Evaluation of Hydrocracking Catalysts for Conversion of Whole Shale Oil into High Yields of Jet Fuels

摘要

A catalyst development and screening program has led to a formulation capable of upgrading whole shale oil into high yields of military jet fuel in a single operation. The catalyst is multifaceted in its functionality in that it sequentially saturates, denitrogenates, and hydrocracks the feedstock in the presence of high levels of contaminants, such as organic nitrogen compounds and ammonia, while maintaining a high selectivity towards jet-fuel, boiling range material. The catalyst, developed by optimization of both chemical and physical properties, consists of 1.5% cobalt oxide, 10% chromium oxide, and 15% molybdenum oxide on a support of 50% ultrastable molecular sieve in alumina. The effectiveness of the catalyst for the direct upgrading of an Occidental whole shale oil was demonstrated in a 100-day test. The feed, containing approximately 15 weight percent material boiling within the range for JP-4 and containing 13,000 ppm nitrogen, was upgraded to a water-white product containing 1 to 3 ppm nitrogen and approximately 75% JP-4 material. The hydrogen consumption required for this level of upgrading and conversion was approximately 1800 SCFB. The catalyst developed represents an advance in shale oil upgrading technology over more conventional petroleum-based technology. (Author)