How to Manage Your Catalyst

Budget ...

... Before It’s All Eaten Up?

MOST CATALYSTS CAUSES OF DEACTIVATION
CAN BE REGENERATED Process Catalyst Coke deposit Sintering Contamination
AND USED AGAIN Hydrodesulfurisation CoMo / NiMo +++ ++ +
There are 3 causes of refinery catalyst deactiva-
Resid hydrotreating NiMo / CoMo +++ + +++
tion as shown in table 1, the main one being coke
VGO Hydrocracking NiMo / NiW +++ + +
deposit., which covers the catalyst’s active sites
and can also block its porosity. Regeneration Naphtha Reforming PtRe-Cl +++ ++ +
can restore the activity in most cases. In an Selective hydrogenation Pd / Ni ++ + ++
oxidative atmosphere at around 500°C, the coke
Aromatics/Olefins Alkylation Zeolite +++ - +
deposits are combusted and the active sites are
liberated. In some cases, regeneration can also
eliminate other causes of deactivation, if neces-
sary by means of a pre- or post-treatment. ACTIVITY RECOVERY BY REGENERATION
Process Coke removal Redisperson Contaminants Predominant
EX SITU REGENERATION removal regeneration
practice
GIVES SUPERIOR ACTIVITY
Hydrodesulfurisation Yes Yes No Ex situ
Ex situ regeneration has become the industry
Resid hydrotreating Yes Yes No Almost none
standard and is preferred to in situ regeneration
for many reasons. Ex situ regeneration eliminates VGO Hydrocracking Yes Yes Yes: basic N Ex situ
corrosion and safety issues and allows you to Naphtha Reforming Yes Yes (oxychl.) Yes: sulfur In situ
reduce the shutdown duration to the minimum.
Selective hydrogenation Yes No Some (Pd) In situ / Ex situ
The activity recovery of ex situ regeneration
is generally 90-100% versus 40-70% in situ. Aromatics/Olefins Alkylation Yes - Yes: basic N Ex situ

EURECAT FRANCE - 07800 La Voulte sur Rhône - France EURECAT INDIA Catalyst Services Pvt Ltd
tel: +33 4 75 62 04 02 - email: [email protected] tel: +91 932 312 6032 - email: [email protected]
www.eurecat.fr Plot No. 1, GIDC, Jhagadia, Bharuch District - Gujarat
Tools

Case Study
Refinery X uses a latest generation CoMo catalyst in their Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel unit
(EURO-5). The catalyst has a run length of 12 months. The quantity is 100 metric tons.

BASE SCENARIO

The refinery purchases 100 tons fresh catalyst every 12 months. At the end of the cata-
REGENERABILITY STUDY
lyst life cycle, there is a minor return from the local metals recovery company.
Feel free to send Eurecat a representative sam- (IMU = Imaginary Monetary Unit)
ple of your spent catalyst for a regenerability
Catalyst purchase : 100 000 kg * 150 IMU/kg = 15 000 000 IMU
study. The study gives you a precise indication Catalyst delivery : 5 containers * 30 000 IMU/container = 600 000 IMU
of the current condition of the catalyst, and its (12 months of operation)
condition after a lab regeneration. Metals recovery : 100 000 kg * -3 IMU/kg = - 300 000 IMU _+
Balance of one catalyst cycle : 15 300 000 IMU
Balance after two catalyst cycles : 30 600 000 IMU
ACTIVITY TESTING
The Eurecat lab has 22 pilot plant reactors to Exasperated by the yearly catalyst expense, the Operations manager asks Process
Engineering to explore options to get his budget back under control.
measure the actual HDS and HDN activities of
CoMo and NiMo catalysts at ULSD conditions. Process Engineering contacts Eurecat and sends a sample of the spent catalyst. The
catalyst is in excellent condition, contaminant levels are very low and a standard lab
Test formats can be customised to your particu-
regeneration eliminates the carbon and sulfur on the catalyst to sufficiently low levels.
lar operation. The activity measured can be
The HDS activity of the catalyst is tested and found to be 95% versus fresh, which cor-
converted to a delta WABT versus fresh cat, as
responds to a delta WABT at start of run of only +1.4°C. The deactivation rate of a rege-
you will observe it in your reactor at start of run. nerated catalyst being equivalent to fresh, reusing the regenerated catalyst in the same
service would not have a significant impact on the run length duration.

