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.