Heavy crude oil is an important unconventional hydrocarbon resources that can be upgraded to useful petroleum products. However, heavy oil has some challenges due to its high viscosity, low mobility coupled with its low API gravity, these features make processing and transportation of heavy oil quite challenging. Consequently, there is need to upgrade heavy oil using suitable technique and appropriate catalyst. In this study, an equilibrated FCC catalyst (E-CAT) was sourced from a refinery, characterized using XRD, XRF and FT-IR techniques and tested in upgrading heavy crude oil. In a preliminary work, heavy gas oil (HGO) and vacuum gas oil (VGO) were used as model oils. They were cracked in a high pressure-high temperature batch reactor at varying temperatures of 350, 400 and 450oC, initial pressure of 1MPa and catalyst-to-oil ratio of 0.01 for the catalytic reaction. Parameters studied include viscosity reduction and change in structural composition of the model oils before and after upgrading using FT-IR technique. Results of VGO upgrade showed viscosity reduction of 3.5, 10 and 32% after thermal upgrade at 350,400, 450oC and 10, 15 and 42% after catalyst addition at the temperatures respectively. The HGO upgrading result showed viscosity reduction of 4, 7 and 24% after thermal upgrade at 350, 400 and 450 oC respectively and 6, 13 and 33% viscosity reduction after catalyst addition correspondingly. FT-IR results suggest the formation of saturated hydrocarbons an indication of the formation of valuable products after upgrading reactions with a better results recorded after catalyst addition. Results from the experimental investigation showed that the E-Cat has the potential to be used in heavy crude oil upgrading
Key words: Equilibrated FCC catalyst, upgrading, heavy crude oil, viscosity reduction, saturated hydrocarbons
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