Mass spectrometry as a tool for assessment of chemical changes during catalytic hydrotreating of petroleum refinery streams

Abstract

Low resolution mass spectrometry (LRMS) is used to evaluate the chemical composition changes produced by the hydrotreatment of several streams. Most of these streams may be used as feedstocks for FCC process. The effect of catalytic hydrotreatment on the physicochemical quality of the streams, is determined in a general way and some considerations as regards to their processability in the FCC units are made. The hydrogen consumption values of the feedstocks not containing vaccum residues (90% distills under 838.7 K / 1.050 F), calculated from the mass spectrometry data are very similar to those calculated from the elemental analysis data of the feedstocks and the hydrotreated products as well. The high content of unidentified compounds in the feeds with voccum residues did not allowed the hydrogen comsumption calculations but the results were consistent in regard to the variations of the different types of compound concentrations.