THE IMPACT OF ASPHALTENES REMOVAL ON THE KINETICS OF RESIDUUM HYDROTREATING

Iraqi reduced crude (above 350°C) prepared in a laboratory distillation unit containing 15 trays was solvent deasphaltened at specified conditions using n-heptane as the precipitant Both the original and deasphaltened reduced crude was hydrotreated on a commercial Ni-Mo- alumina catalyst in a laboratory trickle bed reactor. This investigation was undertaken to understand the role of asphaltenes removal in the kinetics of the desulphurization, demetallization and deasphaltening processes. Kinetic analysis showed that the hydrotreating reactions of the deasphaltened reduced crude followed a first order kinetics. Rate constants calculated for the above reactions are higher than those obtained in the HDS process for the original full residuum.