Hydrocracking of gas oil from Athabasca syncrude

This paper presents results of pilot plant experiments in which hydrocracking was evaluated as part of the overall syncrude refining model. The processing scheme gives priority to middle distillate production by optimizing gas oil conversion to increased yields of jet and diesel fuels. This operating regime reflects the long term emphasis on higher distillate yields to meet a projected increase in demand for these fuels in Canada. The strategy was to evaluate and compare catalyst performance and process operating conditions to determine the scope for improvements in yields and qualities of distillate products and identify possibilities for catalyst development. The work also involved thorough characterization of the feedstock and products with the goal of developing a more basic insight into the petroleum chemistry. In practice, the hydrocracking operation has a unique process configuration; to achieve significant conversions using Ni-W on silica-alumina supports, severities similar to those used in this work are required. The long term effects of high severities on catalyst life, leading to deactivation through coking, were not investigated in this study. Similarly, catalyst poisoning by excessive concentrations of nitrogen compounds in the process feed was not investigated. However, these problems are of major interest in continuing research.