An investigation of the deactivation behavior of industrial Mo/Al2O3 and Ni-Mo/Al2O3 catalysts in hydrotreating Kuwait atmospheric residue

The catalyst system for fixed-bed residue hydrotreating processes usually consists of different types of catalysts designed to promote hydrodemetallation (HDM), hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) reactions to desired levels. Overall catalyst life is determined by the performance of the individual catalysts in the different reactors. Therefore, information about the activity, stability, selectivity, and deactivation behavior of the individual catalyst is highly desirable to design improved catalysts that can prolong catalyst life, increase stream efficiency, and improve process economics. In the present work, residue hydrotreating experiments were conducted on two types of industrial hydrotreating catalysts, namely Mo/Al2O3 and Ni-Mo/Al2O3, that have been used as HDM and HDS catalysts, respectively, in an industrial ARDS process. The primary objective of the study was to compare the deactivation behavior of both types of catalyst. The characterization of the used catalysts by elemental analysis, surface area, pore volume, and pore size measurements along with TPO-MS, C-13 NMR, and electron microprobe analysis showed significant differences in the nature of the coke and metal deposits on the two types of catalysts. The role of initial coking, the relative importance of the coke, and metal depositions on the deactivation of the two types of catalyst are discussed.