FCC profitability assessment via

advanced modelling
Process and computational fluid dynamic modelling were applied to validate
the technology used in an FCC unit revamp at Shells Puget Sound refinery
Sayantan Chatterjee, Cian Carroll, Michael Basden and Kevin Kunz Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc
Charles Burton MOTIVA Refining
Steve Nelson Shell Oil Products US

he FCC unit at Puget

Sound
was
originally
To COBs
To MF
installed in 1958. Over the
and WGS
intervening years, the unit was
modified several times. The last
revamp in 1999 installed a new
external riser as well as the
current reactor vessel and with
the unit configured as a two-vessel side-by-side FCC unit with
an external riser. The reactor
vessel contained the reactor
cyclones with a stripper incorporated within the bottom
section of the reactor vessel.
The basic layout of the FCC unit
Combustion
air to regen
is illustrated in the process flow
Lift air
diagram used in the project
ex-LAB
scope (see Figure 1).
During the refinerys 2009
turnaround, Shell determined
the units riser refractory to be
at end of life and in need of Figure 1 Process flow diagram of Shells Puget Sound FCC unit (revamp
renewal. Replacing the refrac- project scope items are outlined in red)
tory would have been a major
effort, potentially extending the next turnaround decided to replace the riser refractory, the
in 2014. Therefore, the company decided that incremental engineering and fabrication costs
replacement would be a more cost-effective unit were low enough to justify the increase in riser
residence time.
upgrade and life extension strategy.
Likewise, the as-found condition of the stripTechnical review of the riser determined that
the riser residence time was too short per in the 2009 inspection indicated that
for the current demand. Replacement of the replacement would be cost effective as an alterriser simply to increase riser residence time native to the required repairs that would have
would not have met the required return on had to be scheduled for the 2014 turnaround.
investment criteria. However, once the company For example, the existing stripper was a disk and

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

PTQ Q4 2015 1

revamp scope definition, installation of an expansion joint was

in the project scope for the
spent catalyst standpipe as well.
However, after applying value
engineering practices, it was
removed with just minor regenerator nozzle reinforcement,
resulting in significant savings.
The regenerated catalyst slide
valve had a history of sticking,
identified as an on-going reliability threat for the unit, and
therefore was replaced with a
Figure 2 Installing the new stripper into structure and its final position at
new valve incorporating the best
Shells Puget Sound FCC unit
of Shells current FCC technology design elements.
donut design, which was prone to flooding at
The company justified the incremental cost of
high catalyst circulation rates. As with the riser, the riser and stripper replacement partially on
the incremental cost of replacing the stripper the basis of the anticipated margin improvement
with a new Shell design was justified when from the unit revamp. Since the riser and stripcompared to stripper repair and refurbishment.
per replacement were primarily justified to
minimise turnaround duration, the incremental
FCC unit turnaround
cost for upgrading this equipment was relatively
Scope and incentives
small, amounting to some additional engineering
Project premise: driver for change
and fabrication cost.
The 2009 equipment inspection revealed the
riser refractory to be at end of life condition and Project planning and execution
anticipated repairs would result in a significant The project was kicked off in early 2011 and
extension to the refinerys planned 2014 turna- involved Puget Sound refinery staff and Shell
round duration. Similarly, the amount of repair Global Solutions jointly working through the
to the stripper disk and donuts, combined with options evaluation, economic reviews, and
the health, safety and environmental risks of preliminary project scoping. Shell utilised a third
extremely tight working conditions, could also party firm for detailed engineering and project
not be completed within the planned turnaround management. Concurrently, the same firm
window. Thus, replacement of the riser and disk managed a parallel upgrade project for the FCC
and donut stripper became the preferred and units instrumented protective function (IPF). A
more cost effective alternative to repair. Once fabrication contractor was then brought in as
the decision to replace the riser and stripper was equipment fabricator, with field construction
made, the incremental cost of the upgrade versus completed by a construction contractor as part
an in-kind replacement was easily justified based of the overall turnaround. Part of the projects
execution strategy was to engage the construcon the incremental margin improvement.
Originally, an expansion joint was not included tion contractor during revamp scope design to
as part of the regenerated catalyst standpipe ensure planning for constructability and
design. Increasing the riser volume increased sequencing of delivery and lifting within the
system stiffness. The riser upgrade resulted in overall turnaround schedule.
Overall, the project was well developed and
system rigidity under start-up and shutdown
conditions, which contributed to both high executed. All potential challenging issues were
regenerator nozzle stresses and regenerated quickly identified and resolved with minimal
catalyst slide valve sticking. As a result, an impact to the overall project or the turnaround.
expansion joint was added above the regener- An outstanding team effort was involved in the
ated catalyst slide valve. At the onset of the safe and successful completion of the project.

