EP3154680A1

EP3154680A1 - Catalyst with bimodal porosity, method for preparing same by comulling the active phase and use thereof for the hydrotreatment of hydrocarbon residuum

Info

Publication number: EP3154680A1
Application number: EP15729134.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Malika Boualleg; Bertrand Guichard
Original assignee: IFP Energies Nouvelles IFPEN
Current assignee: IFP Energies Nouvelles IFPEN
Priority date: 2014-06-13
Filing date: 2015-06-09
Publication date: 2017-04-19
Also published as: RU2017100960A; CN106922134B; US20170120229A1; FR3022157B1; WO2015189196A1; RU2687084C2; FR3022157A1; RU2017100960A3; CN106922134A

Abstract

The invention concerns a hydroconversion catalyst with a bimodal porous structure comprising: a predominantly calcined aluminium oxide matrix; a hydro-dehydrogenating active phase comprising at least one metal from group VIII of the periodic table, optionally at least one metal from group VIB of the periodic table, optionally phosphorus, said active phase being at least partially comulled in said predominantly calcined aluminium oxide matrix, said catalyst having a specific surface area S_BET greater than 100 m²/g, a mesoporous volume median diameter between 12 and 25 nm, terminals included, a macroporous volume median diameter of between 250 and 1500 nm, terminals included, a mesoporous volume as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry, greater than or equal to 0.55 ml/g and a total porous volume measured by mercury porosimetry greater than or equal to 0.70 ml/g. The invention also concerns a method for preparing a catalyst suitable for the hydroconversion/hydrotreatment of residuum by comulling the active phase with a specific alumina. The invention finally concerns the use of the catalyst in hydrotreatment methods, in particular the hydrotreatment of heavy feedstocks.

Description

BIMODAL POROSITY CATALYST, PROCESS FOR PREPARING THE ACTIVE PHASE AND USE THEREOF IN HYDROTREATMENT

OF HYDROCARBON RESIDUES

Technical field of the invention

The invention relates to hydrotreatment catalysts, especially residues, and relates to the preparation of comalaxed active phase hydrotreating catalysts having a texture and a formulation that are favorable for the hydrotreatment of residues, in particular for hydrodemetallization. The preparation process according to the invention also makes it possible to avoid the impregnation step usually carried out on a previously shaped support.

The invention consists in the use of catalysts comprising at least one alumina oxide matrix, at least one group VI B element, optionally at least one group VIII element, and optionally the phosphorus element. The introduction of this type of active phase before the comalaxing shaping step with a particular alumina, itself originating from the calcination of a specific gel, makes it possible unexpectedly, in hydrotreatment processes, to In particular, in a fixed bed, but also in a bubbling bed process, it is possible to significantly improve the activity in hydrodesulphurization, but also in hydrodemetallization of the catalyst, while reducing the manufacturing cost significantly.

Prior art

It is known to those skilled in the art that catalytic hydrotreating, by contacting a hydrocarbon feed with a catalyst whose properties, in terms of metals of the active phase and porosity, are previously well adjusted, significantly reduce its content of asphaltenes, metals, sulfur and other impurities while improving the hydrogen to carbon ratio (H / C) and while transforming it more or less partially into lighter cuts.

The fixed bed residue hydrotreating processes (commonly called "Residual Desulfurization" unit or RDS) lead to high refining performance: typically they can produce a boiling temperature cut above 370 ° C. containing less than 0 ° C. , 5% by weight of sulfur and less than 20 ppm of metals from fillers containing up to 5% by weight of sulfur and up to 250 ppm of metals (Ni + V). The different effluents thus obtained can serve as a basis for the production of good quality heavy fuel oils and / or pretreated feedstocks for other units such as cracking. catalytic ("Fluid Catalytic Cracking"). On the other hand, the hydroconversion of the residue into slices lighter than the atmospheric residue (gas oil and gasoline in particular) is generally low, typically of the order of 10-20% by weight. In such a process, the feed, premixed with hydrogen, circulates through a plurality of fixed bed reactors arranged in series and filled with catalysts. The total pressure is typically between 100 and 200 bar and the temperatures between 340 and 420 ° C. The effluents withdrawn from the last reactor are sent to a fractionation section.

Conventionally, the fixed bed hydrotreating process consists of at least two steps (or sections). The first so-called hydrodemetallation (HDM) stage is mainly aimed at eliminating the majority of metals from the feedstock by using one or more hydrodemetallization catalysts. This stage mainly includes vanadium and nickel removal operations and, to a lesser extent, iron. The second step, or so-called hydrodesulfurization (HDS) section, consists in passing the product of the first step over one or more hydrodesulfurization catalysts, which are more active in terms of hydrodesulphurization and hydrogenation of the feedstock, but less tolerant to metals. When the metal content in the feed is too high (above 250 ppm) and / or when a large conversion (conversion of the heavy fraction 540 ° C + (or 370 ° C +) to a lighter fraction 540 ° C- (or 370 ° C) is preferred, ebullated hydrotreating processes are preferred, and in this type of process (see MS Rana et al., Fuel 86 (2007), p1216), the purification performance is lower than that of RDS processes, but the hydroconversion of the residue fraction is high (around 45-85% vol.) The high temperatures involved, between 415 and 440 ° C, contribute to this high hydroconversion. Thermal cracking is in fact favored, as the catalyst does not generally have a specific hydroconversion function, and the effluents formed by this type of conversion may have stability problems (sediment formation).

For the hydrotreating of residues, the development of polyvalent, efficient and stable catalysts is therefore essential. For bubbling bed processes, the patent application WO 2010/002699 teaches in particular that it is advantageous to use a catalyst whose support has a median pore diameter of between 10 and 14 nm and whose distribution is narrow. It specifies that less than 5% of the pore volume must be developed in pores larger than 21 nm and in the same way, less than 10% of the volume must be observed in small pores smaller than 9 nm. US Pat. No. 5,968,348 confirms the preference of using a support whose mesoporosity remains close to 11 to 13 nm, possibly with the presence of macropores and a high BET surface. For fixed bed processes, US Pat. No. 6,780,817 teaches that it is necessary to use a catalyst support that has at least 0.32 ml / g macroporous volume for stable fixed bed operation. Such a catalyst further has a median diameter in the mesopores of 8 to 13 nm and a high specific surface area of at least 180 m ² / g. US Pat. No. 6,919,294 also describes the use of so-called bimodal, therefore mesoporous and macroporous support, with the use of high macroporous volumes, but with a mesoporous volume limited to no more than 0.4 ml / g.

US Pat. Nos. 4,976,848 and 5,089,463 describe a hydrodemetallation and hydrodesulphurization catalyst comprising a group VI and VIII metal-based hydrogenating active phase and an inorganic refractory oxide support, the catalyst being precisely between 5 and 11%. its porous volume in the form of macropores, mesopores with a median diameter greater than 16.5 nm and its use in a hydrodemetallation and hydrodesulfurization process of heavy loads.

US Pat. No. 7,169,294 describes a heavy-weight hydroconversion catalyst comprising between 7 and 20% of Group VI metal and between 0.5 and 6% by weight of Group VIII metal on an aluminum support. The catalyst has a specific surface area of between 100 and 180 m ² / g, a total pore volume greater than or equal to 0.55 ml / g, and at least 50% of the total pore volume is included in pores larger than 20 nm. at least 5% of the total pore volume is comprised in pores larger than 100 nm, at least 85% of the total pore volume being included in pores between 10 and 120 nm in size, less than 2% of pore volume total being contained in the pores of diameter greater than 400 nm, and less than 1% of the total pore volume being contained in pores with a diameter greater than 1000 nm.

Numerous developments include the optimization of the porous distribution of the catalyst or catalyst mixtures by optimizing the catalyst support.

Thus, US Pat. No. 6,589,908 describes, for example, a process for preparing an alumina characterized by the absence of macropores, less than 5% of the total pore volume constituted by pores with a diameter of greater than 35 nm, and a high pore volume greater than 0.8 ml / g, and a bimodal mesopore distribution in which the two modes are separated by 1 to 20 nm and the primary porous mode being larger than the porous median diameter. For this purpose, the method of preparation described implements two stages of precipitation of alumina precursors under well-controlled conditions of temperature, pH and flow rates. The first step operates at a temperature between 25 and 60 ° C, a pH between 3 and 10. The suspension is then heated to a temperature between 50 and 90 ° C. Reagents are again added to the slurry, which is then washed, dried, shaped and calcined to form a catalyst support. Said support is then impregnated with an active phase solution to obtain a hydrotreatment catalyst; a catalyst for hydrotreating residues on a mesoporous monomodal support of porous median diameter around 20 nm is described.

The patent application WO 2004/052534 A1 describes the use in hydrotreatment of heavy hydrocarbon feeds of a mixture of two catalysts with supports having different porous characteristics, the first catalyst having more than half the pore volume in the pores of diameter greater than 20 nm, 10 to 30% of the pore volume being contained in the pores of diameter greater than 200 nm, the total pore volume being greater than 0.55 ml / g, the second having more than 75% of the pore volume content in pores with a diameter of between 10 and 120 nm, less than 2% in pores with a diameter greater than 400 nm and 0 to 1% in pores with a diameter greater than 1000 nm. The preparation method described for the preparation of these catalysts implements a step of co-precipitating aluminum sulphate with sodium aluminate, the gel obtained is then dried, extruded and calcined. It is possible to add silica during or after precipitation. Adjusting the layout provides the characteristics of the media.

