MEDIUM SEVERITY HYDROTREATING AND HYDROCRACKING OF ISRAELI SHALE OIL III - HYDROCRACKING OF HYDROTREATED SHALE OIL AND ITS ATMOSPHERIC RESIDUE FOR FULL CONVERSION TO MOTOR FUELS

Hydrocracking of hydrotreated Israeli shale oil and its atmospheric re sidue was studied at 50 atm hydrogen pressure, LHSV 0.5-4.4 h(-1), tem perature 350 degrees C End V-H2 1500 N1/1 in a fixed bed reactor pilot plant with two Ni-Mo-zeolite catalysts based on mono-(HY + Al2O3) and bizeolite (HY + H-ZSM-5 + Al2O3) supports Desulfurization and denitro genation conversion of the feedstock was higher than 99.7% (sulfur con tent 134 ppm, nitrogen content 4.4 ppm) and it comprised 14 vol.% atmo spheric residue boiling out at 360 degrees C +. Hydrocracking of the w hole hydrotreated shale oil yielded full conversion of atmospheric res idue at LHSV = 2.75 h(-1) with monozeolite catalyst (A) and at LHSV = 3.5 h(-1) with biozeolite catalyst (B). The yield of liquid fuel at th ese conditions was 87.6 wt% with catalyst A versus 82.4 wt% with catal yst B. The contents of light naphtha ( < 100 degrees C), heavy naphtha ( < 200 degrees C) and jet fuel (160-280 degrees C) in the liquid pro duct were 10-15% higher with catalyst B compared with A. Hydrocracking at full residue conversion produced shifts of the hydrocarbon distrib utions to lighter molecules inside the hydrocarbon groups, decreased n -paraffins concentrations by isomerization and splitting to C-5- Hydro cracking of the atmospheric residue with catalyst A yielded full conve rsion into 360 degrees C-products at LHSV = 0.5 h(-1). The only liquid product obtained in this case at 72.3% yield was naphtha with distill ation patterns corresponding to gasoline specification. The nitrogen c ontent in the liquid hydrocracking products at full conversion of atmo spheric residue :Fraction of the shale oil was < 1 ppm and the sulfur content < 15 ppm. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved.