed capacity pilot plant. The 200-cc. units are fixed-bed catalyst reactors with a capacity of 200 cc. of pilled catalyst (4). Testsare conducted with a standard gas-oil feed stock a t fixed feed ratme and cracking conditions. Although...
The Fluid Catalyst cracking process was developed by intensive pilot plant work to successful commercial usage. The pilot plant equipment comprised a variety of sizes from small laboratory unite to a semiplant scale unit of nominal 100-barrel-per-day feed capacity. This 100-barrel plant was relied on for the major part of the process data and engineering and equipment studies required for the commercial designs. A description of this unit is given, as well as that of a smaller unit of 2-barrel-per-day capacity. INDUSTRIALAND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY Vol. 37, No. 5 eration stages separately. Later, a small pilot unit feeding ap-
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