Group VIB, VII, IA or V metals may be incorporated in the support, by impregnation and / or by incorporation into the support before it is shaped into particles. Impregnation is preferred.

US Pat. No. 7,790,652 describes hydroconversion catalysts obtainable by co-precipitation of an alumina gel and then introducing metals onto the support obtained by any method known to those skilled in the art, in particular by impregnation. The resulting catalyst has a monomodal distribution with a mesoporous median diameter of between 11 and 12.6 nm and a porous distribution width of less than 3.3 nm.

Alternative approaches to the conventional introduction of metals onto aluminum supports have also been developed, such as the incorporation of catalyst fines into the support. Thus, patent application WO 2012/021386 discloses hydrotreatment catalysts comprising a porous refractory oxide support shaped from alumina powder and from 5% to 45% by weight of catalyst fines. The support comprising the fines is then dried, calcined. The support obtained has a specific surface area of between 50 m ² / g and 450 m ² / g, a median pore diameter of between 50 and 200 A, and a total pore volume exceeding 0.55 cm ³ / g. The support thus comprises metal incorporated thanks to the metals contained in the catalyst fines. The resulting support can be treated with a chelating agent. The pore volume may be partially filled by means of a polar additive, and may be impregnated with a metal impregnating solution.

In view of the prior art, it seems very difficult to obtain in a simple manner a catalyst having both a bimodal porosity, with a high mesoporous volume coupled to a macroporous volume, a very high mesopore median diameter, and a hydro-dehydrogenating active phase. Moreover, the increase in porosity is often at the expense of specific surface area and mechanical strength.

Surprisingly, the Applicant has discovered that a catalyst prepared from an alumina resulting from the calcination of a specific alumina gel having a targeted alumina content, by comalaxing a hydro-dehydrogenating active phase with the calcined alumina exhibited a porous structure of particular interest for the hydrotreatment of heavy loads, while having a suitable active phase content. Objects of the invention

The invention relates to a hydroconversion / hydrotreating residue catalyst having an optimized porous distribution and an active phase comalaxed in a calcined aluminic matrix.

The invention also relates to a catalyst preparation process suitable for the hydroconversion / hydrotreatment of residues by comalaxing the active phase with a particular alumina. The invention finally relates to the use of the catalyst in hydrotreating processes, in particular the hydrotreatment of heavy feedstocks.

Summary of the invention

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a comalaxed active phase catalyst, comprising at least one metal of group VI B of the periodic table of elements, optionally at least one metal of group VIII of the periodic table of elements, optionally of phosphorus and a predominantly calcined aluminum oxide matrix, comprising the following steps: a) a step of dissolving an aluminum acid precursor chosen from aluminum sulphate, aluminum chloride and aluminum nitrate in the water, at a temperature between 20 and 90 ° C, at a pH between 0.5 and 5, for a period of between 2 and 60 minutes; b) A step of adjusting the pH by adding to the suspension obtained in step a) at least one basic precursor chosen from sodium aluminate, potassium aluminate, ammonia, hydroxide and the like. sodium and potassium hydroxide, at a temperature between 20 and 90 ° C, and at a pH between 7 and 10, for a period of between 5 and 30 minutes; c) a step of co-precipitation of the suspension obtained at the end of step b) by adding to the suspension at least one basic precursor chosen from sodium aluminate, potassium aluminate, ammonia, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide and at least one acidic precursor selected from aluminum sulphate, aluminum chloride, aluminum nitrate, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, at least one of the basic or acidic precursors comprising aluminum, the relative flow rate of the acidic and basic precursors being chosen so as to obtain a pH of the reaction medium of between 7 and 10 and the flow rate of the aluminum-containing acidic and basic precursors being adjusted so as to obtain a final alumina concentration in the suspension of between 10 and 38 g / L;

d) a filtration step of the suspension obtained at the end of the co-precipitation step c) to obtain an alumina gel;

e) a step of drying said alumina gel obtained in step d) to obtain a powder,

f) a step of heat treatment of the powder obtained at the end of step e) at a temperature of between 500 and 1000 ° C., for a duration of between 2 and 10 h, in the presence or absence of a flux air containing up to 60% water volume to obtain a calcined aluminous porous oxide;

g) a step of kneading the calcined aluminous porous oxide obtained with a solution comprising at least one metal precursor of the active phase to obtain a paste;

h) a step of forming the paste obtained;

i) a step of drying the shaped dough at a temperature of less than or equal to 200 ° C to obtain a dried catalyst;

j) a possible step of heat treatment of the dried catalyst at a temperature between 200 and 1000 ° C in the presence or absence of water.

The alumina concentration of the alumina gel suspension obtained in step c) is preferably between 13 and 35 g / l, very preferably between 15 and 33 g / l, inclusive.

The acidic precursor is advantageously chosen from aluminum sulphate, aluminum chloride and aluminum nitrate, preferably aluminum sulphate. The basic precursor is advantageously chosen from sodium aluminate and potassium aluminate, preferably sodium aluminate. Preferably, in steps a), b), c) the aqueous reaction medium is water and said steps operate with stirring, in the absence of organic additive.

The invention also relates to a bimodal porous structure hydroconversion catalyst comprising:

a predominantly calcined aluminum oxide matrix

a hydro-dehydrogenating active phase comprising at least one Group VIB metal of the periodic table of the elements, optionally at least one metal of group VIII of the periodic table of the elements, optionally phosphorus, said active phase being at least partially comalaxed; in said matrix oxide predominantly aluminized calcined,

said catalyst having a surface area Sbet greater than 100 m 2 / g, a mesoporous median diameter by volume between 12 and 25 nm, limits included, a median macroporous volume diameter between 250 and 1500 nm, limits included, a mesoporous volume such as as measured by mercury porosimeter intrusion greater than or equal to 0.55 ml / g and a total pore volume measured by mercury porosimetry greater than or equal to 0.70 ml / g.

Preferably, the median mesoporous median diameter determined by intrusion into the mercury porosimeter is between 13 and 17 nm, inclusive.

Preferably, the macroporous volume is between 10 and 40% of the total pore volume.

Preferably, the mesoporous volume is greater than 0.70 ml / g.

Preferably, the hydroconversion catalyst does not have micropores.

Advantageously, the group VI B metal content is between 2 and 10% by weight of trioxide of at least Group VI B metal relative to the total mass of the product. catalyst, the group VIII metal content is between 0.0 and 3.6% by weight of the oxide of at least the group VIII metal relative to the total mass of the catalyst, the phosphorus element content is between 0 and 5% by weight of phosphorus pentoxide relative to the total mass of the catalyst.

The hydro-dehydrogenating active phase may be composed of molybdenum or nickel and molybdenum or cobalt and molybdenum.

The hydrodehydrogenating active phase may also include phosphorus.

Preferably, the hydro-dehydrogenating active phase is fully comalaxed.

Part of the hydro-dehydrogenating active phase may be impregnated on the calcined aluminum oxide matrix.

The invention also relates to a process for the hydrotreatment of a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock chosen from atmospheric residues, vacuum residues resulting from direct distillation, deasphalted oils, residues resulting from conversion processes such as, for example, those originating from coking, hydroconversion fixed bed, ebullated bed or moving bed, taken alone or in a mixture comprising contacting said feedstock with hydrogen and a catalyst that can be prepared according to the process of l invention or a catalyst as described above.

The process may be carried out partly in a bubbling bed at a temperature of between 320 ° and 450 ° C., under a hydrogen partial pressure of between 3 MPa and 30 MPa, at a space velocity advantageously between 0.1 and 10 vol. charge per volume of catalyst per hour, and with a hydrogen gas ratio on a hydrocarbon liquid charge advantageously between 100 and 3000 normal cubic meters per cubic meter.

The process may be carried out at least in part in a fixed bed at a temperature of between 320 ° C. and 450 ° C., at a hydrogen partial pressure of between 3 MPa and 30 MPa, at a space velocity of between 0.05 and 5. volume of charge per volume of catalyst and per hour, and with a hydrogen gas ratio on a hydrocarbon liquid charge of between 200 and 5000 normal cubic meters per cubic meter.

The process may be a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock hydrotreatment process of the fixed bed residues type comprising at least:

a) a hydrodemetallation step

b) a hydrodesulfurization step

wherein the catalyst according to the invention is used in at least one of said steps a) and b).

Detailed description of the invention

The applicant has discovered that the comalaxing of an alumina obtained from a particular gel prepared according to a preparation method described below with a metal formulation containing at least one element of group VI B, optionally at least one element of group VIII and optionally the phosphorus element makes it possible to obtain a catalyst which simultaneously has a high pore volume (greater than or equal to 0.70 ml / g), a median diameter of the mesopores corresponding to pores with a diameter of between 2 and 50 nm , high (between 12 and 25 nm) and the presence of a proportion of macropores, corresponding to pores with a diameter greater than 50 nm, high (advantageously a macroporous volume between 10 and 40% of the total pore volume), but also active phase characteristics favorable to hydrotreatment.

