Abstract: Due to the high viscosity of residue feedstock, in residue hydrotreating unit the distribution of feed along the catalyst bed could be non-uniform sometimes, which might lead to a great radial temperature difference of the catalyst bed and even hotspot occurred during the early stage of start-up. The performance of the catalyst could be affected and it also could be a hidden danger in operation. Thus, countermeasures should be conducted in time. By optimizing startup procedure and operation, adopting a more efficient feed inlet distributor, the fluid distribution in the residue hydrotreating reactor of SINOPEC Hainan Petrochemical Company was improved significantly, so that the radial temperature difference of the catalyst bed was less and the catalyst could be used more efficiently.

Key words: residue hydrotreating reactor, radial temperature difference, hotspot, distributor, optimization