[ Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Solutions ] Catalyst & Process Optimization
Max Gasoline
FCC units using conventional FCC catalysts are severely limited when diffusion constraints control conversion and bottoms upgrading, for example, in heavy-feed and/or short-contact-time operations. Even with high catalyst addition rates, bottoms conversion, catalyst activity and coke and gas selectivity suffer because of the inevitable mass transfer limitations. As a result, the total FCC product value and profitability are compromised.
Ketjen’s family of premium-residue FCC catalysts, which is designed specifically for heavy-feed and diffusion-limited operations, delivers significantly improved diffusion through unsurpassed accessibility, advanced matrix performance and more zeolite-based cracking, all which contribute to superior residue processing.
Every catalyst we design, manufacture and produce fits our customers' specific needs. With decades of experience under our belt, our feed optimization models identify the best catalyst to maximize utilization of feedstocks. Our teams also understand the catalyst manufacturing process at a deep level, with the process design knowledge required to help our customers exceed their profitability and efficiency goals. Our highly adaptive, responsive approach emphasizes flexibility so our customers can easily adjust their operations and catalyst in response to changing market conditions.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
A higher quantity of valuable products, no matter what the quality of the feedstock, is the goal of every refiner. Ketjen’s family of premium FCC catalysts delivers breakthrough performance for cracking residue feeds.
UPGRADER
UPGRADER catalysts were developed through an innovative improvement to Ketjen’s manufacturing technology. One measure of UPGRADER’s unique performance is the proprietary Accessibility Index (KAI), which directly measures the dynamic diffusion of high-molecular-weight molecules into an FCC catalyst particle and correlates with a catalyst’s ability to crack residue feedstocks.
DENALI
The pioneering advancement in DENALI catalysts is ZT™-600, a cutting-edge zeolite technology providing multiple benefits. One benefit is higher intrinsic zeolitic stability and retention, which provides a second tool for extricating and controlling activity versus hydrogen transfer. In addition, acid sites have been optimized with less non-framework alumina for fewer undesired reactions, particularly lower coke and gas. Lastly, more mesoporosity has been incorporated to increase zeolitic contact with reactants and result in fewer secondary reactions owing to faster disengagement. Overall, ZT-600 delivers improved yields, especially improved coke selectivity and more selective cracking of larger molecules to assist in bottoms cracking.
MAX PROPYLENE
Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) units are playing an increasingly important role in meeting the growing worldwide demand for petrochemicals and particularly propylene. To help refiners meet this demand better, Ketjen has introduced the innovative AFX catalyst technology and catalyst family, which are designed specifically for operation at high severity to deliver high propylene yield.
Before AFX, propylene production from an FCC unit with a traditional catalyst was inadequate. Those traditional catalysts that often aimed at high gasoline yield were used in combination with ZSM-5 based additives to convert gasoline components to propylene. These catalysts, however, were limited in the level of propylene that could ultimately be achieved.
AFX catalysts are technologically advanced and designed to maximize the propylene potential from FCC units, both when used alone and when supplemented with an olefins-octane additive. The unique design of AFX, with its optimized balance between micro-, meso- and macro-activity, proprietary specialty zeolites and high accessibility, minimizes secondary cracking reactions, such as hydrogen transfer, and maximizes propylene production.
AFX can be applied and has been proven in all industrial applications that aim at maximum propylene production and from all process licensors. In conventional FCC unit designs propylene yield of at least 12 wt% is achieved, while in high severity applications AFX has demonstrated numbers in the range above 15 wt% for resid applications and even as high as 22 wt% for gasoils. AFX can be formulated for the entire range of feedstocks, from heavy residues to hydrotreated gas oils.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHEMISTRY
Refiners that wanted to maximize propylene production from an FCC unit traditionally applied ZSM-5 additives, which selectively crack olefins in the gasoline range to propylene.
To maximize light olefins and particularly propylene requires proper control of the generation and preservation of olefins. Many different reactions take place which include primary cracking, followed by secondary cracking and competing reactions. Key reaction to control is hydrogen transfer, which is the dominant competing reaction that converts olefins into paraffins.
