AlkyClean Process Demonstration Unit

The AlkyClean process demonstration unit was built and operated with the following objectives  

After mechanical completion, the demo unit went through a shakeout and start up period of about one month. During this period, procedures were refined and proven for the in situ activation of the catalyst and the reliable start up of the reactor section. 

Mild Regeneration Alkylation High Temp R.egenerati qri.Separation 

Subsequently, over several months, the demo unit reliably operated on a nearly continuous basis (except for holiday shut-down periods) while producing high quality product. The unit utilizes piped slipstreams of actual refinery feeds. To date, we have tested both predominantly C4 olefin and mixed C3/C4 olefin feed streams, and the demo has produced alkylate of comparable quality to that from Fortum s Porvoo Refinery HF alkylation unit. 

Based on this successful bench scale program, operation of the demo unit resumed in 2004, following commercial trial manufacture of the newly improved catalyst, demo reactor catalyst replacement, and the completion of required unit modifications to incorporate operational improvements. Several months after its restart, the demo unit continued to run smoothly and continuously under full cyclic operation, with periodic rotational HTR of the reactors. 

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Construction of an AlkyClean process demonstration unit at Fortum s facilities in Porvoo, Finland, was completed in 2002. Figure 12.14 shows the process flow schematic of the demo unit, which contains all of the key elements of our proposed commercial design. Three reactors are included - two under cyclic operation (i.e., alternating between alkylation and mild regeneration) allowfor continuous production... 

In 1999, Akzo Nobel (which later sold its catalyst division to Albemarle) patented a new technology for alkylating hydrocarbons based on a zeolite acid catalyst [193]. This new process, AlkyClean, was then designed by ABB Lummus and Albemarle, and a 10 barrels per stream day (BPSD) demonstration unit came online in Finland in 2002. AlkyClean produces a high-quality sulfur-free alkylate (96 octane), eliminating all the drawbacks of the liquid acid catalyst technologies. There are no add-soluble oil waste streams, the reactor operates at 50-90 °C, and the catalyst is a solid, noncorrosive material, which is easily transported and stored. 

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