Boreskov Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of Russian ...

PP-III-15COMPUTER MONITORING OF CATALYTIC REFORMING PROCESSIN SEMI-REGENERATIVE CATALYTIC REFORMERE.D. Ivanchina, V.S. StankevichTomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin street 30, 634050, Tomsk, Russia;fax: +7(3822)563-435, vstankevich@sibmail.comCatalytic reforming is considered as a complex multi-component chemical-engineeringprocess the main purpose of which appears to be the production of gasoline with a high octanelevel and individual aromatic hydrocarbons for the petrochemical requirements. The processis affected by a great number of different parameters such as temperature, pressure, feedstockcomposition and consumption, catalyst surface condition, therefore it is very important tomaintain the optimal behavior of the system. Therefore the continuous monitoring of theprocess becomes important because it allows engineer to estimate the deviations of theprocess from the optimal regime and to indicate the probable reasons for these deflections.Thus the objection of the work appears to be the catalytic reforming process monitoring toinvestigate the changes in optimal behavior of the system and to indicate the probable causesof that.To begin with, by way of criterion for optimal behavior of the system an optimal activitywas chosen. Catalytic reforming is known to be conducted on the surface of platinumcontaining catalyst which tends to reduce in its activity due to carbonaceous coke depositionand chloride loss. The optimal activity represents the catalyst activity when the equilibrium ofcoke deposition and hydrogenation reactions takes place. The deviation of catalytic activityfrom the optimal activity results in the more intensive accumulation of the coke on thecatalyst surface hence reducing the time of catalyst exploitation. The activity of the catalystcan be periodically regenerated or restored by in situ high temperature oxidation of the cokefollowed by chlorination. Semi-regenerative catalytic reformers are regenerated about onceper 6 to 24 months.For calculating the optimal activity of the catalyst the special simulator “Catalyst control”was used. This simulator is based on the not stationary mathematical model of the adiabaticreactor with a fixed bed of the catalyst taking into account the physicochemical regularities ofthe process. The mathematical model of the reactor is represented by a number of materialbalance equations, thermal balance equation supplemented with the equation of catalystdeactivation [1].331