In the last year, economic headwinds cause by COVID-19 caused many companies to delay expenditures and reschedule turnarounds and capital projects. Refineries and petrochemical plants reduced plant capacity and some even closed. Refining markets are recovering, but the pace and scale of that recovery poses risks to refiners. Better process and catalyst performance can alleviate some of that risk and improve operating profitability. 

UOP’s CCR catalyst portfolio and performance solutions can play a central role in that effort. The CCR Platforming™ process has undergone continuous improvement since it was introduced 50 years ago, raising yields, extending catalyst life, and enhancing unit performance. 

UOP’s standard density CCR catalysts are approximately 560 kg/m3, and include R-234, R-254, R-334, and the new RMY-7 catalyst. Each catalyst has different activity and yield characteristics. R-234 is the most active, while RMY-7 has the highest C5+ and H2 yield of any UOP CCR Platforming catalyst, approaching the theoretical maximum reforming yields. Standard density catalysts have been loaded in more than 200 CCR units globally.

High density CCR catalysts maximize throughput in a CCR unit, and are approximately 670 kg/m3. They include R-264, R-364, and the new R-464 and are designed to increased catalyst activity and debottleneck units. R-364 is the most active CCR catalyst, while R-464 provides the highest C5+ and H2 yield of these catalysts. R-464 can provide greater yield performance than R-264 while still maintaining unit flexibility. These high density catalysts have been loaded in more than 150 CCR units globally, and continues to grow.

These new offerings can get more production out a process unit. A CCR catalyst can be packaged with unit services, adsorbents, and connected offerings that can quickly improve unit performance while providing UOP with data for troubleshooting and advisory services. UOP PremierPLUS™ Connected Services include benchmarking capability to track fundamental process unit operation variables and advanced process unit operation parameters against operational data from classes of similar units.

UOP service assists with conventional and “on-the-fly” loadings, start-ups, troubleshooting, catalyst analysis, unit performance reviews, and complex-wide CCR performance optimization. Services are offered with multi-year service agreements and on a standalone basis. 

By Eric J Baker, Senior Offering Manager