Shift Catalyst
Shift Catalyst
Shift Catalyst
Feed
200-210°C 200°C
Primary reforming
Hydrogenation
Prereformer
temperature
temperature
absorption
Medium
Sulphur
Low
shift
shift
PSA
330°C 220°C
CO + H2O ↔ CO2 + H2
1
Shift section in H2 plant
HTS + LTS setup
MTS setup (+ LTS) setup
CO + H2O ⇔ CO2 + H2 + Q
20
MTS
PR Exit
CO concentration, mole % dry
16
S/C = 2.5
12 HTS
PR Exit
8
S/C = 4.0
4 LTS
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Temperature, °C
Equilibrium curve
6 S/DG=0.4
S/DG=0.5
5
S/DG=0.6
CO, mole % dry
0
100 200 300 400 500 600
Temperature, °C
Boiler leaks
Carry over of boiler solids
Catalyst milling
2
Topsøe MTS catalysts
LK-813
Water resistant
Features of LK-813
High resistance against sulphur poisoning
Middle Layer
– High Sulphur capacity and higher activity in the cold zone
Bottom Layer
– Thermo-stable – giving a longer lifetime
3
MTS catalyst poisons
Poison Source Effect
HC feedstock
Sulphur Covers the active Cu-surface
Steam/quench
Steam/quench
Silica Refractory material Physical blocking surface and
pores
Inert material/support
Evaluate ∆P
Estimate CO slip
Normally No DC zone
Time
∆P
LK-821-2
LK-821-2
Catalyst LK-821-2
OD x H, mm 4.5 x 4.5
Components, % wt.
Cu >38
Zn 22 ± 2
Al 6 ±2
4
LTS catalyst poisons
Poison Source Effect
HC feedstock
Sulphur Covers the active Cu-surface
Steam/quench
Steam/quench
Silica Refractory material Physical blocking surface and
pores
Inert material/support
LTS performance
LK-821-2 and LK-823
Predict performance
LK-821-2
• Estimate remaining lifetime
LK-823
• Estimate future CO slip
Topsøe
LTS
model
Relative Catalyst Activity
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Age, months
DC, %
5
Optimising shift operation
Too cold Optimal Too hot
Inlet CO
CO concentration
Operational
curve Equilibrium
curve
Optimal
ATE
5-10°C
Temperature
N2 H2
Purge
Heater
Shift
H2O Converter
Separation
Cooler
CuO + H2 → Cu + H2O
1% H2 ~ 30°C ∆T
1% H2 ~ 60°C in N2
∆T controlled at ~60°C
Duration ~36-48 hours
6
Reduction timeline
Before N2 circulation Heating to 170-180°C Bulk reduction
Loop examined N2 source composition In-bed thermo couples will drop
Blinds checked H2 source composition Online H2 analysis every 30 minutes
Loop composition Loop gas analysis every 2 hours
H2 breakthrough observed towards the end
Heating to 120°C Introducing H2 Finishing reduction
N2 source composition H2 gradually increased to ~2% Inlet temperature gradually
H2 source composition Inlet temperature decreased to 160- increased to 220°C
Loop composition 170°C H2 gradually increased to 4-6%
H2 Analyser installed Hotspot temperature max 220-225°C Finished when ∆H2 < 0.2% for 2
H2 valve calibrated hours
Online analyser
Online H2 measurements
Inlet
Outlet
Every 30 minutes
MTS Reduction
0%
120 4.00
76.00%
76.00%
100 2.00
100%
80 0.00
-8 -4 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56
Time (hours) H2 inlet %
7
LTS Reduction
Hotspot temperature
Hotspot temperature
220-225°C - Expected
> 230°C - Turn down H2 flow
> 250°C - Cut H2 flow - Depressurise - Circulate cold N2
Compressor trip
Cut H2 flow
Purge reactor for H2
Purge loop for H2