Deposition of Fine Particles during Hydrotreating of Oil Sands Bitumen-Derived Heavy Gas Oil in a Packed Bed Reactor: Impact of Process Parameters and Surface Charge

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Heavy gas oil feed in a packed bed reactor was used to study the influence of temperature (370–400 °C), pressure (1000–1400 psig), and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) (0.5–2 h –1 ) on the deposition of fines (asphaltene-coated kaolin) during hydrotreating. The effects of surface charge on fines deposition on the catalyst bed were also investigated. The study showed that LHSV was the only factor with an individual effect on deposition, where increasing LHSV resulted in a decrease in fines deposition. Contrastingly, pressure and temperature showed interactive effects with a combination of high temperature (>380 °C) and low pressure (<1250 psig) or low temperature (<390 °C) and high pressure (>1150 psig), resulting in minimal deposition. These combinations of temperature and pressure also coincided with the region of high hydrodesulfurization, suggesting the impact of fines deposition on catalyst activity. Opposite surface charges possessed by fines and the catalyst created an attractive force that contributed to fines deposition during hydrotreating.