Upgradation of gas oil by ultrasound treatment

PETR 128

Rajesh Gopinath, rag297@mail.usask.ca, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada, Ajay K. Dalai, ajay.dalai@usask.ca, Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratories, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada, and John Adjaye, Adjaye.John@syncrude.com, Edmonton Research Centre, Syncrude Canada Ltd, 9421 - 17th Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6N 1H4, Canada.
Catalytic hydrotreatment is the most effective process for the upgradation of gas oil. However, the extreme operating conditions such as high temperatures and pressures, consumption of large amounts of catalyst and hydrogen place constraints and limitations on the process. The development of new processes to improve petroleum refining technology is desirable. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to the upgrade the gas oil with the assistance of ultrasonic energy. The upgradation was performed by adopting the following methodologies i) Ultrasound treatment without the use of any additives at atmospheric pressure (ii) Ultrasound treatment of gas oil in the presence of molecular hydrogen and catalysts (iii) Palladium catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of gas oils. The Pd catalyzed transfer hydrogenation coupled with sonic energy was found suitable for the upgradation resulting in 45 wt. % nitrogen conversion in light gas oil and 77 wt. % nitrogen conversion in model compound quinoline dissolved in dodecane.