FCC Catalyst Accessibility—A Review

Abstract

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is a critical process in the petroleum-refining industry, designed to break down large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, more valuable products. Fluid-cracking catalyst accessibility dramatically influences the efficiency of the FCC process. Accessibility is a catalyst feature related to the ease with which large feedstock molecules can penetrate the catalyst particle to reach the internal active sites where reactions occur—and the ease with which products desorb and leave the catalyst. Accessibility plays a vital role in the activity, selectivity, and life of the catalyst, and various techniques can be applied during the manufacturing process to accomplish its increase. This work reviews FCC catalyst accessibility, its characterization, and the ways to increase it, covering the past three decades of technical paper and patent literature. Bibliometric results of a literature search are presented, and a search strategy is described, encompassing database identification, keyword selection, refinement terms, search criteria, and result evaluation.