GB1209967A - Petroleum purification - Google Patents

Abstract

1,209,967. Hydrorefining; hydrocracking. ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO. 25 April, 1968 [25 April, 1967], No. 19773/68. Heading C5E. A petroleum feed, e.g. crude or topped crude oil, or oils derived from shale oil, tar sand or coal, containing sulphur impurities and metals is preheated at 14, before or after mixing with at least 2,500 S.C.F. of recycle hydrogen per barrel of feed, and hydrodesulphurized at 16 while in the liquid phase at 600-850‹ F. and 500-5000 p.s.i.g. using a catalyst comprising an oxide or sulphide of V, G, Mo, W, U, Fe, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir or Pt on a support made by calcining an aluminium hydroxide containing 1À2 to 2À6 moles of water of hydration. The hydrodesulphurized effluent is separated at 40 into a gaseous stream 42 and a liquid stream 41. The gaseous stream is then hydrocracked at 22 in the vapour phase at 700-1000‹ F. and 500- 5000 p.s.i.g. using as a catalyst an oxide or sulphide of Cr, Mo, W, U, Fe, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir or Pt deposited on an oxide of Si, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, B, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Zr, Hf or Th. The hydrocracked material is separated at 28 into a gas stream 31 from which recycle hydrogen is obtained and a liquid stream 29 which provides naphtha, and furnace and fuel oil containing less than 0À5 wt. per cent sulphur. The process can be modified (Fig. 2, not shown) by hydrocracking the liquid stream 41 after heating it with added hydrogen, separating this hydrocracked effluent into a gas stream which is combined with the gas stream 42 from the separator 40 and a liquid stream which is mixed with the liquid stream 25 entering the cooler 26. In an example the catalyst used for hydrodesulphurization consists of 0À6% Ni, 1% Co and 8% Mo on alumina and the hydrocracking catalyst consists of 3% cobalt oxide and 12% molybdenum oxide on an alumina support.