In addition to reducing the number of steps and therefore the manufacturing cost, the advantage of a comparison compared to an impregnation is that there is no risk of partial blockage of the porosity of the support during the deposition of the active phase and therefore the appearance of limitation problems.

Moreover, such a catalyst has a significant gain of hydrodemetallation compared to other catalysts comalaxés, and therefore requires a lower operating temperature than these to achieve the same level of conversion of metallated compounds. Terminology and characterization techniques

The catalyst used in the present invention has a specific porous distribution, where the macroporous and mesoporous volumes are measured by mercury intrusion and the microporous volume is measured by nitrogen adsorption.

"Macropores" means pores whose opening is greater than 50 nm.

By "mesopores" is meant pores whose opening is between 2 nm and 50 nm, limits included.

By "micropores" is meant pores whose opening is less than 2 nm.

In the following description of the invention, the term "specific surface" means the specific surface B.E.T. determined by nitrogen adsorption according to ASTM D 3663-78 established from the BRUNAUER-EMMETT-TELLER method described in the journal "The Journal of the American Society", 60, 309, (1938).

In the following description of the invention, the term "total pore volume of the alumina or the predominantly aluminum matrix or catalyst" means the volume measured by mercury porosimeter intrusion according to ASTM D4284-83 at a pressure of maximum of 4000 bar, using a surface tension of 484 dyne / cm and a contact angle of 140 °. The angle of wetting was taken equal to 140 ° following the recommendations of the book "Techniques of the engineer, treated analysis and characterization, P 1050-5, written by Jean Charpin and Bernard Rasneur".

In order to obtain a better precision, the value of the total pore volume in ml / g given in the following text corresponds to the value of the total mercury volume (total pore volume measured by mercury porosimeter intrusion) in ml / g measured on the sample minus the mercury volume value in ml / g measured on the same sample for a pressure corresponding to 30 psi (approximately 0.2 MPa).

The volume of macropores and mesopores of the catalyst is measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry according to ASTM D4284-83 at a maximum pressure of 4000 bar, using a surface tension of 484 dyne / cm and a contact angle of 140 °. . The value at which mercury fills all the intergranular voids is fixed at 0.2 MPa, and it is considered that beyond this the mercury enters the pores of the sample.

The macroporous volume of the catalyst is defined as the cumulative volume of mercury introduced at a pressure of between 0.2 MPa and 30 MPa, corresponding to the volume contained in the pores with an apparent diameter greater than 50 nm. The mesoporous volume of the catalyst is defined as the cumulative volume of mercury introduced at a pressure of between 30 MPa and 400 MPa, corresponding to the volume contained in the pores with an apparent diameter of between 2 and 50 nm.

The micropore volume is measured by nitrogen porosimetry. The quantitative analysis of the microporosity is carried out using the "t" method (Lippens-De Boer method, 1965) which corresponds to a transformation of the starting adsorption isotherm as described in the book "Adsorption by powders and porous solids. Principles, methodology and applications "written by F. Rouquérol, J. Rouquérol and K. Sing, Académie Press, 1999. The mesoporous median diameter (meso Dp in nm) is also defined as a diameter such that all smaller pores at this diameter constitute 50% of the total mesoporous volume determined by mercury porosimeter intrusion.

Macroporous median diameter (macro Dp in nm) is also defined as a diameter such that all pores smaller than this diameter constitute 50% of the total macroporous volume determined by mercury porosimeter intrusion.

In the following, the groups of chemical elements are given according to the CAS classification (CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, publisher CRC press, editor-in-chief DR Lide, 81 st edition, 2000-2001). For example, group VIII according to the CAS classification corresponds to the metals of columns 8, 9 and 10 according to the new IUPAC classification. General description of the catalyst

The invention relates to a hydrolysis / hydroconversion catalyst of residues with a comalaxed active phase, comprising at least one metal of group VI B of the periodic table, optionally at least one metal of group VIII of the periodic table of elements, optionally phosphorus and an aluminum oxide support, its method of preparation and its use in a hydrotreatment process of heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks such as petroleum residues (atmospheric or vacuum).

The catalyst according to the invention is in the form of a matrix comprising for the most part a calcined porous refractory oxide in which the metals of the active phase are distributed. The invention also relates to the process for preparing the catalyst which is carried out by comalaxing a particular alumina with a metal solution of formulation adapted to the target metal target for the final catalyst.

The characteristics of the gel which led to the production of alumina, as well as the textural properties and the active phase characteristics obtained, give the catalyst according to the invention its specific properties.

The Group VI B metals are advantageously selected from molybdenum and tungsten, and preferably said Group VI B metal is molybdenum.

Group VIII metals are preferably selected from iron, nickel or cobalt and nickel or cobalt, or a combination of both, is preferred.

The respective quantities of group VI B metal and of group VIII metal are advantageously such that the atomic ratio metal (aux) of group VIII on group VI B (VIII: VI B) metal (s) is between 0.0: 1 and 0.7: 1, preferably between 0.05: 1 and 0.6: 1 and more preferably between 0.2: 1 and 0.5: 1. This ratio can in particular be adjusted according to the type of load and the process used. The respective quantities of group VI B metal and phosphorus are advantageously such that the atomic phosphorus to metal (A) group VI (P / VI B) atomic ratio is between 0.2: 1 and 1.0: 1, preferably between 0.4: 1 and 0.9: 1 and even more preferably between 0.5: 1.0 and 0.85: 1.

The metal content of group VI B is advantageously between 2 and 10% by weight of group VI B metal trioxide relative to the total mass of the catalyst, preferably between 3 and 8%, and even more preferably between 4 and 8%. and 7% weight. The group VIII metal content, when at least one Group VIII metal is present, is advantageously between 0.0 and 3.6% by weight of the Group VIII metal oxide relative to the total mass of the group VIII metal. catalyst, preferably between 0.4 and 2.5% and even more preferably between 0.7 and 1.8% by weight. The content of phosphorus element, when it is present, is advantageously between 0.0 and 5% by weight of phosphorus pentoxide relative to the total mass of the catalyst, preferably between 0.6 and 3.5% by weight and even more preferably between 1.0 and 3.0% by weight. The predominantly calcined aluminum matrix of said catalyst according to the invention comprises an alumina content greater than or equal to 90% and a silica content of at most 10% by weight of SiO ₂ equivalent relative to the final oxide, preferably a content silica less than 5% by weight, very preferably less than 2% by weight. The silica may be introduced, by any technique known to those skilled in the art, during the synthesis of the alumina gel or during the comalaxing.

Even more preferably, the aluminic matrix contains nothing other than alumina.

The said co-axial phase active catalyst according to the invention is generally presented in all the forms known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, it consists of extrudates of diameter generally between 0.5 and 10 mm, preferably between 0.8 and 3.2 mm and very preferably between 1.0 and 2.5 mm. This one can be advantageously presented in the form of cylindrical, trilobed or quadrilobed extrudates. Preferably its shape will be trilobed or quadrilobed. The shape of the lobes can be adjusted according to all known methods of the prior art. The comalaxed catalyst according to the invention has particular textural properties.

The catalyst according to the invention has a total pore volume (VPT) of at least 0.70 ml / g and preferably at least 0.80 ml / g. In a preferred embodiment, the catalyst has a total pore volume of from 0.80 to 1.00 ml / g.

The catalyst used according to the invention advantageously has a macroporous volume, Vmacro or V ₅₀ nm, defined as the volume of pores with a diameter greater than 50 nm, representing between 10 and 40% of the total pore volume, and preferably between 20 and 35. % of the total pore volume. In a very preferred embodiment, the macroporous volume represents between 25 and 35% of the total pore volume.

The mesoporous volume (V _meso ) of the catalyst is at least 0.55 ml / g, preferably at least 0.60 ml / g. In a preferred embodiment, the mesoporous volume of the catalyst is between 0.60 ml / g and 0.80 ml / g.

The median mesoporous diameter is between 12 nm and 25 nm, inclusive, and preferably between 12 and 18 nm, limits included. Very preferably, the average mesoporous diameter is between 13 and 17 nm. The catalyst has a macroporous median diameter of between 250 and 1500 nm, preferably between 500 and 1000 nm, even more preferably between 600 and 800 nm.

The catalyst according to the present invention has a BET (S _B ET) specific surface area of at least 100 m ² / g, preferably at least 120 m ² / g and even more preferably between 150 and 250 m ² /boy Wut.

