Fluid Catalytic Cracking

(FCC)

Quak Foo, Lee

Chemical and Biological Engineering
The University of British Columbia
 Outline
 What is FCC?
 Why use circulating Fluidized Bed
Reactor in FCC?
 Operating Characteristics
 Description of the Process
 Heat Balance
 Pressure Balance
 Conclusions
 What is FCC?

 Primary conversion process in petroleum

refinery.
 The unit which utilizes a micro-spherodial
catalyst (zeolitic catalyst) which fluidizes
when properly aerated.
 The purpose is to convert high-boiling
petroleum fractions (gas oil) to high-value,
high-octane gasoline and heating oil.
 Why use Circulating Fluidized
Bed in FCC?
 Compared with Fixed Bed, Fluidized Bed
 CFB – fast fluidization regime
 CFB good for catalyst size < 0.2 mm
 Excellent in:
– Gas-solid effective contact
– Catalyst effectiveness
– Catalyst internal temperature control
– Catalyst regeneration
 Operating Characteristics

 Particle Diameter = 150 m

 Geldart Classification = A
 Temperature = 650 0C
 Pressure = 100 kPa
 Superficial gas velocity = 10 m/s
 Bed depth = 0.85 m
 Fresh feed flow rate = 300,000 kg/hr
 Catalyst to oil ratio = 4.8
FCC Reactor-Regenerator
 Description of the Process
 Reactor
 Riser
 Cyclones
 Stripper
 Regenerator
 Standpipe and Slide Valve
 Reactor Performance

 Feed oil enters the riser near the base

 Contacts the incoming regenerated catalyst
 Cracking reactions occur in the vapor phase
 Expanded volume of vapors lift the catalyst
and vaporized oil rises
 Fast reaction, few seconds of contact time
 Riser
 Dimensions
– Diameter: 1.2 m (4 ft)
– Height : 36.6 m (120 ft)
 Plug flow with minimum back-mixing
 Steam is used to atomize the feed
– Increases the availability of feed
 Outlet vapor velocity: 18 m/s (60 ft/sec)
 Hydrocarbon residence time: 2 seconds
 Cyclones
 Located at the end of riser to separate the
bulk of the catalyst from the vapor
 Use a deflector device to turn catalyst
direction downward
 Two-stage cyclones
– To separate the remaining of the catalyst
 Return the catalyst to the stripper through
the diplegs
 The product vapors exit the cyclones and
flow to the main fractionator column
Cyclones

Riser

Stripping Bed
 Stripping Section
 The spent catalysts falls into the stripper
 Valuable hydrocarbons are absorbed
within the catalyst bed
 Stripping steam, at a rate of 4 kg per 1000
kg of circulating catalyst, is used to strip
the hydrocarbons from the catalyst
 The catalyst level provides the pressure
head which allows the catalyst to flow
into the regenerator
Inside Stripping Section

Catalyst
Level
Steam

Reactor Reactor
Riser
Stripper
 Regenerator
 Two functions:
– Restores catalyst activity
– Supplies heat to crack the feed
 Air is the source of oxygen for the combustion of
coke
 The air blower with 1m/s (3 ft/s) air velocity to
maintain the catalyst bed in a fluidized state
 14 kPa (2 psi) pressure drop in air distributors to
ensure positive air flow through all nozzles
Inside Regenerator
Catalyst Low
(high carbon) Oxygen

