Kinetic Modeling of Hydrotreating for Enhanced Upgrading of Light Cycle Oil

Abstract

The hydrotreating of light cycle oil (LCO) into high-quality fuels has been investigated experimentally and kinetically, developing a model that accounts for the main and simultaneous reaction pathways: hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrodearomatization (HDA), and hydrocracking (HC). The experiments have been carried out in a fixed-bed reactor, NiMo/SiO2–Al2O3 commercial catalyst, 320–400 °C; 80 bar; space time, 0–0.5 gcat h gLCO –1; and H2/LCO volumetric ratio of 1000 Ncm3 cm–3. The proposed kinetic model contains multiple lumps, species, and pathways, leading to the faithful prediction of hydrotreatment products from different viewpoints. The computed kinetic parameters have allowed for simulating the process and seeking the optimal operating conditions. This way, the maximum values obtained for the conversions of HDS, HDA, and HC have been of 90%, 20%, and 65%, respectively; whereas a good compromise between the different hydrotreating goals has been obtained in the 385–400 °C range for a space time of 0.2 gcat h gLCO –1. Finally, the obtained optimal operating conditions have been compared with those optimized in the literature.

Waste Refinery: The Valorization of Waste Plastics and End-of-Life Tires in Refinery Units. A Review

“…The processing of these side streams follows an increasing trend in refineries in order to intensify the valorization of oil by means of increasing the yield of commercial products. Indeed, the FCC unit plays a key role in the cofeeding of vacuum residue and of visbreaker and coker heavy naphthas. − Equally, hydroprocessing units can be appropriate for the cofeeding of aromatic streams, such as the pyrolysis gasoline obtained in steam cracker units or the light cycle oil (LCO) obtained in FCC units, − with the aim of producing naphtha and medium distillates or BTX aromatics . The second series of actions of the waste refinery, which constitutes the interest of this review, focuses on the recycling of consumer society wastes, for example, waste plastics and EOL tires.…”

Simulation of Reaction Pathways of Sulfur Compounds and Product Properties Based on the Molecular-Level Hydrotreating Reaction Model

“…The lumping method was mainly to divide the feeds and products with similar fractions or properties into several virtual components and build the reaction models. − Yin et al developed a three-lumping kinetic model to get insights on thermodynamics and kinetics according to the product characteristics in diesel ultradeep desulfurization process . Palos et al proposed a multiple lumping kinetics model of the light cycle oil hydrotreating process which could accurately reproduce the product distribution . However, these multilump models were too crude in their description of the reaction process and could barely predict the molecular contents.…”

Catalytic Hydrodesulfurization of a Spent Tire Pyrolysis Oil Distillate over a Ni–Mo Catalyst

“…Of all emerging recycling technologies, the efficient and environmentally friendly pyrolysis method is favored. Pyrolysis thermochemically decomposes the organic components of spent tires in the absence of oxygen to produce gas, oil, and char that can be reprocessed into usable products or burnt for energy. ,− The utilization of pyrolysis oil, which constitutes 40–60% w/w of the pyrolysis products, , determines the economic feasibility of the entire pyrolysis process. , Pyrolysis oils are complex mixtures of alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, cycloalkenes, aromatic compounds, and heterocyclic species containing S, O, and N. , Many studies discuss the fuel performance and emission characteristics of pyrolysis oil based on its high calorific value (40–45 MJ kg –1 ). ,− However, pyrolysis oil demonstrates poor combustion performance, and the high S concentrations lead to noxious and polluting emissions that cause engine damage. ,, Fuel properties and pollutant emissions from pyrolysis oil can be improved by further refinement, ,,, but the process becomes uneconomical against the low value of the final fuel product. To increase the economic viability of the pyrolysis process, it is necessary to explore a more extensive use of pyrolysis oil for a wider range of industrial applications.…”

“…4,15−17 However, pyrolysis oil demonstrates poor combustion performance, and the high S concentrations lead to noxious and polluting emissions that cause engine damage. 4,15,16 Fuel properties and pollutant emissions from pyrolysis oil can be improved by further refinement, 4,14,18,19 but the process becomes uneconomical against the low value of the final fuel product. To increase the economic viability of the pyrolysis process, it is necessary to explore a more extensive use of pyrolysis oil for a wider range of industrial applications.…”