Jorge Ancheyta, PhD, graduated with a Bachelor's degree in petrochemical engineering (1989), a Master's degree in chemical engineering (1993), and a Master's degree in administration, planning and economics of hydrocarbons (1997) from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico. He splits his PhD between the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico and Imperial College London, UK (1998), and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Catalytic Process Engineering of the CPE‐CNRS in Lyon, France (1999). He has also been visiting professor at the Laboratoire de Catalyse et Spectrochimie, Université de Caen, France (2008, 2009, 2010), Imperial College London, UK (2009), and the Mining University at Saint Petersburg, Russia (2016, 2017).

Dr. Ancheyta has worked for the Mexican Institute of Petroleum (IMP) since 1989 and his present position is Manager of Products for the Transformation of Crude Oil. He has also worked as professor at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels for the School of Chemical Engineering and Extractive Industries at the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico since 1992 and for the IMP postgrade since 2003. He has been supervisor of more than 120 BSc, MSc, and PhD theses. Dr. Ancheyta has also been supervisor of a number of postdoctoral and sabbatical year professors.

Dr. Ancheyta works on the development and application of petroleum refining catalysts, kinetic and reactor models, and process technologies mainly in catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming, middle distillate hydrotreating, and heavy oils upgrading. He is author and co‐author of a number of patents, books, and about 250 scientific papers (H‐index of 45), has been awarded the highest distinction (Level III) as National Researcher by the Mexican government and is a member of the Mexican Academy of Science. He is Principal Associate Editor of the international journal FUEL. Dr. Ancheyta has also chaired numerous yearly international conferences since 2004, namely the International Symposium on Hydroprocessing of Oil Fractions and the International‐Mexican Congress on Chemical Reaction Engineering.

All the contributors have worked for the Mexican Institute of Petroleum (IMP, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo) in the management of products for the transformation of crude oil in the direction of product technology. They have worked together since 1999 in the upgrading of heavy oils group. Throughout this time, the team has gained vast experience and worldwide recognition in the development of processes, catalysts, kinetic, and reactor models, particularly for catalytic hydrotreating of petroleum distillates, conversion of residue, upgrading of heavy oils, and production of clean fuels. The individual experience of each researcher is reflected in each of the chapters with the aim of guiding new and current scientists towards new developments in the fascinating world of petroleum refining. We would like to thank the many people from IMP and BSc, MSc, and PhD students who during this time have helped with experimental work, characterization studies, development of methodologies, and modeling work studies.

Catalytic hydrotreating (HDT) is a mature technology that has been practiced in the petroleum refining industry for the upgrading of hydrocarbon streams for the last 60 years. For conventional distillate hydrotreating, the main purpose of the process is to remove impurities such as heteroatoms (sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen) and saturate aromatic and olefinic compounds, whereas in the case of heavy oils and residues, it also comprises the elimination of metals (nickel and vanadium), conversion of asphaltene molecules, and hydrocracking of heavy fractions. Its major applications in current refinery operations can be grouped in the following categories: (i) feed pretreatment for conversion processes such as catalytic reforming, catalytic cracking, and hydrocracking, (ii) post‐hydrotreating of distillates, and more recently (iii) upgrading of heavy crude oils. In the first case, generally the objective is to reduce the amount of sulfur, basic nitrogen compounds, metals and polynuclear aromatics, which act as deactivation agents in acid‐catalyzed processes. The second category includes the finishing step to produce transportation fuels that meet ecological standards (e.g. ultra‐low sulfur gasoline and diesel). The final group aim to increase the API gravity of the crude oil, reducing viscosity, removing impurities, and producing lighter and better quality oils.

There are numerous hydrotreating processes for handling all types of refinery streams and for each specific objective. They differ in reactor technology, catalyst type, operating conditions, and process configuration. Among all the reactor technologies, fixed‐bed reactors are still the most widely used in HDT operations due to their flexibility and relative simplicity. Other types of reactors, such as moving‐bed, ebullated‐bed, and slurry‐phase, are also available for upgrading the heaviest fractions.

Hydrotreating is carried out in a wide range of operating conditions. The severity of the process is adjusted depending on the properties of the feed and required product composition. The main process variables are pressure, temperature, hydrogen‐to‐oil ratio, and space‐velocity. Each variable influences every single aspect of the process; therefore the set of operating conditions must be carefully tailored to achieve efficient operation.

