Expert Alert: Ki-Hyouk Choi

“The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life” -- George Carlin

Ki-Hyouk Choi has been busy inventing new ways to desulfurize heavy crude for many years. Here is a recent patent credited to him …

SAUDI ARAMCO PATENT (WO/2009/073447)
PROCESS FOR UPGRADING HEAVY AND HIGHLY WAXY CRUDE OIL WITHOUT SUPPLY OF HYDROGEN (2009)
WO/2009/073447
Pub. No.: WO/2009/073447 International Application No.: PCT/US2008/084543
Publication Date: 11.06.2009 International Filing Date: 24.11.2008
Inventor: CHOI, Ki-Hyouk; (SA).

Abstract:
A continuous process to upgrade heavy crude oil for producing more valuable crude feedstock having high API gravity, low asphaltene content, and high middle distillate yield, low sulfur content, low nitrogen content, and low metal co teat without external supply of hydrogen and/or catalyst. Heavy crude oil having substantial amount of asphaltene and heavy components is mixed with highly waxy crude oil having large amount of paraffinic components and water to decompose asphaltene compounds and remove sulfur, nitrogen, and metal containing substances under supercritical conditions. Product has higher API gravity, lower asphaltene content, high middle distillate yield, lower sulfur content, lower nitrogen content, and lower metal content to be suitable for conventional petroleum refining process.
source: http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?WO=2009073447

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Some of Choi’s other patents include …

1. 20090230026 Catalyst To Attain Low Sulfur Gasoline - This invention relates to a hydrodesulfurization catalyst a method for preparing the catalyst and a method for 09-17-2009
2. 20090178952 PROCESS TO UPGRADE HIGHLY WAXY CRUDE OIL BY HOT PRESSURIZED WATER 07-16-2009
3. 20090173664 PROCESS TO UPGRADE HEAVY OIL BY HOT PRESSURIZED WATER AND ULTRASONIC WAVE GENERATING PRE-MIXER 07-09-2009
4. 20090159504 PROCESS TO REDUCE ACIDITY OF CRUDE OIL - process to reduce the acidity of acidic crude oils for preventing corrosion during processing of the crude oils 06-25-2009
5. 20090148374 PROCESS AND CATALYST FOR DESULFURIZATION OF HYDROCARBONACEOUS OIL STREAM 06-11-2009
6. 20090145808 CATALYST TO ATTAIN LOW SULFUR DIESEL - This invention relates to a hydrodesulfurization catalyst and a method for preparing the catalyst by spray 06-11-2009
7. 20090145807 PROCESS TO PRODUCE LOW SULFUR CATALYTICALLY CRACKED GASOLINE WITHOUT SATURATION OF OLEFINIC COMPOUNDS 06-11-2009
8. 20090145805 PROCESS FOR UPGRADING HEAVY AND HIGHLY WAXY CRUDE OIL WITHOUT SUPPLY OF HYDROGEN 06-11-2009
9. 20090139715 PROCESS TO UPGRADE WHOLE CRUDE OIL BY HOT PRESSURIZED WATER AND RECOVERY FLUID 06-04-2009
10. 20090084709 Method of producing low sulfur, high octane gasoline 04-02-2009
source: http://www.faqs.org/patents/inv/409766
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And here is a list of a few of the technical articles he has co-authored …

An approach to the deep hydrodesulfurization of light cycle oil
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Volume 53, Issue 4, 18 November 2004, Pages 275-283
Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yosuke Sano, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida

Effects of nitrogen and refractory sulfur species removal on the deep HDS of gas oil
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Volume 53, Issue 3, 8 November 2004, Pages 169-174
Yosuke Sano, Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida

Contrast activities of four alumina and alumina–silica-supported nickel–molybdenum sulfide catalysts for deep desulfurization of gas oils
Applied Catalysis A: General, Volume 279, Issues 1-2, 28 January 2005, Pages 235-239
Naoyuki Kunisada, Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida, Koji Nakano

Impact of removal extent of nitrogen species in gas oil on its HDS performance: an efficient approach to its ultra deep desulfurization
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Volume 50, Issue 1, 18 June 2004, Pages 9-16
Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida, Jae-Wook Ryu, Whasik Min

Facile ultra-deep desulfurization of gas oil through two-stage or -layer catalyst bed
Catalysis Today, Volume 86, Issues 1-4, 1 November 2003, Pages 277-286
Ki-Hyouk Choi, Naoyuki Kunisada, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida, Koji Nakano

Two-step adsorption process for deep desulfurization of diesel oil
Fuel, Volume 84, Issues 7-8, May 2005, Pages 903-910
Yosuke Sano, Kazuomi Sugahara, Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida

Adsorptive removal of sulfur and nitrogen species from a straight run gas oil over activated carbons for its deep hydrodesulfurization
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Volume 49, Issue 4, 10 June 2004, Pages 219-225
Yosuke Sano, Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida

Optimization of silica content in alumina–silica support for NiMo sulfide to achieve deep desulfurization of gas oil
Applied Catalysis A: General, Volume 273, Issues 1-2, 8 October 2004, Pages 287-294
Naoyuki Kunisada, Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida, Koji Nakano

Optimum coating of USY as a support component of NiMoS on alumina for deep HDS of gas oil
Applied Catalysis A: General, Volume 276, Issues 1-2, 25 November 2004, Pages 51-59
Naoyuki Kunisada, Ki-Hyouk Choi, Yozo Korai, Isao Mochida, Koji Nakano
source: www.sciencedirect.com
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Notice the various sources consulted to compile this brief profile … and we have just scratched the surface. Do yourself a favor. Ask your corporate librarian to help you with this kind of research. It will save you enormous amounts of time.

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