Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC): Catalysts and Additives

Abstract

The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit is the primary hydrocarbon conversion unit in the modern petroleum refinery. It uses heat and catalyst to convert a variety of high molecular weight feed types (eg, gas oils, cracked gas oils, deasphalted gas oils, and atmospheric/vacuum resids) into lighter, more valuable products such as gasoline, light fuel oil, and petrochemical feedstocks such as propylene and butylene. This article reviews the role of catalyst in the fluid catalytic cracking process. The design of catalyst, catalyst poisons, and the effect of catalyst on product yields and selectivity are covered. Also, the role of catalytic additives in maximizing light olefins and in controlling emissions is discussed. In addition, the importance of catalyst testing is covered, along with unconventional feedstocks and processes that are extending the role of FCC catalyst to areas beyond the original FCC process scope of converting heavy petroleum feedstocks into transportation fuels.

Plastic Waste Conversion over a Refinery Waste Catalyst

“…Lastly, clay is used as a filler material to give the catalyst particle its round shape and to bind the other components. [ 25 , 29 , 30 ]…”

“…[24] Indeed when ac atalyst material is provided, the reaction mechanism proceeds via the formation of carbenium ions [24] and is somehow similar to what is well-known from acrude oil refinery step,called Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) in which Va cuum Gas Oil (VGO) is typically converted into gasoline. [9,[25][26][27] Gasoline consists of paraffins,o lefins,c yclic alkanes,and aromatics in the range of C4-C12. [9,28] FCC units also produce as ignificant amount of propylene for PP production and other raw materials for petrochemical processes.…”

“…Lastly,c lay is used as af iller material to give the catalyst particle its round shape and to bind the other components. [25,29,30] During industrial FCC operation, metals,m ostly Fe,N i and Vo riginating from the VGOf eedstock and reactor fouling,d eposit on the catalyst particles making al arge fraction of the zeolite domains inaccessible and causing changes in the overall morphology of the catalyst. [31][32][33] In the regenerator of the FCC unit, catalysts are also subjected to steaming leading to dealumination and further deactivation of the zeolite domains.…”

Catalytic Removal of Sulfur Compounds From Petroleum Streams

“…On the other hand, new additives have been applied directly to the FCC catalyst core for gasoline sulfur reduction -GSR (Bryden et al, 2015;Clough et al, 2017;Karthikeyani et al, 2017). Several metals, such as Mg, Al, Zn, Ni, Cu, and Ag, in the form of their pure oxides, mixed oxides, spinel structures, and modified zeolites have been tested.…”

Dependence of Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit Performance on H‐Oil Severity, Catalyst Activity, and Coke Selectivity

“…To select the right catalyst for the FCC process in such a dynamical environment is a major challenge, because one catalyst can be the best option for a given feed, but not the optimum selection for a feed with a variable quality. FCC catalyst performance is feedstock‐dependent . Six catalysts were explored in this study, four of which were employed in the LNB FCCU during processing a feedstock with a variable quality.…”