Recycle of Vanadium and Nickel-Based Catalysts in a Hydroconversion Process

Abstract

Vanadium and nickel-based carbonaceous solids derived from the controlled burning of coke/bottoms/resid have the potential to serve as attractive catalysts in slurry-based upgrading processes. Carbonaceous solids comprised of a high concentration of metals, namely, Venturi fines (solids obtained from an ExxonMobil flexicoker unit and containing ∼12 wt % total metals) and flexicoker ash (prepared from the mild burning of Venturi fines and gasifier bed coke and containing ∼50 wt % total metals) were more effective slurry catalysts than those comprised of less than 5 wt % total metals. Analyses of the hydroconverted products produced from slurry hydroprocessing autoclave experiments indicated that at 8 wt % solids in the feed sulfided Venturi and flexicoker carbonaceous catalysts were comparable on a once-through and recycle basis. However, on the basis of catalyst performance versus total metals dispersed in the feed, Venturi fines were superior to flexicoker solids. X-ray diffraction analysis of the source...