Effect of reaction variables on the catalytic hydrocracking of Athabasca bitumen

✍ Scribed by Refa Ö. Köseoglu; Colin R. Phillips

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 433 KB
• Volume: 67
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(88)90037-3

✦ Synopsis

The effects of catalyst particle size on the hydrocracking reactions of Athabasca bitumen were studied in the presence ofCoO-MoO,/Al,O, catalyst. Six different catalyst particle sizes, namely 3.2,1.7, 1.18,0.6,0.3 and co.15 mm were employed in the hydrocracking reactions. Reducing the catalyst size resulted in a significant increase in the conversion of asphaltenes. Mass transfer of reactants to the active surface of the catalysts was found to have a negligible effect when catalyst particles of <0.3 mm were used. The effects of sulphiding the COO-MoO,/AI,O, catalyst on the hydrocracking reactions were determined and used to conclude that sulphiding of the catalyst, by the sulphur-rich bitumen, occurred during the initial heat-up period of the reaction. The pore size distributions of COO-MoO,/Al,O, and Coo-MoO,/TiO,-SiO, catalysts were determined and the median pore sizes calculated to be 9 and 10 nm, respectively.