Preferably, the catalyst has a low microporosity, very preferably no microporosity is detectable in nitrogen porosimetry. If necessary, it is possible to increase the metal content by introducing a second part of the active phase by impregnation on the catalyst already comalaxed with a first part of the active phase. It is important to emphasize that the catalyst according to the invention differs structurally from a catalyst obtained by simply impregnating a precursor on an alumina support in which the alumina forms the support and the active phase is introduced into the pores of this support. Without wishing to be bound by any theory, it appears that the process for preparing the catalyst according to the invention by comalaxing a particular aluminous porous oxide with one or more precursors of metals makes it possible to obtain a composite in which the metals and the The alumina is intimately mixed thereby forming the catalyst structure with a porosity and an active phase content suitable for the desired reactions. Process for preparing the catalyst according to the invention Main steps

The catalyst according to the invention is prepared by co-mixing a porous aluminum oxide obtained from a specific alumina gel and the precursor (s) of metals.

The process for preparing the catalyst according to the invention comprises the following steps: Steps a) to e): Synthesis of the precursor gel of the porous oxide

f) heat treatment of the powder obtained at the end of step e);

g) Mixing of the porous oxide obtained with at least one precursor of the active phase h) Shaping of the paste obtained by kneading, for example by extrusion

i) Drying of the shaped dough obtained

j) Possible heat treatment (preferably under dry air). The solid obtained at the end of steps a) to f) undergoes a g / comalaxing step. It is then shaped in a step h), then can then simply be dried at a temperature of less than or equal to 200 ° C (step i) or dried, and then subjected to a new calcination heat treatment in a step j) optional. Prior to its use in a hydrotreatment process, the catalyst is usually subjected to a final sulfurization step. This step consists in activating the catalyst by transforming, at least in part, the oxide phase in a sulpho-reducing medium. This activation treatment by sulphurisation is well known to those skilled in the art and can be performed by any known method described in the literature. A conventional sulphurization method well known to those skilled in the art consists in heating the mixture of solids under a stream of a mixture of hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide or under a stream of a mixture of hydrogen and of hydrocarbons containing sulfur-containing molecules at a temperature of temperature between 150 and 800 ° C, preferably between 250 and 600 ° C, generally in a crossed-bed reaction zone.

Detailed description of the preparation process

The comalaxed active phase catalyst according to the invention is prepared from a specific alumina gel, which is dried and undergoes a heat treatment, before comalaxing with the active phase, and then shaped.

The steps for preparing the alumina gel used during the preparation of the catalyst according to the invention are detailed below.

The preparation of said alumina gel comprises three successive stages: a) step of dissolving an aluminum acid precursor, b) step of adjusting the pH of the suspension using a basic precursor, and c) step of co-precipitation of at least one acidic precursor and at least one basic precursor, at least one of which contains aluminum. At the end of the actual synthesis of the alumina gel, ie at the end of step c), the final alumina concentration in the alumina gel suspension must be between 10 and 38 g. / L, preferably between 13 and 35 g / l and more preferably between 15 and 33 g / l. a) Solution Stage

Step a) is a step of dissolving an aluminum acid precursor in water, carried out at a temperature of between 20 and 80 ° C, preferably between 20 and 75 ° C and more preferred between 30 and 70 ° C. The acid precursor of aluminum is chosen from aluminum sulphate, aluminum chloride and aluminum nitrate, preferably aluminum sulphate. The pH of the suspension obtained is between 0.5 and 5, preferably between 1 and 4, preferably between 1.5 and 3.5. This step advantageously contributes to an amount of alumina introduced relative to the final alumina of between 0.5 and 4%, preferably between 1 and 3%, very preferably between 1.5 and 2.5%. The suspension is left stirring for a period of between 2 and 60 minutes, and preferably 5 to 30 minutes. b) pH adjustment step

The step of adjusting the pH b) consists in adding to the suspension obtained in step a) at least one basic precursor chosen from sodium aluminate, potassium aluminate, ammonia, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide.

Preferably, the basic precursor is an aluminum precursor chosen from sodium aluminate and potassium aluminate. Very preferably, the basic precursor is sodium aluminate.

Preferably, the basic precursor (s) and acid (s) are added in said step of adjusting the pH in aqueous solution.

Step b) is carried out at a temperature between 20 and 90 ° C, preferably between 20 and 80 ° C, and more preferably between 30 and 70 ° C and at a pH between 7 and 10, preferably between 8 and 10, preferably between 8.5 and 10 and most preferably between 8.7 and 9.9. The duration of step b) of pH adjustment is between 5 and 30 minutes, preferably between 8 and 25 minutes, and very preferably between 10 and 20 minutes. c) Step coprecipitation ^(2nd precipitation)

Step c) is a step of precipitating the suspension obtained after step b) by adding to the suspension at least one basic precursor chosen from sodium aluminate, potassium aluminate, ammonia, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide and at least one acidic precursor selected from aluminum sulphate, aluminum chloride, aluminum nitrate, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, at least one of the basic precursors or acid comprising aluminum, said precursors being chosen identical or not to the precursors introduced in steps a) and b). The relative flow rate of the acidic and basic precursors is chosen so as to obtain a pH of the reaction medium of between 7 and 10 and the flow rate of the acidic and basic precursor (s) containing aluminum is adjusted so as to obtain a final alumina concentration. in the suspension of between 10 and 38 g / l, preferably between 13 and 35 g / l and more preferably between 15 and 33 g / l.

Preferably, the basic precursor (s) and acid (s) are added in said co-precipitation step in aqueous solution. Preferably, the co-precipitation step is conducted at a temperature between 20 and 90 ° C, and more preferably between 30 and 70 ° C.

The co-precipitation step c) is carried out at a pH of between 7 and 10, preferably between 8 and 10, preferably between 8.5 and 10 and very preferably between 8.7 and 9.9.

The co-precipitation step c) is preferably carried out for a period of between 1 and 60 minutes, and preferably of 5 to 45 minutes.

Preferably, said steps a), b) and c) are carried out in the absence of organic additive.

Preferably, the synthesis of the alumina gel (steps a), b) and c)) is carried out with stirring, d) Filtration step The process for preparing the alumina according to the invention also comprises a step of filtration of the suspension obtained at the end of step c).

Said filtration step is carried out according to the methods known to those skilled in the art. Said filtration step is advantageously followed by at least one washing step, with an aqueous solution, preferably with water, and preferably from one to three washing steps, with a quantity of water equal to the quantity filtered precipitate. e) Drying step

According to the invention, the alumina gel obtained at the end of the precipitation step c), followed by a filtration step d), is dried in a drying step e) to obtain a powder, said drying step being carried out advantageously at a temperature greater than or equal to 120 ° C or by atomization or by any other drying technique known to those skilled in the art.

In the case where said drying step e) is carried out by drying at a temperature above 120 ° C., said drying step d) may advantageously be carried out in a closed and ventilated oven. Preferably said drying step operates at a temperature between 120 and 300 ° C, very preferably at a temperature between 150 and 250 ° C. In the case where said drying step e) is carried out by atomization, the cake obtained at the end of the second precipitation step, followed by a filtration step, is resuspended. Said suspension is then sprayed in fine droplets, in a vertical cylindrical chamber in contact with a stream of hot air to evaporate the water according to the principle well known to those skilled in the art. The powder obtained is driven by the heat flow to a cyclone or a bag filter that will separate the air from the powder.

Preferably, in the case where said drying step e) is carried out by atomization, the atomization is carried out according to the operating protocol described in the publication Asep Bayu Dani Nandiyanto, Kikuo Okuyama, Advanced Powder Technology, 22, 1-19 , 201 1. f) Heat treatment step

According to the invention, the raw material obtained at the end of the drying step e) is then subjected to a heat treatment step f) at a temperature of between 500 and 1000 ° C. for a period of between 2 and 10 hours. h, with or without a flow of air containing up to 60% water volume. Preferably, said heat treatment is carried out in the presence of an air flow containing water.

Preferably, said heat treatment step f) operates at a temperature of between 540 ° C. and 850 ° C.

Said f) heat treatment step allows the transition of the boehmite to the final alumina.

The heat treatment step may be preceded by drying at a temperature between 50 ° C and 120 ° C, according to any technique known to those skilled in the art.

According to the invention, the powder obtained after drying step e), after heat treatment in a step f), is comalaxed with the metal precursor (s) of the active phase, in a step g) comalaxing allowing the contact or solutions containing the active phase to come into contact with the powder, and then shaping the resulting material to obtain the catalyst in a step h). step g): Comalaxing step The active phase is provided by one or more solutions containing at least one Group VIB metal, optionally at least one Group VIII metal and optionally the phosphorus element. The said solution (s) may be aqueous, consisting of an organic solvent or a mixture of water and at least one organic solvent ( for example ethanol or toluene). Preferably, the solution is aquo-organic and even more preferably aqueous-alcoholic. The pH of this solution may be modified by the possible addition of an acid.

Among the compounds which can be introduced into the solution as sources of group VIII elements, advantageously are: citrates, oxalates, carbonates, hydroxycarbonates, hydroxides, phosphates, sulphates, aluminates, molybdates, tungstates, oxides, nitrates, halides for example, chlorides, fluorides, bromides, acetates, or any mixture of the compounds set forth herein. As regards the sources of the group VIB element which are well known to those skilled in the art, there are advantageously, for example, for molybdenum and tungsten: oxides, hydroxides, molybdic and tungstic acids and their salts, in particular sodium salts. ammonium, ammonium heptamolybdate, ammonium tungstate, phosphomolybdic acid, phosphotungstic acid and their salts. Oxides or ammonium salts such as ammonium molybdate, ammonium heptamolybdate or ammonium tungstate are preferably used.

