(582al) Catalytic Cracking of Light and Heavy Crude Oil Blends to Maximise Light Olefins: Impact of Conversion and Product Yields

Resid fluid catalytic cracking of two crude oils have been evaluated over an equilibrated RFCC catalyst (E-Cat) blended with olefin additive zeolite catalyst in a fixed fluidised bed reactor test unit at 540 to 550◦C, different metal content between 3000 to 13000 ppm, olefin additive from 5 to 15 wt% and catalyst/oil ratio between 3 to 8. At 79 wt% conversion, the Murban (MUR) crude oil yielded about 24 wt% C2–C4 olefins and 28 wt% gasoline (C-190◦C cut) over E-Cat, Upper Zakkum (UZM) crude oil yielded 23 wt% light olefins and 25 wt% gasoline cut, while the mixed crude at 75/25 and 50/50, light olefins and gasoline produced were26 and 25 and 29 and 26 wt.%, respectively at 10 wt% olefin additive. The addition of olefin additive to E-Cat increased the yield of light olefins with a maximum of 10 wt%. GC X GC analysis of naphtha produced showed an increase in aromatics content over the range of additive content. The conversion of Light naphtha, heavy naphtha, light light cycle oil and light cycle oil portion has been cracked individually to gases and liquid products indicates that olefin additive facilitated the increased cracking of the light and heavy cut species to light olefins.