Abstract: The charge distributions, bond orders on the atoms of various petroleum acids and their reaction behaviors over different catalytic materials were studied by means of molecular simulation technology and quantum chemistry theory. It was found that the carboxyl of petroleum acid could be removed over acidic catalysts to form noncorrosive carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons rapidly. A set of novel technologies to directly process high acid crude oil after desalting and dewatering was developed, which involves using FCC riser reactor and proprietary cracking catalyst to realize the catalytic decarboxylation and cracking reactions happened simultaneously, and high valuable products were produced. The commercial results showed that the rate of catalytic decarboxylation was more than 99%, the obtained gasoline and diesel fractions could be used as related blending components directly. Compared with conventional processing technology, at an equilibrium catalyst having a metal content of 40 620 μg/g (in which Ni 24 000 μg/g), the total light oil yield increased by 1.36 percentage points, the energy consumption (based on crude) decreased by 271.7 MJ/t and without special anticorrosion requirements for the processing unit. This technology could provide effective technical support for the refining enterprises to expand the selection of crude oil resources, to reduce production cost and increase profit for better competition.

Key words: high acid crude oil, fluid catalytic cracking, petroleum acid, corrosion, emulsification