The preferred phosphorus source is orthophosphoric acid, but its salts and esters such as alkaline phosphates, ammonium phosphate, gallium phosphate or alkyl phosphates are also suitable. Phosphorous acids, for example hypophosphorous acid, phosphomolybdic acid and its salts, phosphotungstic acid and its salts can be advantageously used. An additive, for example a chelating agent of organic nature, may advantageously be introduced into the solution if the person skilled in the art deems it necessary.

Any other element, for example silica in the form of a solution or emulsion of silicic precursor, can be introduced into the mixing tank at the time of this step.

Comalaxing is advantageously carried out in a kneader, for example a "Brabender" kneader, well known to those skilled in the art. The calcined alumina powder obtained in step f) and one or more additives or possible elements are placed in the tank of the kneader. Then the solution of metal precursors, for example nickel and molybdenum, and optionally deionized water are added to the syringe for a period of a few minutes, typically about 2 minutes at a given kneading speed. After obtaining a paste, the kneading can be maintained for a few minutes, for example about 15 minutes at 50 rpm. Step h): Formatting

The paste obtained at the end of the comalaxing step g) is then shaped according to any technique known to those skilled in the art, for example the methods of forming by extrusion, by pelletizing, by the oil drop method, or by rotating plate granulation.

Preferably, said support used according to the invention is shaped by extrusion in the form of extrudates of diameter generally between 0.5 and 10 mm and preferably 0.8 and 3.2 mm. In a preferred embodiment, it will be composed of trilobed or quadrilobed extrudates of size between 1.0 and 2.5 mm in diameter.

Very preferably, said comalling step g) and said shaping step h) are combined in a single kneading-extruding step. In this case, the paste obtained after mixing can be introduced into a capillary MTS rheometer through a die having the desired diameter, typically between 0.5 and 10 mm.

Step i): Drying

According to the invention, the catalyst obtained at the end of step g) of comalaxing and shaping h) undergoes drying i) at a temperature of less than or equal to 200 ° C., preferably less than 150 ° C. C, according to any technique known to those skilled in the art, for a period advantageously between 2 and 12 hours.

Step i): heat treatment or hydrothermal

The catalyst thus dried can then undergo a complementary heat treatment or hydrothermal step j) at a temperature of between 200 and 1000 ° C., preferably between 300 and 800 ° C. and even more preferably between 350 and 550 ° C., while a duration of between 2 and 10 h, in the presence or absence of a flow of air containing up to 60% by volume of water. Several combined cycles of thermal or hydrothermal treatments can be carried out. In the case where the catalyst does not undergo a complementary step of heat treatment or hydrothermal, the catalyst is only advantageously dried in step i).

In the case where water is added, the contact with the steam can take place at atmospheric pressure (steaming) or autogenous pressure (autoclaving). In case of steaming, the water content is preferably between 150 and 900 grams per kilogram of dry air, and even more preferably between 250 and 650 grams per kilogram of dry air. According to the invention, it is possible to envisage introducing all or part of the metals mentioned during the comalaxing of the metal solution (s) with the porous aluminum oxide.

In one embodiment, in order to increase the overall active phase content on the comalaxed catalyst, a part of the metals remains introduced by impregnating said catalyst from step g / or h /, according to any method known to man of the trade, the most common being that of dry impregnation.

In another embodiment, all of the metal phase is introduced during the preparation by comalaxing the porous aluminum oxide and no additional impregnation step is therefore necessary. Preferably, the active phase of the catalyst is fully comalaxed within the calcined porous aluminum oxide.

Description of the Process for Using the Catalyst According to the Invention The catalyst according to the invention can be used in hydrotreatment processes making it possible to convert heavy hydrocarbon feeds containing sulfur impurities and metallic impurities. One objective sought by the use of the catalysts of the present invention relates to an improvement of the performances, in particular in hydrodemetallation and hydrodesulphurization, while improving the ease of preparation with respect to the catalysts known from the prior art. The catalyst according to the invention makes it possible to improve the performances in hydrodemetallation and in hydrodesulphalate with respect to conventional catalysts, while having a high stability over time.

In general, the hydrotreatment processes for converting heavy hydrocarbon feeds, containing sulfur impurities and metal impurities, operate at a temperature of between 320 and 450 ° C. under a hydrogen partial pressure of between 3 MPa and 30 MPa, at a space velocity advantageously between 0.05 and 10 volumes of filler per volume of catalyst and per hour, and with a hydrogen gas ratio on hydrocarbon liquid feed advantageously between 100 and 5000 normal cubic meters per cubic meter.

loads

The feedstocks treated in the process according to the invention are advantageously chosen from atmospheric residues, vacuum residues resulting from direct distillation, deasphalted oils, residues resulting from conversion processes such as, for example, those originating from coking, from a hydroconversion in a fixed bed, in a bubbling bed, or in a moving bed, taken alone or as a mixture. These fillers can advantageously be used as they are or else diluted by a hydrocarbon fraction or a mixture of hydrocarbon fractions which may be chosen from the products of the FCC process, a light cutting oil (LCO according to the initials of the English name of Light Cycle Oil), a heavy cutting oil (HCO according to the initials of the English name of Heavy Cycle Oil), a decanted oil (OD according to the initials of the English name of Decanted Oil), a slurry, or From the distillation, gas oil fractions including those obtained by vacuum distillation called according to the English terminology VGO (Vacuum Gas Oil). The heavy charges can thus advantageously comprise cuts resulting from the process of liquefying coal, aromatic extracts, or any other hydrocarbon cut.

Said heavy charges generally have more than 1% by weight of molecules having a boiling point greater than 500 ° C., a metal content (Ni + V) of greater than 1 ppm by weight, preferably greater than 20 ppm by weight, so very preferred greater than 50 ppm by weight, an asphaltene content, precipitated in heptane, greater than 0.05% by weight, preferably greater than 1% by weight, very preferably greater than 2%.

The heavy fillers can advantageously also be mixed with coal in the form of powder, this mixture being generally called slurry. These fillers can advantageously be by-products from the conversion of the coal and mixed again with fresh coal. The coal content in the heavy load is generally and preferably a ¼ (Oil / Coal) ratio and may advantageously vary widely between 0.1 and 1. The coal may contain lignite, be a sub-bituminous coal (according to the English terminology), or bituminous. Any other type of coal is suitable for use of the invention, both in fixed bed reactors or in bubbling bed reactors.

Setting the catalyst according to the invention

According to the invention, the comalaxed active phase catalyst is preferably used in the first catalytic beds of a process successively comprising at least one hydrodemetallization step and at least one hydrodesulfurization step. The process according to the invention is advantageously carried out in one to ten successive reactors, the catalyst (s) according to the invention can advantageously be charged in one or more reactors and / or in all or some of the reactors. .

In a preferred embodiment, reactive reactors, ie reactors operating alternately, in which hydrodemetallation catalysts according to the invention can preferably be implemented, can be used upstream of the unit. . In this preferred embodiment, the reactive reactors are then followed by reactors in series, in which hydrodesulphurization catalysts are used which can be prepared according to any method known to those skilled in the art.

In a very preferred embodiment, two permutable reactors are used upstream of the unit, preferably for the hydrodemetallation and containing one or more catalysts according to the invention. They are advantageously monitored by one to four reactors in series, advantageously used for hydrodesulfurization.

The method according to the invention can advantageously be implemented in a fixed bed with the objective of eliminating metals and sulfur and lowering the average boiling point of the hydrocarbons. In the case where the process according to the invention is carried out in fixed bed, the operating temperature is advantageously between 320 ° C. and 450 ° C., preferably 350 ° C. to 410 ° C., under a partial pressure. in hydrogen advantageously between 3 MPa and 30 MPa, preferably between 10 and 20 MPa, at a space velocity advantageously between 0.05 and 5 volume of charge per volume of catalyst per hour, and with a gaseous hydrogen gas on charge ratio hydrocarbon liquid advantageously between 200 and 5000 normal cubic meters per cubic meter, preferably 500 to 1500 normal cubic meters per cubic meter.

The process according to the invention can also advantageously be implemented partly in bubbling bed on the same charges. In the case where the process according to the invention is carried out in a bubbling bed, the catalyst is advantageously used at a temperature of between 320 and 450 ° C. under a hydrogen partial pressure of advantageously between 3 MPa and 30.degree. MPa, preferably between 10 and 20 MPa, at a space velocity advantageously between 0.1 and 10 volumes of filler per volume of catalyst and per hour, preferably between 0.5 and 2 volumes of filler by volume of catalyst and by hour, and with a gaseous hydrogen gas on hydrocarbon liquid charge advantageously between 100 and 3000 normal cubic meters per cubic meter, preferably between 200 to 1200 normal cubic meters per cubic meter. According to a preferred embodiment, the method according to the invention is implemented in a fixed bed.

