Naphtha reforming, catalytic

Virgin Naphtha Catalytic Reforming (Powerfortning) This technique is used for the production of high octane motor gasoline, or as a source of aromatic compounds. 

Catalytic conversion processes include naphtha catalytic reforming, catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, hydrodealkylation, isomerization, alkylation, and polymerization. In these processes, one or more catalyst is used. A common factor among these processes is that most of the reactions are initiated hy an acid-type catalyst that promotes carhonium ion formation. 

Fig. 1.3. Reactor system of a petroleum naphtha catalytic reforming plant. (The reactor is divided into three units each of which operates adiabatically, the heat required being supplied at intermediate stages via an external furnace)...

Naphtha catalytic reforming process Maximization of tiie aromatic yield and minimization of the yield of heavy aromatics. Neighborhood and Archived GA (NAGA) The process model is based on 20 lumps and 31 reactions. The frequency factors of 31 reactions were estimated by matching the predictions with the operating data. Hou et al. (2007)... 

Recently, Hou et al. (2007) used NAGA to maximize the aromatic yield and minimize the yield of heavy aromatics in a continuous industrial naphtha catalytic reforming process (that aims to obtain aromatic products). 

While olefins can be obtained industrially by synthesis from shorter molecules, or from functional molecules, aromatic hydrocarbons are not yet produced individually by these two methods. They are produced in a mixture by dehydrocydization as part of naphtha catalytic reforming, and are likely to be produced shortly by the aromatization of short-chain alkanes. 

A kinetic model for the naphtha catalytic reforming process, which utilizes lumped mathematical representation of the reactions that take place, is presented. The reaction are written in terms of isomers of the same nature, which range from 1 to 11 atoms of carbon for paraffins, and from 6 to 11 carbon atoms for naphthenes and aromatics. The kinetic parameters values were estimated using experimental information obtained in a fixed-bed pilot plant. The pilot reactor was loaded with different amounts of catalyst in order to simulate a series of three reforming reactors. The reformate composition calculated with the proposed model agrees very well with experimental information. 

A new kinetic model for naphtha catalytic reforming, which takes into accoimt the most important reactions of this process in terms of isomers of the same nature, has been developed. 

Ancheyta, J., Vhlafuerte, E. 2000. Kinetic modeling of naphtha catalytic reforming reactions. Energy Fuels 14 1032—1037. 

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