Hydrocracking is a refining process that converts heavy, high-boiling feedstock molecules to smaller, lower boiling products through carbon-carbon bond breaking with hydrogenation. Modern catalysts have been formulated to provide refiners the flexibility to tune their operation to products more heavily weighted to the naphtha pool or to products more heavily weighted to the diesel pool.Hydrocracking catalysts are bifunctional. The cracking function is usually provided by an acidic support such as amorphous oxides and/or zeolites and the hydrogenating/dehydrogenating function is typically provide by non-noble metal sulfides such as Ni/Mo or Ni/W. Research is on-going to evaluate new materials and methods of preparation to improve these catalysts. It is important to understand the fundamental differences that develop in the catalysts with the use of new materials or different preparation methods. The first evaluation is measured by performance in a pilot plant; then characterization aids in the understanding of the changes that can relate to the observed performance. Recently a catalyst with improved distillate yield was developed and characterized. Highlights of the study will focus on the work with the Titan 80-300 keV Super-X Aberration-corrected electron microscope.

Hydrocracking industry today:  Development of new catalysts with the assistance of advanced characterization

244th National Meeting (2012)

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