New developments in FCC catalyst technology

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is a central technology in refining. The present paper will focus on recent progress in FCC catalyst and process technology and will analyze the driving forces for such improvements. Thereby, the direct response to environmental regulations will become obvious. Another target of new developments has been to process heavier crude sources with higher levels of contaminants. Short contact time (SCT) cracking will also be discussed, reflecting significant developments in the reactor hardware. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.