FCC Components (UOP process)
A Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit upgrades heavy distillates from the crude distillation unit into lighter, higher-valued products such as high-octane gasoline, light fuel oils and liquefied petroleum gas. FCC uses a catalyst in the form of a very fine powder, which flows like a liquid together with heavy feedstock into the base of a vertical sloped pipe called Riser at extremely high temperatures (1,200 to 1,400 °F).
The hot catalyst vaporizes the feed and facilitates the cracking reactions that break down the heavy hydrocarbons into lighter components. The catalyst / hydrocarbon mixture flows through the Riser and then is separated by cyclones in a Reactor Separation Vessel. The hydrocarbon stream is then routed to a fractionating column for separation into lighter products such as LPG, gasoline, light gas oil and heavy gas oil.
The used catalyst is sent to a Stripper where it comes into contact with steam to remove any remaining hydrocarbons and then to a regenerator where it gets restored. VRV offers a range of pressure vessel components for the FCC process:
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FCC Reactor
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Riser Reactor
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Stripper
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Catalyst Cooler