Chapter 3 - Hydroprocessing Technology

Abstract

Hydroprocessing has been the essential process for fuel production from conventional petroleum and nonpetroleum distillate feeds as well as from various residues. A wide range of operating conditions have been employed to suit the variability in feed properties. Thus, a refiner may choose from among reactors employing different types of beds such as fixed bed, moving bed, ebullated bed, and slurry bed. An efficient hydrogen transfer to reactant molecules requires the presence of an active catalyst. An efficient hydroprocessing requires an optimal matching of the type of feed with that of catalyst and reactor. Different size and shape of the particles of conventional hydroprocessing catalysts exhibiting high activity for hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation have been available commercially. Unconventional catalysts containing noble metals and novel supports, active for hydrogenation, hydrodeoxygenation, hydrocracking, and hydroisomerization are required to process unconventional feeds such as biofeeds, light tight oils, Fischer-Tropsch syncrude, and so on.