For proper design of HDT processes and catalysts, experimental studies in different reaction scales are mandatory. The scaling‐up steps must be carried out with great care based on appropriate experimental methodologies to ensure that the development of the process or catalyst will successfully end up in commercial application. To do this, as well as such methodologies, adequate experimental facilities for conducting characterization of hydrocarbons and catalysts, as well as for evaluating catalyst performance, are necessary.

Experimental Methods for Evaluation of Hydrotreating Catalysts provides a detailed description of experiments in different reaction scales that are typically used when studying processes and catalysts for hydrotreating different petroleum distillates. The book is organized into ten chapters:

• Chapter 1 introduces general aspects of the experimental setups used for conducting research studies for hydrotreating, such as type of operation, selection of reactor, experimental considerations, and analysis of products.
• Chapter 2 deals with experimentation in glass reactors with model compounds. The different parts of a glass unit are described, such as the microreactor, gas flow section, feed section, and product analysis. Details of calculations of molar concentration, partial pressure, reaction rate, and conversion are given. Step‐by‐step procedures for catalyst testing are also provided.
• Chapter 3 is devoted to experimentation with model molecules in batch reactors. The methodology for carrying out experiments in batch reactors is described in detail, and important reaction issues are highlighted, such as mass transfer effects, catalyst particle size, and kinetic studies.
• Chapter 4 describes experimentation in batch reactors with petroleum distillates. The use of batch reactors and modes of operation are discussed, as well as data collection and analysis of experimental data. Determination of catalyst effectiveness factor, reaction rate coefficients, and activation energy are also covered.
• Chapter 5 focuses on experimentation with heavy oil in a batch reactor. Apart from providing details of the experimental setup and procedures, examples of the preparation of supports and catalysts, and their use in the hydrotreating reaction are described. Advantages and disadvantages of batch reactors are also highlighted.
• Chapter 6 describes experimentation in small‐scale continuous fixed‐bed tubular reactors. Explanation of the experimental unit as well as catalyst loading, activation, unloading, and characterization are given. Tests with a series of different catalysts are discussed in terms of effect of diluent composition, catalyst support, support modification, and additive incorporation.
• Chapter 7 deals with experimentation in medium‐scale continuous fixed‐bed tubular reactors. Experiments for studying the isothermality of the reactor, flow regime, ideality of flow pattern, and mass transfer gradients are discussed. Examples of the use of the unit for hydrotreating heavy oil and middle distillates with different catalysts are given.
• Chapter 8 is devoted to experimentation in large‐scale continuous fixed‐bed tubular reactors. Different case studies are presented, such as hydrotreating of heavy residue, hydrotreating of highly aromatic petroleum distillates, characterization of spent catalyst from residue hydrotreating, and reaction kinetics for hydrotreating of residue.
• Chapter 9 presents experimentation in large‐scale continuous ebullated‐bed reactors. Details of the characteristics of this type of reactor are given, such as different parts of the reactor, advantages and disadvantages, catalyst issues, and sediment formation. Various experimental tests are described in detail in terms of the effect of reaction conditions on impurities removal, conversion, composition of products, and hydrogen consumption.
• Chapter 10 details experimentation in continuous stirred tank reactors. A series of experiments are described, such as hydrocracking of an atmospheric residue, parallel thermal and catalytic hydrotreating of heavy oil, and deactivation of a hydrotreating catalyst.

Each chapter provides detailed information and step‐by‐step procedures for each level of experimentation for conducting correct hydrotreating experiments. Examples of the evaluation of reaction conditions, type of feed, type of catalyst and support, with different characterization techniques for petroleum feedstocks and for fresh and spent catalysts, as well as experiments for determining mass transfer limitations and deviation from ideality of flow pattern are thoroughly described with the aid of detailed experimental data collected from the different reaction scales.

Experimental data, explanations of how to conduct hydrotreating tests, calculations, interpretation of results, and rigorous treatment of the different topics involved in the development of hydrotreating processes and catalysts make this book an indispensable reference not only for professionals working in the area of catalytic hydrotreating, but also as a textbook for full courses in chemical reaction engineering, in which experimental topics on catalytic hydrotreating and other reactions are discussed.

It is expected that Experimental Methods for Evaluation of Hydrotreating Catalysts will quickly become an outstanding and distinctive book because it emphasizes detailed descriptions of the different reaction scales that are used for evaluating hydrotreating processes and catalysts, gives details of experimental setups, methodologies, and characterizations, and provides a series of examples focused on the evaluation of different reaction parameters and catalysts with a variety of petroleum feedstocks.