Before their implementation in the process according to the invention, the catalysts of the present invention are preferably subjected to a sulphurization treatment making it possible, at least in part, to convert the metallic species into sulphides before they come into contact with the charge. treat. This activation treatment by sulphurisation is well known to those skilled in the art and can be performed by any previously known method already described in the literature. A conventional sulphurization method well known to those skilled in the art consists of heating the mixture of solids under a stream of a mixture of hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide or under a stream of a mixture of hydrogen and of hydrocarbons containing sulfur-containing molecules at a temperature of temperature between 150 and 800 ° C, preferably between 250 and 600 ° C, generally in a crossed-bed reaction zone.

The sulfurization treatment can be carried out ex situ (before the introduction of the catalyst into the hydrotreatment / hydroconversion reactor) or in situ by means of an organosulfur precursor agent of H ₂ S, for example DMDS (dimethyl disulphide).

The following examples illustrate the invention without limiting its scope. EXAMPLES

Examples

Example 1 Preparation of Metal Solutions A, B, C and D

Solutions A, B, C and D used for the preparation of catalysts A1, A2, A3, B1, C1, D1, D3 were prepared by dissolving in water the precursors of the following phases MoO ₃ , Ni (OH) ₂ , and optionally H ₃ P0 ₄ . All of these precursors come from Sigma-Aldrich. The concentration of elements of the various solutions is indicated in the following table.

Table 1: Molar concentration of the aqueous solutions prepared (expressed in mol / l)

Example 2 Preparation of Comalaxed Catalysts A1, B1 According to the Invention

Two catalysts A1 and B1 according to the invention are prepared as follows:

Preparation of Alumina: Lot AI (A1)

A laboratory reactor with a capacity of about 7000 ml is used.

The synthesis is carried out at 70 ° C. and with stirring. We have a foot of water of 1679 ml. 5 l of solution are prepared at a concentration fixed at 27 g / l of alumina in the final suspension and with a contribution rate of the first step to 2.1% of the total alumina. Step a) dissolution:

70 ml of aluminum sulphate are introduced into the reactor containing the foot of water at one time. The evolution of the pH, which remains between 2.5 and 3, is followed for 10 min. This step contributes to the introduction of 2.1% of alumina relative to the total mass of alumina formed at the end of the synthesis of the gel.

Step b) pH adjustment:

After the step of dissolving the aluminum sulphate, approximately 70 ml of sodium aluminate in solution are gradually added. The objective is to reach a pH between 7 and 10 in a period of 5 to 15 min.

Step c) co-precipitation:

In the suspension obtained in step b) are added in 30 min:

1020 ml of aluminum sulphate, ie a flow rate of 34 ml / min,

1020 ml of sodium aluminate, ie a flow rate of 34 ml / min,

1150 ml of distilled water, a flow rate of 38.3 ml / min.

Step d): At the end of the synthesis, the suspension is filtered and washed several times to obtain an alumina gel.

Step e): The cake is over-dried in an oven for at least one night at 200 ° C. The powder is obtained which must be shaped.

The main characteristics of the alumina gel obtained at the end of step e) are recalled in Table 2.

Table 2: Characteristics of the gel used for the preparation of alumina.

Content content

Loss Phase

in S in Na

detected fire

(ppm) (ppm)

in DRX (% m / m)

Boehmite 20.7 350 60 Step f): The powder obtained is then calcined at 800 ° C. for 2 hours to obtain the transition from boehmite to alumina.

Alumina AI (A1) serving as matrix for the catalyst A1 is obtained. Alumina: lot AKB1)

Alumina Al (B1) serving as a matrix for catalyst B1 is prepared in exactly the same manner as the alumina described above.

Obtaining catalysts A1 and B1

The impregnation solutions A and B were respectively kneaded in the presence of the Al (A1) and Al (B1) aluminas as described below to obtain the catalysts A1 and B1.

Step g)

The comalaxing takes place in a "Brabender" mixer with a tank of 80 cm ³ and a mixing speed of 30 rpm. The calcined powder is placed in the bowl of the kneader. Then solution A or B (MoNi (P)) is added at a speed of 15 rpm. The kneading is maintained 15 minutes after obtaining a paste.

Step h): Shaping The paste thus obtained is introduced into a piston extruder through a trilobal die diameter 2.1 mm, with an extrusion rate of 50 cm / min.

Step i): Drying The catalyst extrudates thus obtained are then dried overnight in an oven at 80 ° C. Step j): Heat treatment

The dried extrudates are then calcined at 400 ° C. for 2 hours under an air flow (VVH = 1 L / h / g). The calcined catalysts A1 and B1 have the characteristics reported in Table 4 below.

Example 3 (Comparative) Preparation of a Catalyst E Prepared by Dry Impregnation of a Formatted Alumina Support

Catalyst E is a catalyst prepared by boehmite extrusion-mixing, followed in the order of calcination and hydrothermal treatment to form an S (E) support before dry impregnation of an aqueous solution so that the metal content is the same as that introduced by the comalaxing on the catalyst A1.

Preparation of the support S (E)

The aqueous precursor solutions of sodium aluminate and aluminum sulfate are prepared from stock solution.

A laboratory reactor with a capacity of about 7000 ml is used.

The synthesis is carried out at 70 ° C. and with stirring. We have a foot of water of 1679 ml.

5L of solution at 60 g / l of final alumina and with a contribution rate of the first stage to total alumina set at 2.1% are prepared.

Step a) dissolution:

156 ml of aluminum sulphate are introduced into the reactor containing the foot of water at one time. The evolution of the pH, which remains between 2.5 and 3, is followed for 10 min. This step contributes to the introduction of 2.1% of alumina by weight relative to the total mass of alumina formed at the end of the synthesis of the gel. Step b) pH adjustment:

After the step of dissolving the aluminum sulphate, approximately 156 ml of sodium aluminate is gradually added. The objective is to reach a pH between 7 and 10 in a period of 5 to 15 min.

Step c) co-precipitation:

In the suspension obtained in step b) are added in 30 min:

2270 ml of aluminum sulphate, a flow rate of 76 ml / min,

2270 ml of sodium aluminate, a flow rate of 76 ml / min,

2600 ml of distilled water, a flow rate of 85.5 ml / min.

The pH of co-precipitation is maintained between 7 and 10.

At the end of the synthesis, the suspension is filtered and washed several times.

The cake is over-dried in an oven for at least one night at 200 ° C. The powder to be shaped is obtained. The shaping is carried out on a Brabender kneader with an acid level (total, expressed relative to dry alumina) of 1%, a neutralization rate of 20% and acid and basic fire losses respectively of 62 and 64%.

The extrusion is carried out on a piston extruder through a trilobal die diameter 2.1 mm.

After extrusion, the rods are dried overnight at 80 ° C. and calcined for 2 hours at 800 ° C. under a moist air stream in a tubular furnace (VVH = 1 l / h / g with 30% water). Extruded support S (E) having the characteristics reported in Table 3 are obtained.

Table 3: Example of Characteristics Obtained for the Support S (E) Catalyst E preparation

The support S (E) is then impregnated with a NiMoP metal phase by the so-called dry method using the same precursors as in Example 1, ie MoO ₃ , Ni (OH) ₂ , H ₃ PO ₄ . The concentration of the metals in solution sets the content, which has been chosen to be compared with that of the catalyst A1. After impregnation, the impregnated support undergoes a maturing stage of 24 hours in a saturated water atmosphere before being dried for 12 hours at 80 ° C. in air and then calcined under air at 400 ° C. for 2 hours. Catalyst E is obtained. The metal contents have been checked and are reported in Table 4.

Example 4 (Comparative) Preparation of an Incomplete Comalaxed Catalyst A2 To obtain the catalyst A2, the solution A is kneaded in the presence of an alumina AI (A2) prepared in a non-compliant manner, in that the concentration of final alumina in the suspension of step c) is not in accordance with the invention (60 g / 1).

Preparation of alumina AI (A2)

A laboratory reactor with a capacity of about 7000 ml is used.

A solution of 60 g / l of final alumina and with a contribution rate of the first step of 2.1% is prepared.

Step a) dissolution:

156 ml of aluminum sulphate are introduced into the reactor containing the foot of water at one time. The evolution of the pH, which remains between 2.5 and 3, is followed for 10 min. This step contributes to the introduction of 2.1% by weight of alumina relative to the total mass of alumina formed at the end of the synthesis of the gel. Step b) pH adjustment:

Step c) co-precipitation: In the suspension obtained in step b) are added over 30 minutes:

2270 ml of aluminum sulphate, a flow rate of 76 ml / min,

2270 ml of sodium aluminate, a flow rate of 76 ml / min,

2600 ml of distilled water, a flow rate of 85.5 ml / min. The pH of co-precipitation is maintained between 7 and 10.

The cake is over-dried in an oven for at least one night at 200 ° C. The powder obtained is then calcined at 800 ° C. for 2 hours.

