AM-00-33 BASKET CASE: GRADED CATALYST BEDS SOLVE PRESSURE DROP PROBLEM IN A NAPHTHA HYDROTREATING UNIT

Description:

Phillips Petroleum operates a naphtha hydrotreater in their Borger, Texas refinery, which has had a history of short cycles, due to unfavorable pressure drop development. This paper deals with the team's approach involving Operations, Maintenance, R&D, Process Engineering, and vendors working together to solve problems. This particular example resulted in increasing operating cycles from a few months to more than one year at full plant operating capacity. Haldor Topsoe usually recommends that trash baskets can be taken out of hydroprocessing units and replaced with a properly designed grading system. However, there are situations where a basket redesign, together with a grading system, are necessary to control certain types of pressure drop problems. This paper will describe one of those situations, hence the title Basket Case.