AM-11-36 Catching Big Fish in Muddy Water: A Comprehensive FCC Revamp Study Identifies Major Reliability and Margin Improvements

Description:

US refineries continue to face difficult challenges due to the economic downturn. FCC margin improvement can be a significant leverage to improve refinery profitability, but it competes for limited resources with other priorities, such as unit operation and reliability. A winning strategy during this challenging time would be to conduct a comprehensive study that combines unit operation and reliability goals with margin improvements synergistically. This paper will present how Shell Global Solutions worked closely with Hovensa to conduct a comprehensive FCC study which helped Hovensa identify the root causes of the following unit operational and reliability problems: •Slurry fouling •Fuel gas constraint •Cyclone reliability •High catalyst costs The study developed a cost-effective solution which not only addresses the root causes of these problems, but also significantly improves refinery profitability.