The effect of FCC catalyst design on clean gasoline production

To produce clean gasoline components by FCC process, several factors involved in catalyst design were investigated including matrix preparation, the equilibrium unit cell size of zeolite, the ratio of surface area of zeolite to matrix (Z/M), and the incorporation of new functional components. Success of this new FCC catalyst design concept was achieved and validated by the evaluation results from a fixed-fluidized bed reactor. The macro-pore matrix with appropriate acidity favored the mass and heat transfer during the reactions and the utilization of active sites increased; the large equilibrium unit cell size and the high ratio of Z/M had the advantage of improving FCC gasoline quality; adding new functional components enhanced the selective hydrogen transfer performance and aromatization of the catalyst. The pilot plant test results showed that as compared with the conventional FCC catalysts, the newly designed catalyst exhibited excellent properties in improving coke selectivity, residue conversion and gasoline quality.