Hydroprocess catalyst selection

Flexibility in residuum hydroprocessing becomes a requirement as fuel oil demand weakens, crude slates tend to be heavier, and variability in crude oil cost and supply become the norm. One means of providing flexibility is to incorporate residuum hydrotreating ahead of a heavy oil catalytic cracking unit which converts heavier components into lighter, more valuable products. Alternatively, significant conversion of the residuum to lighter products can be achieved by the operation of the residuum hydrotreater at a higher severity to facilitate hydrocracking reactions. This paper focuses on the design and selection of catalytic systems in the framework of a unified reactor modeling scheme for such residuum hydroprocessing applications.