investigation of operation life on catalyst of acetylene hydrogenation reactor – an industrial study

The study examines the operational lifespan and catalytic efficiency of the acetylene hydrogenation reactor at amirkabir petrochemical company in iran, a critical component in industrial olefin production. acetylene, an undesirable by-product in olefin synthesis, adversely impacts profitability and polymer product quality. to mitigate these effects, the acetylene concentration in the feed stream must be reduced to below 0.5 ppm through catalytic hydrogenation. however, excessive conversion leads to ethane production, thereby reducing ethylene yield. this research uses a modeling approach, supported by industrial data, to investigate the reactor’s behavior under various conditions. a major focus is placed on the reaction kinetics to optimize operational parameters and minimize ethane production, which is less desirable than ethylene. the analysis includes key variables such as temperature, pressure, and the hydrogen-to-hydrocarbon ratio. moving average method was used to smoothing 78 operational data in this work. results showed the average absolute selectivity is less than 10%. additionally, the study evaluates the role of carbon monoxide (co) as a selective agent that enhances ethylene yield while reducing operational risks. the results showed that the main conversion takes place in the beginning of the reaction (first 1 m of the bed). additionally, findings indicate that optimal management of these parameters can greatly improve reaction selectivity and the efficiency of the hydrogenation process. the results provide significant insights for refining practices in acetylene hydrogenation, suggesting strategies for improving product quality and operational efficiency in the petrochemical industry.