Preparation of the catalyst A2

Comalaxing takes place in a "Brabender" mixer with an 80 cm ³ tank and a mixing speed of 50 rpm. The calcined powder is placed in the bowl of the kneader. Then solution A MoNi (P) is added at a speed of 15 rpm. The kneading is maintained 15 minutes after obtaining a paste. The paste thus obtained is introduced into a piston extruder through a 2.1 mm die. The extrudates thus obtained are then dried overnight in an oven at 80 ° C and then calcined at 400 ° C, 2h in air (1 l / h / g). The catalyst A2 obtained has the characteristics reported in Table 4. It has in particular an excessively high macroporous volume, to the detriment of the mesoporous volume which remains low and the median mesoporous diameter (D _pmos ) which remains low (less than 8 nm). Example 5 (Comparative): Preparation of Comalaxed Catalyst A3, Non-Conforming

Preparation of Boehmite B (A3)

The preparation of boehmite is carried out identically to steps a) to e) of the process of

Alumina preparation A1 (A1), but no heat treatment step f) is involved. A laboratory reactor with a capacity of about 7000 ml is used.

5 l of solution are prepared at a concentration of 27 g / l of alumina in the final suspension and with a contribution rate of the first step to 2.1% of the total alumina.

Step a) dissolution:

Step b) pH adjustment:

After the aluminum sulphate solution step, approximately 70 ml of sodium aluminate is gradually added. The objective is to reach a pH between 7 and 10 in a period of 5 to 15 min. Step c) co-precipitation:

In the suspension obtained in step b) are added in 30 min:

1020 ml of aluminum sulphate, ie a flow rate of 34 ml / min,

1020 ml of sodium aluminate, ie a flow rate of 34 ml / min,

1150 ml of distilled water, a flow rate of 38.3 ml / min.

The pH of co-precipitation is maintained between 7 and 10. At the end of the synthesis, the suspension is filtered and washed several times (step d)).

The cake is dried (step e)) in an oven for at least one night at 200 ° C. The powder B (A3) is obtained which must be shaped. No calcination of the powder occurs at this stage.

Preparation of catalyst A3

Solution A is then kneaded in the presence of the alumina precursor powder B (A3) (in the form AIOOH) prepared above until the drying step e). The powder is not calcined, so it is a boehmite powder. The mixing-extrusion conditions used are strictly the same as those described above (Example 4). The extrudates thus obtained are then dried overnight in an oven at 80 ° C and then calcined at 400 ° C, 2h in air (1 l / h / g).

The catalyst A3 has the characteristics reported in Table 4. Compared to the catalyst A2, the macroporous volume is lower, but it remains high, to the detriment of a very low mesoporous volume. The median mesoporous diameter (Dpmeso) is unchanged relative to the catalyst A2, so low (less than 8 nm).

Table 4: Properties of Prepared Catalysts

Analyzes of metal contents (by X-ray fluorescence)

% w Mo0 ₃ impregnated 6.05 6.12 8.17 5.94 5.89

% NiO impregnated 1, 44 1, 48 1, 94 1, 45 1, 47

% wt. P ₂ 0 ₅ impregnated 1, 68 1, 63 2.25 1, 58 1, 59

Example 6: Evaluation in Model Molecule Test of Catalysts A1, B1, A2, A3, and E

In applications such as hydrotreating in particular, vacuum distillates and residues, the hydro-dehydrogenating function plays a critical role in view of the high content of aromatic compounds in these feeds. The hydrogenation test of toluene was therefore used to know the interest of catalysts for applications such as those targeted here, in particular the hydrotreatment of residues. The catalysts previously described in Examples 2 to 5 are in-situ sulfide-dynamic in the fixed-bed tubular reactor passed through a Microcat-type pilot unit (manufacturer: Vinci Company), the fluids flowing from top to bottom. The measurements of hydrogenating activity are carried out immediately after sulphurization under pressure and without re-airing with the hydrocarbon feedstock which was used to sulphurize the catalysts.

The sulfurization and test load is composed of 5.8% dimethyl disulphide (DMDS), 20% toluene and 74.2% cyclohexane (by weight).

The sulfurization is carried out at room temperature up to 350 ° C., with a temperature ramp of 2 ° C./min, a VVH = 4 h ^-1 and H ₂ / H ₂ = 450 Nl / I. The catalytic test is carried out at 350 ° C at VVH = 2 h ^"1 and H ₂ / HC equivalent to that of sulfurization, with a minimum sampling of 4 recipes that are analyzed by gas chromatography.

The stabilized catalytic activities of equal volumes of catalysts are thus measured in the hydrogenation reaction of toluene.

The detailed conditions for activity measurement are as follows:

- Total pressure: 6.0 MPa

- Toluene pressure: 0.37 MPa

Cyclohexane pressure: 1.42 MPa

- 0.22 MPa methane pressure

- Hydrogen pressure: 3.68 MPa

- H ₂ S pressure: 0.22 MPa

Catalyst volume: 4 cm ³ (extruded length between 2 and 4 mm)

- Hourly space velocity: 2 hrs ^"1

- Sulphurization and test temperature: 350 ° C Samples of the liquid effluent are analyzed by gas chromatography. The determination of the unconverted toluene (T) molar concentrations and the concentrations of its hydrogenation products (methylcyclohexane (MCC6), ethylcyclopentane (EtCC5) and dimethylcyclopentanes (DMCC5)) make it possible to calculate a toluene hydrogenation rate. XHYD defined by: MCC6 + EtCC + DMCC5

%) = 100x- T + MCC6 + EtCCS + DMCC5

Since the hydrogenation reaction of toluene is of order 1 under the test conditions used and the reactor behaves like an ideal piston reactor, the hydrogenating activity Αμγρ of the catalysts is calculated by applying the formula:

Table 5 below makes it possible to compare the relative hydrogenating activities of the catalysts.

Table 5: Comparison of the hydrogenation performance of toluene catalysts according to the invention (A1, B1) and comparison with non-compliant catalysts

A2, A3 and E

These catalytic results show the particular effect of the comalaxing of a metal solution with an alumina according to the preparation method according to the invention, namely a hydrogenation activity at least maintained, with respect to a reference catalyst impregnated with a phase content. equivalent (catalyst E), and much better than for catalysts comalaxed from calcined alumina from non-conformably prepared alumina gel (catalyst A2) or from boehmite (catalyst A3), with a cost less manufacturing and improved ease of preparation. Example 7 Batch Evaluation of Catalysts A1, B1, A2, A3, and E

The catalysts A1 and B1 prepared according to the invention, but also the comparative solids A2, A3 and E, were subjected to a perfectly stirred batch reactor catalytic test on an Arabian Light RSV load (the characteristics of which are described in Table 6). ). Table 6: Characteristics of the RSV Arabian Light load used

To do this, after an ex-situ sulphurization step by circulation of a gaseous mixture H ₂ S / H ₂ for 2 hours at 350 ° C., 15 ml of catalyst is charged, protected from the air, in the reactor. batch then is covered with 90 ml of load. The operating conditions applied are then as follows:

Table 7: Operating conditions implemented in a batch reactor

At the end of the test, the reactor is cooled and after triple stripping the atmosphere under nitrogen (10 minutes at 1 MPa), the effluent is collected and analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (sulfur and metals). of HDS is defined as follows HDS (%) = ((% wt S) _load - (% wt S) _re this) / (% wt S) _load x 100

In the same way, the HDM rate is defined as follows:

HDM (%) = ((ppm wt Ni + V) _cha rge- (ppm wt Ni + V) _reCet ) / (ppm wt Ni + V) _cha rge x 100

The performances of the catalysts are summarized in Table 8. It is clearly shown that by carrying out the comalaxing according to the invention, in addition to reducing the cost of manufacturing the catalyst, performance at least as good as for catalysts prepared by dry impregnation, and much better than for catalysts comalaxés from non-compliant supports (alumina concentration of the non-compliant gel or comalaxing from non-calcined boehmite powder);

Table 8: HDS, HDM performance of catalysts according to the invention (A1, B1) and comparison with non-compliant catalysts A2, A3 and E

The use of a specific alumina gel according to the protocol described makes it possible to obtain catalysts with active phase comalaxed at low cost and with maintained hydrodesulfurization and hydrodemetallation performances.

EXAMPLE 8 Evaluation in fixed bed hydrotreatment of the catalysts A1 and B1 according to the invention and comparison with the catalytic performances of the catalyst E.

The catalysts A1 and B1 prepared according to the invention were compared in a petroleum residue hydrotreatment test with, in comparison, the performances of the catalyst E. The charge consists of a mixture of an atmospheric residue (RA) of Middle East origin (Arabian medium) and a vacuum residue (Arabian Light). The corresponding charge is characterized by high contents of Conradson Carbon (14.4% by weight) and Asphaltenes (6.1% by weight) and a high amount of nickel (25 ppm by weight), vanadium (79 ppm by weight). and sulfur (3.90% by weight). The full characteristics of these loads are reported in Table 9. Table 9: Characteristics of RA AM / RSV AL Loads Used for Testing

After a sulphurization step by circulation in the reactor of a gas oil fraction supplemented with DMDS at a final temperature of 350 ° C., the unit with the petroleum residue described below is operated under the operating conditions of Table 10.

Table 10: Operating conditions implemented in a fixed bed reactor

The mixture of RA AM / RSV AL feeds is injected and then the temperature of the test is raised. After a stabilization period of 300 hours, the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodemetallation (HDM) performances are recorded.

