New catalysts for hydrotreatment and conversion of heavy feeds

Originally conceived for production of low-sulfur heavy fuel oils residuum hydroprocessing has evolved, with the declining demand for fuel, into a flexible way of upgrading highly contaminated feedstocks. Fluid catalytic cracking of hydrotreated topped crudes and resid hydrocracking are two routes, among several others, where hydroprocessing contributes effectively to the conversion of residual oils into distillates. Whatever is the aim of the hydrotreater desulfurization, FCC feed improvement, or direct hydroconversion - proper catalyst selection is the key to successful operation. TOTAL French Petroleum Company, which has been involved for more than ten years in the research and development of hydrotreating catalysts, has designed two new lines of catalysts for heavy feeds: CSM 481, an HDS catalyst, and CDM 112 and CDM 152, and HDM catalysts. The present paper focuses on the CDM series but presents also typical performances of CDM-CSM combinations.