Authors: Ray Fletcher a, Peter Blaser a, John Pendergrass a, Ken Peccatiello b
a CPFD Software
b Peccatiello Engineering Catalytic Cracking Solutions, LLC
Source: This paper was originally presented at the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers’ 2016 Cat Cracker Seminar, CAT-16-17, August 23-24, 2016.
Description: 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. This team included members from Peccatiello Engineering, Emtrol-Buell Technologies and CPFD Software. The experts enlisted by this refiner brought decades of FCC knowledge to bear leading to a highly non-intuitive and successful solution.
The result of this effort was a measurable reduction in the maldistribution resulting in a more stable operation with lower NOx, CO and particulate emissions. The team approach worked very well and may be an excellent model for other refineries facing similar issues within their FCC units.