Maximise HVO unit performance with Shell Renewables Catalysts (SRC)

Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) operators face increasing challenges in unit optimisation as they aim to keep pace with the changing renewable feed market.

HVO unit challenges include:

• The accumulation of poisonous CO, CO₂ and lights in recycle gas, which inhibits catalyst performance
• Intensive second-stage dewaxing leading to distillate yield losses
• Increased operational issues when processing more challenging feeds

As a result of intensive R&D, we have designed SRC-201, a new hydrodeoxygenation (HDO)-selective catalyst with dewaxing capabilities. It is specifically engineered to help mitigate the impact of challenging renewable feeds used in 100% HVO units. 

The benefits of SRC-201 include:

• Superior HDO selectivity of up to 98%
• First-stage cold flow improvements (dewaxing)
• Increase in distillate yields of up to 4.5 wt% and additional operating income of up to $25 million/year for a 20,000-bpd HVO unit

Download the SRC-201 fact sheet to discover how enhanced catalyst activity can help to maximise HVO unit performance.