BASF’s HDXtra catalyst helps refiners increase diesel yields by maximizing production of the light-cycle oil (LCO) produced from the FCC unit. The LCO can be blended or further upgraded to augment the refiner’s production of high quality diesel fuel. This technology, combined with optimized operating conditions, enables refiners’ to increase LCO yield up to a 10% volume increase, with nearly half of the benefit attributable to catalyst selectivity.

Over the past 50 years there has been a gradual trend toward increased FCC conversion that has primarily produced gasoline versus heavier fuels, such as diesel, among the world’s refiners. Recently this trend has dramatically switched to increased demand for diesel fuel from FCC units that, generally, are not easily converted for such production.

—Joe McLean, Global Marketing Manager for refining catalysts at BASF Catalysts

To meet this surging need for diesel, BASF developed a new catalyst to enable refiners to maintain margins in this challenging market place. HDXtra combines the best attributes of traditional high-zeolite catalysts which offer good coke selectivity, but poor bottoms to LCO conversion, with traditional high-matrix catalysts, which can upgrade bottoms to LCO, but have poorer coke selectivity.

The catalyst also uses moderate zeolite activity, which better controls the amount of LCOs cracking into gasoline while also offering low H-transfer activity, which preserves more hydrogen in LCOs for minimal cetane penalty, a key measure of diesel quality.

New selective matrix cracking technology has been introduced with the HDXtra catalyst. To date, the benefits of increasing LCO yields while maintaining excellent bottoms conversion has been demonstrated in two North American refineries in 2008, with additional trials ongoing in Europe and other markets.

BASF Catalysts has been providing innovative catalyst technologies and additives, supported by strong customer service, to the petroleum refining industry for more than 50 years. Many of BASF’s catalysts and additives are derived from its patented, award-winning DMS technology platform (Distributed Matrix Structures) that enabled BASF Catalysts to develop fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and additives with a new, higher level of performance, including enhanced stability, activity and yield without the typically associated coke and gas penalties. Catalysts based on DMS technology are used in more than 120 commercial FCC units worldwide.