Exploratory study for the upgrading of transport properties of heavy oil by slurry-phase hydrocracking

The partial hydrocracking of a crude oil of 13° American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity and viscosity of 6100 cSt at 37.8 °C was carried out in a batch reactor using a dispersed catalyst. The operating conditions were varied in the following ranges: hydrogen pressure of 40-100 kg/cm², temperature of 360-400 °C, and reaction time of 3-5 h. Molybdenum trioxide of analytical grade was employed as a dispersed catalyst, and its concentration was modified from 0 to 2 wt %. The obtained results showed that the most favorable reaction conditions to obtain an upgraded crude oil with the required specifications for transportation by pipeline are 40 kg/cm², 380 °C, 4 h of reaction, and a catalyst concentration of 0.75 wt %. At these operation conditions, no coke formation was observed.