High Octane Gasoline by Catalytic Reforming

Based on correlations, the naphthas from the shale oil hydrotreater can be readily upgraded to high-octane gasolines by catalytic reforming. The middle distillate fractions will require some additional hydrotreating... 

Hon (Informing A continuous catalytic reforming process for producing aromatic concentrates and high-octane gasoline. It used a fixed bed of a platinum catalyst. Developed in the 1950s by the Houdiy Process Corporation. 

The future demand for high octane gasoline production by catalytic reforming requires extensive conversion of paraffins to aromatics. It is... 

The introduction of catalytic converters has had a tremendous impact on the composition of gasoline. The catalysts used became poisoned by small amounts of impurities in particular the lead compounds present in high octane gasoline were detrimental. Processes which produce high octane number compounds were therefore stimulated. First, cracking and reforming increased in importance. More recently, the aromatics content is also expected to have to decrease and alternative processes are in use or under way, e.g. the production of MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether). 

Catstill [Catalytic Distillation] A catalytic distillation process for making high-octane gasoline from off-gases from a catalytic cracker. It can also be used for making a mixture of benzene, toluene, and xylenes from the off-gases from a steam reformer. A demonstration plant was operated at a refinery in the midwestern United States in 1988 to 1989. Developed and offered for license by Chemical Research and Licensing Company, Houston, TX, now CDTech. 

The reforming of petroleum fractions boiling between about 90 and 200°C. to high octane gasolines constitutes one of the largest scale industrial catalytic operations of our times. The quantity processed over platinum catalysts exceeds 2 X 10 liters/day. A majority of the reactions involved are polystep hydrocarbon conversions (see refs. 10,11, and the extensive review of the art by Ciapetta et al., 31). 

In catalytic reforming the naphtha is processed to obtain high octane gasoline for motor fuel and aromatics for petrochemical industry. The monometallic Pt/Al203 has been replaced by a number of bimetallics like Pt-Ir, Pt-Re, Pt-Sn etc. because of the superior activity, stability and selectivity for C5 hydrocarbons. Pt-Sn/Al203 has become more attractive in recent years because it allows operations at very low pressures and is more selective for aromatics and hydrogen (1). Tin, when incorporated with Pt on an acidic alumina support promotes aromatization and suppresses hydrogenolysis (2,3). 

The hydrocarbon phase is similar to JP-4 jet fuel. A simple distillation will isolate a kerosine-diesel fuel type fraction. A high octane gasoline is readily achieved by passing the Fischer Tropsch organic phase through a conventional catalytic reformer (2 in. x 2 ft.). Alternatively, a composite catalyst is being explored in the Fischer Tropsch step to produce a high octane product directly. 

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