Brian Visioli - Porocel
Sulfur recovery units are unique among the operating units in a refinery for several reasons. One reason is their sensitivity to pressure drop; while an additional 1-2 psi of pressure drop across a diesel hydrotreater’s reactor beds might not be noticed, this same change can be enough to completely disable a sulfur recovery unit. With this potential constraint in mind, as well as the critical nature of sulfur recovery unit operability in context of the overall refinery, catalyst design and selection becomes very important. The results of studies on the design of catalyst particles is discussed in detail, with a view toward implications on catalyst activity and pressure drop. These results are synthesized to guide selection of catalyst for conventional- and low-temperature tail gas treating units, respectively.
Brian Visioli manages Porocel’s sulfur recovery catalyst technology line, involved in a broad range of activities from guiding early product development through end user on-site technical support for sulfur recovery units around the world. Brian has contributed to several publications and conferences since joining Porocel in 2013; prior to this, he was a process engineer with ConocoPhillips / Phillips 66. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with an emphasis in business from the University of Colorado at Boulder.