Catalytic reforming: under the condition of a catalyst, to rearrange the molecular structure of hydrocarbons in gasoline fraction into a new molecular structure called catalytic reforming process. One of oil refining process, heating, hydrogen pressure and the presence of catalyst, make the light gasoline fraction obtained crude distillation (or naphtha) into a high octane number gasoline rich in aromatic (reforming gasoline), and the by-product process of liquefied petroleum gas and hydrogen. Reforming gasoline can be directly used for gasoline blending components, can also be used by the aromatics extraction from benzene, toluene and xylene. By-product hydrogen gas is oil refinery hydrogenation unit (e.g., hydrofining, hydrocracking) with an important source of hydrogen.
Built in Germany in the 1940 s with molybdenum oxide (or chrome oxide)/aluminum oxide as catalyst (see metal oxide catalyst) of catalytic reforming industrial devices, because of the catalyst activity is not high, the equipment complex, is now obsolete. Released in 1949, the United States with precious metals platinum catalyst reforming new craft, in the same year in November in Michigan built the first set of industrial equipment, in the raw material pretreatment, catalyst performance, continuous improvement process and reactor structure, etc. In 1965, China developed platinum reforming unit in daqing refinery production. In 1969, platinum-rhenium bimetallic catalysts used in catalytic reforming, improve the depth of the reforming reaction, and the increased gasoline and aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen production rate, the catalytic reforming technology has reached a new level.
From:Chemical Catalysts
