Counteracting SAPO-34 catalyst deactivation in MTO process using a two zone fluidized bed reactor: Reactor testing and process viability

Deactivation of SAPO-34 catalyst is a common problem in methanol to olefins (MTO) process. Due to its shape selectivity to olefins, SAPO-34 is one of the best zeolites for this purpose, but this advantage also makes its deactivation faster and more pronounced due to pore blockage or coke formation. Commonly, deactivation can be reduced by feeding water alongside with methanol, but this option only reduces but does not fully avoids deactivation. To solve this problem, we propose the use of a reactor in which reaction and regeneration of the catalyst take place simultaneously in the same unit. In this work, the comparison between conventional (CFBR) and two zone (TZFBR) fluidized bed reactors is presented, as well as a parametric study of some of the most important variables that define the TZFBR operation.