Reactivity of naphtha fractions for light olefins production

The catalytic cracking of naphtha fractions for propylene production was investigated under high severity catalytic cracking conditions (high temperatures and high catalyst to oil ratio). Straight run naphtha and cracked naphtha along with a with proprietary catalyst were used, and reaction was carried out using a catalyst to oil ratio (C/O) of 3-6 at 600-650 degrees C and 1 atm in a micro activity testing (MAT) unit. The results from this experiments show that light cracked naphtha (LCN) gave the highest propylene yield of 18% at 650 degrees C, and that propylene yield depends on the naphtha fraction being used as feed. The trend for reactivity and propylene yield was as follows: light cracked naphtha > heavy straight run naphtha > light straight run naphtha > heavy cracked naphtha.