2 PTQ Q4 2015

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

Riser height, m

Dimensionless
velocity

0
Centreline

Wall

Riser location

20

10

50

100

150

200

Pressure, mbar

Figure 3 (a) A schematic illustration of Shells HIB rings installed in a riser and (b) validation studies showing
presence of HIB rings lead to superior flatness of the radial catalyst velocity profile, and (c) reduced catalyst slip and
pressure drop over the riser

Puget Sound FCC unit today

Today, Puget Sounds FCC unit operates on average at rates up to 52 000 b/d, processing
vacuum gasoil and unhydrotreated heavy coker
gasoil. The unit includes Shells technology
designs installed during the latest revamp in
March and April of 2014. The present
unit configuration following the revamp includes
the following plant upgrades (see Figure 2):
New riser of larger diameter, new HIB rings to
inner lining and increased residence time
New J-Bend
New feed nozzles including associated piping
New stripper, lengthened and upgraded from
disk and donuts to Shells PentaFlow baffle design
New regenerated catalyst slide valve incorporating current best practice design
Regenerator standpipe expansion bellows to
alleviate stresses
Upgraded IPF system with new instrumentation and logic system
Completion of new DCS cutovers.
The revamp was successfully completed on
time, within the turnaround window and the
planned budget. Post turnaround, the unit has
operated very well, realising an estimated benefit
matching the expected cost versus forecasted
gains as the business basis for the revamp.

New hardware installed

Shell has led active research in FCC technology
development for over seven decades since its first
FCC unit start-up in 1942. As an operator, the
company has safely and successfully operated

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

FCC units for over 1200 unit-years, and has

designed 33 grassroots FCC units. Since 2006,
Shell Global Solutions has successfully completed
over 40 FCC unit revamps across Shell owned, JV
operated and third party licensed refineries. The
portfolio of Shells FCC technologies that have
been implemented in these revamp projects
include: reactor and regenerator vessels with
internals; feed injection nozzles; close-coupled
reactor and regenerator cyclones; catalyst circulation enhancement technology (CCET); catalyst
stripper PentaFlow baffles; air grid and spent
catalyst distributor (SCID); and third stage
separators (TSS). Most of these FCC equipment
specific technologies were incorporated in a major
riser replacement revamp project in 2012 at
Shells Deer Park refinery.1,2 Among the technologies listed above, some were already present in
Puget Sound refinerys FCC unit prior to the turnaround (for instance, reactor and regenerator
cyclone technology and air grid). Most of the
remaining technologies were incorporated during
the 2014 riser and stripper revamp project
described in this article.
Riser Internals

Shell developed riser internals known as HIB

rings, which have been installed and operationally validated in several units, including the
Puget Sound FCC unit (see Figure 3a). The HIB
rings deployed in the riser reduce the catalyst
slip or back mixing and help the catalyst particles
and hydrocarbon vapours to reach ideal plugflow conditions. HIB rings are well documented

