reformer
A device used to convert petroleum refinery naphthas, typically having low octane ratings, into high-octane liquid products called reformates.
reformer: catalytic upgrade of low-octane naphthas to gasoline
A reformer is a furnace and reactor vessel that heats naphtha (a light petroleum fraction boiling between 40 and 200 degrees Celsius) and passes it over a platinum-containing catalyst at temperatures of 480 to 510 degrees Celsius and pressures of 8 to 35 bar. The process rearranges the carbon and hydrogen atoms in the naphtha molecules, converting low-octane paraffins and cycloparaffins into higher-octane aromatics and branched isomers. The product, called reformate, typically has an octane number 15 to 25 points higher than the feedstock and becomes a major component of premium gasoline blends.
Reformers fall into two main categories: semi-regenerative, where the catalyst degrades gradually between shutdowns for off-line regeneration every 6 to 24 months, and continuous-regenerative, where coked catalyst is withdrawn and regenerated in a separate unit while fresh catalyst is reintroduced. Most modern refineries use continuous units because they maintain consistent conversion efficiency and product quality. The reaction itself is endothermic, so reformers include fired heaters and sometimes heat recovery systems to manage energy costs.
Operation and byproducts
Reformers produce not only reformate but also significant volumes of hydrogen gas, typically 50 to 100 cubic meters per ton of feed. This hydrogen is valuable: refineries use it for hydrocracking, hydrotreating, and hydrodesulfurization elsewhere in the complex. Catalyst life depends on operating severity and feed composition. Sulfur and nitrogen contamination poison the platinum, so naphtha must be pretreated to remove these elements. Pressure affects both conversion and catalyst deactivation: higher pressure favors the desired dehydrogenation reactions but accelerates coking.
The term reformer comes from the reforming reactions themselves, the primary one being dehydrogenation of cycloparaffins to aromatics. Reforming is one of the oldest catalytic processes in refining, developed in the 1940s, and remains essential to every modern refinery. Without reformers, most crude oils would yield insufficient high-octane gasoline to meet fuel specifications and engine demands.