(177a) Meeting the Challenge of Delayed Coker Naphtha Hydroprocessing

Coker naphtha hydroprocessing is challenging because it combines highly exothermic reactions, quantitative poison removal, and essentially complete removal of sulfur and nitrogen. Feed diolefins can polymerize and create pressure drop problems. Accurately predicting silicon breakthrough is necessary to prevent silicon damage to the downstream reforming catalyst. Si Breakthrough is dependent on catalyst properties and processing conditions and is frequently the limiting factor in catalyst cycle length. This paper examines current and future coker naphtha processing trends and discusses the impact of improved catalyst technology and processing feeds with higher levels of metal contaminants (arsenic and silicon), nitrogen, and sulfur on coker naphtha hydrotreating.