AQP is a single-reactor catalytic process for heavy oils, bitumen, and vacuum residues. It generates its own hydrogen, runs without external supply, and eliminates the amine plants and sulfur recovery units that conventional hydrotreating requires.
The reserves are there. The problem is what it costs to turn heavy oil into something a refinery or pipeline will accept.
AQP is a fixed-bed hydro-processing system powered by the Triton catalyst, a proprietary formulation that generates the hydrogen it needs to operate. It handles hydrogenation, desulfurization, and deacidification in a single pass across a wide range of heavy petroleum feedstocks.
The AQP catalyst splits water molecules inside the reactor, generating reactive hydrogen directly from steam. No reformer, no external supply, no natural gas dependency. All steam is condensed and reused.
H₂ cost: 50x lower than external supplyHydrogenation, desulfurization, and deacidification happen in one vessel. Compared to conventional hydrotreating, AQP requires significantly less downstream gas treatment infrastructure, cutting 15 to 20% from total refinery CAPEX.
15 to 20% lower CAPEX vs conventional HDTHigh-sulfur crudes above 4.5% sulfur, vacuum residues, oil bottoms, bitumen. AQP processes them without additional sulfur removal units and without deactivating. Most catalysts don't last long in these conditions. Ours does.
Stable on high-sulfur crudes (>4.5% S)Measured results across heavy crude, bitumen, vacuum residues, and vacuum gas oil. The same catalyst handles all of them in a single reactor pass.
AQP reduces viscosity by up to 33%, transforming the flow properties of heavy crude and bitumen before it reaches the pipeline or refinery. API gravity climbs up to 20 degrees. Total acid number is eliminated. The output is a significantly lighter, more mobile product that meets pipeline specs with far less diluent.
AQP processes high-sulfur crudes without additional sulfur removal units. It reduces sulfur in the remaining bottom fractions to meet Low Sulfur Marine Gas Oil specifications, opening export and bunker fuel markets that were previously out of reach. H₂S emissions are cut by up to 90%.
AQP converts tower bottoms into 40% more high-value distillates compared to conventional processing. Long-chain paraffins are reduced, preventing wax deposition and improving flow through the whole crude fraction. What was low-value residual becomes a source of incremental revenue.
AQP deacidifies VGO and prepares it for fluid catalytic cracking, enabling the production of high-quality diesel and gasoline. Total acid number is eliminated. The treated VGO feeds directly into FCC without additional conditioning steps.
A processing facility had 50% of its output trapped in low-value condensate and heavy fractions. AQP shifted the product mix toward higher-value distillates and eliminated the condensate drag. No new capital. Same infrastructure.
Based on a 4,000 to 4,700 bbl/day processing facility. Results will vary by feedstock quality and operating conditions.
AQP runs on the Triton catalyst family, a proprietary self-generating hydrogen formulation developed by NanosTech. Triton produces the hydrogen needed to sustain operations directly inside the reactor, removing the dependency on external hydrogen supply that makes conventional hydrotreating expensive.
Designed for mild operating conditions, Triton handles a wide range of heavy petroleum feedstocks including high-sulfur crudes, vacuum residues, and bitumen. It processes at significantly higher throughput than conventional HDT catalysts and reduces overall process complexity by roughly a third compared to traditional hydrocracking.
Read the tech briefThe AQP technology brief covers catalyst design, fossil fuel processing data, economics versus conventional hydrotreating, and deployment options.
Whether you're looking at heavy crude, vacuum residues, or high-sulfur feeds, and whether you're scoping a pilot or evaluating full deployment, we'd like to understand your process.