Thermal treatment system for spent hydroprocessing catalyst

Abstract

A process to upgrade heavy oil and convert the heavy oil into lower boiling hydrocarbon products is provided. The process employs a catalyst slurry comprising catalyst particles with an average particle size ranging from 1 to 20 microns. In the upgrade process, spent slurry catalyst in heavy oil is generated as an effluent stream, which is subsequently recovered/separated from the heavy oil via membrane filtration. Residual hydrocarbons, i.e., heavy oil and solvent employed in the filtration for the heavy oil extraction are removed from the catalyst particles in a drying zone which employs at least two drying apparatuses to volatize residual hydrocarbons in the catalyst. Valuable metals can be recovered from catalyst particles for subsequent re-use in a catalyst synthesis unit, generating a fresh slurry catalyst.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for removing hydrocarbons including solvents and heavy oil from catalyst particulate from a composition containing catalyst particles in 50 to 90 wt. % hydrocarbons, the system comprising:
 a drying zone comprising a first drying apparatus and at least a second drying apparatus with the second drying apparatus being operated at a temperature sufficiently high to volatize at least 90% of hydrocarbons from the catalyst particles; and   means for collecting and recovering the volatized hydrocarbons.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first drying apparatus is selected from the group consisting of an indirect fired kiln, an indirect rotary fired kiln, an indirect fired dryer, an indirect fired rotary dryer, an electrically heated kiln, an electrically heated rotary kiln, a microwave heated kiln, a microwave heated rotary kiln, a vacuum dryer, a flexicoker, and a fluid bed dryer. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first drying apparatus is an indirect fired rotary kiln. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first drying apparatus is an indirect fired rotary dryer. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the second drying apparatus is for removing surface active compounds bound onto the catalyst particles. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the second drying apparatus is a rotary kiln dryer. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the rotary kiln dryer is operated at a temperature ranging from 700 to 1200° F. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the rotary kiln dryer is operated at a temperature sufficiently high to volatize surface active compounds bound onto the catalyst particles and reduce the hydrocarbons in the catalyst particles to less than 0.5 wt. %. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein a condenser is used for collecting and recovering the volatized hydrocarbons.