10. Cat Reforming

Question 1

■ Objective and description of Catalytical reforming?
■ Supportive Processes?
■ Main Units?

Answer 1

■ Created to:
▪ increase gasoline volume and quality by using heavy naphta left in kerosene.
▪ Catalytic reforming could upgrade the quality of these naphtas with octane numbers in the range of 35-40 to as much as 90 octane.
▪ Naphta normally has high concentration of n-paraffins and naphtenes, cat reformer causes many of these components to be reformed into isoparaffins and aromatics.

■ Throughout the evolution of cat reforming, refiners became increasingly aware that one of the
reformer by-products:
▪ Hydrogen emerged as essential workhorse in the refinery.
▪ They increasingly used hydrogen in hydrotreaters to:
– remove sulphur
– other contaminants
▪ Hydrockrackers oppositely become black hole for hydrogen
– thats why when cat reformer shuts down for maintenance major parts of the refinery are affected y shortage of hydrogen

■ 
▪ No unusual hardware
▪ Heaters
▪ Reactors with catalysts
▪ Additional catalyst needed:
– Platinum (million dollars worth)
– Rhenium
– Palladium 
– Chlorine as promoter
▪ cat reformers called platformers
▪ and their product reformate

Question 2

■ Feedstock (sources), output & disposition?

Answer 2

■ Feedstock:
▪ SR Naphta (high concentration of Paraffins and Naphtenes) 
▪ Paraffins
▪ Naphtenes
│
■ Output:
▪ Isoparaffins
▪ Naphtenes releasing hydrogen
▪ Aromatics releasing hydrogen