Continuous Catalytic Reforming (CCR) Platformer Calculator
Refinery process kinetics, Research Octane Number (RON), hydrogen yield, and furnace interheater energy balance.
1. Naphtha Feed & PONA Quality
2. Target Severity & Operating Pressure
3. Catalyst & Furnace Thermal Balance
Engineering Output & Platforming Yields
Inter-Reactor Endothermic Temperature Drops
Stacked Radial-Flow Moving-Bed Reactors & CCR Regenerator Visualizer
Visualizing vertical 4-stage reactor stack, catalyst gravity descent, interstage furnace reheats, lift pot, and continuous regenerator.
5 Fatal Traps & Industrial Engineering Pitfalls
1. Feed Sulfur Contamination & Platinum Poisoning
Modern bimetallic Pt-Sn CCR reforming catalysts are exquisitely sensitive to sulfur compounds (H2S, mercaptans, thiophenes). Feed naphtha must be rigorously hydrotreated in an upstream Naphtha Hydrotreater (NHT) to achieve sulfur concentrations below 0.5 ppmw (500 ppb). A sulfur slip of only 2 ppm permanently poisons the platinum metallic sites, suppressing endothermic dehydrogenation, collapsing octane number by 8 points, and causing massive temperature surges through unreacted paraffin hydrocracking.
2. Regenerator Carbon Burn Runaway & Catalyst Thermal Sintering
In the continuous catalyst regeneration tower, coke on spent catalyst (4% to 6% wt) is burned off under oxygen-controlled conditions (0.6% to 1.0% O2). If the air injection flow surges or oxygen control trips, carbon combustion becomes explosive, driving localized bed temperatures above 580 deg C. At this temperature, the high-surface-area gamma-alumina transitions irreversibly into alpha-alumina and platinum nano-crystallites permanently coalesce into massive inactive grains, destroying catalyst activity forever.
3. Scallop Screen Abrasion & Catalyst Pinning Catastrophe
Inside radial-flow reactors, catalyst beads are contained between outer vertical scalloped stainless-steel screens and a central perforated pipe. If the radial superficial gas velocity exceeds the critical "pinning velocity", the aerodynamic drag of the reacting gas pins the descending catalyst beads firmly against the outer screens. Gravity descent halts, causing catalyst bridging. Below the bridge, an empty void forms; when the bridge suddenly collapses, thousands of kilograms of beads shatter into dust, causing massive pressure drops.
4. Inadequate Chloride Balance & Excessive Acid Hydrocracking
Catalyst acidity is maintained by continuous continuous injection of organic chlorides (e.g. perchloroethylene, PCE) to maintain 0.9% to 1.1% wt chloride on the alumina support. If chloride injection is overfed, hyper-acidic sites form on the catalyst. Instead of dehydrocyclizing paraffins into high-value aromatics, the catalyst aggressively hydrocracks them into low-value fuel gas (C1-C2) and LPG (C3-C4), reducing C5+ reformate liquid yield by 5% to 8% and collapsing refinery profit margins.
5. Lift Pot Gas Velocity Maldistribution & Pellet Shattering
Spent catalyst is transferred from the bottom of Reactor 4 to the top of the regenerator via pneumatic lift lines using high-purity recycled hydrogen or nitrogen. If lift gas velocity exceeds 7.5 m/s, the catalyst beads impact bends and acceleration tubes with extreme momentum, pulverizing the high-value Pt-Sn beads into micro-fines. Fine particles blow out of the regenerator dust collector, leading to hundreds of kilograms of precious-metal catalyst loss every month.
Platforming Kinetics & Yield Estimation Equations
The transformation of heavy naphtha in catalytic reforming follows the classic PONA reaction pathways:
The liquid $C_5^+$ volumetric reformate yield $Y_{C5+}$ is correlated to feed PONA and target Research Octane Number (RON):
The net hydrogen yield $Y_{H2}$ (in weight percent of feed) is determined by the stoichiometric hydrogen generation minus hydrocracking consumption:
The total fired furnace interheater duty $Q_{furnace}$ balances the net endothermic heat of reaction across the 4 stacked reactors: