Kinetics of temperature-programmed reactivation of a hydrodesulphurization catalyst

Abstract

The kinetic parameters of reactivation of a carbonized hydrodesulphurization (HDS) catalyst by air were evaluated from combined thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) data. In addition, the gaseous products leaving a temperature-programmed reactor with a thin layer of catalyst were analyzed chromatographically. Two exothermic processes were found to take part in the reactivation, and their kinetics were described by 1st order equations. In the first process (180-400 °C), sulphur in Co and Mo sulphides is oxidized to sulphur dioxide; in the second process (300-540 °C), in which the essential portion of heat is produced, the deposited carbon is oxidized to give predominantly carbon dioxide. If the reaction heat is not removed efficiently enough, ignition of the catalyst takes place, which is associated with a transition to the diffusion region. The application of the obtained kinetic parameters to modelling a temperature-programmed reactivation is illustrated on the case of a single particle.