The partial hydrocracking of a crude oil of 13 °API and viscosity of 6100 cSt at 37.8 °C was carried out in a batch reactor using a dispersed catalyst. The operating conditions were varied in the following ranges: hydrogen pressure of 40-100 kg/cm 2 , temperature of 360-400 °C, and reaction time of 3-5 hours. Molybdenum trioxide of analytical grade was employed as dispersed catalyst, and its concentration was modified from 0 to 2 wt%. The obtained results showed that the most favorable reaction conditions to obtain an upgraded crude oil with the required specifications for transportation by pipeline are 40 kg/cm 2 , 380 °C, 4 hours of reaction, and a catalyst concentration of 0.75 wt%. At these operation conditions no coke formation was observed.

Experimental methods for studying the chemical kinetics of hydrocracking reactions with disperse catalysts in batch operation are reviewed. Batch operating conditions and description of modes of operation of the reactors are discussed. The experimental procedures used to produce, analyze, and interpret the experimental data required for determining the chemical kinetics of hydrocracking reactions with catalyst in dispersed phase are also reviewed. Two possible batch operation modes used for the study of such reactions are described: isothermal and temperature scanning operation. The typical kinetic models for hydrocracking are discussed in detail and step-by-step procedures to calculate the stoichiometric coefficients, mass transfer coefficients, rate constants, and activation energies from experimental data are provided.

A heavy crude oil of 13°API and a viscosity of 6100 cSt at 37.8 °C was used to study the effect of different hydrocracking catalysts at low severity conditions in a slurry-phase batch reactor. The evaluated catalysts were Mo and Fe analytic grade oxides and ores (molybdenite, hematite, and magnetite) from different Mexican mine sites. The effect of the concentration of catalysts on heavy oil upgrading was studied in the range of 0−13 333 ppm of active metal (Mo or Fe). The results showed that the required minimum concentration of catalyst to obtain upgraded crude oil with suitable properties for transportation (API gravity > 16 and viscosity at 37.8 °C < 250 cSt) is 5000 ppm. At the evaluated operating conditions, coke formation is not observed and the selectivity toward gases is low. Mo showed better hydrogenation capacity than Fe, which is observed by an increase in the light fraction composition and reduction of the heavy vacuum gasoil and vacuum residue. Depending on the concentration, type, and active metal content of the catalysts, vacuum residue conversion in the range of 37−49% was obtained.