Effects of FCC catalyst composition upon gasoline yield and octane performance. [Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC)]

The recent lead phase down and increased unleaded gasoline demand have caused a significant strain upon the resources of many U.S. refiners. In a typical refinery, the gasoline obtained from the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit often represents a large fraction of the gasoline pool. This FCC gasoline is often lower in octane quality than from other sources, such as reforming or alkylation. For these reasons, there has been a renewed interest in the capabilities of fluid catalytic cracking units and catalysts to solve this problem with improved octane gasoline production. The laboratory study presented highlights the role of the catalyst's chemical and physical properties (cation exchange form and acidity of the zeolite, matrix composition) upon gasoline yield and octane quality. (JMT)