Hydroprocessing Heavy Crude Oil with Low-Pressure Transition Metal Catalysts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processes for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon crude oil face challenges such as high operating pressures, inefficient mass transport, and limited production of value-added products like propylene, due to issues with catalyst poisoning, coke formation, and suboptimal hydrogen utilization, leading to economic and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the use of high purity hydrogen and oil-soluble transition metal catalysts at lower pressures, combined with advanced mixing techniques and fluid catalytic cracking, to produce lighter, low-sulfur oils and convert residues into value-added products like olefins and aromatics, while improving mass transport and reducing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hydroprocessing is used to upgrade heavy crude oil, then sulfur removal is achieved, but high operating pressures are required which increase energy consumption and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters by using lower pressures (500-1500 psi instead of conventional high pressures) combined with optimized temperature profiles and catalyst formulations, achieving sulfur removal while reducing operational stress and energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite catalyst systems combining multiple metal components (Ni, Co, Mo, W) with specific supports and promoters to achieve effective sulfur removal at lower pressures, replacing the need for high-pressure operation
2Reliability
If hydroprocessing is used to remove heteroatoms, then sulfur and nitrogen content decrease, but catalyst poisoning occurs reducing process reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of sulfur and nitrogen compounds into beneficial catalyst promoters by using specific catalyst formulations that are promoted by these heteroatoms, transforming catalyst poisoning into enhanced catalytic activity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite catalyst systems with multiple metal components and promoters that are specifically designed to resist poisoning while utilizing the harmful heteroatoms in the feedstock to enhance catalyst performance
3Temperature
If thermal cracking is used to convert heavy hydrocarbons, then boiling points are reduced, but coke formation increases leading to operational issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful coke formation byproduct into a beneficial catalyst promoter by using coke as a promoter in the catalytic cracking process, transforming the operational problem into an enhanced catalytic function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the reaction parameters by using optimized temperature profiles, pressure conditions, and residence times to control coke formation and convert it into a beneficial catalyst promoter rather than a harmful byproduct
4Reliability
If hydrogen is added to improve hydrogen-to-carbon ratio, then fuel quality improves, but hydrogen consumption increases leading to high operational costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the process to be self-sufficient by using hydrogen produced from the cracking of heavy hydrocarbons itself, eliminating the need for external hydrogen supply and reducing operational costs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers and reuses hydrogen that would otherwise be lost or require external supply, capturing it from the reaction stream and recycling it back into the process to improve fuel quality without additional cost
5Productivity
If heavy crude oil is processed to produce lighter oils, then product value increases, but production of value-added products like propylene is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using selective catalysts with specific functions in different parts of the process to optimize production of particular value-added products like propylene while maintaining overall process efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes process parameters including temperature, pressure, and catalyst composition to optimize the production distribution of various value-added products, enabling flexible adjustment of product slate to match market demands
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient upgrading of heavy crude oil to lighter, low-sulfur products with increased hydrogen utilization, reduced coke formation, and higher yields of valuable hydrocarbons, addressing economic and environmental limitations of existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
contacting a heavy hydrocarbon crude oil with a catalyst which is then reacted with high purity hydrogen gas
Implementation Method 2
in the presence of a transition metal catalyst
Implementation Method 3
convert the materials into value added products such as olefins and aromatics in a fluid catalytic cracking unit
Data Source
AI summary
A process for upgrading, or refining, high sulfur containing heavy hydrocarbon crude oil to a lighter oil having a lower sulfur concentration and, hence a higher value product, is disclosed. The process includes reacting the high sulfur heavy hydrocarbon crude oil in the presence of a catalyst and low pressure hydrogen to produce a reaction product stream from which the light oil is recovered. Part of the reaction product is separated and subjected to further upgrading to produce a lower sulfur oil product for application as distillate fuels. The upgrading process also produces residual oil that is suitable for making olefins, carbon fiber or road asphalt. Catalysts utilized in the processes of the invention can include a transition metal containing compound, the metal being selected from Group V, Group VI, and Group VIII of the Periodic Table, and mixtures of these metals.