Water injection between catalyst beds in hydrodesulfurization of residuum feed

Abstract

Abstract A HYDRODESULFURIZATION PROCESS FOR PROCESSING A SULFURCONTAINING PETROLEUM RESIDUUM FEED WHEREIN WATER IS INJECTED BETWEEN THE SEVERAL CATALYST BEDS OF A MULTI-BED REACTOR TO QUENCH THE PRODUCTS OF THE REACTION AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TO SUPRESS DEACTIVATION OF THE CATALYST, PARTICULARLY AS OCCURS DURING THE INITIAL PERIOD OF A PRODUCTION RUN. THE WATER CAN BE ADDED IN CONCENTRATION RANGING UP TO ABOUT 50 PERCENT, BUT PREFERABLY IS ADDED IN CONCENTRATION RANGING UP TO ABOUT 20 PERCENT, BASED ON THE VOLUME OF GASES IN THE REACTOR, BECAUSE ABOVE ABOUT THE 20 PERCENT LEVEL, THE EFFECTS OF HYDROGEN DILUTION OFFSET ANY IMPROVEMENTS OBTAINED IN SUPPERSSION OF CATALYST DEACTIVATION. THE CATALYSTS COMPRISE A METAL OR COMPOUNDS OF THE METAL, OR METALS, OF GROUP VIB AND/OR GROUP VIII OF PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE CHARACTERIZED AS HAVING A SURFACE AREA OF AT LEAST 100 M.2/G., AND PREFERABLY A SURFACE AREA RANGING FROM ABOUT 100 M.2/G. TO ABOUT 500 M.2/G., THE SURFACE AREA BEING MEASURED IN PORES HAVING PORE DIAMETERS OF 30 TO 80 A. AND A MINIMUM OF SURFACE AREA OR PORE VOLUME MEASURED IN PORES HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN 100 A. IT IS FOUND THAT WATER ADDITION HAS NO SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECT ON HYDROGEN CONCUMPTION, CATALYST STRENGTH, OR PRODUCT PROPERTIES.

Inventors

• 👤 J Shoemaker
• 👤 K Riley

Bibliographic Details