Modeling of hydrotreating catalyst deactivation for heavy oil hydrocarbons

Abstract

Hydrotreating is one of the most used process for eliminating impurities in heavy oil fractions, in which fixed-bed reactor has been used much more extensively. Nevertheless, the main disadvantage in this type of reactor is the fast catalyst deactivation . The main causes of loss of activity in the catalyst are the deposition of carbonaceous and metallic compounds , and the structural changes of the catalyst components. Some models for hydrotreating catalyst deactivation have been reported in the literature, which are based on coke and metals deposition and exhibit different levels of sophitification. All these models reported in the literature are extensively reviewed, analyzed and discussed in this work. The main model equations, model parameters and results are summarized, as well as the conditions at which they were derived. A general description of the main deactivation mechanisms is also described.