Partial modification for system enhancement of the continuous catalyst regeneration system

This paper introduces an effective modification for the catalyst regeneration system used to improve the octane number of the complex naphtha reformers in the refiners. Thinking for modification is initiated due to the serious problems that may happen as a result of uncontrolled temperature rise over the permissible limits in the regeneration tower (problems have been actually happened in some companies). Modification methodology depends on an addition of a new temperature element into the most effective area of the regeneration tower, and then a fuzzy control module is built in the existing distributed control system (DCS) to automatically control the system behavior. This approach will enhance system performance and improve factor of safety over the supplier regulation, which mainly depends on the human behavior, and tracing the temperature before the critical area. Through this paper, the catalyst regeneration process is described, the temperature rise problem is classified and several solutions to prevent such problem are proposed. Simulated results are presented to show system response with the proposed modification and to validate such solution for practical implementation.