Structured alkali catalysts for the conversion of naphthenic acids in petroleum feedstocks

油砂是加拿大的巨大资源，拥有超过1.7万亿桶石油。根据现有的露天开采和现场生产技术，可采石油估计为3150亿桶，超过沙特阿拉伯的总储量。2003年，沥青和合成原油的产量达到每天100万桶，预计到2015年将增加到每天180万至240万桶。虽然目前的生产和升级方法是有利可图的，但如果要充分开发这种资源，这些方法是不可持续的。由于设备故障的可能性和金属盐的下游效应，由弱酸，特别是环烷酸引起的腐蚀是沥青加工和升级中的重要问题。当将含有环烷酸的未处理馏分提供给下游炼油厂时，其可取性和价格会受到炼油过程中相同问题的影响。因此，这些问题已成为油砂行业的重要安全性、可靠性和营销问题。这项研究计划通过开发新的材料和技术来分解酸，解决了未经处理的沥青腐蚀性问题。在温和条件下用于环烷酸转化的结构化催化剂的开发无疑将支持增加高酸含量重油和石油残渣的利用。

The oilsands are an enormous resource for Canada, with over 1.7 trillion barrels of oil in place. With available technology for open-pit mining and in-situ production, the recoverable oil is estimated to be 315 billion barrels, larger than the total reserves of Saudi Arabia. The production of bitumen and synthetic crude reached 1 million barrels per day in 2003, and is expected to increase to between 1.8 and 2.4 million barrels per day by 2015. While current production and upgrading methods are profitable, they are not sustainable if this resource is to be developed to its full potential. Corrosion due to mild acids, specifically naphthenic acids, is a significant concern in bitumen processing and upgrading due to the possibility of equipment failures and the downstream effects of metal salts. When untreated distillates that contain naphthenic acids are offered to downstream refineries, the desirability and price are affected by the same problems during refining. These issues have, therefore, become important safety, reliability and marketing issues for the oilsands industry. This research proposal addresses the issue of untreated bitumen corrosovity by developing new materials and technologies to decompose the acids. The development of structured catalysts for naphthenic acid conversion under mild conditions will undoubtedly support the increased utilization of high acid content heavy oils and petroleum residues.