Fluid Catalytic Cracking

(FCC)

Quak Foo, Lee

Chemical and Biological
Engineering
The University of British Columbia
 Outline
 What is FCC?
 Why use circulating Fluidized Bed
Reactor in FCC?
 Operating Characteristics
 Description of the Process
 Heat Balance
 Pressure Balance
 Conclusions
 What is FCC?
 Primary conversion process in petroleum
refinery.
 The unit which utilizes a micro-spherodial
catalyst (zeolitic catalyst) which fluidizes
when properly aerated.
 The purpose is to convert high-boiling
petroleum fractions (gas oil) to high-value,
high-octane gasoline and heating oil.
 Why use Circulating
Fluidized Bed in FCC?
 Compared with Fixed Bed, Fluidized Bed
 CFB – fast fluidization regime
 CFB good for catalyst size < 0.2 mm
 Excellent in:
– Gas-solid effective contact
– Catalyst effectiveness
– Catalyst internal temperature control
– Catalyst regeneration
 Operating Characteristics

 Particle Diameter = 150 µ m

 Geldart Classification = A
 Temperature = 650 0C
 Pressure = 100 kPa
 Superficial gas velocity = 10 m/s
 Bed depth = 0.85 m
 Fresh feed flow rate = 300,000 kg/hr
 Catalyst to oil ratio = 4.8
FCC Reactor-Regenerator
 Description of the Process
 Reactor
 Riser
 Cyclones
 Stripper
 Regenerator
 Standpipe and Slide Valve
 Reactor Performance

 Feed oil enters the riser near the base

 Contacts the incoming regenerated catalyst
 Cracking reactions occur in the vapor phase
 Expanded volume of vapors lift the catalyst and
vaporized oil rises
 Fast reaction, few seconds of contact time
 Riser
 Dimensions
– Diameter: 1.2 m (4 ft)
– Height : 36.6 m (120 ft)
 Plug flow with minimum back-mixing
 Steam is used to atomize the feed
– Increases the availability of feed
 Outlet vapor velocity: 18 m/s (60 ft/sec)
 Hydrocarbon residence time: 2 seconds
 Cyclones
 Located at the end of riser to separate
the bulk of the catalyst from the vapor
 Use a deflector device to turn catalyst
direction downward
 Two-stage cyclones
– To separate the remaining of the catalyst
 Return the catalyst to the stripper
through the diplegs
 The product vapors exit the cyclones
and flow to the main fractionator column
Cyclones

Riser

Stripping Bed
 Stripping Section
 The spent catalysts falls into the stripper
 Valuable hydrocarbons are absorbed within
the catalyst bed
 Stripping steam, at a rate of 4 kg per 1000 kg
of circulating catalyst, is used to strip the
hydrocarbons from the catalyst
 The catalyst level provides the pressure head
which allows the catalyst to flow into the
regenerator
Inside Stripping Section

Catalyst
Level
Steam

Reactor
Reactor
Riser
Stripper
 Regenerator
 Two functions:
– Restores catalyst activity
– Supplies heat to crack the feed
 Air is the source of oxygen for the combustion
of coke
 The air blower with 1m/s (3 ft/s) air velocity to
maintain the catalyst bed in a fluidized state
 14 kPa (2 psi) pressure drop in air distributors
to ensure positive air flow through all nozzles
Inside Regenerator
Catalyst Low
(high carbon)
Oxygen

Catalyst
Dense

Air
Phase
Bed

Catalyst High
(low carbon) Oxygen
 Standpipe & Slide Valve
 Standpipe provides the necessary pressure
head needed to circulate the catalyst around
the unit
 The catalyst density in standpipe is 642 kg/m3
(40 lbs/ft3)
 Slide valve is used to regulate the flow rate of
the regenerated catalyst to the riser
 Slide valve function is to supply enough
catalyst to heat the feed and achieve the
desired reactor temperature
 Heat Balance
 A catalyst cracker continually adjusts itself to
stay in heat balance.
 The reactor and regenerator heat flows must be
equal.
 Heat balance performed around
– the reactor
– the stripper-regenerator
 Use to calculate catalyst circulation rate and catalyst-to-oil
ratio
– overall heat balance
 Heat Balance
 The unit produces and burns enough coke to provide energy
to:
– Increase the temperature of the fresh feed, recycle, and atomizing
steam from their preheated states to the reactor temperature.
– Provide the endothermic heat of cracking.
– Increase the temperature of the combustion air from the blower
discharge temperature to the regenerator flue gas temperature.
– Make up for heat losses from the reactor and regenerator to
surroundings.
– Provide for heat sinks, such as stripping steam and catalyst cooling.
 FCC Heat Balance
Regenerator Reactor
Flue gas Spent Catalyst
Products
Heat of
Coke Heat Losses
Heat losses Combustion

