Processing of High-Metal Heavy Residues in Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking: Industrial Experience and Optimization Approaches

Karabassova, Nagima; Shambilova, Gulbarshin; Bukanova, Saule; Makarov, Igor; Levin, Ivan; Makarov, Georgy; Taltenov, Abzal; Song, Junlong; Kadasheva, Zhanar

doi:10.3390/app16147130

Open AccessArticle

Processing of High-Metal Heavy Residues in Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking: Industrial Experience and Optimization Approaches

by

Nagima Karabassova

^1,*,

Gulbarshin Shambilova

^1,2,*,

Saule Bukanova

¹,

Igor Makarov

³

,

Ivan Levin

³

,

Georgy Makarov

³

,

Abzal Taltenov

⁴,

Junlong Song

⁵

and

Zhanar Kadasheva

²

¹

Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Ecology Named After N.K. Nadirov, Atyrau University of Oil and Gas Named After Safi Utebayev, Atyrau 060027, Kazakhstan

²

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Kh. Dosmukhamedov Atyrau University, Atyrau 060011, Kazakhstan

³

A.V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, 29 Leninsky Prospect, Moscow 119991, Russia

⁴

Department of Chemistry, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan

⁵

International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(14), 7130; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16147130

Submission received: 22 May 2026 / Revised: 8 July 2026 / Accepted: 13 July 2026 / Published: 16 July 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Technologies and Theories Applied in Oil and Gas Development Under Complex Conditions)

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Abstract

The article addresses the challenges associated with processing heavy petroleum feedstock with high metal content in the Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit of the Atyrau Oil Refinery. Elevated concentrations of iron, nickel, and vanadium were shown to cause rapid catalyst deactivation, deterioration of fluidization properties, and instability of the reactor–regenerator system. Analysis of industrial data revealed that the iron content in the feed significantly exceeded the design value, reaching 150 mg/kg, which resulted in increased catalyst consumption and reduced process efficiency. The industrial application of metal-passivating chemical reagents reduced the iron content by 48–62%, thereby improving catalyst performance and increasing the yield of target products. However, the use of these reagents is associated with high operating costs. Therefore, additional demetallization methods were investigated, particularly solvent deasphalting. Experimental studies on a pilot unit demonstrated that deasphalting reduced the concentrations of Fe, Ni, and V by 7–9 times and produced a deasphalted oil yield of 81.1 wt.%. The obtained product exhibited low Conradson carbon residue and improved quality, making it suitable as a feed component for catalytic cracking. An integrated approach combining chemical treatment and solvent deasphalting is proposed to improve refining efficiency and catalyst stability.

Keywords: oil refining; heavy oil residue; catalytic cracking; metals; reagent; demetallization; deasphaltation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Karabassova, N.; Shambilova, G.; Bukanova, S.; Makarov, I.; Levin, I.; Makarov, G.; Taltenov, A.; Song, J.; Kadasheva, Z. Processing of High-Metal Heavy Residues in Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking: Industrial Experience and Optimization Approaches. Appl. Sci. 2026, 16, 7130. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16147130

AMA Style

Karabassova N, Shambilova G, Bukanova S, Makarov I, Levin I, Makarov G, Taltenov A, Song J, Kadasheva Z. Processing of High-Metal Heavy Residues in Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking: Industrial Experience and Optimization Approaches. Applied Sciences. 2026; 16(14):7130. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16147130

Chicago/Turabian Style

Karabassova, Nagima, Gulbarshin Shambilova, Saule Bukanova, Igor Makarov, Ivan Levin, Georgy Makarov, Abzal Taltenov, Junlong Song, and Zhanar Kadasheva. 2026. "Processing of High-Metal Heavy Residues in Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking: Industrial Experience and Optimization Approaches" Applied Sciences 16, no. 14: 7130. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16147130

APA Style

Karabassova, N., Shambilova, G., Bukanova, S., Makarov, I., Levin, I., Makarov, G., Taltenov, A., Song, J., & Kadasheva, Z. (2026). Processing of High-Metal Heavy Residues in Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking: Industrial Experience and Optimization Approaches. Applied Sciences, 16(14), 7130. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16147130

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Processing of High-Metal Heavy Residues in Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking: Industrial Experience and Optimization Approaches

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