Excel® Rejuvenation Technology
The patented Excel® rejuvenation process is a step beyond standard catalyst regeneration. It offers a means for restoring spent catalysts, especially the highly active Type II, back to the catalyst's original activity, exhibiting equal performance to the equivalent fresh catalyst.
Application
The patented Excel® rejuvenation process gives refiners an excellent alternative to fresh catalyst in a wide range of hydrotreating applications from naphtha to heavy gas oil.
Description
Producing an Excel rejuvenated catalyst is a 2-step process. First the catalyst is regenerated under an oxidative atmosphere to remove both carbon and sulfur.
Prior to regeneration, however, the spent catalyst is analyzed compared to strict chemical and physical specifications to ensure only the highest quality catalysts are selected for rejuvenation.
If the catalyst is uncontaminated and meets the Excel® specs, then a proprietary chemical treatment is carried out which redisperses metals to restore active sites for maximum activity recovery.
Both pilot plant testing and commercial applications have proven that Excel rejuvenation restores catalyst activity back to fresh catalyst performance.
Benefits
- Excel® technology rejuvenates both Type I and Type II catalysts to fresh catalyst activity at less than half the cost.
- Evonik provides extensive technical support from start-up through the end of cycle to help refiners achieve maximum catalyst performance.
- Excel® rejuvenated catalyst reduces catalyst waste and greenhouse gas emissions compared with using fresh catalyst.
- Excel® technology and associated services are available in North America, Europe and Asia to serve the global refining market.
Performance Data
Excel® rejuvenation technology can be applied to all brands of hydrotreating catalyst and consistently restores both HDS and HDN activity to equivalent of the fresh analogue.
Excel® rejuvenation has been used in over 60 reactors globally from naphtha hydrotreaters to hydrocracker pretreaters with zero failures. Extensive pilot plant testing in ULSD and gas oil services has shown equivalent performance of Excel® catalyst compared to its fresh counterpart, including HDS, HDN, and aromatic saturation.