PTQ Q4 2015 3

protective shroud. This is

expected to further improve the
A
B
life of the feed nozzle as well as
reduce exit velocity for lower
catalyst attrition at the nozzle
mix zone of the riser.
In addition to using feed
nozzles in actual operating
assets, Shell benchmarks its
feed nozzles in cold flow condiFigure 4 Shells (a) feed nozzle design;4 with a (b) sacrificial shroud5
tions at its in-house FCC
technologies research facility in
for delivering benefits such as improved overall Houston, Texas. The FCC feed atomisation testunit performance plus greater flexibility to oper- ing facility has been in operation for many years
ate over a wide range of conditions. Independent and is the main vehicle to test and develop fullbenchmarking studies show that HIB rings offer scale feed nozzles spraying a mixture of air and
more uniform catalyst distribution, more even water (simulating steam and oil) under ambient
velocity profile (see Figure 3b), and better catalyst conditions. Using an existing, advanced method
mixing, which consequently produce lower pres- to measure droplet sizes, the company refines
sure drop (see Figure 3c) and enhanced product and improves the feed nozzles development,
yields when compared to an open riser.3
coupled with direct access to the refinery data
For the Puget Sound refinery FCC revamp, from its operating assets.
CFD modelling tools were used to illustrate and
The key objective is to minimise the droplet size
validate the enhanced benefits of HIB rings exiting the feed nozzles as it increases the total
installed in FCC risers.
contact surface area in feed, reduces the feed
vaporisation volume in the riser, and further
Feed injection nozzles
minimises coke yield and coke fouling. Shell evalShells FCC feed injection nozzles have a unique uates feed nozzles using a novel technique that
design where atomisation occurs just before captures the full droplet size distribution, deternozzle exit to create the finest drop sizes with mines the associated droplet size characteristics
the highest energy efficiency. This atomisation and distinguishes the formation of large drops in
technique produces small droplets at the nozzle the spray. This technique helps in developing
tip and avoids droplet re-agglomeration and newer feed nozzle designs with rigorous testing at
formation of stratified, two-phase flow. Shell the in-house facility prior to commercial deployoffers single-wide-slot (SWS) feed nozzles, which ment and subsequent validation by running in the
can usually be customised over a wide operating actual operating units.
range for greater flexibility (see Figure 4a).
Furthermore, the newest design offers a single PentaFlow stripper
flow exit with improved wear reliability and Shell developed and implemented structured
robustness compared to past Shell designs. In packing for FCC strippers in the 1990s. While
addition, the nozzles are accompanied by a the company experienced good initial perforproprietary, shield-like shroud that covers most mance, the packing was found to progressively
of the nozzle tip surface and is incorporated in cause plugging, limited catalyst circulation and
the latest nozzle designs (see Figure 4b). The led to unplanned shutdowns. To address the
shroud allows feed injection to pass through it reliability concerns in structured packing in FCC
and further minimises tip erosion from flowing applications, Shell developed an improved stripcatalyst in the riser. Shell nozzles have been per internals design with high flux PentaFlow
installed in scores of units, and in many sites baffles combining superior performance, higher
they have been retained for multiple runs. Puget reliability, improved mechanical strength, and
Sound installed the latest version of the feed easier access for equipment maintenance at
nozzle shroud in 2014; this does not mix the lower cost (see Figure 5). PentaFlow baffle techsteam and feed with catalyst until it exits the nology has been successfully implemented in

