Description
Operate and tend reactors, regenerators, and related systems to load, activate, regenerate, and monitor catalysts used in industrial processing. Regulate temperatures, pressures, flows, and reaction times to meet conversion and selectivity targets while ensuring safe handling of pyrophoric and hazardous materials. Equipment used includes fixed-bed and slurry reactors, calciners, and nitrogen/hydrogen purging systems.
- • Adjust controls to regulate reactor temperatures, pressures, bed differential pressure, and feed or purge gas flows during catalyst activation and operation.
- • Follow strict inerting and hot-work precautions to prevent fires, explosions, or pyrophoric ignition.
- • Monitor bed thermocouples, pressure indicators, flowmeters, gas analyzers, and product quality to maintain specified conditions.
- • Start up, operate, and shut down catalyst reactors, regenerators, calciners, and reduction systems per procedures.
- • Weigh, blend, and prepare catalyst, supports, promoters, or slurries according to specifications.
- • Inspect reactors, piping, seals, and vessels for leaks, hot spots, or malfunctions and initiate safe shutdowns when required.
- • Patrol process areas to detect abnormal odors, noises, temperatures, or emissions and verify operating conditions.
- • Test feed, effluent, or off-gas samples for conversion, selectivity, contaminants, or acid/alkali content, or route to the laboratory.
- • Draw samples at defined stages of activation, regeneration, or production for analysis.
- • Record operating data such as temperatures, pressures, flows, activation curves, materials used, times, and test results.
- • Notify maintenance and engineering of equipment issues and support troubleshooting.
- • Add activators, sulfiding or neutralizing agents, and wash solutions; filter or settle catalyst slurries to remove impurities.
- • Open valves and start pumps, blowers, compressors, heaters, agitators, and feed systems as required.
- • Read catalyst loading plans, activation/reduction procedures, and operating specifications to set or adjust process parameters.
- • Drain and purge equipment; flush lines and vessels with nitrogen, steam, or water before maintenance or catalyst changeout.
- • Perform minor maintenance, lubrication, gasket replacement, and tightening using hand tools.
- • Steam out and clean reactors, filters, strainers, and transfer lines to remove residues or fouling.
- • Observe catalyst color, texture, and bed profile and compare with instrument and lab results to verify progress.
- • Execute emergency response and unit shutdown procedures for temperature excursions, loss of containment, or gas upsets.
- • Load catalyst, inerts, and grading materials into reactors and unload or vacuum spent catalyst per handling procedures.
- • Estimate quantities of catalyst, supports, activators, purge gases, and utilities required for planned work.
- • Maintain inventories of catalysts, chemicals, gas cylinders, spare parts, and consumables.
- • Lead or coordinate crews and contractors during catalyst loading, screening, or verification activities.
Related specializations
Interview options
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Interview time
Related Pathways
Advanced Manufacturing
View
Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
Learn more
Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
