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• Is it advisable to active a regenerated and/or reactivated hydrotreating catalyst with only feed?

  Feb-2023

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Answers

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• Marcio Wagner da Silva, Petrobras, marciows@petrobras.com.br

  This is not recommended once the sulfiding process requires an adequate concentration of sulphur capable to promote the conversion of metal oxides into metal sulphides which is the active phase of the hydrotreating catalysts. It's difficult to ensure and control the concentration of sulphur in the catalytic bed with only the available sulphur in the feed, this can lead to the permanent deactivation of the catalyst due to the metal reduction.

  By this reason the sulfiding process applying a sulfiding agent (DMDS or TBPS, for example) with carefully controlled procedure, especially related to the temperature control. The sulphur is heated in the presence of hydrogen generating H2S which is able to carry out the sulfiding reactions of the catalyst metals and generating the active phases (MoS2, CoS, NiS, and WS2).

   

  Feb-2023