Catalytic reforming converts low-octane naphtha into high-octane reformates, used in various industries or as gasoline additives. The process rearranges hydrocarbon molecules to form complex structures with high octane values, producing desirable by-products such as benzene and isopentane. Various versions of the process use noble metal catalysts and high heat and pressure.
Catalytic reforming is a petroleum refinery process in which low-octane distillation products known as naphtha are chemically converted into high-octane reformates. The high-octane reforming products produced from naphthas are used by themselves in various industries or as additives in high-octane products such as gasoline. This catalytic reforming process involves the restructuring of hydrocarbon molecules in naphtha to form more complex chemical structures with a higher octane number. The catalytic reforming process has added value as it produces other desirable by-products which are then used elsewhere in the refinery.
High-octane petroleum products are complex hydrocarbon chemicals that do not occur naturally and are not produced by the simple distillation of crude oil or coal tar. To synthesize these complex hydrocarbons, low-octane naphthas, which are mixtures of flammable hydrocarbons such as kerosene that are products of the distillation of crude oil and coal tar, undergo a chemical process known as catalytic reforming. There are several versions of this chemical process all of which produce different reformate products. These extremely complex processes rearrange the molecular structure of naphtha elements, breaking many of the molecules into smaller units in the process. The end result of this process is a much more complex hydrocarbon structure with high octane values.
Benzene is one of the distinct products of catalytic reform and is widely used in various industries such as solvent or constituent of plastic, synthetic rubber, dyestuff and drug manufacturing. Benzene is also used in addition to other catalytic reform products such as toluene to raise the octane number of gasoline, also known as gasoline. Gasoline by itself is a low-octane product of the fractional distillation of petroleum. Isopentane is another highly volatile reformate that is used in conjunction with liquid nitrogen to achieve extremely low fluid temperatures.
Basic variants of catalytic reforming include platforming, powerforming, ultraforming, and thermofor reformation. All of these processes use noble metal catalysts such as platinum and rhenium in combination with high heat and pressure to achieve the reformation of low octane naphtha. These catalysts are regenerated periodically, typically every 24-923 months, although newer plants continuously regenerate aged catalyst components in situ. The catalytic reforming process, which typically occurs at temperatures between 968 and 495 degrees Fahrenheit (520 to 1,000 degrees Celsius) and pressures up to 69 psi (1,000 bars), produces byproducts of hydrogen, methane, ethane, propane, and gas butane which are then used elsewhere.
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