A gas-liquid separator, adapted for separating liquid and gas in an ebullated bed reactor under operating conditions, is disclosed. The device may be used in the petroleum and chemical processing industries in catalytic reactions of hydrocarbonaceous feedstocks in the presence of hydrogen, at an elevated temperature and pressure, to separate gas and liquid from gas and liquid mixtures within the reactor. The device is generally vertically oriented and may be installed in the flow through pan of an ebullated bed reactor. The device comprises a transfer conduit for transferring a gas-liquid mixture stream from a lower section of an ebullated bed reactor to an upper section of the reactor, a vortex separation section having gas-rich and liquid-rich stream outlets, and a gas-rich stream outlet conduit located on top of and adjacent to the vortex separation section. The transfer conduit includes internal means to produce a spiral flow in the gas-liquid mixture, such as a helical or spiral insert. The vortex separation section is located at the top of the transfer conduit and includes separation means to separate the gas-liquid mixture stream into a liquid-rich stream and a gas-rich stream. A separator conduit extending from the top of the vortex separation section to the transfer conduit upper opening, aligned with and having substantially the same cross-sectional dimensions as the gas-rich stream outlet, may be used as the separation means. Among the benefits provided are improved efficiency of gas and liquid separation and reduced gas holdup within the reactor.

An oil-coal co-hydrotreating processing includes the following steps: pulverized coal, vacuum residue and recycle oil are mixed to prepare coal slurry. After mixed with hydrogen, catalyst and additive, oil-coal slurry is preheated into a slurry bed reactor with high reacting pressure for thermal cracking and hydrogenation reaction. After reaction, all the products go into the hot high pressure separator for separation of solid from the bottom and gas from the top. The gas obtained goes into the fixed bed reactor for further hydrocracking or refining, and the distillate obtained enter the fractionating tower. The vacuum gas oil from the bottom of fractionating tower is taken as recycle oil piped to the oil-coal slurry mixing device as solvent.

An oil-coal co-hydrotreating processing includes the following steps: pulverized coal, vacuum residue and recycle oil are mixed to prepare coal slurry. After mixed with hydrogen, catalyst and additive, oil-coal slurry is preheated into a slurry bed reactor with high reacting pressure for thermal cracking and hydrogenation reaction. After reaction, all the products go into the hot high pressure separator for separation of solid from the bottom and gas from the top. The gas obtained goes into the fixed bed reactor for further hydrocracking or refining, and the distillate obtained enter the fractionating tower. The vacuum gas oil from the bottom of fractionating tower is taken as recycle oil piped to the oil-coal slurry mixing device as solvent.

A process for the refining of crude oil, comprising a separation unit of the crude oil, consisting of at least one atmospheric distillation unit for separating the various fractions, a unit for the conversion of the heavy fractions obtained, a unit for improving the quality of some of the fractions obtained by actions on the chemical composition of their constituents, and units for the removal of undesired components, characterized in that the heaviest fraction, the atmospheric distillation residue, is sent to the conversion unit comprising a hydroconversion reactor in slurry phase or of the ebullated bed type, into which hydrogen or a mixture of hydrogen and S is introduced in the presence of a suitable nanodispersed hydrogenation catalyst.

A process for the refining of crude oil, comprising a separation unit of the crude oil, consisting of at least one atmospheric distillation unit for separating the various fractions, a unit for the conversion of the heavy fractions obtained, a unit for improving the quality of some of the fractions obtained by actions on the chemical composition of their constituents, and units for the removal of undesired components, characterized in that the heaviest fraction, the atmospheric distillation residue, is sent to the conversion unit comprising a hydroconversion reactor in slurry phase or of the ebullated bed type, into which hydrogen or a mixture of hydrogen and S is introduced in the presence of a suitable nanodispersed hydrogenation catalyst.

A catalyst structure includes a porous support structure, where the support structure includes an aluminosilicate material and any two or more metals loaded in the porous support structure selected from Ga, Ag, Mo, Zn, Co and Ce. The catalyst structure is used in a hydrocarbon upgrading process that is conducted in the presence of methane, nitrogen or hydrogen.

A catalyst structure includes a porous support structure, where the support structure includes an aluminosilicate material and any two or more metals loaded in the porous support structure selected from Ga, Ag, Mo, Zn, Co and Ce. The catalyst structure is used in a hydrocarbon upgrading process that is conducted in the presence of methane, nitrogen or hydrogen.

A system and method for preparing and conditioning a heavy oil feedstock for hydroprocessing in a hydroprocessing system includes forming metal sulfide catalyst particles in situ within the heavy oil feedstock. The metal sulfide catalyst particles are formed in situ by (1) premixing a catalyst precursor with a hydrocarbon diluent to form a diluted precursor mixture, (2) mixing the diluted precursor mixture with the heavy oil feedstock to form a conditioned feedstock, and (3) heating the conditioned feedstock to decompose the catalyst precursor and cause or allow metal from the precursor to react with sulfur in the heavy oil feedstock to form metal sulfide catalyst particles in situ in the heavy oil feedstock. The in situ formed metal sulfide catalyst particles catalyze beneficial upgrading reactions between the heavy oil feedstock and hydrogen and eliminates or reduces formation of coke precursors and sediment.

A system and method for preparing and conditioning a heavy oil feedstock for hydroprocessing in a hydroprocessing system includes forming metal sulfide catalyst particles in situ within the heavy oil feedstock. The metal sulfide catalyst particles are formed in situ by (1) premixing a catalyst precursor with a hydrocarbon diluent to form a diluted precursor mixture, (2) mixing the diluted precursor mixture with the heavy oil feedstock to form a conditioned feedstock, and (3) heating the conditioned feedstock to decompose the catalyst precursor and cause or allow metal from the precursor to react with sulfur in the heavy oil feedstock to form metal sulfide catalyst particles in situ in the heavy oil feedstock. The in situ formed metal sulfide catalyst particles catalyze beneficial upgrading reactions between the heavy oil feedstock and hydrogen and eliminates or reduces formation of coke precursors and sediment.

The present invention relates to a slurry hydroconversion process of a heavy oil feedstock comprising: (a) preparing a first conditioned feedstock (103) by blending said heavy oil feedstock (101) with an organic chemical compound (102) comprising at least one carboxylic acid function and/or at least one ester function and/or an acid anhydride function; (b) preparing a second conditioned feedstock (105) by mixing a catalyst precursor composition (104) with said first conditioned feedstock so that a colloidal or molecular catalyst is formed when it reacts with sulfur; (c) heating the second conditioned feedstock in at least one preheating device; (d) introducing the heated second conditioned feedstock (106) into at least one slurry bed reactor and operating said slurry bed reactor in the presence of hydrogen and at hydroconversion conditions to produce an upgraded material (107), the colloidal or molecular catalyst being formed during step (c) and/or (d).