HYDROTREATMENT OF BITUMEN FROM THE WHITEROCKS OIL SAND DEPOSIT

The bitumen from the Whiterocks oil sand deposit in the Uinta Basin of eastern Utah was hydrotreated in a fixed-bed reactor to determine the extent of upgrading as a function of operating variables, including pressure (11.2-16.7 MPa), temperature (642-712 K) and liquid hourly space velocity (0.18-0.86 h-1). The hydrogen/oil ratio, 890 m3 m-3, was fixed in all experiments. A sulfided Ni-Mo/alumina hydrodenitrogenation catalyst was used. Deactivation of the catalyst, 0.2 K day-1, was monitored by the decline in the API gravity of the total liquid product with time on-stream under standard conditions. The effects of temperature, weight hourly space velocity and pressure on denitrogenation, desulfurization and residuum conversion were studied and apparent kinetic parameters were determined. The effects of process variables on residuum conversion and Conradson carbon residue reduction were also investigated.