15-05-2013

Axens and Headwaters Technology Innovation (HTI) join efforts on ebullated bed technology

Axens announced today, that it has entered into a technology alliance with HTI, a subsidiary of Headwaters Incorporated. Axens is recognized as one of the world’s leading providers of technologies, catalysts and services for oil refineries. The purpose of the alliance is to promote the combined use of Axens' and HTI's technologies to produce clean liquid fuels from residual (“bottom-of-the-barrel”) heavy oil.

The alliance enables the companies to offer HTI’s proprietary HCAT® Hydrocracking Technology in conjunction with Axens’ H-Oil® ebullated bed hydrocracking process for residue upgrading. Ebullated bed hydrocracking reactors are currently in use at 12 refineries around the world, with several new H-Oil Units in development. While all ebullated bed systems are designed to attain relatively high levels of residual oil conversion, the combination of the H-Oil and HCAT Technologies, through the addition of HTI’s proprietary liquid catalyst precursor, enables even higher performance levels, either through enabling higher conversion levels than were previously possible, or by allowing refiners to utilize poorer-quality, lower cost crude oil feedstocks.

Christian Dupraz, Axens’ Senior Executive Vice President for Process Licensing stated, “This strategic alliance with HTI will allow refineries around the world and Axens H-Oil operators to benefit from the integration of our two complementary technologies. Axens, a global leader in Residue Hydrocracking technologies, will now be able to offer the most advanced and commercially proven residual oil upgrading process, thanks in part to the addition of HTI’s HCAT dispersed-catalyst technology.”

Stephanie Black, President of Headwaters’ subsidiary HTI, made the observation that “We are very excited to have formed this alliance with Axens. The combination of Axens’ H-Oil technology with HTI’s HCAT technology should make the utilization of ebullated bed hydrocracking technology very attractive to refiners globally.”

For more information, please visit www.axens.net