4 PTQ Q4 2015

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

over a dozen units globally,

effective over narrow operating
including at the Puget Sound
ranges and inefficient in elimiFCC unit, and its application is
nating all gas bubbles. Shell
documented for the resid FCC at
developed
a
new
CCET,
Shells Pulau Bukom refinery.6
deployed in many units, which
Prior to the unit revamp at
prevents gas bubbles from
Puget Sound, the stripper vessel
entering the standpipe in the
had conventional disk and donut
first place (see Figure 6).
baffles installed in the unit
The device is responsible for
where the steam often got
efficiently degassing the catatrapped underneath the baffles
lyst, removing excess gas and reand led to poor steam distribuintroducing
a
controlled
tion. On the other hand, the
amount of gas with fluidised
PentaFlow baffle design rediscatalyst into the standpipe to
tributes the stripping steam
optimise both catalyst flow and
through holes perforated along
high pressure gain in the standthe baffle length to guarantee
pipe.8 This further improves
catalyst circulation rates and
optimal stripping performance
offers higher reliability and flexthroughout the run. In fact,
ibility in performance.
PentaFlow
baffles
maintain
higher performance even at high Figure 5 Generic design of stripper
Existing hardware from precatalyst flux rates in comparison internal with high flux PentaFlow
turnaround era
to conventional disk and donut baffles
The 2014 Puget Sound FCC unit
design.7 In addition to the superior reliability from these baffles, the design turnaround included selected Shell technologies
offers exceptional stripping quality, reducing the in the project scope. Some of the other Shell
hydrogen in coke to 6 wt% or less. At Puget hardware options already existed from the
Sound, the old stripper with disk and donuts pre-turnaround era at Puget Sound. This article
would flood at high circulation rates. The new briefly reviews these technologies and discusses
stripper with PentaFlow technology is not use of CFD modelling tools to validate the perforexpected to show the same behaviour. This, in mances of these equipment technology additions.
turn, provides an opportunity to change catalyst,
lower activity, increase catalyst circulation rates Reactor and regenerator cyclones
Cyclones were found to be a
and provides more flexible operchief cause of unscheduled shutating options to the unit.
downs and slowdowns in the
Through CFD simulations, Shell
1980s. To address this reliability
compared and demonstrated the
issue, in the early 1990s, Shells
performance of PentaFlow stripFCC R&D initiated an advanced
pers versus conventional disk
cyclone design and development
and donuts.
programme,
and
reduced
Catalyst circulation enhancement
unplanned shutdowns by 90% in
technology
less than a decade. Some of the
Traditionally, catalyst circulation
unique features in a Shell
at the inlet of both the regenercyclone include its close-coupled
ated
and
spent
catalyst
design with a gas outlet tube, a
standpipes is enhanced using
coke catcher (in a reactor) or a
hoppers, by minimising the
trash guard (in regenerator
amount of excess gas bubbles
applications), and a vortex stabientering
the
standpipes.
liser. The close-coupled design
However, conventional hoppers Figure 6 Catalyst circulation
optimises
performance,
of a given capacity are only enhancement technology
improves reliability and facili-

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

PTQ Q4 2015 5

tates easy maintenance and repair. The special

gas outlet tube design and the coke catcher/trash
guard minimise coke and debris falling into the
cyclone and prevent plugging of the diplegs,
enhancing reliability. A vortex stabiliser is used to
minimise erosion between the bottom of the
cyclone barrel and the top of the dipleg.9 It also
reduces the threat of efficiency loss from high
dipleg backup, a condition resulting from high
bed level operations. Typically, the secondary
cyclones employ the vortex stabiliser for improved
cyclone reliability. Shell cyclones offer higher
separation than conventional cyclones of similar
size and have been installed in about 20 units.
Two primary cyclones are deployed in the
Puget Sound FCC reactor, connected with four
secondary cyclones using an internal primary
cyclone plenum. The third-party reactor cyclones
are now effective and reliable after modifications
were made.
The Puget Sound FCC regenerator houses nine
primary cyclones and nine secondary cyclones.
The 1999 regenerator cyclones were replaced in
2004 with Shell designed cyclones having vortex
stabilisers in the secondary cyclones. The catalyst
loss rate was reduced from a design of 4 t/d with
the old cyclones to a loss rate of 1 t/d with the
new cyclones. The previous cyclones were not
capable of making a five-year run while the new
Shell cyclone design does so. Thus, they were not
included as part of the scope for the 2014 revamp.
Air grid and spent catalyst distributors

The key to good mixing in a regenerator vessel is

to ensure good air and spent catalyst distribution. Shell develops air grid distributors and
spent catalyst inlet devices (SCIDs) to address
the need for effective mixing. These air grids use
refractory lined, two-stage nozzles that retain
excellent conditions even after a runtime of five
years.
SCIDs have been installed to deliver increased
stability and reduced after burn. Currently, Shell
uses a CFD code that has been validated both
experimentally and through process data to
determine the optimum location, sizing and
shape of such distributors.

