Diesel hydrotreating

Producing more diesel products from lower quality feedstocks

Refiners are under pressure to produce more middle distillate products from heavy or renewable feedstocks. As an increasing number of countries move towards requirements for low and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) with a high cetane number, the refining industry faces a double-edged challenge in terms of meeting the ever stringent specifications for diesel fuel, while simultaneously producing more diesel product from lower quality feedstocks.

Topsoe has been at the forefront of the hydroprocessing catalyst technology for many years, and today, we are the market leader within the field of catalysts, licensed technology, and reactor internals for the production of ULSD.

Our hydrotreating solutions offer you the opportunity to meet all legislative requirements when producing clean fuels, either from conventional crude oil, or from alternative feeds such as coal tar, shale oil, Fischer-Tropsch wax, or renewable material, regardless whether the goal is to produce ULSD, bunker fuel (marine diesel) or other.

Using our extensive knowledge of hydroprocessing, we are able to optimize operating conditions and catalyst loadings, thereby minimizing investment costs and utility consumption.

The processes in which Topsoe’s catalysts and technology are applied can be designed to maximize the cycle length and meet the required specifications, depending on the customer requirements; or the process can be designed to achieve a perfect balance between all performance parameters. Whatever the case, the overall goal is to optimize performance in accordance with the needs of the individual reﬁnery.

Our solutions within diesel hydrotreating can help you achieve:

ULSD production
- Topsoe’s diesel hydrodesulfurization technology, BRIM® and HyBRIM™ catalysts are used for production of ULSD, containing less than 10 wt ppm of sulfur. Feedstocks can include straight-run or cracked feedstocks such as light cycle oil (LCO), coker gas oil (CGO) and visbreaker gas oil (VBGO) or alternative feedstocks. Topsoe’s catalysts and unique process design capabilities allow cost-efficient revamps, converting low-pressure diesel hydrotreating units to ULSD production.
Cold-flow properties improvement
- Meeting cold flow properties is often a challenge, especially in colder climates where stricter winter specifications for ULSD are in place. Our high-performance hydrotreating and dewaxing catalysts and technologies are your best option for maximizing the value of feedstocks, while also meeting tough requirements for cold-flow properties.
Color removal
- During a typical reactor cycle, the operating temperature is increased to meet hydrodesulfurization (HDS) specifications, which has an adverse effect on aromatic saturation. Failure to saturate aromatics can result in discoloration of the product and a shorter catalyst cycle length. Topsoe offers the Polyshift™ licensed technology with catalysts that ensures full color control, allowing refiners to meet the most stringent specifications and ensuring a long cycle length.

Balanced hydrogen consumption
- Topsoe’s low-pressure hydrotreating units are market leaders in terms of minimizing hydrogen consumption. Topsoe’s unique catalyst portfolio allows for tailoring of optimal solutions, balancing hydrogen consumption, cycle length, and activity.
Cetane improvement
- The cetane index is often the limiting parameter when producing EURO V diesel from heavy and cracked feedstocks. Topsoe offers catalyst and technology solutions that ensure the diesel product specifications are met and the highest possible yield of on-spec product can be achieved.
Back-end shift
- Often refiners find that the end-boiling point of their hydrotreated diesel product is higher than allowable for the diesel pool. The back-end shift (BES) process is designed for end-point reduction and cold-flow improvement of heavy feeds at low to moderate pressures to produce ULSD.
Saturation of aromatics
- Aromatic saturation is essential when a higher cetane number, low aromatic content or high volume swell is desired. Topsoe has developed HyBRIM™ catalysts especially suitable for aromatic saturation in high-pressure units.
- Furthermore, Topsoe’s dedicated hydrodearomatization (HDA) technology and catalysts are especially suited for the treatment of heavy feedstocks and for large cetane lift. Several technologies are available, depending on the degree of aromatics saturation required. Topsoe’s HDS/HDA technology is suitable for deep HDA applications. Topsoe’s Polyshift™ is suitable when it is the color, and thereby the aromatic saturation at end-of-run (EOR), that is limiting the cycle length.

Highlights

Refinery saves more than $10 million by replacing catalysts

Customer Case

Refinery saves more than $10 million by replacing suboptimal catalysts

Learn how a European refinery saved over $10 million annually by reducing hydrogen consumption, improving stability, and extending cycle lengths with TK-578 BRIM®.

Get full details

Asain refinery achieves color specs with 10% cracked feed

Customer case

Asian refinery achieves color specs with 10% cracked feeds

Learn how an Asian refinery met ULSD color specs below 1.5 while processing 10% cracked feed, gaining six months of additional operating time.

Get full details

Catalysts for hydrotreating

TK-553 catalyst

TK-553 is a NiMo catalyst especially developed for color removal (post-treatment) in ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) units.

TK-568 BRIM® catalyst

TK-568 BRIM® is a new generation BRIM® catalyst specifically developed for ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and kerosene applications.

TK-569 HyBRIM™ catalyst

TK-569 HyBRIM™ belongs to the new generation of extremely high-active catalysts based on the novel HyBRIM™ technology.

TK-570 BRIM® catalyst

TK-570 BRIM® is a new generation BRIM® catalyst specifically developed for ultra-low sulfur diesel applications.

