Title : Advances in hydrotreating catalyst technologies for enhancing refinery sustainability
Abstract:
Fuels derived from fossil sources have been the dominant global energy vehicle over the last several decades despite inroads of other alternatives. The growing environmental concerns and policies to contain climate change demanded continual efforts for decarbonization and energy transition. In this regard, operating an existing refinery unit with higher energy efficiency and productivity is considered as one of the options to increase sustainability and profitability in operation. In addition, the substitution of fossil derived feedstocks with renewable feedstocks is also adopted as a promising strategy. Hydrotreating processes play a pivotal role in the landscape of refinery operation to produce cleaner products like gasoline and diesel. With the need to valorize maximum benefits from an existing hydrotreating unit in an emerging scenario, focus will be to leverage productivity and efficiency of these units. Hydrotreating renewable feedstocks is challenging in terms of high exothermicity, pressure drop and high hydrogen consumption. Deployment of newer high-performance catalysts would be a differentiator to enable cost- effectiveness, sustainability and feedstock flexibility in refinery operation.
The focus in hydrotreating catalysis, over the years at Indian Oil has led to the commercial deployment of its high-performance Diesel and VGO hydrotreating catalyst platform. Catalysts architecture that imparts functionalities tailored for removal of various hetero-atoms, hydrogenation of aromatic & olefinic compounds are designed to handle varying feedstocks to meet the fuel specifications. Tailored active sites (NiMoS phase) through unique metal chemistry employed in conjunction with support characteristics for high resistance to deactivation and improved performance characteristics are the key features of the catalysts system. The ability of the catalysts to process heavier & renewable feedstock, work at lower operating pressures & temperatures, lowered hydrogen consumption to meet target specification will enable refiners to operate profitably and sustainably. The paper describes the unique features and performance of hydrotreating catalysts for achieving ultra-low sulfur for feedstock ranging from naphtha to gas oil.
