Estimation of Activation Energies During Hydrodesulfurization of Middle Distillates

An estimation of activation energies during hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of middle distillates, was presented. HDS of different petroleum distillates was carried out in a batch reactor using commercial CoMo catalyst and reaction conditions. It was observed that kerosene HDS conversion remained constant after 750 rpm, while for the other feeds this condition was achieved at 1000 rpm. It was observed that the difference was mainly due to the viscosity of the different hydrocarbon feeds. Activation energies were also determined in a batch autoclave for the hydrodesulfurization of kerosene, light straight-run gas oil, heavy straight-run gas oil, and light cycle oil successfully. The results showed that working at low conversions magnified the differences and the effect of stirring was much clearer.