Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Shale Oil to Produce Distillate Fuels

Abstract

Paraho shale oil is too high in nitrogen (2.2%) and other contaminants to be used directly as a fuel in most current applications. The key to successful shale oil refining is a hydrotreating process to remove these contaminants. In this study, nitrogen was reduced to concentrations as low as 1 ppm in the hydrotreated whole oil in a single catalytic stage using a catalyst containing nickel, tungsten, silica, and alumina. However, it is economically preferable to hydrotreat at less severe conditions to convert the shale oil to a premium synthetic crude containing about 500 ppm of nitrogen. This synthetic crude resembles a typical hydrorefined petroleum gas oil and is suitable for downstream processing to specification transportation fuels in conventional modern refineries.fois chapter presents results of a Chevron Research Company study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate the feasibility of converting whole shale oil to a synthetic crude resembling a typical petroleum distillate. The synthetic crude thus produced then can be processed, in conventional petroleum-refining facilities, to transportation fuels such as high-octane gasoline and diesel and jet fuels. The raw shale oil feed used in this study is a typical Colorado shale oil produced in a surface retort in the so-called indirectly heated mode.Crude shale oil is an important potential source of transportation fuels when properly refined. However, although it is low in sulfur compared with mid-East crudes, it is much higher in nitrogen than typical petroleum crudes. The shale oil used in this study contains 2.2 wt % nitrogen; typical petroleum crudes contain less than 0.3% nitrogen. 0-8412-0456-X/79/33-179-025$06.75/l

Representation of petroleum fractions by group contribution

“…One may, for example, use the Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state to predict K values, enthalpies, entropies, bubble points, etc. In each case it is, however, necessary to study the sensitivity of the Sullivan and Stangeland (1979), . 0 % deviation = 100 (exptlpred)/exptl.…”

Desulfurization, denitrogenation and deoxygenation of shale oil

“…The concentrations of heteroatoms in oil can be reduced to quite low levels, but reaching these low concentrations requires severe hydrotreating conditions that may be quite costly. To make the upgrading process more economical, it has often been suggested that hydrotreatment be combined with other methods (such as coking or extraction) or only be used to the point at which oil can be used as a feedstock for a conventional refinery [69,83,84].…”

“…Sullivan and Stangeland [82] also investigated using coking as the first step in upgrading shale oil. They reported a 77.9% yield of C 5 + liquid and a coke yield of 18.3%.…”

Utilization of Desulfurized Heavy Liquid Fuel Blends in Domestic Boiler

“…However, achieving these low levels necessitates severe hydrotreating conditions that may be costly. In order to make the upgrading process more cost-effective, it has often been suggested to combine hydrotreatment with other techniques (such as coking or extraction) or use it to the extent that the oil can be used as a feedstock for a traditional refinery (Curtin et al, 1978;Sullivan and Stangeland, 1979;Sullivan and Stangeland, 1978).…”