Coupled Modeling of Hydrodynamics and Kinetics to Determine Single-Pass Conversion in a Heavy Oil Hydrotreater

This work focuses on the phenomenological characteristics of transient 3D multiphase flow in an ebullated bed reactor operating under high severity conditions. The model presented incorporates simultaneous heat and momentum transference within porous media through an Euler-Lagrange approach, with the kinetics of the hydrotreating reactions considered by means of a multi-phase porous media model. The impact of mass diffusion within the gamma-alumina catalyst pores and the translation of the solid phase from the surface to the center of the catalyst is accounted for, along the evolution of trajectories in the continuous phase. The simulations are used to explore pressure drop and velocity distribution in the fluidization system, exploring the impact of particle shape and density on fluidization behavior and pseudo-steady-state flow patterns within the system.