The performances obtained (Table 1 1) confirm the results of Example 7, that is to say the good performance of the catalysts comalaxés according to the invention compared to reference catalyst, prepared according to dry impregnation methods. However, a gain in preparation cost and greater ease of it is presented by the preparation route according to the invention.

Table 1 1: HDS, HDM performances of catalysts A1 and B1 compared to

comparative catalyst E

EXAMPLE 9 Preparation of Comalaxed Catalysts C1 and D1 (According to the Invention) for Hydroconversion and D3 Catalyst Prepared by Comalaxing with a Boehmite Powder (Comparative)

The impregnation solutions C and D as prepared in Example 1 are kneaded in the presence of the first alumina AI (A1) used for the synthesis of the catalyst A1, according to the protocol described in Example 2, to respectively obtain the catalysts C1 and D1.

Catalysts C1 and D1 have the characteristics reported in Table 12 below.

The boehmite B powder (A3) prepared in Example 5 is comalaxed with the solution D according to the protocol described in Example 5 to obtain the catalyst D3.

Table 12: Prepared hydroconversion catalysts

Example 10 Evaluation in a Batch Test Under the Conditions of the Hydroconversion of Catalysts C1, D1 and D3

The catalysts C1, and D1 prepared according to the invention, but also the comparative catalyst D3 were subjected to a catalytic test batch reactor perfectly stirred on a load of RSV Safanyia type (Arabian Heavy, see characteristics in Table 13). Table 13: Characteristics of the RSV Safanyia load used

To do this, after an ex-situ sulphurization step by circulating an H ₂ S / H ₂ gas mixture for 2 hours at 350 ° C., a volume of 15 ml of catalyst is charged away from the air. in the batch reactor, then is covered with 90 ml of filler. The operating conditions applied are then as follows:

Table 14: Operating conditions implemented in a batch reactor (hydroconversion)

At the end of the test, the reactor is cooled and after a triple stripping of the atmosphere under nitrogen (10 minutes at 1 MPa), the effluent is collected and analyzed by fluorescence X-rays (sulfur and metals) and by simulated distillation (ASTM D7169).

The HDS ratio is defined as follows:

HDS (%) = ((% wt S) _c arge - (wt% S) _Rec etie) / (wt% S) _cha rge X 100 In the same way, the HDM rate is defined as follows:

HDM (%) = ((ppm wt Ni + V) _feed - (ppm wt Ni + V) _recipe ) / (ppm wt Ni + V) _feed x 100 Finally, the conversion rate of the 540 ° C + fraction is defined by the following relation:

HDX ₅ 4o + (%) = ((X540 +) charge- (X540 +) effluent) / (X540 +) load X 100

The performances of the catalysts are summarized in Table 15. It is clearly shown that by carrying out the comalaxing according to the invention (C1 and D1 catalysts), in addition to reducing the cost of manufacturing the catalyst, overall performance is observed at least as much. good only for catalysts comalaxed from boehmite (catalyst D3), and better with respect to the hydrotreating of the residue under vacuum (RSV) and the proportion of sediments formed. In the following, the results are presented by positioning the comparative catalyst by definition at 100. The HDS hydrodesulfurization, hydrodemetallation HDM, conversion and sediment levels are then placed relative to this reference level.

Table 15: HDS, HDM performances of the catalysts according to the invention (C1, D1) and comparison with the non-D3-compliant catalyst

Claims

Process for the preparation of a comalaxed active phase catalyst comprising at least one Group VI B metal from the Periodic Table of Elements, optionally at least one Group VIII metal of the Periodic Table of Elements, optionally phosphorus and an oxide matrix predominantly calcined aluminum, comprising the following steps: a) a step of dissolving an aluminum acid precursor chosen from aluminum sulphate, aluminum chloride and aluminum nitrate in water, a temperature of between 20 and 90 ° C, at a pH of between 0.5 and 5, for a period of between 2 and 60 minutes; b) A step of adjusting the pH by adding to the suspension obtained in step a) at least one basic precursor chosen from sodium aluminate, potassium aluminate, ammonia, hydroxide and the like. sodium and potassium hydroxide, at a temperature between 20 and 90 ° C, and at a pH between 7 and 10, for a period of between 5 and 30 minutes; c) a step of co-precipitation of the suspension obtained at the end of step b) by adding to the suspension at least one basic precursor chosen from sodium aluminate, potassium aluminate, ammonia, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide and at least one acidic precursor selected from aluminum sulphate, aluminum chloride, aluminum nitrate, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, at least one of the basic or acidic precursors comprising aluminum, the relative flow rate of the acidic and basic precursors being chosen so as to obtain a pH of the reaction medium of between 7 and 10 and the flow rate of the aluminum-containing acidic and basic precursors being adjusted so as to obtain a final alumina concentration in the suspension of between 10 and 38 g / l;

e) a step of drying said alumina gel obtained in step d) to obtain a powder, f) a step of heat treatment of the powder obtained at the end of step e) at a temperature of between 500 and 1000 ° C., for a duration of between 2 and 10 h, in the presence or absence of a flux air containing up to 60% water volume to obtain a calcined aluminous porous oxide;

h) a step of forming the paste obtained;

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the alumina concentration of the alumina gel suspension obtained in step c) is between 13 and 35 g / l.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the alumina concentration of the alumina gel suspension obtained in step c) is between 15 and 33 g / l.

4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the acidic precursor is selected from aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride and aluminum nitrate.

5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the basic precursor is selected from sodium aluminate and potassium aluminate.

6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5 wherein in steps a), b), c) the aqueous reaction medium is water and said steps operate with stirring, in the absence of organic additive.

7. Bi-mode porous structure hydroconversion catalyst comprising:

a predominantly calcined aluminum oxide matrix

a hydro-dehydrogenating active phase comprising at least one Group VIB metal of the periodic table of elements, optionally at least one metal of group VIII of the periodic table of the elements, optionally phosphorus, said active phase being at least partially comalaxed within said calcined aluminum oxide matrix,

said catalyst having a surface area S _B ET greater than 100 m ² / g, a mesoporous median diameter by volume between 12 and 25 nm, limits included, a median macroporous volume diameter between 250 and 1500 nm, limits included, a mesoporous volume as measured by mercury porosimeter intrusion greater than or equal to 0.55 ml / g and a total pore volume measured by mercury porosimetry greater than or equal to 0.70 ml / g.

8. Hydroconversion catalyst according to claim 7 having a median mesoporous volume diameter determined by mercury porosimeter intrusion between 13 and 17 nm, limits included.

9. The hydroconversion catalyst according to one of claims 7 to 8 having a macroporous volume representing between 10 and 40% of the total pore volume.

10. The hydroconversion catalyst according to one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the mesoporous volume is greater than 0.70 ml / g.

1 1. Hydroconversion catalyst according to one of claims 7 to 10 not having micropores.

12. A hydroconversion catalyst according to one of claims 7 to 11 wherein the group VI B metal content is between 2 and 10% by weight of Group VI B metal trioxide relative to the total mass of the catalyst. the group VIII metal content is between 0.0 and 3.6% by weight of the Group VIII metal oxide relative to the total mass of the catalyst, the phosphorus content is between 0 and 5; % by weight of phosphorus pentoxide relative to the total mass of the catalyst.

13. A hydroconversion catalyst according to one of the preceding claims wherein the hydro-dehydrogenating active phase is composed of molybdenum or nickel and molybdenum or cobalt and molybdenum.

The hydroconversion catalyst of claim 13 wherein the hydrodehydrogenating active phase also comprises phosphorus.

15. Process for hydrotreatment of a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock selected from atmospheric residues, vacuum residues from direct distillation, deasphalted oils, residues resulting from conversion processes of a fixed-bed hydroconversion, bubbling bed or in a moving bed, taken alone or in a mixture, comprising bringing said feedstock into contact with hydrogen and with a catalyst which can be prepared according to one of claims 1 to 6 or a catalyst according to one of the Claims 7 to 14.

16. Hydroprocessing process according to claim 15 made in part in a bubbling bed at a temperature between 320 and 450 ° C, under a hydrogen partial pressure of between 3 MPa and 30 MPa, at a space velocity between 0, 1 and 10 volumes of filler per volume of catalyst per hour, and with a gaseous hydrogen gas on liquid hydrocarbon charge of between 100 and 3000 normal cubic meters per cubic meter.

17. hydrotreatment process according to claim 15 or 16 made at least partly in fixed bed at a temperature between 320 ° C and 450 ° C, at a hydrogen partial pressure of between 3 MPa and 30 MPa, at a speed of of space between 0.05 and 5 volume of charge per volume of catalyst per hour, and with a gaseous hydrogen ratio on hydrocarbon liquid charge of between 200 and 5000 normal cubic meters per cubic meter.

18. Process for the hydrotreatment of heavy hydrocarbon feedstock of the fixed bed residue type according to claim 17 comprising at least:

a) a hydrodemetallation step

b) a hydrodesulfurization step

wherein said catalyst is used in at least one of said steps a) and b).