TITLE: Low severity upgrading of F-T waxes with solid superacids.  Quarterly report, June 1, 1993--August 31, 1993.

AUTHOR: J. W. Tierney;   I. Wender.

INST.  AUTHOR: Pittsburgh Univ., PA. Dept. of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.

SPONSOR: Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: Department of Energy [DE],  1993,  12p.

NTIS ORDER NO.: DE94004546INW

ABSTRACT:

During the last quarter isomerization and hydrocracking of n-hexadecane were carried out in a continuous flow fixed bed reactor described in a previous report. Test runs showed that the temperature and pressure in this reactor can be controlled to within (+-) 1 C and (+-) 2 psig, respectively. The reaction conditions were 160 C and 350 psig constant hydrogen pressure. Interestingly, product distribution from isomerization and hydrocracking of n-hexadecane conducted in this reactor is similar to that obtained from the microreactor experiments. The long-term stability of the Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4) catalyst was studied using this fixed bed reactor with n-hexadecane as a feedstock. Evidence was obtained that, in the presence of H(sub 2), the Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4) catalyst maintains its activity for as long as 96 hours with no evidence of deactivation. The effect of addition of transition metals on the activity of ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4) was compared. Pt and Pd greatly enhanced the hydrotreating activity of ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4). The activities of Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4), Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/MoO(sub 4) and Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/WO(sub 4) catalysts were also compared; it was found that the Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4) catalyst gave highest activity in isomerization and hydrocracking of long-chain paraffins. The authors also found that, even at high severity conditions, i.e., 300 C/600 psig and 250 C/1,200 psig, the Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4) catalyst is active.

REPORT  NUMBER: DOE/PC/91304-T7

CONTRACT  NUMBER: FG22-91PC91304