The document provides a comprehensive troubleshooting guide for refining process stream purification and catalyst performance evaluation in the petrochemical industry. It outlines potential operational problems, system designs, and material considerations, emphasizing the need for effective commissioning and monitoring procedures. Key focuses include addressing issues such as high pressure drops, catalyst deactivation, and the impact of operational variables on process efficiency.

1. Refinery Process Stream Purification Refinery Process Catalysts Troubleshooting Refinery Process Catalyst Start-Up / Shutdown
Activation Reduction In-situ Ex-situ Sulfiding Specializing in Refinery Process Catalyst Performance Evaluation Heat & Mass
Balance Analysis Catalyst Remaining Life Determination Catalyst Deactivation Assessment Catalyst Performance
Characterization Refining & Gas Processing & Petrochemical Industries Catalysts / Process Technology - Hydrogen Catalysts /
Process Technology – Ammonia Catalyst Process Technology - Methanol Catalysts / process Technology – Petrochemicals
Specializing in the Development & Commercialization of New Technology in the Refining & Petrochemical Industries
Web Site: www.GBHEnterprises.com
GBHE Technical Bulletin CTB #34
Fixed Bed Purification Troubleshooting Guide
Possible Operational Problems -
High Pressure drop
Low Performance / early breakthrough
Catalytic Reactor Process - Prompt List
Feed Issues:
Composition
Temperature
Density
Viscosity, especially liquid cases
Pressure
Flow rate
Impurity Levels
Other impurities, O2, un-saturates, chloride, ammonia, H2, CO, benzene,
mercury, metals. Other S compounds, air.
Fouling - dust, scale, sludge
1 phase or 2 phase
Water content / slugs of water
Phase change across valves
Dense phase - 2 phase transitions
Oil carry over
Design vs actual conditions
Wax in feed
Pipe work type Issues:
Pipe work diameter
Feed filters / Delivery filters
Valving arrangements
Start up / Commissioning filters
Debris in line
JT cooling - droplets across inlet valves
Corrosion somewhere?
System pressure drop
Blockage elsewhere, heat exchangers?

2. Refinery Process Stream Purification Refinery Process Catalysts Troubleshooting Refinery Process Catalyst Start-Up / Shutdown
Activation Reduction In-situ Ex-situ Sulfiding Specializing in Refinery Process Catalyst Performance Evaluation Heat & Mass
Balance Analysis Catalyst Remaining Life Determination Catalyst Deactivation Assessment Catalyst Performance
Characterization Refining & Gas Processing & Petrochemical Industries Catalysts / Process Technology - Hydrogen Catalysts /
Process Technology – Ammonia Catalyst Process Technology - Methanol Catalysts / process Technology – Petrochemicals
Specializing in the Development & Commercialization of New Technology in the Refining & Petrochemical Industries
Web Site: www.GBHEnterprises.com
Operational Issues:
Commissioning procedures
Surge / pipe hammer
Gas locking in liquid beds
Removal for inspection and recharging without sieving
Parallel vessels running singly or in series ?
Change over valve arrangements
Rapid pressurizing of the vessel / system
Up flow / down flow - Fluidization?
Disturbance of the top of the bed
What has already been done to try to deal with the process problem - Fluffing the
bed, back flow, venting etc.
Vessel Loading:
Material dropped in from height
Distributor not reinstalled
No / wrong ceramics on top of bed
Mesh - on distributor, in top of bed, at bottom of bed, around collector, + mesh
size
Damaged by operator walking on material
Grading of absorbent on ceramics - should be abs, 6, 19, 50, not abs, 19,
Debris in bottom of vessel
Damage to collector
Vessel over filled - too close to distributor
Reloading used material
Vessel Designs:
No of holes in collector / distributors
Position of distributor
Inlet / outlet size
Ceramics / Support arrangements
Meshes?
Support Screens
Wider Process Issues:
Feed pump arrangement
Compressors + associated kick back
Start up / Shutdown transients
Peak flow conditions
Unusual operational permutations

3. Refinery Process Stream Purification Refinery Process Catalysts Troubleshooting Refinery Process Catalyst Start-Up / Shutdown
Activation Reduction In-situ Ex-situ Sulfiding Specializing in Refinery Process Catalyst Performance Evaluation Heat & Mass
Balance Analysis Catalyst Remaining Life Determination Catalyst Deactivation Assessment Catalyst Performance
Characterization Refining & Gas Processing & Petrochemical Industries Catalysts / Process Technology - Hydrogen Catalysts /
Process Technology – Ammonia Catalyst Process Technology - Methanol Catalysts / process Technology – Petrochemicals
Specializing in the Development & Commercialization of New Technology in the Refining & Petrochemical Industries
Web Site: www.GBHEnterprises.com
Fire relief protection
Thermal relief protection
Control Loop design / behavior
Original design intent vs actual operation
Hazop type issues
Sampling
Monitoring of reaction front down vessel
Operational costs
Other unit operations - amine, glycol, and sieves, mercury removal units
Compressor protection - pressure / vac valves, air sucked in?
Imperial / metric units / conversion factors.
Material Issues:
Has the correct material been supplied - sulfided, calcined?, reduced, ordinary etc
Correct packaging
Damage in transit / storage
Discharge issues:
Discharge under nitrogen
Correct use of BA
Air flow through bed
Air in nitrogen? 97% not good enough - at least 99.9%
Discharge to drums - bags will self heat
PPE, dust mask, gloves, overalls, boots, helmets
Correct purging of bed
Monitoring of benzene, hydrocarbons
Static in vac discharges
Damage to discharged material
Things to look at:
DCS info on all streams
Logs
Analyses
ELD's
Vessel drawings
Loading diagrams
Procedures operating, loading, start-up, shutdown, upstream/downstream
equipment

4. Refinery Process Stream Purification Refinery Process Catalysts Troubleshooting Refinery Process Catalyst Start-Up / Shutdown
Activation Reduction In-situ Ex-situ Sulfiding Specializing in Refinery Process Catalyst Performance Evaluation Heat & Mass
Balance Analysis Catalyst Remaining Life Determination Catalyst Deactivation Assessment Catalyst Performance
Characterization Refining & Gas Processing & Petrochemical Industries Catalysts / Process Technology - Hydrogen Catalysts /
Process Technology – Ammonia Catalyst Process Technology - Methanol Catalysts / process Technology – Petrochemicals
Specializing in the Development & Commercialization of New Technology in the Refining & Petrochemical Industries
Web Site: www.GBHEnterprises.com
Things to consider trying:
Pressure drop survey
Additional analysis
Extra Monitoring of additional process variables
Speak to operators / shift team
Look at history - has it ever worked correctly?
What other things/ processes/materials have they tried?