Overview
These desulfurization and upgrading technologies use oxidation-based chemistries to remove sulfur and nitrogen compounds from crude oils and refinery streams. The process designed for heavy crude oils improves quality by also removing metals and naphthenic acids. This upgrading reduces densities and viscosities, increasing the crude’s value by up to 20%. A simpler adsorption-based process removes sulfur from light streams, enabling them to meet ultra-low sulfur (ULS) standards. These technologies have a small physical and carbon footprint, allowing producers and refiners to enhance their feeds and improve their economic performance. Operators have successfully tested these processes on heavy sour crudes, bitumen, asphaltene feeds, and various low-sulfur feeds.
These technologies rely on proprietary catalysts and specialized chemical packages that selectively oxidize sulfur and nitrogen compounds in hydrocarbon streams. The process consists of two stages: first, proprietary catalysts oxidize sulfur and nitrogen species, and then a chemical process cleaves these oxidized species from the hydrocarbons, removing them as by-products.
Proprietary Catalysts
The catalysts provide selective oxidation of sulfur and nitrogen compounds, offering an effective alternative to traditional hydrotreating processes. They require low energy and resist traditional catalyst poisons, making them suitable for both heavy-sour and light-sweet feeds.
Chemical Package for Upgrading
The chemical package facilitates the cleavage of oxidized sulfur and nitrogen species from the hydrocarbon stream. Operators remove the chemicals in a final wash process, producing higher-quality oil that meets desired specifications.
Process Benefits
The technology efficiently upgrades heteroatom-rich hydrocarbon streams. It is more economical than hydrogen-based alternatives due to the use of efficient recycle loops.
Support Services
Engineering and technical support help operators achieve optimal system operation and maximize return on investment. The systems integrate into existing refining and production infrastructure with minimal disruption.
Intellectual Property Protection
A robust patent portfolio protects the core catalysts and chemical processes vital to the success of these desulfurization and upgrading technologies.