催化劑的老化失活是研究催化劑反應的一個重要問題。影響催化劑失活的原因是催化劑在工藝裝置中處于存在水蒸汽氣氛的高溫環境中，使催化劑原始粒子結構的排列改變，以致表面積變小，孔分布變粗。該催化劑水蒸汽老化裝置是在一定溫度、分壓、空速、處理時間條件下，對催化劑進行老化處理的實驗室裝置，從試驗可得到與工業平衡劑某些性能和結構相似的結果。
Catalytic cracking catalyst vapour ageing unit:
   　 The ageing deactivation of the catalyst is a important problem to research catalyst reaction.The reason that affects the catalyst activation ys that the high temperature of the aqueous vpour changes the stercture and order of the molecules,so the surface area of the catalyst is decreased and the pore distribution ys more broad .This unit is a laboratory device to age the fractiona pressure ,the space velocity ,and the dealing time .Theresult of the test is similar with the properties and structures of equilibrium reagents.