Effectiveness factors for hydroprocessing of coal and coal liquids: Progress report No. 1, September 15, 1987-December 14, 1987

The aim of this research project is to develop a methodology to predict, from a knowledge of feed and catalyst properties, effectiveness factors for catalytic hydroprocessing of coal and coal liquids. To achieve this aim, it is necessary to account for restrictive diffusion, which has not hitherto been done from a fundamental approach under reaction conditions. The research proposed here entails a study of hydrodenitrogenation of model compounds and coal-derived liquids using three NiMo/alumina catalysts of different pore size to develop for restrictive diffusion, a relationship that can be used for estimating reliable effectiveness factors. The research program is divided into four parts: measurement of pertinent properties of the catalysts and of a coal liquid and its derived boiling-point cuts; determination of effective diffusivities and porosities of the catalysts; development of restrictive diffusion correlations from data on model N-compounds at reaction conditions; and testing of correlations with coal-liquid cuts and a whole coal-liquid feed, modifying correlations as necessary. 3 figs., 1 tab.