Heat of
Reaction
Recycle
Regenerated Fresh Feed
Catalyst
Regeneration
Air Feed Preheater
 FCC Heat Balance
Regenerator Reactor
Flue gas Spent Catalyst
Products
Heat of
Coke Heat Losses
Heat losses Combustion

Heat of
Reaction
Recycle
Regenerated Fresh Feed
Catalyst
Regeneration
Air Feed Preheater
 Heat Balance
Around Stripper-
Regenerator
 Heat to raise air from the blower discharge
temperature to the regenerator dense phase
temperature. (108 × 106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to desorb the coke from the spent
catalyst. (39.5 × 106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to raise the temperature of the stripping
steam to the reactor temperature.
(4.4 × 106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to raise the coke on the catalyst from the
reactor T to the regenerator dense phase T.
(3.7 × 106 Btu/hr)
 Heat Balance
Around Stripper-
Regenerator
 Heat to raise the coke products from the
regenerator dense temperature to flue
gas temperature. (2.17 × 106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to compensate for regenerator heat
losses. ( 19.3× 106 Btu/hr)
 Heat to raise the spent catalyst from the
reactor temperature to the regenerator
dense phase. (305.5 × 106 Btu/hr)
 Reactor Heat Balance
 Hot-regenerated catalyst supplies
the bulk of the heat required to
vaporize the liquid feed
 To provide the overall endothermic
heat of cracking
 To raise the temperature of
dispersion steam and inert gases to
the reactor temperature
 Reactor Heat Balance
 Heat into the reactor
– Regenerated catalyst = 1186 × 106
Btu/hr
– Fresh feed = 267 × 106 Btu/hr
– Atomizing steam = 12 × 106 Btu/hr
– Heat of absorption = 35 × 106
Btu/hr
 Total heat in = 1500 × 106 Btu/hr
 Reactor Heat Balance
 Heat out of the reactor
– Spent catalyst = 880 × 106 Btu/hr
– To vaporize feed = 513 × 106 Btu/hr
– Heat content of steam = 15 × 106
Btu/hr
– Loss to surroundings = 6 × 106 Btu/hr
– Heat of reaction = ?
heat out = 1414 × 106 Btu/hr
 Total
+ Heat of reaction
 Reaction Heat Balance
 Calculation of Heat of Reaction
 Total heat out = Total heat in
 Total heat in = 1500 × 106 Btu/hr
 Total heat out = 1414 × 106 Btu/hr + Heat
of reaction
 Therefore, Overall Endothermic Heat of
Reaction = 86 × 106 Btu/hr
 Pressure Balance
 Deals with the hydraulics of catalyst
circulation in the reactor and
regenerator circuit.
 The incremental capacity come from
increased catalyst circulation or from
altering the differential pressure
between reactor-regenerator.
 Pressure Balance Results
 In spent catalyst standpipe:
– Pressure buildup = 27 kPa (4 psi)
– Catalyst density = 658 kg/m3
– Optimum pressure to circulate more catalyst
 In regenerated catalyst standpipe:
– Pressure buildup = 55 kPa (8 psi)
– Catalyst density = 642 kg/m3
 Conclusions
 Circulating Fluidized Bed is used in FCC
unit.
 Stripping steam of 4 kg per 1000 kg
circulating catalyst is required.
 Overall endothermic Heat of Reaction is
86 MBtu/hr.
 Pressure buildup in spent catalyst
standpipe is 27 kPa (4 psi).
 Pressure buildup in regenerated
catalyst standpipe is 55 kPa (8 psi).