Page 214 - Fluid Catalytic Cracking Handbook

CHAPTER 6

Products and

Economics

The previous chapters explained the operation of a cat cracker.
However, the purpose of the FCC unit is to maximize profitability for
the refinery. The cat cracker provides the conversion capacity that
every refinery needs to survive. All crudes have heavy gas oils and
fuel oil; unfortunately, the market for these products has disappeared.
FCC economics makes the refinery a viable entity. Over the years,
refineries without cat crackers have been shut down because they were
not profitable.
Understanding the economics of the unit is as important as under-
standing the heat and pressure balance. The dynamics of FCC economics
changes daily and seasonally. It is dependent on market conditions and
the availability of feedstocks. The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment
(CAAA) has imposed greater restrictions on quality standards for
gasoline and diesel. The FCC is the major contributor to the gasoline
and diesel pool and is significantly affected by these new regulations.
This chapter discusses the factors affecting yields and qualities of
FCC product streams. The section on FCC economics describes several
options that can be used to maximize FCC performance and the
refinery's profit margin.

FCC PRODUCTS

The cat cracker converts less valuable gas oils to more valuable
products. A major objective of most FCC units is to maximize the
conversion of gas oil to gasoline and LPG. The products from the cat
cracker are:
• Dry Gas
• LPG
• Gasoline

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