Modeling and Optimization of Heavy Naphtha Reforming on Bifunctional Pt-Re/Al2O3 Catalyst

The main object of this research is mathematical modeling and optimization of heavy naphtha reforming on commercial bifunctional Pt-Re/Al2O3 catalyst in the Lavan refinery. The considered reforming process includes three radial flow adiabatic reactors in series equipped with interstage heaters to preheat the feed stream. In the first step, the reactors are modeled based on the material and energy balance laws considering a detailed kinetic model including 33 pseudo-lumps and 71 independent reactions at steady state condition. Then, the simulation results are compared with the available plant data to prove the accuracy of the model. It appears the production rate of light aromatics particularly A(8) and A(9) are faster than heavier aromatics. In addition, high paraffin conversion is found in the third reactor due to higher mean temperature. In the second step, an optimization problem is formulated to enhance the octane number of reformate considering feed temperature as decision variables. The programmed optimization problem is handled by the genetic algorithm. Then, the performance of optimized process is analyzed and compared with the conventional process. The simulation results show that operating at optimal condition enhances the octane number of reformate from 95.62 to 96.69.