Post revamp start-up: reliability assurances

and concerns
No issues were found on start-up with the new
equipment installed during the revamp. The unit

6 PTQ Q4 2015

has operated well, meeting site expectations in

terms of feed rate, riser temperature, and NOx
emissions. Even though the unit coke burn
capacity was effectively reduced by new limits on
NOx requiring a lower CO in the regenerator flue
gas, the apparent conversion has remained at or
above pre-turnaround levels.
Post-turnaround, CFD was used to model the
performance of SCID to help understand catalyst
distribution in the regenerator, more specifically
to determine the effect of the SCID on cyclone
loading and couple this to cyclone wear observed
during the turnaround.

SHARC modelling to simulate unit

performance
Overview

Shell Advanced and Rigorous Cat Cracking

Model (SHARC) is Shell Global Solutions fluid
catalytic cracking simulation and optimisation
tool programmed in AIMMS, a mathematical
modelling platform.10 SHARC can be used as a
standalone program for process studies, unit
optimisation and troubleshooting, or in integrated modelling environments such as refinery
simulators, real time optimisation applications,
and refinery economics and scheduling applications. The model is easy to set up, use and has
several unique features. First, it encompasses
understanding of FCC process fundamentals
developed through R&D programmes, design
experience, and pilot plant and commercial unit
operations. Secondly, Shell developed and validated SHARC using a database of thousands of
pilot plant and commercial precision test run
datasets. Current R&D efforts seek to expand the
scope of SHARC and to further develop it by
incorporating newer manufacturing technologies
to meet demand in fuels and petrochemicals.
Thirdly, the model can accurately deal with a
wide range of feedstocks such as crude sources,
vacuum gasoil (VGO), residue, straight run and
pre-treated cracked hydrocarbons. Fourthly, the
model accurately predicts operational changes
due to small perturbations in input data away
from known or well-established commercial
operation data, which makes the model important in on-line optimisation and LP modelling.
Finally, the model has an open-equation architecture which makes it easy to maintain, develop
and integrate with other process models and
simulation tools.

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

Post-turnaround model tuning

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

Margin

Margin

Shell maintains and manages

Pre-TA
Post-TA
SHARC models for all the FCC
A
B
units it supports. These unit
specific models are referred to
as base cases. Post-turnaround,
Puget Sound collected test runs
to tune the unit specific SHARC
base case. Upon completion, the
Base5
Base
Base+5
Base
Base+30
model was updated by Shell
Coke
burn,
Riser
outlet
Global Solutions and approved
Mlb/h
temperature, F
by the site before being incorporated into the online optimiser
and LP model. The new base Figure 7 Model comparison showing pre- and post-turnaround models at
case (post-turnaround) clearly same feed (rate and properties), catalyst addition (metals), and regenerator
characterises the current opera- conditions (flue gas composition and so on) across a range of (a) coke burn
tion more closely than the and (b) riser outlet temperatures
preceding 2012 base case
(pre-turnaround). SHARC was used for the that the standalone analysis predicted for
Puget Sound FCC unit revamp to evaluate pre- projected unit operation swings and margin.
and post-turnaround operation and quantify the
yield shifts and associated margin benefits from Prediction, assessment and validation of FCC unit revamps
One of the main capabilities of the SHARC
the revamp.
model is that the post-turnaround model can be
Pre- and post-turnaround yield shifts and margin benefits used to simulate improved individual yields as a
The post-turnaround model shows improved result of the equipment upgrade. The differential
yields and margin benefits reflecting installation in model predictions at Puget Sounds FCC unit
of the new hardware. Comparing the pre- and suggests the benefit was obtained from the hardpost-turnaround models at constant feed, cata- ware changes during the recent revamp. The
lyst and operating conditions shows a yield model is then used to quantify the unit perforimprovement with an estimated positive margin mance benefits as a result of these hardware
benefit and signed off by the refinery (see Figure changes. The key finding of such modelling is
7). These margin benefits were in agreement with used to assess actual margin uplift at Puget
the proposed margin gain defined in the scope.
Sound FCC unit revamp and was found to be
Minor corrections were made to the pre-turna- slightly higher than that proposed in the project
round model prior to comparing it with the post- scope.
turnaround model. Both models were optimised
A series of data analyses was performed during
and compared at constant feed (rate and proper- comparison of the pre- and post-turnaround
ties) and catalyst addition (and metals), models. For example, SHARC can calculate averconstraining the model at the same regenerator age offsets, where offset is the difference
conditions (CO in flue gas and air flow rate) into between model predictions and actual plant
two optimisation cases. Case 1 included varying measurements. For Puget Sound, the model
coke burn at constant riser outlet temperature compared average offsets between the pre- and
(see Figure 7a), and Case 2 varied riser outlet post-turnaround models. This analysis can be
temperature at constant coke burn (see Figure used further to evaluate the yield and margin
7b). Simulations show increasing margin with shifts attributed to the combined hardware
increasing coke burn and riser outlet tempera- upgrades implemented during the revamp at
tures, and the delta margin benefit was Puget Sound FCC unit. Comparing such analysis
considerably positive estimated using the new with similar studies completed at other units
model. Testing and comparing the performance may be used to parse impacts due to individual
of the pre- and post-turnaround models in the hardware components (feed nozzles, riser resionline unit optimiser showed the same trends dence time, and so on).

