Made to Order: Tailored FCC Catalyst

The main goal of the Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit is to produce transportation fuels and chemicals feedstock from heavy low value petroleum fractions. As oil fields change, the feed to the FCC unit also changes. Some of the new fields are bringing heavier and more contaminated oil to the FCC units. This necessitates the improvement of FCC catalysts to meet demands for better activity and selectivity when processing these heavier more contaminated feedstocks. To accomplish this objective, new materials must be incorporated into the FCC catalyst to boost accessibility, activity, and tolerance. Particle properties need to be carefully balanced to maintain attrition resistance, particle size distribution, and bulk density. Albemarle will show how proper selection of drying conditions and binding systems can be implemented to manufacture catalysts with improved activity and no deterioration of physical properties. Furthermore, catalyst accessibility, which plays a critical role in catalyst performance, will be examined. It is necessary that this physical property is taken into account during the particle formation process for the FCC catalyst.