Upgrading Siberian (Russia) crude oil by hydrodesulfurization: Kinetic parameter estimation in a trickle-bed reactor

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of sour crude oil is an effective way to address the corrosion problems in refineries and is an economic way to process sour crude oil in an existing refinery built for sweet oil. Siberian crude oil transported through the Russia-China pipeline could be greatly sweetened and could be refined directly in local refinery designed for Daqing crude oil after the effective HDS treatment. In this study, the HDS of Siberian crude oil was carried out in a continuous flow isothermal trickle-bed reactor over Ni-Mo/gamma-Al2O3. The effects of temperature, pressure and LHSV were investigated in the ranges of 320-360 degrees C, 3-5MPa and 0.5-2 h(-1), keeping constant hydrogen to oil ratio at 600 L.L-1. The HDS conversion could be up to 92.89% at the temperature of 360 degrees C, pressure of 5MPa, and LHSV of 0.5 h(-1), which is sufficient for local refineries (> 84%). A three phase heterogeneous model was established to analyze the performance of the trickle-bed reactor based on the two-film theory using Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. The order of sulfur component is estimated as 1.28, and the order of hydrogen is 0.39. By simulating the reactor using the established model, the concentration of H-2, H2S and sulfur along the catalyst bed is discussed. The model is significantly useful for industrial application with respect to reactor analysis, optimization and reactor design, and can provide further insight of the HDS of Siberian crude oil. (C) 2020 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is an effective way to address corrosion problems in refineries. In this study, HDS of Siberian crude oil was conducted using Ni-Mo/gamma-Al2O3 in a continuous flow isothermal trickle-bed reactor, achieving a conversion rate of 92.89%. The established model is useful for industrial application and provides further insight into the HDS process of Siberian crude oil.