KINETIC MODELING OF CATALYTIC CRACKING OF GAS OILS USING INSITU TRAPS (FCCT) TO PREVENT METAL CONTAMINANT EFFECTS

The unsteady-state pulse technique, gas oil pulses reacting with fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst, was used to study the effects of metal traps in a FCC catalyst contaminated with high levels of nickel and vanadium: 3000 ppm Ni and 4500 ppm V. The catalyst, steamed to achieve equilibrium conditions, was artificially impregnated with an antimony compound (0-2100 ppm) and with nickel and vanadium naphthenates. Experimental runs were performed in a microcatalytic fixed bed reactor using different carrier gas flows (120-150 mL(STP)/min) and different temperatures (510-550-degrees-C). A four-lump model was employed to describe experimental results and to obtain kinetic constants. Experimental data with FCCT showed that the selectivity to gasoline as well as the gasoline yield was significantly improved, coke formation was reduced, and gas formation was increased.