PROTECT™

PROTECT™ Many refiners have experienced the excellent benefits provided by applying Albemarle’s STARS™ family of hydroprocessing catalysts. The superior performance of STARS catalysts is possible because of the uniquely engineered active sites (described as Type II sites) created by our breakthrough manufacturing process. The full benefit of STARS catalysts is realized by utilizing liquid feedstock during the activation procedure. The liquid feedstock displaces the protective organic additive delivered with STARS catalysts and maintains the active sites in a Type II configuration, thus enhancing the catalysts’ performance potential. However, some units, which could benefit greatly from the increased activity that a STARS catalyst provides, have reactor pressurization limitations that prevent them from adding liquid to the unit during catalyst activation.

PROTECT is a treatment applied to STARS catalysts that is specifically developed to enable gas-phase sulfiding of STARS catalysts in those units that cannot use liquid-phase activation. PROTECT can be applied to any STARS catalyst and allows the full activity of that catalyst to be realized in a gas-phase sulfiding environment.

We have developed PROTECT technology to help refiners benefit from the performance of STARS catalysts when liquid-phase start-up is impractical or undesirable. In this carefully controlled Albemarle process, PROTECT treatment coats the STARS catalyst with a waxy hydrocarbon. The PROTECT treatment keeps the active sites in their Type II configuration, thus preventing them from being converted to lower activity Type I sites, as would happen in a gas phase activation.

STARS catalysts treated with PROTECT technology enable in situ gas-phase sulfiding using a start-up procedure similar to that applied to fresh conventional catalyst. During the in situ presulfiding, the waxy hydrocarbon will be removed from the catalyst at temperatures above 480°F (250°C). Albemarle technical service representatives can help in reviewing your specific unit start-up procedures so that you achieve optimum performance with the STARS catalysts.

PROTECT-treated STARS catalysts enable the refiner with gas-phase activation requirements to achieve the continued high performance you have come to expect from STARS catalysts. PROTECT is offered exclusively by Albemarle Catalysts/Nippon Ketjen Co., Ltd. The PROTECT treatment is carried out by Eurecat.