Description

Vinci Technologies offers a continuous slurry hydrocracking pilot plant for heavy residue hydroconversion.  The system is designed to process vacuum residue, extra-heavy oils and other challenging feedstocks such as biomass-derived oils (e.g., pyrolysis oil). It supports catalyst development, process optimization and comparative hydroconversion studies.  A 2 L stirred reactor provides controlled contact between heavy oil, dispersed catalyst and hydrogen.  The reactor operates at pressures from 30 to 200 bar, with heating capability up to 500 °C.  Mechanical agitation maintains catalyst suspension and promotes gas–liquid contact.  Feedstock throughput reaches 5 L/h, with independent catalyst slurry injection up to 600 mL/h.  Hydrogen flow is controlled between 500 and 5,000 NL/h to suit the experimental conditions.  A dedicated compressor supplies hydrogen at pressures up to 220 bar.  Two agitated preparation vessels accommodate oil-soluble catalyst precursors and powder suspensions.  Heated, nitrogen-blanketed feed and slurry tanks maintain suitable conditions for viscous materials.  A heated syringe pump provides precise delivery of the catalyst suspension to the reactor.  An optional operating configuration uses the removable Robinson–Mahoney basket to test extrudate catalysts.  The unit also supports catalyst-free operation for comparative thermal cracking studies.  A high-pressure, high-temperature separator recovers the heavy fraction containing dispersed catalyst.  Following pressure let-down, a cooled separator recovers condensed hydrocarbons and water separately.  Weighed collection vessels and dry gas metering provide measurements for experimental mass balances.  PLC control and PC supervision provide operating trends, data logging and alarm management.  Multiple safety layers include independent temperature protection, emergency shutdown and pressure relief devices.