Heavy oil cracking in the presence of steam and nanodispersed catalysts based on different metals

Abstract

Catalytic steam cracking (CSC) of Tatar heavy oil has been studied using nanodispersed catalysts forming in situ based on K, Fe, Ni, Mo as well as several Mo-based catalysts promoted by Ni-, Co-, and Al-based additives. The upgrading was carried out at 425 °C, catalyst content of 2 wt%, water to heavy oil wt. ratio of 0.3:1, and 1 h of residence time using a batch reactor. The highest upgrading efficacy was found in the case of non-promoted Mo-based catalyst: at a low coke yield the upgraded oil had the lowest S content as well as the highest H:С ratio. The participation of water in the case of Mo- and Ni-dispersed catalysts was confirmed by comparison with the water-free cracking experiments at the same conditions.XRD and TEM characterization have shown that the active components were in a form of oxides and/or sulfides.