Many FCC units can be operated more profitably, but changes in pursuit of more efficient operation can be risky. Challenges in addressing the root cause of under-performance and fear of unforeseen impacts often result in a strong preference for the status quo. There is a better way. This paper presents simulation as a means to "look inside" the FCCU, allowing the diagnosis of the root cause of issues, testing the effect of proposed modifications prior to implementation, and minimizing the concern of the negative impacts of change, thus enabling the pursuit of improved profitability with confidence.
A prominent refinery located in the eastern half of North America recently formed a team of FCC experts with the goal of identifying the root cause and delivering a solution to an exceptionally challenging case of maldistribution within their FCC regenerator. The result was a measurable reduction in the maldistribution resulting in a more stable operation with lower NOx, CO and particulate emissions. This approach may be an excellent model for other refineries facing similar issues within their FCC units.
This paper provides an overview of how afterburn presents itself in various operations describing both the stable and unstable forms of general or localized afterburn.
This work was originally presented at the 2016 AFPM Annual Meeting.
The primary requirements in applying these models is rapid time-to-solution without sacrificing fidelity I have been using CPFD Barracuda for over three years for circulating fluidized bed applications, coal gasification and hydrogasification for reactor design and optimization to scale-up.
— Dr. Chris Guenther, Director, Multiphase Flow Sciences US Dept. of Energy / National Energy Technology Laboratory
