Catalytic and transport mechanisms of supercritical fuels. Final report, 1 March 1993-15 October 1996

Technical Report · Tue Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:468415

Moster, W R; Ma, Y H; Spadaccini, L

One of the largest scale catalytic processes practiced in the petroleum industry is the cracking of large petroleum molecules into smaller hydrocarbons, primarily in the gasoline range. In the United States, cracking capacity exceeds l0-l5 million barrels per day. However, the efficient conversion of low grade hydrocarbons to engine fuels with the concomitant absorption of large amounts of heat requires high temperature processing in order to overcome the thermodynamic limitations on conversion. Commercial catalytic cracking and reforming catalysts would rapidly deactivate within the order of seconds when applied under the temperatures required to operate an efficient endothermic fuel conversion process. The overall objective of this research is based on developing a good understanding of the mechanism and theoretical aspects of the behavior of fuels processed by catalysts under supercritical conditions to avoid rapid catalyst deactivation. The approach to be used in this research to gain direct mechanistic information relating to this problem is the use of a novel technique which the authors developed for examining catalytic reactions via in-situ spectroscopic methods under supercritical conditions.

• Research Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Inst., MA (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
• OSTI ID: 468415
• Report Number(s): AD-A--320741/2/XAB; CNN: Contract F49620-93-1-0204
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
CATALYSIS
CATALYSTS
CATALYTIC CRACKING
DEACTIVATION
FUELS
GASOLINE
HYDROCARBONS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PROGRESS REPORT
SUPERCRITICAL STATE