AM-10-107 What is Happening Above Your Fluidized Bed? Tools to Maximize FCC Unit Reliability and Turnaround Cycles

Description:

The FCC Unit is the major conversion process in a refinery responsible for approximately 40% of the U.S. gasoline pool. As such, mechanical availability is a key performance driver. The unique equipment associated with a fluidized bed has a preferred operating window to ensure reliable operation. With a properly designed air grid and internals, the maintenance cost in a fluidized bed can be managed; however, that is not the case for the equipment above the fluidized bed. All too often, the entrainment rates are unknown and many entrainment calculations are lacking in providing an accurate representation of a commercial system. This means the design of the cyclone system, and everything else in the freeboard, may not be optimized for the actual conditions. Marathon has been able to achieve greater than 98% mechanical availability with more than five year turnaround cycles across its seven cat crackers through application of conventional technology and operating targets. This paper will show how Particulate Solid Research, Inc. (PSRI) is developing tools to understand “What Is Happening Above Your Fluidized Bed” and allow industry to improve unit performance and reliability.