Effective use of catalysts through catalyst regeneration

The refining industry is currently undergoing its most serious challenge in recent times, since cleaner fuels are gradually introduced in many markets. Middle East countries still have less history than Europe, Japan or the USA when it comes to clean fuels, but the trend is there, which will eventually increase the demand for hydroprocessing catalysts. On the other hand, more sophisticated catalysts are being introduced in refining and petrochemicals applications, with increased catalytic performances. A good way for a refinery to reduce the global catalyst expenses is to maximize the catalyst multiple uses, which is possible for a number of applications. The technique of ex situ regeneration gives the best chance to recover the maximum performance, with the lowest chance for pressure drop build up in the reactor beds as well as improper liquid distribution. This paper illustrates a number of cases of successful regeneration in the various fields of oil refining and petrochemical applications. The limits to regeneration often come from catalysts poisoning by various contaminants such as Vanadium, Arsenic or Silicon. This impact can be minimized by a careful management of the three actions “Sample, Analyze, Segregate”. This effort allows to maximize the quantity of catalyst recovery with the best possible quality insurance. Non contaminated regenerated catalysts can recover activities rather similar to fresh ones as assessed by a statistical study performed at Eurecat over several years. The handling and transport of spent catalysts to an off site regeneration facility is currently performed, but requires some precaution as the material is classified as self heating, type UN3190.