Six Reasons to Choose
Denstone® Catalyst Bed Support Media
Your catalyst bed is worth protecting:
Don’t risk it with inferior support media.
There’s a Reason Why We are No. 1…Actually, Six Reasons
Saint-Gobain NorPro has led the industry with its catalyst bed support media technology for over 60 years. As
processes become more demanding and the cost of failed media increases, Saint-Gobain NorPro has worked to
develop a product that can withstand even the most demanding process conditions. Denstone® 2000 support media
can withstand the combined effects of load, temperature and depressurization without chipping, spalling or breaking
– better than any support currently available.
We set out to prove the superiority of Denstone supports over other support media. Spurred by another
manufacturer’s benchmarking effort, we conducted a battery of six tests to compare media strength and resiliency of
13 mm (1/2 in.) samples of Denstone 2000 media and the competitor’s leading product. The tests were designed to
mirror process conditions that tend to challenge the integrity of the support spheres. In many cases, the tests were
identical or similar to ASTM certified testing methods.
The result: Denstone 2000 supports demonstrated significantly superior mechanical and thermal strength. These
properties ensure that Denstone 2000 supports will withstand the conditions in your reactor without breaking,
chipping or spalling.
Reason No. 1:
Excellent Compressive Strength
Compressive strength is a key indicator of proper
media processing: The lack of crush strength indicates
uneven pore distribution, internal cracks or fines that
can cause the media to break or chip when subjected to
thermal cycling common in hydrocracking and
reforming units. Conversely, a high degree of
compressive strength means that the media’s internal
pore structure and uniform material composition will
provide the strength necessary to remain intact even
under demanding conditions.
Flat Plate Crush Strength of Denstone 2000
Supports Exceeds Competition
800
700
FPCS (lbs.)
600
500
400
and dropped uncountable times before they reach the
reactor. Then, the media is dropped as much as 7.6 m
(25 ft.) into the reactor. Loading with the use of a sock
lessens the impact somewhat; but the potential for further
chipping or breakage still exists. The fractured media, in
turn, can increase pressure drop due to channeling and
catalyst bed plugging. In addition, chips or fines can foul
the catalyst, decreasing operating efficiency and
ultimately increasing the cost of catalyst regeneration.
Two types of impact energy can cause media failure:
Breakage can occur due to the impact of the support
media being dropped onto a stationary surface, which
generally occurs during loading. Breakage also occurs
when weight falls upon the media. This type of impact
occurs when the spheres are crushed together during
shipping and handling or when other media fall on top of
the spheres.
Drop test method. Fifty samples of each media were
dropped 7.6 m (25 ft.) through a pipe onto a steel plate,
with a 450 mm (18 in.) free fall from the bottom of the
pipe to the plate. The table compares the percentage of
spheres to survive without breaking, chipping or spalling.
725
Denstone 2000 Supports
Prove Superiority in Drop Test
300
200
343
100
100
285
90
0
Competitor A
80
Competitor B
Crush strength test method. Fifteen sample spheres
were loaded, one at a time, between two steel plates on
a compressive strength test unit with a capacity of
2,250 kg. (5,000 lbs). The average load applied at
which each of the 15 spheres failed is depicted for all
three products (ASTM C-515).
Reasons No. 2 & 3:
Better Impact Resistance in Two Tests
Installing the support media rarely involves kid gloves:
Containers of supports are knocked around, picked up
70
% Survival
Denstone 2000
Support Media
60
50
40
100
30
59
20
30
10
0
Denstone 2000
Support Media
Competitor A
Competitor B
Impact test method. Using 20 samples of each
media, a 90-gram (3.15 oz.) tup was dropped from 300
mm to 600 mm (12 in. to 24 in.) onto individual spheres.
Impact resistance was determined using the mean
failure height (ASTM D-3029).
Denstone 2000 Supports
Have Significant Edge in ASTM Test
0.3
Impact ft - lbs.
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.277
0.1
0.116
0.05
0
Reason No. 6:
Passes the Ultimate Test: Rapid Depressurization
A hydrocracking tower experienced an extreme rapid
drop in pressure. Already weakened by repeated thermal
cycling, the catalyst bed support media shattered. The
catalyst migrated downward through the broken support
media. Within a short time, the refiner was forced to shut
down the unit for an emergency changeout. The time and
money involved was tremendous and could have been
avoided had the refiner been using a support media that
could withstand rapid depressurization. That is why
Saint-Gobain NorPro developed this test.
Autoclave Procedure: Approximately 200 samples
of each media were heated to 454° C (850° F) at 10.3
MPa (1500 psia) in an autoclave chamber containing
hydrogen. The chamber was then depressurized
instantaneously to ambient pressure. The chart below
lists the percentage of spheres surviving without
breakage.
Denstone 2000 Supports
Pass the Ultimate Autoclave Test
0.067
Denstone 2000
Support Media
Competitor A
100
Competitor B
90
80
800
FPCS (lbs.)
600
725
300
0
100
88
40
30
20
10
0
25
Denstone 2000
Support Media
Competitor A
Competitor B
Saint-Gobain NorPro GmbH
Steinefrenz, Germany
+49 6435 9657 0
norpro.steinefrenz@saint-gobain.com
500
100
50
Saint-Gobain NorPro
Stow, Ohio USA
+1 330 677-7228
norpro.stow@saint-gobain.com
700
200
60
Denstone® Support Media –
Always Reliable Support
Denstone 2000 Supports
Maintain Strength After Thermal Shock
400
70
% Survival
Reasons No. 4 & 5:
Stands Up to Thermal Shock
Even gradual changes in temperature, whether
moderate or extreme, can weaken support spheres.
Process conditions common in fixed-bed catalytic
applications weaken the supports over time and make
them increasingly susceptible to breakage or chipping.
To see how the supports stand up against thermal
shock, we heated 15 sample spheres of each media to
427° C (800° F), then dropped them into water at room
temperature. The surviving spheres were then tested
for compressive strength as outlined above. The test
was repeated using spheres heated to 815° C (1500° F).
456
343
285
222
207
74
Initial FPCS
FPCS after 800˚ F
(427˚ C)
Denstone 2000 Support Media
www.denstone.com
Competitor A
142
86
FPCS after 1500˚ F
(815˚ C)
Competitor B
Saint-Gobain KK
Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 3263 0334
norpro.tokyo@saint-gobain.com
© Copyright 1998 Saint-Gobain NorPro, 7/06 DenSix-2
The information presented herein is believed to be accurate and reliable,
but is presented without guarantee or warranty on the part of Saint-Gobain
NorPro. Further, nothing contained herein shall be taken as an inducement
or recommendation to manufacture or use any of the herein described
materials or processes in violation of existing or future patents.