TK-578 BRIM® catalyst

TK-578 BRIM® is a new generation BRIM® catalyst which has significantly higher activity than the past generation of catalysts for ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) production (less than 10 wt ppm ...

TK-609 HyBRIM™ catalyst

TK-609 HyBRIM™ is a new generation, high-activity NiMo catalyst based on the novel HyBRIM™ technology.

TK-907 catalyst

TK-907 is an alumina-based noble metal catalyst, specifically designed to make a low aromatic product from refinery feedstocks.

TK-928 catalyst

TK-928 is specifically designed for cold-flow improvement (dewaxing) of diesel, renewable diesel and waxy feeds such as Fischer-Tropsch products.

TK-932 catalyst

The TK-932 catalyst is specifically designed for cold-flow improvement (dewaxing) of nitrogen-containing diesel, renewable diesel and waxy feeds.

TK-943 catalyst

TK-943 is part of TOPSOE™’s hydrocracking blue series of catalysts developed for maximum cold ﬂow properties of diesel.

TK-951 catalyst

TK-951 is part of TOPSOE™’s hydrocracking red series of catalysts developed for maximum hydrogenation.

TK-602 HyBRIM™ catalyst

TK-602 HyBRIM™ belongs to the new generation of extremely high-active catalysts based on the novel HyBRIM™ technology.

TK-611 HyBRIM™ catalyst

TK-611 HyBRIM™ is the latest generation, high-activity NiMo catalyst based on the novel HyBRIM™ technology.

TK-930 D-wax™ | Catalysts | Products | Topsoe

TK-930 D-wax™ is an isomerization selective dewaxing catalyst, specifically designed for improvement of cold flow properties with a minimum yield loss for diesel, jet fuel, and renewables.

TK-920 D-wax™ catalyst

TK-920 D-wax™ is specifically designed for dewaxing of hydrotreated gas oil and renewable diesel in sweet operating conditions.

TK-6001 HySwell™ catalyst

TK-6001 HySwell™ is our new ultra high-activity NiMo catalyst for maximum volume swell.

TK-580 HyBRIM™ catalyst

TK‑580 HyBRIM™ is the latest generation, high-activity CoMo catalyst which has significantly higher activity than the past generation of catalysts for ultra-low sulfur diesel (less than 10 wt ...

TK-594 HyBRIM™ catalyst

TK-594 HyBRIMTM belongs to the new trimetallic generation of extremely high-active catalysts based on the novel HyBRIMTM technology.

Catalyst support

Our Catalyst Support is designed to support the combined weight of the catalyst, support material and oil. It can also withstand pressure drop over the catalyst bed during the entire catalyst ...

Inlet diffuser

Our Inlet Diffusers are optimized and customized for every unit, taking into account all your reactor flow parameters and reactor geometry.

Scale catcher

A common problem in hydroprocessing reactors, is pressure drop build-up caused by various particles plugging the catalyst bed.

Outlet collector

Our Outlet Collector ensures even flow distribution in the bottom bed to maximize catalyst utilization and prevents bed migration to downstream piping and equipment.

Quench mixer

Our Quench Mixer ensures efficient mixing of catalyst bed effluents from both above and from the cold quench stream.

Redistribution tray

Our Redistribution Tray ensures uniform redistribution of the mixer effluents to the catalyst bed below.

Distributor tray

Our Vapor Lift Distributor Tray (VLT) ensures uniform distribution of liquid and gas over the entire cross section area of the catalyst bed.

Catalytic dewaxing

The cold flow properties of higher end-point feeds, tight oils, or renewable feeds need to be carefully managed in diesel hydrotreaters operating in cold regions or winter seasons.

Topsoe’s two-stage HDS/HDA technology

Refiners have to contend with increasingly stringent specifications for diesel fuel, while increasing production of diesel products from difficult feedstocks.

Revamping hydroprocessing units

There are many good business reasons for considering revamping a hydroprocessing unit, for instance to react faster to fluctuations in crude oil supply and process more refractive and difficult ...

Polyshift™

Refiners increase reactor-operating temperatures during a typical reactor cycle to meet the HDS specification.

Applications within this area

FCC gasoline post-treatment

Optimize all the all steps in your FCC gasoline post-treatment applications with our specifically developed series of HyOctane™ catalysts.

Kerosene hydrotreating

Our high-performance catalysts and proprietary equipment enable you to generate the highest possible yield and value from your straight-run and cracked kerosene feeds.

Naphtha hydrotreating

High demands to get more value out of heavier feedstocks present new challenges for catalysts and technology. We offer related solutions for downstream petrochemicals processing.

Resid hydrotreating

Ensure long cycle lengths and maximum protection of downstream catalysts with our hydrodemetallization (HDM) and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts.

VGO hydrotreating / FCC pretreatment

One of the keys to optimize the refinery margin is to have optimal fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit performance – both in terms of throughput, but also in terms of product slate.

Co-processing for kerosene hydrotreating

Discover the benefits of choosing renewable co-processing in your kerosene hydrotreater for SAF production.

Co-processing for diesel hydrotreating

Produce renewable and fossil diesel through co-processing of renewable feedstock. The renewable feed can be introduced into your diesel hydrotreater with your fossil feed.

Contact us

Do you have a question about our products or solutions? Or do you want to know how our technologies can support your business? Contact our experts today.