Gain visibility into reformer internals while online to support shutdown, delay, or troubleshooting decisions.
In reformer operations, suspected catalyst poisoning or deactivation presents a significant operational challenge. Performance indicators may begin to deteriorate — pressure drop increases, conversion declines, or product quality shifts yet temperature profiles and control parameters often remain within expected ranges.
At this stage, the key question for operations and asset teams is clear:
Is an immediate shutdown required, or can informed decisions be made while the unit remains online?
For most plants, unplanned shutdowns carry substantial production and cost impact. At the same time, continued operation without visibility of internal reactor conditions introduces operational risk. This is where online process diagnostics provide practical value.
Chemical catalyst poisoning — whether caused by sulphur, chlorides, silicon, arsenic, or heavy hydrocarbons — can only be conclusively confirmed through catalyst sampling and laboratory analysis, which requires unit shutdown.
However, before chemical confirmation is possible, catalyst poisoning or deactivation often leads to physical and hydrodynamic changes within the reformer, including:
These internal conditions directly affect reactor performance and long-term reliability, yet are not visible through conventional instrumentation.
Gamma column scanning is a non-intrusive diagnostic technique that allows internal assessment of reformer catalyst beds while the unit remains in operation.
Through external scanning, gamma diagnostics provide insight into:
Importantly, gamma scanning does not attempt to identify the chemical nature of poisoning. Instead, it addresses a critical operational need:
Has the suspected catalyst issue already resulted in physical degradation or flow disruption that justifies a shutdown?
Online diagnostic data enables reformer operators to move from assumption-based decisions to evidence-based planning.
Diagnostic findings can support:
In many cases, diagnostic studies reveal that catalyst beds remain structurally intact, allowing time to address upstream issues such as guard bed performance or feed quality control before committing to shutdown.
Scansolution supports clients across methanol, hydrogen, SMR, ammonia, syngas, and other reformer units in situations including:
Online diagnostic studies do not replace:
Instead, they provide early operational insight while the unit remains online — supporting better planning, reduced uncertainty, and improved asset reliability.
At Scansolution, our process diagnostics services are designed to provide clear, practical insight into internal reactor conditions when operational decisions matter most.
If your reformer operation is experiencing suspected catalyst issues and you require clarity before committing to shutdown, our diagnostic team can support your evaluation and planning process.
Contact Scansolution for a consultation to discuss how online reactor diagnostics can support your operation.
Early signs often include declining conversion or yield, increasing pressure drop, uneven outlet composition, or higher fuel consumption, even when temperature profiles appear normal. These symptoms may indicate underlying catalyst fouling, poisoning, or maldistribution within the reactor.
Chemical confirmation of catalyst poisoning requires catalyst sampling and laboratory analysis, which can only be performed during a shutdown. However, online diagnostic techniques such as gamma column scanning can assess whether poisoning has already caused physical degradation, maldistribution, or flow issues inside the catalyst bed while the unit remains online.
Gamma column scanning provides insight into the internal physical condition of the catalyst bed, including axial and radial density profiles, detection of abnormal density zones, channelling, bed compaction, voids, and inlet-side fouling. It helps determine whether observed performance issues are consistent with catalyst-related problems or mechanical/distribution issues.
No. Gamma scanning does not identify the chemical nature of catalyst poisoning. Its value lies in detecting the physical and hydrodynamic effects of poisoning or deactivation, which supports operational decision-making before shutdown.
Online diagnostics reduce uncertainty by providing visibility into internal reactor conditions. This allows operations teams to plan shutdowns more effectively, prioritise inspection areas, justify shutdown delays where safe, or troubleshoot issues to potentially avoid unplanned shutdowns.
Gamma scanning is most valuable when plants experience declining performance, rising pressure drop, suspected guard bed underperformance, contaminant breakthrough, or uncertainty over whether a shutdown or catalyst replacement is immediately required.
Yes. Gamma column scanning is applicable to methanol reformers, hydrogen reformers, steam methane reformers (SMR), ammonia reformers, syngas units, and other fixed-bed reactor systems where internal catalyst condition assessment is required.
No. Gamma scanning complements, rather than replaces, catalyst inspection and laboratory analysis. It provides early diagnostic insight while the unit remains online, supporting better planning and decision-making ahead of shutdown activities.
A typical gamma column scan can usually be completed within a short operational window without interrupting production. The exact duration depends on reactor size, scan scope, and site conditions.
Scansolution provides non-intrusive online diagnostic studies, including gamma column scanning, to help operators assess internal reactor conditions, reduce uncertainty, and make informed decisions on shutdown planning, troubleshooting, or continued operation.