Catalyst
Dense

Air
Phase
Bed

Catalyst High
(low carbon) Oxygen
 Standpipe & Slide Valve

 Standpipe provides the necessary pressure

head needed to circulate the catalyst
around the unit
 The catalyst density in standpipe is 642
kg/m3 (40 lbs/ft3)
 Slide valve is used to regulate the flow rate
of the regenerated catalyst to the riser
 Slide valve function is to supply enough
catalyst to heat the feed and achieve the
desired reactor temperature
 Heat Balance
 A catalyst cracker continually adjusts itself
to stay in heat balance.
 The reactor and regenerator heat flows
must be equal.
 Heat balance performed around
– the reactor
– the stripper-regenerator
 Use to calculate catalyst circulation rate and
catalyst-to-oil ratio
– overall heat balance
 Heat Balance
 The unit produces and burns enough coke to
provide energy to:
– Increase the temperature of the fresh feed, recycle,
and atomizing steam from their preheated states to the
reactor temperature.
– Provide the endothermic heat of cracking.
– Increase the temperature of the combustion air from
the blower discharge temperature to the regenerator
flue gas temperature.
– Make up for heat losses from the reactor and
regenerator to surroundings.
– Provide for heat sinks, such as stripping steam and
catalyst cooling.
 FCC Heat Balance
Regenerator Reactor
Flue gas Spent Catalyst
Products
Heat of
Coke Heat Losses
Heat losses Combustion

Heat of
Reaction
Recycle
Regenerated Fresh Feed
Catalyst
Regeneration
Air Feed Preheater
 FCC Heat Balance
Regenerator Reactor
Flue gas Spent Catalyst
Products
Heat of
Coke Heat Losses
Heat losses Combustion

Heat of
Reaction
Recycle
Regenerated Fresh Feed
Catalyst
Regeneration
Air Feed Preheater
 Heat Balance
Around Stripper-Regenerator
 Heat to raise air from the blower discharge
temperature to the regenerator dense phase
temperature. (108  106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to desorb the coke from the spent
catalyst. (39.5  106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to raise the temperature of the stripping
steam to the reactor temperature.
(4.4  106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to raise the coke on the catalyst from the
reactor T to the regenerator dense phase T.
(3.7  106 Btu/hr)
 Heat Balance
Around Stripper-Regenerator

 Heat to raise the coke products from the

regenerator dense temperature to flue gas
temperature. (2.17  106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to compensate for regenerator heat
losses. ( 19.3 106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to raise the spent catalyst from the
reactor temperature to the regenerator
dense phase. (305.5  106 Btu/hr)
 Reactor Heat Balance
 Hot-regenerated catalyst supplies the bulk
of the heat required to vaporize the liquid
feed
 To provide the overall endothermic heat of
cracking
 To raise the temperature of dispersion
steam and inert gases to the reactor
temperature
 Reactor Heat Balance
 Heat into the reactor
– Regenerated catalyst = 1186  106
Btu/hr
– Fresh feed = 267  106 Btu/hr
– Atomizing steam = 12  106 Btu/hr
– Heat of absorption = 35  106 Btu/hr
 Total heat in = 1500  106 Btu/hr
 Reactor Heat Balance
 Heat out of the reactor
– Spent catalyst = 880  106 Btu/hr
– To vaporize feed = 513  106 Btu/hr
– Heat content of steam = 15  106 Btu/hr
– Loss to surroundings = 6  106 Btu/hr
– Heat of reaction = ?
 Total heat out = 1414  106 Btu/hr +
Heat of reaction
 Reaction Heat Balance
 Calculation of Heat of Reaction
 Total heat out = Total heat in
 Total heat in = 1500  106 Btu/hr
 Total heat out = 1414  106 Btu/hr + Heat
of reaction
 Therefore, Overall Endothermic Heat of
Reaction = 86  106 Btu/hr
 Pressure Balance
 Deals with the hydraulics of catalyst
circulation in the reactor and regenerator
circuit.
 The incremental capacity come from
increased catalyst circulation or from
altering the differential pressure between
reactor-regenerator.
 Pressure Balance Results
 In spent catalyst standpipe:
– Pressure buildup = 27 kPa (4 psi)
– Catalyst density = 658 kg/m3
– Optimum pressure to circulate more catalyst
 In regenerated catalyst standpipe:
– Pressure buildup = 55 kPa (8 psi)
– Catalyst density = 642 kg/m3
 Conclusions
 Circulating Fluidized Bed is used in FCC
unit.
 Stripping steam of 4 kg per 1000 kg
circulating catalyst is required.
 Overall endothermic Heat of Reaction is
86 MBtu/hr.
 Pressure buildup in spent catalyst
standpipe is 27 kPa (4 psi).
 Pressure buildup in regenerated catalyst
standpipe is 55 kPa (8 psi).