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Title: Process for the reactivation of spent alumina-supported hydrotreating catalysts

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6161040

A hydroconversion process is described for the production of low-boiling range, low-sulfur product streams from a petroleum residuum feedstock having a metals content more than 50 p.p.m. and having a sulfur content in excess of 2.0 weight percent where the residuum is passed upwardly through each of two reaction zones containing a particulate alumina-supported catalyst which is placed in ebullation in the liquid phase environment by the upflow of said residuum and hydrogen and the internal recycle of reactor liquid products, the improvement which comprises: (a) in the final reaction zone introducing a fresh, particulate, high activity alumina-supported hydrotreating catalyst containing one or more metals of hydrotreating activity such as cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphorus, nickel and vanadium, (b) withdrawing spent catalyst from the final reaction zone, said spent catalyst being partially deactivated by metals deposited thereon in the final reaction zone, (c) reactivating the spent catalyst by (A) stripping process oil from the spent catalyst by washing with a hydrocarbon solvent at a temperature of about 200 to about 300 F and drying the washed catalyst thus obtaining free-flowing, spent catalyst, (B) washing the free flowing, supported catalyst in a solvent treating zone at a temperature of about 200 to about 500 F with an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of 2-pyrrolidone, quinoline, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, phenol, furfural and mixtures thereof for about 2 to about 10 hours, (C) recovering a reactivated alumina-supported catalyst from the solvent treating zone, (d) passing the entire effluent from the first reaction zone to the subsequent final reaction zone, (e) passing the reactivated catalyst from the final reaction zone to the first reaction zone, and (f) withdrawing a liquid hydrocarbon stream which can be fractionated to recover the unconverted residuum stream which is suitable for blending to a low sulfur fuel oil product.

Assignee:
Texaco Inc., White Plains, NY (United States)
Patent Number(s):
US 5230791; A
Application Number:
PPN: US 7-725716
OSTI ID:
6161040
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 3 Jul 1991
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English