Simulation of FCC Equilibrium Catalyst Age Distribution by Using a Deactivation Model

摘要

A methodology is proposed to simulate rigorously the physicochemical and catalytic properties of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) equilibrium catalyst E-CAT. For this purpose an irreversible deactivation model was developed. The model is based on the kinetic of catalyst properties decay as a function of the different variables that determine laboratory scale deactivation such as temperature, steam partial pressure, vanadium content and deactivation time. The E-CAT is separated in four fractions of different age using the known method of density fractionation. The deactivation conditions that better simulate the properties of the fractions are obtained by an optimization procedure where an objective function OF is minimized. The deactivated samples are used directly to prepare the simulated E-CAT in the same proportion observed after the E-CAT density fractionation. The physico-chemical characterization, the micro-activity test (MAT) and the pilot plant testing of the E-CAT as much as the simulated catalyst performance demonstrated the efficiency of this methodology.