PTQ Q4 2015 7

CFD modelling to show

enhanced solid flow in new
hardware

0.6

HIB rings

FCC risers feature complex

internal flow hydrodynamics.
0.5
Computational fluid dynamics
Such
core
annulus
flows
has evolved dramatically since
comprise peak centreline fluid
0.4
the development of the first finite
velocity coupled with slow or
volume models in the 1980s. It is
reversed flow at the riser walls.
0.3
only with recent advances in
HIB rings, designed to reduce
0.2
numerical
techniques
that
the wall backflow in the riser
multiphase systems have begun
while improving the gas-solids
0.1
to be accurately solved on a large
contacting, are key to driving
enough scale to be applied in
effective gas-solids contacting in
0
industry. For example, a typical
the riser.
Disk and doughnut
FCC unit contains upwards of
From this standpoint, HIB
pre-turnaround
PentaFlow
1015 particles. The modelling code
rings serve several benefits to
post-turnaround
Particle volume
of choice at Shell for FCC hybrid fraction
the riser system, demonstrated
multiphase CFD is the CPFD
through CFD computations:
Barracuda software package. As Figure 8 Particle volume fractions
Improved gas-solids contactCFD used in this manner is a for the stripper pre-turnaround
ing in the riser
relatively new approach, initial (left) and post-turnaround (right).
o More
uniform
velocity
studies focused on applying these Disk and donut baffles show
distribution (see Figure 9)
techniques to both experimental significant areas of inactive volume
o More
uniform
catalyst
under the baffles where steam
and site problems that can be and FCC catalyst cannot contact.
density across the riser
validated objectively against Furthermore, the disk and donut
Improved riser performance at
existing data. Given the successes baffles were prone to flooding, with reduced feed rates
in recreating operating data, catalyst de-fluidisation observed on Identical or lower riser presShell now uses CFD modelling in top of the disk sections. PentaFlow
sure drop due to elimination of
support of hardware design and baffles showed no such weaknesses riser backflow, especially under
scale-up.
reduced rate conditions, but
with improved riser performance
Stripper internals
Decreased standard deviation in both gas and
CFD simulations were performed on two different catalyst residence time in the riser.
stripper geometries to evaluate the benefit of
PentaFlow baffles over the previous disk and Generic spent catalyst inlet device
donut baffles installed at Puget Sound. Designs Recently, Shell has performed extensive CFD
are compared on the basis of particle residence modelling work at other FCC units (not applicable to Puget Sound) to examine the performance
time and gas-solid contacting.
From the CFD simulation perspective, of different types of spent catalyst inlet devices
(SCIDs). To test the CFD modelling method, a
PentaFlow baffles offer the following benefits:
Less inactive volume (see Figure 8); disk and unit with ski-jump style inlet device was
donut baffles have significant volumes under modelled (see Figure 10). Prior radioactive tracer
baffles where catalyst and steam do not contact. experiments on this unit provided baseline
Elimination of these regions allows for more experimental data for comparison against the
steam and hydrocarbon mixing, increasing the model results. By reproducing the experimental
outcomes in CFD (see Figure 10), a baseline
efficiency of the stripper
Less prone to plugging and flooding when model is established, which can be used for
future modifications and design analysis.
compared to disk and donut baffles
The CFD results illustrate the motion of spent
More efficient operation under higher catalyst
catalyst upon entering the regenerator vessel via a
fluxes than disk and donut baffles
Improved distribution of steam and catalyst tangential inlet SCID (see Figure 10). The simulademonstrated by near-uniform bed density tion images appended to the vessel drawing show
the progress of the resulting spent catalyst swirl;
throughout the stripper.

