Upgrading of a Petroleum Residue. Kinetics of Conradson Carbon Residue Conversion

Abstract

A pretreated petroleum residue was hydroprocessed in a continuous hydroprocessing unit provided with a continuous stirred tank reactor. In this paper, the kinetic study of Conradson carbon residue (CCR) conversion is reported. The range of CCR conversion is 5.6−62.4%. The data of CCR conversion fit first-order kinetics, and the activation energy is 36.3 kcal/mol. No pressure dependence of the rate constants as defined by the equation K = K * was observed. The structural analysis of the feed and products indicated that hydroprocessing produces an increase in the saturated fraction and a decrease in the polar fraction. The higher content of saturated fraction in the products obtained at 400 °C than in those obtained at 415 °C together with the increase in aromatic carbon and decrease in molecular weight in the products processed at 415 °C seem to indicate that cyclization reactions plus aromatization of the formed rings are being produced at this temperature. The asphaltene content was linearly related with the CCR content, and the gas yield and 525+ °C fraction conversion were linearly related with the CCR conversion.