I
J. 1. WILSON and M. 1. DEN HERDER Research Department, Standard Oil
Co.
diana), Whiting, Ind.
Reforming Studies with Molybdena-Alumina Lataiyst The data and testing methods may be used in process and catatyst development work, to check fresh catalysts for cammerciol we, to study catalyst deteriaratian, and as a guide in design work and in the selection of proper commercial operating ccmditions. F o n 15 years catalytic d o n n i n g ha played an' increasingly important part ir the upgrading ofnaphthas. Hydmform ing, a fixed-bed procea employing i pclleted molyhdena-on-alumina catalyst, was the iirat commercial catalytic rebrming pmcess (7, 3, 9). It was a u k quently improved by the application of h i d - b e d tecbniquea (5,6,8). The comm e m i d w of powdered molyhdena alumina catalysts has led to the need fol p m a e v a r i a b l e data on this type o catalyst, as well as a means of rapid11 &g and accuratdy evaluah'g it. Studies with powdered catalysts h a c been made in a fluid-bed pilot plant 01 the powder was pelleted and teated in a ked-bed unit. E i t h v method was mstLy and timeconauming; moreover, pelleting might change the performance of the powder. A more pmmis;lp approach processed a referencenaphtha with the'powder in a b e n c h a a l e fixaGbrd unit Data frvm a study of the efTects of t u n F r a n u r , space velocity, and hydrogen-addition rate mi Octane number and d e production were used to develop a catalyst activity d e , a reference yidd-octane dationship, and a refacnce mkc-production curve. All three arc used tn tats catalyst quality relative to a reference catalyst. This referencc-catalyst rating syatem is a variation of that w d to evaluate cracking catalysts (7). Experimmtal
An Auuform catalyst, manukcturcd by the Amniean Cyanamid Cn., was relccted in the kference catalyst. In can-
and the loss on ignition at 1200' F. was 1.29 weight %. Properties of the reference 'feed, a low-sulfur did-tinent naphtha, are shown in Table I. The teat equipment was a conventional bcnch-scale catalytic-reformingunit similar to that dimmed hy Greensfelder (Z), but with a combination liquid receiver and liquid-gas separator, and a movable thermocouple in a coaxial thermowell extending from the bottom of the reactor.
HYDROGEN-ADDITION
RATE,
CFlE
Octane-number
