Phillips Petroleum Company

Conocophillips Company

John S Parsons

Fan-Nan Lin

Brian H Limoges

Donald H Macahan

A substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed is charged to a reformer reactor operated under reforming conditions; thereafter, a chlorine-containing additive is introduced, without the simultaneous introduction of water, into the substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed being charged to the reformer reactor in an amount and for a time period that are effective to inhibit deactivation of the reformer catalyst; thereafter, the introduction of the chlorine-containing additive is terminated and the charging of the substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed to the reformer reactor is continued.

Catalytic reforming process

A reforming catalyst containing a Group VIII metal, or a Group VII B metal, or tin, or germanium, or copper, or selenium or combinations of any two or more metals or oxides thereof is activated by: a) continuously flowing a reducing gas over the catalyst for contact with the catalyst; (b) during step a), flowing a halogen-containing compound over the catalyst for contact with the catalyst for a first time period, wherein the first time period is greater than about 1 minute, and wherein the first time period is less than about 60 minutes; and (c) following step b), and during step a), substantially discontinuing the flow of the halogen-containing compound over the catalyst for a second time period, wherein the second time period is greater than about 1 minute. Alternatively, the catalyst can be activated in an activation zone by: 1) removing water from the activation zone; 2) reducing iron oxide contained in the activation zone in the presence of a reducing gas thereby forming reduced iron and water; 3) removing water from the activation zone; 4) reducing the metal oxide of the catalyst in the presence of a reducing gas thereby forming reduced metal and water; 5) removing water from the activation zone; 6) during step 4), flowing a halogen-containing compound over the catalyst for contact with the catalyst for a first time period; and 7) following step 6) and during step 4), substantially discontinuing the flow of halogen-containing compound over the catalyst for a second time period.

Catalytic reforming catalyst activation

While a substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed is being charged to a catalytic reformer reactor, an organic chloride is contacted with the reformer catalyst in an amount and for a time period that are effective to restore at least a portion of the activity of the reformer catalyst.

A substantially water-free hydrocarbon feed is charged to a multiple-reactor reformer system being operated under reforming conditions and comprising at least two reformer reactors serially connected in fluid-flow communication and each containing a reformer catalyst; and, simultaneously with the charging step, a chloriding agent is sequentially introduced, without simultaneously introducing water, immediately upstream from the inlets of all the reformer reactors in an amount and for a period of time that are effective to inhibit the deactivation of the reformer catalyst.

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Bartlesville, OK, United States of America

John S Parsons