In-situ prepared nanoparticles and their role in heavy oil upgrading

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There is a growing need for effective heavy oil upgrading processes as the demand for high value petroleum products is mounting and the sources of crude oil are becoming more and more unconventional. Upgrading processes involve converting heavy fractions into light fractions, distillates, with higher hydrogen to carbon ratio and removing heteroatoms, which ultimately improve the combustion characteristics and reduce the environmental impact of fuel utilization. Major upgrading processes fall under hydrocracking and/or thermalcracking, which may involve catalysts. Catalytic upgrading is the most promising technology for the conversion of heavy oils into lighter products. The catalyst reduces the severity of the upgrading reactions and enhances the selectivity by reducing the activation energy barrier of given reactions. Heavy oil is cracked and hydrogenated by both catalytic and thermal reactions to produce more valuable distillates. Typical catalysts used in residue upgrading are oxides of molybdenum, cobalt, nickel and/or tungsten supported on a matrix of alumina and/or silica.