Refinery catalyst selection: Facts and fictions every refiner should know

Nattapong Pongboot is a chemical engineer with hands-on experience in refining and petrochemical technologies as both licensor and refiner. He is currently a Project Leader under the Refinery Catalyst Testing group at Avantium Catalysis, delivering high-quality catalyst testing services for customers worldwide. He holds an M.Eng. degree in chemical engineering from Kasetsart University. The author can be reached at Nattapong.Pongboot@avantium.com and Nat.Pongboot@gmail.com.

Thanawat Upienpong is a Senior Refinery Process Engineer at PTT Global Chemical Plc. with more than 10 yr of experience in the refining industry. He specializes in refinery operation, troubleshooting, optimization, startup/shutdown and catalyst selection with broad exposure to various refining processes, such as thermal conversion, diesel hydrotreating and hydrocracking. Upienpong earned his M.Eng degree in chemical engineering from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in Thailand. The author can be reached at Thanawat.U@pttgcgroup.com or tai.thanawat@gmail.com.