reformate

Reformate is the liquid product drawn from a catalytic reformer, a furnace-and-reactor unit that restructures low-octane naphtha into aromatic and branched hydrocarbons suitable for premium gasoline blending. The feedstock is typically C6 to C8 straight-run naphtha, which enters the reformer at 260 to 320 degrees Celsius over a platinum-rhenium catalyst bed under hydrogen pressure (10 to 35 bar). The process converts paraffins into aromatics and cycloparaffins through isomerization, dehydrogenation, and condensation reactions, raising octane number from the low 40s to 90-100 Research Octane Number (RON).

Reformers operate in either continuous or semi-regenerative mode. In continuous reformers, small catalyst replacement happens while the unit runs; in semi-regenerative units, the reactor is shut down every 6 to 24 months for complete catalyst regeneration. Pressure and temperature are tuned to balance octane yield against catalyst life and hydrogen production. Most refineries run reformers at the higher end of the pressure range to extend catalyst run length, even at the cost of lower aromatics yield.

Composition and blending

Reformate typically contains 40 to 60 percent aromatics by weight (mainly benzene, toluene, and xylenes), 20 to 40 percent cycloparaffins, and 10 to 20 percent paraffins and olefins. This mixture allows refineries to meet octane specifications while managing Reid Vapor Pressure and sulfur content. Reformate is blended directly into finished gasoline, though high reformate cuts rich in aromatics must be managed carefully to avoid exceeding benzene caps in finished fuel. In many regions, benzene content in gasoline is now capped at 1 to 5 percent by regulation, limiting the reformate pool available for blending.

The reformer also produces hydrogen gas as a byproduct, typically 1000 to 1500 cubic feet per barrel of reformate. This hydrogen is recycled through the reactor and excess is routed to the hydrocracker, hydrotreater, or fuel gas system. The hydrogen make is one reason reformers are economically coupled to hydrotreaters and hydrocrackers in refinery design.

Reformate yield depends heavily on feedstock composition and reactor severity. Naphtha with a high proportion of naphthenes (cycloparaffins) yields more reformate because dehydrogenation of existing rings requires less reorganization than building new rings from linear paraffins. A typical reformer can produce 90 to 95 barrels of reformate per 100 barrels of naphtha feed; the remainder is lost as fuel gas and coke deposits on the catalyst.