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These digital transcripts are meant to share information on process safety practices in order to help improve process safety performance and awareness throughout industry. The goal is to capture and share knowledge that could be used by other companies or sites when developing new process safety practices or improving existing ones. The documents being shared have been used by an industry member, but this does not mean it should be used or that it will produce similar results at any other site. Rather, it is an option to consider when implementing or adjusting programs and practices at a site. ​

BY THEMSELVES, THESE DIGITAL TRANSCRIPTS ARE NOT STANDARDS OR RECOMMENDED PRACTICES. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE SOUND ENGINEERING JUDGMENT. THEY DO NOT PRECLUDE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE METHODS THAT COMPLY WITH LEGAL REQUIREMENTS. A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT SHOULD BE CONSULTED PRIOR TO DETERMINING WHETHER A PRACTICE CAN BE USED IN ANY SPECIFIC SITUATION. 

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(2010) Question 37: Silicon poisoning of NHT catalysts has been observed in refineries without coking units. In your experience, what are the potential sources of silicon and what are the best practices to manage risk of such poisoning?

Marathon has had to deal with issues of non-coker silicon in naphtha’s since at least 2001. For background purposes, it is Marathon’s experience that silicon blocks the pores on hydrotreating catalyst and can impact catalyst activity. In severe cases, silicon breaks through to the reforming catalyst can occur where it can form silicon dioxide during the regeneration process which can cover the platinum sites.
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(2010) Question 67: Have you experienced coking or other fouling of reboilers in naphtha distillation service (splitter, debutanizer, etc.)? If so, what operational or design changes did you implement to eliminate this problem?

Two types of fouling are common in naphtha reboilers. The first type of fouling is generated as a result of the more reactive cracked stock hydrocarbons and is typically seen only in units like Cokers or FCCUs with a cracking process. The second type of fouling is a more complicated issue related to the presence of sulfides in the naphtha and can be seen in straight run units like the Atmospheric Crude.
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(2008) Question 81: Has the optimum feed for light naphtha isomerization units changed given that: 1) ethanol blending reduces the octane value of other blendstocks; 2) the demand for premium gasoline is down; and, 3) ethanol blending increases RVP compliance costs? Are you removing pentane from the isomerization unit feed stream or shutting down the unit? Or, are the units still valuable for isomerizing normal hexane and saturating benzene?

KAISER (Delek Refining Ltd.) The question is very well phrased in that the introduction of ethanol into the blend pool does tend to reduce the need to run the isomerization unit in that ethanol is a very high RVP blend component, and it has enough octane to be able to possibly offset the need for the octane boost that you’re getting out of your isomerization unit. So when a refiner wants to introduce the ethanol into their blend pool, there are three likely scenarios that they’ll go through in their unit operations. The first is obviously shut the isomerization unit down.
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Question 7: What are your typical precious metal recoveries from reforming catalysts? What factors impact this?

BILL KOSTKA (AXENS NORTH AMERICA)
Reported platinum recoveries from reforming catalyst following commercial utilization have typically ranged between 90 and 100 wt% and have rarely been less than 80 wt%.  The magnitude of this range is both frustrating and at least somewhat explainable.

How one

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