Supported Catalyst Regeneration and Reuse for Upgrading of Athabasca Bitumen in Conjunction With In-Situ Combustion

A commercial supported catalyst was regenerated and reused for three combustion-tube tests to study the upgrading potential of Athabasca bitumen supplied by Japan Canada Oil Sand Ltd. (JACOS). These tests were part of a larger program of combustion-tube tests performed by the In-Situ Combustion Research Group (ISCRG) under the auspices of the Alberta Ingenuity Center for In-Situ Energy (AICISE). The tests were premixed and carried out at the same pressure of 3.45 mPa (500 psi), preheat temperature (95 degrees C), and ignition temperature (350 degrees C). Test 1 used a fresh supported catalyst. Test 2 used a regenerated catalyst retrieved from Test 1, and Test 3 used regenerated catalysts (second time regeneration of catalysts from Test 1) retrieved from Test 2. Significant hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), 52% for the fresh catalyst Test 1, 38.1% for regenerated catalyst Test 2 and 23.8% for regenerated catalyst Test 3, was obtained. The levels of hydrodesulfurisation (HDS) obtained were 18.1, 18.4, and 15.2% for Tests 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The significant HDN and HDS removal coupled with decreased viscosity, increased degrees API value, and light hydrocarbons indicate upgrading of the original Athabasca bitumen for all three tests. The results showed that although the regenerated catalyst Tests 2 and 3 lost HDN activity compared to the fresh catalyst, the regenerated catalysts were still active for repeated use for in-situ upgrading.