Research & Development

The Worms Research and Development Centre is equipped with facilities for the preparation, characterisation and evaluation of FCC catalysts and additives.

Experimental catalysts are prepared in the pilot plant before going to full scale manufacture. The pilot plant is capable of simulating the Worms manufacturing plants on a small scale and is used not only to prepare catalysts but also to indentify optimum processes prior to further development.

Prior to catalytic testing, catalysts are deactivated under carefully controlled conditions. Catalytic performance is then quantified using either large scale or small scale reactors. Davison uses fixed bed MAT reactors for measuring catalyst selectivities and feed crackability. This test was adopted as a standard for fluid cracking catalysts by the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM). State-of-the-art gas chromatographs (GC) are used with the MAT reactors for precise measurement of product yields. 

Grace Davison has made a number of improvements on the original MAT test including the introduction of a short contact time (SCT) MAT technique. 

Catalysts can also be evaluated in the larger scale Davison circulating riser pilot plant (DCR). The DCR was developed in 1986, and is now considered the industry standard for FCC pilot plants.