This work presents a model to describe the behavior of the concentration of constituents of heavy fractions from petroleum during the hydrocracking process. An approximation based on pseudocomponents or lumps is adopted due to the complexity of the mixture. The system is modeled as an isothermal tubular reactor with an axial dispersion, where the hydrogen flows upward concurrently with the oil while the solid catalyst particles stay inside the reactor in an expanded bed regime. Simulations are carried out for different values of liquid superficial velocity, reactor length and degree of mixing (Peclet number).
reactor; simulation; hydrocracking
