Comparison of mechanical strength of reforming catalysts of different geometry

Manufacturing of the first commercial lot of sphere-shaped reforming catalyst granules for units with a fixed catalyst bed and relevance of wide-scale application of sphere-shaped catalysts instead of extrudates made it necessary to compare mechanical crushing and attrition strengths of reforming catalysts having the form of cylinder-shaped extrudates and spherical granules. No such data have been published as of yet. The advantages of spherical catalysts for semi-regenerative reforming units, which is attributed to the absence of fines, the ability to form a dense bed, as well as practical convenience for the end users working with spherical catalysts are show. The results of the operation of the first test lot of RB-44U “Sh” spherical catalyst at a commercial unit which confirm high strength parameters and point to increased activity and selectivity are demonstrated. The presented collection of the data reveals advantages of sphere-shaped catalysts, namely their mechanical strength and some properties associated with catalyst utilization.