Characterization of the Reaction Performance for Residue Hydrotreating Feedstocks

The properties and compositions of feedstocks have great impact on reaction performances in residue hydrotreating. It has been found that the widely accepted parameter (e.g., Watson K) for characterizing crude oil and distillate was inaccurate in describing residue hydrotreating properties. In this work, a new characterization index, the key parameter for residue hydrotreating (K RH), was put forward through analysis of a large amount of experimental data on residue feedstocks with different sources and properties. K RH can be expressed in terms of H/C, density, aromatic-carbon molar ratio, and average molecular weight of the feedstock. It correlates well with the sulfur removal rate, nitrogen removal rate, residue conversion, and coke yield for residue hydrotreating and, thus, can be used as a satisfactory index to predict the reaction performance and guide residue hydrotreating operation.