PRESSURE DROP TESTING For the next catalyst cycle, the refinery management team decides to keep the catalyst
purchase money in their pockets. Instead, they decide to go for regeneration.
Eurecat’s delta P testing facility allows you to
determine the expected refinery reactor delta P REGENERATION SCENARIO
after loading your regenerated catalyst.
At the end of the first cycle, the catalyst is carefully unloaded in nitrogen atmosphere by
a well-trained and well-equipped catalyst handling team, in order to preserve the catalyst.
The catalyst is packed in UN-Y certified drums, on ISPM-15 (fumigated) pallets, suitable
SAMPLE / ANALYSE / SEGREGATE for transport to Eurecat as hazardous goods.
(S A S )
There is some cost associated with these requirements, but it has a neglegible impact on
Eurecat’s SAS services provides you with an the bottom line economics :
analysis profile across the reactor height and
Catalyst purchase : 100 000 kg * 150 IMU/kg = 15 000 000 IMU
allows a separation between regenerable and
Catalyst delivery : 5 cont. * 30 000 IMU/cont. = 600 000 IMU
any contaminated catalyst. Maximum catalyst (12 months of operation)
reutilisation means minimum refinery expense. Inert unloading additional cost : 100 000 IMU
Packaging in UN drums : 1000 * 300 IMU/drum = 300 000 IMU
Transport to Eurecat: 5 cont. * 30 000 IMU/cont. = 600 000 IMU
CATALYST RESALE
Regeneration : 100 000 kg * 30 IMU/kg = 3 000 000 IMU
Why buy fresh catalysts when regenerated
Return transport to refinery : 5 cont. * 30 000 IMU/cont. = 600 000 IMU
catalysts with “like-fresh” activity are available? (12 months of operation)
Eurecat stocks a full line of activity-tested Metals recovery : 100 000 kg * -3 IMU/kg = - 300 000 IMU _+
regenerated catalysts available at strongly dis- Balance after two catalyst cycles : 19 900 000 IMU
Saving achieved by regeneration versus base scenario : 10 700 000 IMU (35%)
counted prices compared to fresh catalyst. We
can also buy back regenerable catalyst. The regenerated catalyst is loaded back into the reactor and performs as expected. The
remaining Operations budget is well spent on a debottlenecking project !

BHARAT III, IV AND BEYOND...

The increasingly stringent sulfur specs for automotive petrol and

diesel in different parts of the world have not discouraged refineries
from regenerating their catalysts. On the contrary: as the refinery
catalyst consumption grows with each new emission standard, there
is more and more focus on the need to keep the catalyst budget
under control. Regeneration is an excellent means to achieve
enormous cost reductions.

Eurecat is aware that the changing refining environment requires

Eurecat has been the leading catalyst regeneration company worldwide since
careful decision-taking on a sound scientific basis. We will gladly 1980. Our Rotolouvre regeneration process has been qualified by all major
deploy all our available tools to facilitate this and help you achieve refiners, catalyst manufacturers and licensors. A high degree of homogeneity
and excellent temperature control are achieved from the contact between hot
your objectives. Please contact us to discuss different options in
air, passing through the spaces between the louvres, and the thin layer of cata-
more detail. lyst rotating slowly inside the conical inner shell. Fines generated during the
regeneration process are guaranteed less than 1 wt%.

EURECAT FRANCE - 07800 La Voulte sur Rhône - France EURECAT INDIA Catalyst Services Pvt Ltd
tel: +33 4 75 62 04 02 - email: [email protected] tel: +91 932 312 6032 - email: [email protected]
www.eurecat.fr Plot No. 1, GIDC, Jhagadia, Bharuch District - Gujarat