Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Law Offices of Grady K. Bergen
  • Patent number: 6428686
    Abstract: A process where the need to circulate hydrogen through the catalyst is eliminated. This is accomplished by mixing and/or flashing the hydrogen and the oil to be treated in the presence of a solvent or diluent in which the hydrogen solubility is “high” relative to the oil feed. The type and amount of diluent added, as well as the reactor conditions, can be set so that all of the hydrogen required in the hydroprocessing reactions is available in solution. The oil/diluent/hydrogen solution can then be fed to a plug flow reactor packed with catalyst where the oil and hydrogen react. No additional hydrogen is required, therefore, hydrogen recirculation is avoided and trickle bed operation of the reactors is avoided. Therefore, the large trickle bed reactors can be replaced by much smaller tubular reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Process Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Ackerson, Michael S. Byars