Slurry hydroprocessing for heavy oil upgrading using supported slurry catalysts

Abstract

A slurry hydroprocessing process (SHP) where a hydrocarbon feedstock is treated at slurry hydrotreating conditions, in the presence of a hydrogen containing treat gas and in the presence of a supported metallic catalyst which is a supported sulfide of a metal selected from the group of non-noble Group VIII metals, Group VIB metals and mixtures thereof where the support is an inorganic oxide and where the catalyst has an average diameter of about 0.5 to about 100 microns to obtain a first product stream comprising the catalyst and a hydroprocessed feedstream; separating the first product into a catalyst-free product stream and a catalyst-containing stream and recycling at least a portion of the catalyst-containing stream back to the hydroprocessing step.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A process comprising the steps of: 
 (a) slurry hydroprocessing (SHP) a hydrocarbon feedstock, at slurry hydroprocessing conditions, in the presence of a hydrogen containing treat gas and in the presence of a supported metallic catalyst comprising a supported sulfide of at least one Group VIII non-noble metal and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of non-noble Group VIII metals, Group VIB metals and mixtures thereof wherein said support is an inorganic refractory oxide, carbon and mixtures thereof, and wherein said catalyst has an average diameter of about 0.5 to about 100 microns to obtain a first product stream comprising said catalyst and a hydroprocessed feedstream;    (b) separating said first product into a catalyst-free product stream and a catalyst-containing stream;    (c) recycling at least a portion of the catalyst-containing stream to said hydroprocessing step (a).    
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said hydrocarbon feedstock is selected from the group consisting of heavy feeds, distillates, asphaltenes, deasphalted oils, cycle oils, FCC tower bottoms, gas oils, hydrocrackates, dewaxed oil, slack waxes, Fischer Tropsch waxes, raffinates, naphthas, hydrotreated oils and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said catalyst is selected from a supported sulfided metallic catalyst wherein said metal is selected from molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, cobalt and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said inorganic refractory oxide catalyst support is selected from alumina, silica and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said catalyst is a supported sulfided material prepared from a precursor represented by the formula (X) b (Y) c  where X is a Group VIII non-noble metal and Y is a Group VIII non-noble metal or a VIb metal and the molar ratio of b to c is 0.1/1 to 3/1.  
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said catalyst comprises at least three metals and wherein at least one of said metals is a group VIII non-noble metal and at one of said metals is a group VIB metals where the ratio of group VIB metal to group VIII non-noble metal is from about 10:1 to about 1:10.  
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said catalyst is prepared from a precursor is represented by the formula (X) b (MO) c (W) d O z ; wherein X is a non-noble Group VIII metal, and the molar ratio of b to (c+d) is 0.5/1 to 3/1; the molar ratio of c:d is ≧0.01/1; and z=[2b+6(c+d)]2.  
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said Group VIII non-noble metal is nickel.  
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 8  wherein said catalyst has an essentially amorphous x-ray diffraction pattern with crystalline peaks at d=2.53 Angstroms and d=1.70 Angstroms.  
     
     
         10 . The process in  claim 1  wherein said separation of said first product into a catalyst free and catalyst containing stream is accomplished using a cross-flow filtering step.  
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 10  wherein said catalyst has a particle size of about 0.5 to 25 microns.  
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 10  wherein filter media aids comprising particles in the size range of about 5 to about 200 microns are utilized.  
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 10  wherein said cross-flow filtering step is integral to said slurry hydroprocessing step.  
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said process further comprised separating volatiles from said first product stream prior to said separation step (b).  
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 1  further comprising removing gaseous overheads during said separation step (b).  
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 15  wherein when said overheads comprise a hydrogen containing gas, further comprising recycling said hydrogen containing gas to said step (a).  
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 1  further comprising separating said catalyst-free product stream into gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon components prior to said step (c).  
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said supported metallic catalyst has a median pore diameter of between 10.0 and 35.0 nm.