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Catalytic Reforming of Naphtha From Journal Paper PDF
Catalytic Reforming of Naphtha From Journal Paper PDF
Kjell Moljord,* Hilde Gunn Hellenes, Anne Hoff, and Ingunn Tanem
SINTEF Applied Chemistry, N-7034 Trondheim, Norway
Knut Grande
Statoil Research Centre, N-7004 Trondheim, Norway
Anders Holmen
Department Industrial Chemistry, NTH, The University of Trondheim, N-7034 Trondheim, Norway
The effect of reaction pressure in catalytic reforming was studied in a pilot reactor with a
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commercial Pt-Re/Al2O3 reforming catalyst and a hydrotreated naphtha from a North Sea crude.
Reformate and hydrogen yields, research octane numbers (RON), and reformate composition at
reactor pressures in the range of 12-25 bar were measured as a function of temperature in the
range of 95-105 RON. Reformate and hydrogen yields increased as the pressure was reduced.
This effect was more pronounced at high severity and in the high-pressure range. For the lower
reaction pressures the hydrogen yields increased with increasing severity, but for the higher
pressures the hydrogen yields started to decline above certain severities. RON was linearly
dependent on the concentration of aromatics in the reformate, although the selectivity toward
aromatics depended on both pressure and temperature. Less hydrodealkylation of C8 and heavier
aromatics to benzene and toluene resulted in a shift toward xylenes and heavier aromatic
components when pressure was lowered. Variations in the degree of paraffin isomerization did
not influence RON significantly at those severities.
Figure 1. Flow diagram for each reactor of the pilot reactor unit (MFC ) mass flow controller; PC ) pressure controller).
Figure 5. Yield of different aromatics as a function of reaction temperature at different reaction pressures: (a) benzene, (b) toluene, (c)
ethylbenzene, (d) p-xylene, (e) m-xylene, (f) o-xylene, and (g) C9+ aromatics.
desired reactions that contribute to the increase in sponding n-paraffins, it is not obvious that the i- to
octane numbers during naphtha reforming. It is com- n-ratios for all paraffins are defined by their thermo-
mon to assume that the isomerization reactions are dynamic equilibrium at high-severity reforming. As the
rapid enough to closely approach thermodynamic equi- paraffin isomerization reactions are slightly exothermic,
librium at normal reforming conditions (Gates et al., the equilibrium ratio between i- and n-paraffins dimin-
1979). However, the reactivity of the paraffins de- ishes slightly with increasing reaction temperature.
creases as their carbon number decreases (Van Trim- Furthermore, the isomerization equilibrium is indepen-
pont et al., 1988). Furthermore, multibranched isomers dent of the reaction pressure.
are secondary products formed via single-branched Figure 7 shows the experimental i/n-ratios for C4, C5,
isomers (Van Trimpont et al., 1988), and equilibrium C6, and C7 paraffins at different pressures and temper-
is largely attained between normal paraffins and their atures. The i/n-ratios for C6 and C7 increase from 480
single-branched isomers (Kmak and Stuckey, 1973). to 495 °C, signifying that chemical equilibrium is not
Since the i-paraffins crack much easier than the corre- attained between i- and n-paraffins for hexanes and
104 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 35, No. 1, 1996