AM-99-42 IRVADTM PROCESS – LOW COST BREAKTHROUGH FOR LOW SULFUR GASOLINE

Description:

The need for cleaner burning fuels has resulted in a continuing world wide trend to reduce gasoline sulfur levels. The drawbacks of conventional approaches for removing sulfur from gasoline have led to the recent development of the IRVAD process by Black & Veatch Pritchard, Inc and Alcoa Industrial Chemicals. The IRVAD process is a breakthrough technology for removing sulfur and other heteroatoms like nitrogen and oxygen from hydrocarbon streams. The process uses a solid adsorbent to countercurrently contact liquid hydrocarbon in a multistage adsorber. The adsorbent is regenerated in a continuous cross flow reactivator using heated reactivation gas. In pilot plant tests, IRVAD technology has successfully treated the “dirtiest” refinery streams like FCC gasoline and Coker naphtha, meeting the challenge of lower gasoline sulfur specifications. In initial test runs using the first generation adsorbent the IRVAD process achieved greater than 90% sulfur removal and elimination of nitrogen from both FCC gasoline and Coker naphtha feedstocks. High liquid yields, potential octane gain from olefinic feed stocks and reduced energy consumption give IRVAD technology a performance advantage compared to more conventional approaches for sulfur removal from gasoline. The IRVAD process operates at lower pressure, does not consume hydrogen or saturate olefins and eliminates hazardous waste disposal. These performance and operational advantages translate into reduced capital investment and lower operating cost.