AQP partially upgrades the heavy fractions of your produced barrel, raising API gravity, cutting sulfur, reducing viscosity, and eliminating TAN, at or near the source. It generates its own hydrogen, requires no external supply, and deploys at any scale, wherever your crude is.
Every barrel of heavy crude carries fractions that are a liability, not an asset. Low API, high sulfur, high viscosity. They discount the whole barrel at the gate, require expensive diluent to move, and drive up transport cost per unit of value.
AQP is a fixed-bed hydro-processing system powered by the Triton catalyst. It partially upgrades heavy petroleum fractions, handling hydrogenation, desulfurization, and deacidification in one pass. Because it generates its own hydrogen from steam, AQP deploys wherever your crude is, at any scale.
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: 50× lower than external supplyBecause AQP generates its own hydrogen, it requires no external hydrogen supply, no reformer, and no gas contract. It deploys at the field, at a terminal, or at any point in the production chain, at any scale. Start with low barrel volumes and grow as your operation demands.
Deploy at any scale. Start small, grow as neededHigh-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)Quality improvements measured across heavy crude, bitumen, vacuum residues, and vacuum gas oil. The same partial upgrade process handles all of them.
AQP reduces viscosity by up to 50%, transforming the flow properties of heavy crude and bitumen before it reaches the pipeline or refinery. API gravity climbs up to 5 degrees. Total acid number is eliminated. The output is a lighter, more mobile product that meets pipeline specs with far less diluent.
AQP processes high-sulfur crudes without additional sulfur removal units. As a partial upgrading process, it delivers meaningful sulfur reductions of up to 30% across the barrel. H₂S emissions are cut by up to 90%, reducing the load on downstream gas treatment.
AQP converts tower bottoms into up to 30% more high-value distillates. Thermal cracking during the process reduces long-chain paraffins, with the Triton catalyst helping to keep that cracking controlled and selective. Improved flow properties and reduced wax deposition are results of this mechanism, not a direct target of the catalyst. 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 facility processing 4,000–4,700 bbl/day had 49.9% of its output trapped in low-value heavy bottom fractions. AQP converted those fractions into higher-value products. Same input barrel. Significantly better economics.
Based on a 4,000–4,700 bbl/day processing facility with a mixed production stream. Results will vary by feedstock quality and operating conditions.
If your entire input is heavy bottom barrels, each one currently values at -$6.99/bbl, a liability on your books. After AQP partial upgrading, that same barrel yields diesel, RMG, and condensate worth +$3.20/bbl.
This scenario assumes 100% heavy bottom barrel input. Full methodology, product yield data, and deployment economics are available in the AQP technology brief. Download it here.
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 any dependency on external hydrogen supply or gas contracts.
Designed for mild operating conditions, Triton handles a wide range of heavy petroleum feedstocks including high-sulfur crudes, vacuum residues, and bitumen. Its self-generating hydrogen mechanism is what makes AQP deployable at any scale, from a small remote field to a large production terminal, with no hydrogen supply chain required.
The AQP technology brief covers catalyst design, fossil fuel processing data, full business case methodology, and deployment options for any scale of operation.
Whether you're a producer with heavy crude bottoms, a refinery looking to improve margins, or scoping a pilot at any scale. We'd like to understand your operation.
Catalyst design, process data, full business case methodology, and deployment economics for any scale of operation.
Fill in your details and we will be in touch shortly.
Our team will be in touch shortly. Download the technology brief directly using the button below.
Download AQP Technology Brief