Arco-Engelhard process (HPN IV-8 process) (ref. 21).

This process employs

the usual Engelhard concept of the up-flow reactor. The feed is preheated by
exchange with low pressure steam and introduced, separately to hydrogen at the
bottom of the reactor. For high capacities parallel reactor trains are employed

IFP process (Fig. 18.16). It uses the concept of the down-flow reactor. The feed is mixed with
hydrogen and preheated by feed/effluent exchange, and then by low-pressure steam. The H2/HC mixture
circulates in a co-current mixed phase downwards on a fixed bed of palladium catalyst (specially
activated to improve selectivity). The reactor effluent is cooled and sent to the battery limit. Given the
long cycles (1 year), no stand by reactor is provided. The catalyst can be regenerated by a standard
combustion method (air + steam). With a single reactor, a maximum of 85% conversion is feasible
thermodynamically. For more intensive conversions, causing greater exothermicity, two reactors are
required: one main reactor as described and one finishing reactor operating at a lower temperature to
minimize hydrogenation losses and to be in a more favourable range from the thermodynamic standpoint.
The progress of the reaction in each reactor, and hence isomerization, is controlled by adjusting the.
hydrogen make-up