8 PTQ Q4 2015

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

each snapshot is taken at the

corresponding
breakthrough
time as measured experimentally
using radioactive probes.
Catalyst enters the regenerator
and travels in a counter-clockwise direction around the
circumference of the regenerator. These results show a very
uneven particle residence time
across the regenerator. Part of
the area on the opposite side of
the SCID sees no catalyst particles at all after 30 seconds.
Ideally, the vessel would recreate
the residence time distribution
of a well-mixed reactor, wherein
the volume averaged residence
time distribution is identical
throughout the fluidised bed.
This would allow for even coke
burn across the entire cross-section of the regenerator and
minimise local hot spots and
afterburn.
CFD analysis is also used to
assess, compare and validate
bottom and side entry SCIDs.
The CFD simulations illustrate a
FCC unit with a bottom entry
SCID (see Figure 11a) and
another FCC unit with a modified side entry SCID (see Figure
11b). The important parameter
to look at is how even the residence times are across the
regenerator. For the bottom
entry SCID, it is seen that the
distribution is quite even in the
centre of the vessel. However,
there is poor mixing along the
outside of the regenerator due
to the large vessel diameter, as
evidenced by the higher residence times.
In comparison, the CFD results
for the modified side entry SCID
show that distribution of spent
catalyst is focused at the vessel
centreline. Radial mixing is
stronger in this case driven by
the jet penetration of spent cata-

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001180

V* = V/Vmax

Riser backflow

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

Without HIB rings

With HIB rings

Figure 9 Non-dimensionalised velocity (V*=V/Vmax) plot at a riser crosssection 15m (50ft) above the feed nozzles. Left image shows the simulation
data without HIB rings; note the high velocity gradients across the riser
width as well as downward flowing catalyst on the riser wall. The right
image shows the simulation with HIB rings; the velocity profile is now more
uniform. Catalyst density is consequently also more uniform across the
riser since total flux is constant. The improvement in catalyst density profile
implies that high density catalyst flowing down at the riser walls has been
reduced, and this acts as a driver for improved gas-solids contacting in the
riser and reduced total riser pressure drop
30s

3.0s

3.4s

Manhole
180

Catalyst inlet

90

270

Stripper
standpipe

Draw-off bin

6.8s

9.4s

Figure 10 CFD model of a regenerator unit with ski jump style SCID (not
applicable to Puget Sound). Central image illustrates the regenerator
vessel configuration with tangential spent catalyst inlet along with arrows
indicating the observed catalyst motion from radioactive tracer experiments.
The radioactive detector locations (red circles) measure the breakthrough
time when the tracer material reaches each probe. Along the vessel
wall, model simulation snapshots correspond to the recorded catalyst
breakthrough time at each probe. Comparison between the radioactive
probe data and the simulation results shows close correspondence for both
the dynamics of the trace catalyst as well as the overall bed mixing that took
place over approximately 30 seconds

