A solid particle bed has a sea zone and at least one island zone distributed in the sea zone, and has an upper surface, a lower surface, an axial direction and a radial direction. The island zone extends along the axial direction of the solid particle bed but does not extend to the lower surface, and the voidage of the island zone is 110-300% of the voidage of the sea zone. In the solid particle bed, the oil preferentially enters the packing area with a small voidage through the tail section of the packing area with a large voidage. As the deposition amount increases, the oil gradually changes its way by entering the packing area with a small voidage through the side of the packing area with a large voidage.

The present invention provides a process for hydro-demetallizing of residual hydro-carbonaceous feedstock. The process includes passing the feedstock to a vertically-disposed reaction zone comprising at least one moving bed reactor. The at least one moving bed reactor includes at least one catalyst bed of hydro-demetallization catalyst configured for catalyst addition and removal. The hydrodemetallization catalyst is subjected to in-line fresh catalyst deairing, pressurizing, and hydrocarbon soaking via a catalyst sluicing system and sulphidic activation before entering at a top portion of the moving bed reactor. The hydrodemetallization catalyst is added to the moving bed reactor through gravity and any spent hydrodemetallization catalyst is removed from a bottom portion of the moving bed reactor during processing of the feedstock. The spent hydrodemetallization catalyst is subjected to in-line spent catalyst hydrocarbon removal, depressurizing, inerting, and airing.

This disclosure relates to catalyst compositions comprising a metal complex and aromatic bottoms comprising C.sub.9+ hydrocarbons, methods of forming catalyst compositions, and methods of hydrocracking petroleum compositions.

System and method for mixing a catalyst precursor into heavy oil include parallel mixing lines configured to receive and mix a diluted precursor mixture (catalyst precursor premixed with a hydrocarbon diluent) with heavy oil to form a conditioned feedstock. One of the mixing lines can be periodically taken offline (e.g., for maintenance) while one or more remaining mixing lines continue to form conditioned feedstock. A bypass line maintains substantially continuous flow volume of heavy oil when one of the mixing lines is taken offline. Valves and flow meters can be used to regulate flow through the mixing lines and bypass line. The system permits virtually unlimited scaleup of the mixing process while permitting periodic maintenance of the system without taking it completely offline. Mixing a catalyst precursor into heavy oil forms colloidal-sized catalyst particles in situ having high catalytic activity that promote beneficial upgrading reactions when hydroprocessing heavy oil.

A process for activating a hydrogenation catalyst comprising nickel to produce a selective hydrogenation catalyst, comprising contacting the hydrogenation catalyst with a mixed gas comprising and hydrogen sulfide and periodically increasing the temperature of the mixed gas in increments until the mixed gas reaches a temperature that facilities the efficient catalytic hydrogenation of both acetylene and butadiene by the modified catalyst, while the modified catalyst is simultaneously characterized by low selectivity for the hydrogenation of ethylene. The disclosure further claims a process that utilizes the modified catalyst to selectively hydrogenate acetylene and butadiene contaminants in a raw light olefin stream produced by thermal cracking, thereby extending the useful catalytic lifespan of a downstream oligomerization catalyst that converts the light olefins stream to a liquid transportation fuel, or a blend stock thereof.

The invention relates to a process for producing an upgraded renewable oil from renewable carbonaceous material(-s) comprising providing a low sulphur oxygen containing renewable crude oil having a sulphur content of less than 0.5 wt % and an oxygen content from about 2.0 wt to about 20 wt %, pressurising the low sulphur oxygen containing renewable crude oil to an operational pressure in the range 20 to 200 bar, adding and mixing hydrogen to the pressurized low sulphur oxygen containing crude oil, heating the oil to an operational temperature in the range 180-410° C. in one or more steps, contacting said oil with at least one heterogeneous catalyst contained in a first reaction zone, contacting the effluent from said first reaction zone with at least one heterogeneous catalyst contained in a second reaction zone, where in at least one of the heterogeneous catalysts in the first reaction zone and/or the second reaction zone is on a non-sulphided form.

An ebullated bed hydroprocessing system is upgraded using a dual catalyst system that includes a heterogeneous catalyst and dispersed metal sulfide particles to improve the quality of vacuum residue. The improved quality of vacuum residue can be provided by one or more of reduced viscosity, reduced density (increased API gravity), reduced asphaltene content, reduced carbon residue content, reduced sulfur content, and reduced sediment. Vacuum residue of improved quality can be produced while operating the upgraded ebullated bed reactor at the same or higher severity, temperature, throughput and/or conversion. Similarly, vacuum residue of same or higher quality can be produced while operating the upgraded ebullated bed reactor at higher severity, temperature, throughput and/or conversion.

Disclosed is a method for preparing a carbonized silk photocatalyst, comprising; soaking a natural silk and an activator in water, taking out the soaked silk, and drying the same; and roasting the dried silk under the protection of an inert atmosphere to prepare a carbonized silk photocatalyst. Also disclosed is a method for photocatalytic desulfurization of a fuel oil, comprising: mixing a fuel oil to be desulfurated, an extraction agent and a carbonized silk photocatalyst, with air being used as an oxidizing agent, to conduct a photocatalytic reaction under light irradiation, and separating an upper oil phase to obtain a desulfurated fuel oil. The catalyst has a simple preparation process, and can effectively reduce dibenzothiophene sulfides, which are difficult to remove, in the fuel oil under UV light radiation. Desulfurization can be achieved at room temperature, and reaction conditions are mild.

An ebullated bed hydroprocessing system is upgraded using a dual catalyst system that includes a heterogeneous catalyst and dispersed metal sulfide particles to increase rate of production of converted products. The rate of production is achieved by increasing reactor severity, including increasing the operating temperature and at least one of throughput or conversion. The dual catalyst system permits increased reactor severity and provides increased production of converted products without a significant increase in equipment fouling and/or sediment production. In some cases, the rate of production of conversion products can be achieved while decreasing equipment fouling and/or sediment production.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a process for modifying catalysts comprising introducing a precursor agent and hydrogen gas to a conversion reactor; contacting the precursor agent with a conversion catalyst in the conversion reactor, thereby producing an active agent; introducing the active agent to a production reactor; and contacting the active agent with a hydroprocessing catalyst in the production reactor, thereby producing a modified hydroprocessing catalyst.