Ketjen’s AFX catalyst has a unique design which minimizes hydrogen transfer reaction through all its ingredients. It starts with the use of highly active matrix alumina which is substantially lower in hydrogen transfer than Y-zeolites and thus an important contributor to conversion with superior olefins preservation. The zeolite that is used is unique and has been stabilized to very low hydrogen transfer activity. The AFX catalyst thus has a relatively low zeolite to matrix ratio, which warrants minimum unwanted HT reactions. On top of that Ketjen’s proprietary assembly technology is applied that enhances catalyst accessibility, which is another design feature that reduces hydrogen transfer reactions.
Through their unique porosity, high accessibility and unsurpassed bottoms conversion, AFX catalysts meet that challenge and deliver unsurpassed propylene yield.
DENALI AFX™
DENALI AFX™ is the incorporation of DENALI™ zeolite technology with the AFX™ platform – the recognized benchmark for max propylene FCC applications for years. In FCC operations that are integrated with petrochemicals, DENALI AFX raises the bar to new performance heights.
DENALI comprises Ketjen’s innovative zeolite technology that provides better coke selectivity, enhanced olefinicity, and lower slurry yields due to better stability and lower hydrogen transfer. DENALI was named Best Catalyst Technology in 2018 by Hydrocarbon Processing and has been received favorably by refiners.
DENALI AFX Demonstrates Step-out Performance DENALI AFX has commercially proven to enhance customer profits and provide robust performance in several max propylene applications. In all cases, the innovative zeolite technology of DENALI AFX demonstrated improved coke selectivity. This resulted in lowered regenerator temperatures, giving refiners more flexibility in operations.
MAXIMIZING ALKYLATION FEED
The chances are that maximizing transportation fuels (gasoline plus diesel/light cycle oil) and alkylation feed while raising the octane level of the gasoline produced in your FCC unit is high on your agenda. Octane has become a key issue for many refiners with the advent of tight oil resulting in the production of more-efficient car engines, the almost worldwide ban on the use of lead as a gasoline additive, and continuing pressure on octane blending components. The problem is compounded by the drive to ever-lower sulfur specifications, as most of the post-treatments designed to remove sulfur from gasoline inevitably also reduce its octane.
Help is available in the form of alkylation and isomerization processes that yield clean, high-octane, gasoline-blend stocks. And, staying with the FCC process, which is still the mainstay of gasoline production, ZSM-5 catalyst additives are available with the proven ability to generate octane. But we thought there was more that could be done — you could say we issued a call for ACTION.
Back to Basics
Following a detailed study of FCC reaction mechanisms, which crucially centered on the way that higher olefins are broken down, Ketjen scientists developed a new zeolite technology, ZT™-400, which has a high silica-to-alumina ratio. ZT-400 provides unique cracking chemistry and, when used in combination with our high-accessibility catalyst technology enhances gasoline octane and butylenes while preserving transportation fuels.
When formulated into an FCC catalyst, the new zeolite shifts the balance between isomerization and cracking toward the former. What occurs, therefore, is branching of the longer-chain FCC naphtha components, as opposed to cracking. The result is increased octane with minimal conversion of gasoline to LPG.
Moreover, the isoparaffins that contribute much of the octane gain are unaffected by any post-treatment processes to remove sulfur. Another key advantage of this technology is that any LPG produced tends to be richer in C4 olefins compared with the LPG produced using ZSM-5 additives; hence, it forms an ideal alkylation feedstock. We have used the unique ZT-400 zeolite technology to formulate ACTION FCC catalyst for traditional FCC feedstocks ranging from gas oils to resids.
ACTION+
Ketjen’s new novel zeolite stabilization technology ZT-500 allows to control hydrogen transfer and maintain zeolite activity. This yields higher LPG olefinicity and gasoline octane. As ACTION+ maintains activity at lower RE levels, this helps to increase C4=/C3= ratios relative to conventional ACTION, even though LPG yield is higher.
DENALI ACTION
The pioneering advancement in DENALI catalysts is ZT™-600, a cutting-edge zeolite technology providing multiple benefits. One benefit is higher intrinsic zeolitic stability and retention, which provides a second tool for extricating and controlling activity versus hydrogen transfer. In addition, acid sites have been optimized with less non-framework alumina for fewer undesired reactions, particularly lower coke and gas. Lastly, more mesoporosity has been incorporated to increase zeolitic contact with reactants and result in fewer secondary reactions owing to faster disengagement. Overall, ZT-600 delivers improved yields, especially improved coke selectivity and more selective cracking of larger molecules to assist in bottoms cracking.