PTQ Q4 2015 9

catalysis technology, Shanghai, China,

2014.
3 Ludolph R, Question Answer Session,
AFPM Cat Cracker Meeting, Houston TX,
Question 24, 2012.
4 Brosten D J, Chen Y, Feed nozzle assembly,
60
2014, US Patent 20140145356 A1.
54
5 Chen Y, Geertshuis B M, Horwege J A,
48
Samson R, Protective shroud for FCC feed
42
nozzles and method for designing such
36
Bottom entry SCIDs
shroud, 2006, US Patent 7108195 B2.
6 Dries, et al, First-rate FCC technology
30
design for sustainable reliability: The Pulau
24
Bukom LRCCU in Singapore, Singapore,
18
ARTC, 2004.
12
7 Chen Y, et al, Stripper technology - how to
6
get more profits from FCC units, NPRA AM
0
San Francisco CA, AM-05-25, 2005.
8 Chen Y, McIntyre, Catalyst circulation
enhancement technology provides new
Particle
opportunity for debottlenecking FCC unit,
residence
time
Conclusion
NPRA AM, San Antonio TX, AM-04-08,
Modified side entry
Shells Puget Sound refinery
2004.
SCIDs
9 Chen, et al, Keeping FCC units on
replaced its old FCC unit end-oflife riser with a larger riser to Figure 11 CFD models of regenerator track: winning the operation race with
increase residence time, conver- unit with bottom and modified side an innovative cyclone technology, NPRA
Annual Meeting, Phoenix AZ, AM-10-108,
sion, and to offset the penalty by entry SCIDs
2010, 12-14.
moving to a lower coke burn
10 Mo W, Hadjigeorge G, Khouw F H H, van der Werf R P, Muller F,
(driven by NOx emission limits). Furthermore, it
FCCU process modeling and development in Shell, Hydrocarbon
replaced the stripper from existing disk and Asia, 2002.

lyst into the bed. Moreover, the

breakthrough of spent catalyst
into the vessel freeboard can be
quantified by CFD (see Figure
11b). The blue dots spaced evenly
around the regenerator are the
cyclone dipleg exit.
Shell uses CFD for SCID
design to achieve improved
spent catalyst distribution. SCID
redesign should reduce total
afterburn
and
minimise
localised peak afterburn temperatures. Coupling the flow
hydrodynamics with combustion
chemistry allows Shell to illustrate afterburn mitigation in the
regenerator.

donuts to PentaFlow baffles, feed injection

nozzles and associated hardware.
Margin improvement was slightly above the
predicted level for the project. Shell uses the
SHARC model to characterise FCC unit operations and to assess margin benefits derived from
installing the new hardware options at Puget
Sound FCC unit. In addition, CFD modelling
illustrates and validates performance enhancements as a consequence of installing new
hardware.

This paper was presented at the AFPM Annual meeting 2015 in

San Antonio, Texas.
SHARC and PentaFlow are registered trademarks of Shell Global
Solutions.
References
1 Hunt D S, Chatterjee S, Munsch C B, Sanborn, Implementation
of state-of-the-art FCC technology for improved reliability and
profitability at Deer Park refinery, AFPM AM, Orlando FL, AM-1428, 2014.
2 Hunt D S, Chatterjee S, Munsch C B, Sanborn R, Implementation
of state-of-the-art FCC technology for improved reliability and
profitability at Deer Park refinery, International conference on

10 PTQ Q4 2015

Sayantan Chatterjee is an FCC Research Engineer with Shell

Global Solutions (US) inc in Houston, Texas.
Cian Carroll is an FCC Research Engineer with Shell Global
Solutions (US) inc in Houston, Texas.
Michael Basden is an FCC Research Engineer with Shell Global
Solutions in Houston, Texas.
Kevin Kunz is FCC Licensing & Design Team Lead with Shell Global
Solutions (US) Inc in Houston, Texas.
Charles Burton is a FCC/Alkyl Subject Matter Expert with MOTIVA
Refining, previously Senior FCC Technologist with Shell Global
Solutions (US) Inc., in Houston, Texas.
Steve Nelson is Senior Staff Engineer Projects, Shell Oil Products
US, in Anacortes, Washington.

LINKS
More articles from: Shell Global Solutions
International
More articles from the following categories:
Fluid Catalytic Cracking
Revamps, Shutdowns and Turnarounds

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