Application of 140La and 24Na as intrinsic radiotracers for investigating catalyst dynamics in FCCUs

Based on the results of INAA, appropriate quantities of the catalyst samples were irradiated with neutrons to produce the desired amount of activity of lanthanum-140 and sodium-24 to be used as radiotracers for tracing the catalyst itself in a pilot as well as an industrial-scale FCCU. The residence time distribution (RTD) of catalyst was measured and analyzed to determine mean residence time (MRT). The axial dispersion model (ADM) was used to simulate the measured RTD data and investigate the degree of axial mixing. The results of the experiments were used to improve the design of pilot-scale FCCU and optimize the performance of the industrial-scale FCCU.