Abstract: The present invention is a process to remove a major portion of metals and coke precursors from a hydrocarbon stream. The steps of the process include contacting the feedstream with a hydrocarbon insoluble adsorbent, recovering the oil which does not adsorb and removing the metals and coke precursors from the adsorbent.

Abstract: The present invention is a slurry-type process for upgrading heavy oils to FCC and S/C feeds under temperature and pressure conditions similar to MSHP, but employing catalysts in concentrations small enough (e.g., <300 ppm Mo on feed) that they need not be recycled.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for treating naphthenic acid containing whole crudes or fraction thereof to reduce or eliminate their acidity by contacting the acidic whole crude or fractions thereof at a suitable temperature typically of less than 200.degree. C. with a neutralizing amount typically from 0.25:1 up to 10:1 of overbased detergent. The process has the additional benefits of reducing materials handling problems associated with emulsion formation in treated crudes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for treating naphthenic acid-containing whole crudes or fractions thereof to reduce or eliminate their acidity by contacting the acidic whole crude at a temperature of from about 60.degree. C. to 170.degree. C. with a neutralizing amount of alkali metal trialkylsilanolates. The process has the additional benefits of reducing materials handling problems associated with treating crudes using liquid solvents and in reducing emulsion formation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of making storage-stable road paving binders by blending a minor amount of an unsaturated polymer (e.g., having at least one diene monomer) with a major amount of asphalt at an elevated temperature such that the components are sufficiently fluid to blend; treating the asphalt-polymer blend with a sulfonating agent; and stripping the treated asphalt-polymer blend at an elevated temperature with sufficient stripping gas to remove strippable sulfur moieties and to stabilize the resulting stripped, treated blend. The invention also provides asphaltic compositions made by the method. The asphaltic compositions are useful as binders in road paving applications.

Abstract: This invention provides for novel road paving binder compositions and the method of making them. One embodiment is a road paving binder composition of a storage stable blend of a sulfonated, unhydrogenated random copolymer of styrene and butadiene having a sulfonation level of from 1 to 100 meq S0.sub.3 H/100 g of polymer and a sulfonated asphalt. Another is a method of making a storage stable polymer modified asphalt composition by combining a sulfonated unhydrogenated random styrene butadiene copolymer having a sulfonation level of from about 1 to 100 meq S0.sub.3 H per 100 g of polymer and a sulfonated asphalt at a temperature of at least about 180.degree. C. to produce a storage stable polymer modified asphalt. Yet another is a method of making a storage stable polymer modified asphalt by combining a sulfonated unhydrogenated random styrene and butadiene copolymer having a sulfonation level of from about 1 to 100 meq S0.sub.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of making storage stable road paving binders by blending a minor amount of a polymer having at least one diene monomer with a major amount of asphalt containing at least 0.3% by weight of total nitrogen at an elevated temperature such that the components are sufficiently fluid to blend; treating the asphalt-polymer blend using not more than 250 meq of a sulfonating agent per 100 g of asphalt-polymer blend to introduce the corresponding acid functionality into the blend; maintaining the sulfonated asphalt-polymer blend at a sufficiently elevated temperature and stripping the sulfonated blend with sufficient chemically unreactive gas to remove a major fraction of the acid functionality introduced by sulfonation. The invention also provides for the compositions made by the process. These are useful as binders in road paving applications.

Abstract: A process for the production of gaseous olefins which involves introducing a hydrocarbon feedstock stream into a high temperature thermal cracking zone to produce a high temperature cracked product stream, quenching the cracked product stream to stop the cracking reactions, injecting at least one HDD (hydrogen donor diluent) into the cracked product stream at or downstream of the point at which the reaction is quenched, recovering normally gaseous olefins from the cracked product stream, and recovering a liquid product stream containing a diminished asphaltene content.

Abstract: There is provided a coated agricultural substrate in which the coating comprises a blend of a neutralized sulfonated ionomer and asphalt. Preferably, the coating contains from about 1 to 20 wt. % asphalt and from 99 to 80 wt. % of the neutralized sulfonated ionomer. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coating contains about 7 wt. % asphalt and about 93 wt. % of the neutralized sulfonated ionomer.

Abstract: Disclosed in this invention are novel road paving binder compositions and the method of making same. The compositions are made by combining an asphalt that contains sulfonate or sulfonic acid groups, a polymer preferably of butyl rubbers, styrene-butadiene linear diblock polymer, styrene-butadiene-styrene linear or radial triblock polymer and EPDM that has been sulfonated, and mixtures thereof, and a basic neutralizing agent that contains cations having a valence from +1 to +3. The amounts of each are effective to allow formation of one continuous phase or two interdispersed phases that do not segregate on standing at elevated temperatures associated with road paving. The amount of polymer is an amount less than 7 wt. % of total polymer-asphalt composition that is sufficient to produce an asphaltic composition having a viscosity at 135.degree. C. in the range of from about 150 cPs to about 2000 cPs or from about 3000 cPs to about 8000 cPs.

Abstract: Disclosed in this invention are novel road paving asphaltic compositions having improved viscoelastic properties and storage stability and unexpected phase compatibility. They contain neutralized mixtures of oxidized asphalt and an acid functionalized polymer, which polymer is selected from the group consisting of sulfonated EPDM, sulfonated styrene-butadiene, and acrylic acid terpolymers, in an amount that is sufficient to result in an asphaltic composition having a softening point greater about 55.degree. C. and a viscosity in the range from about 150 cPs to 2000 cPs or from about 3000 cPs to about 8000 cPs at 135.degree. C. and effective to allow the formation of one continuous phase or two interdispersed phases that do not segregate on standing at elevated temperatures. The basic neutralizing agent used in these compositions contain cations having a valence of from +1 to +3, preferably +2. The invention also relates to the products produced by the process and method of making the compositions.

Abstract: This invention relates to polymeric compositions comprising unhydrogenated or substantially unhydrogenated sulfonated copolymers of (poly)styrene and a (poly)conjugated diene, e.g., (poly)butadiene or (poly)isoprene, preferably (poly)butadiene containing less than about 1.0 wt. %, preferably less than about 0.8 wt. % sulfur, preferably from about 0.2 to about 0.7, more preferably from about 0.22 to about 0.6 wt. % sulfur, as well as base-neutralized products thereof. The invention includes the polymeric compositions produced by the process of sulfonating unhydrogenated copolymers of (poly)styrene and a conjugated diene, e.g., (poly)butadiene or (poly)isoprene, preferably (poly)butadiene, which process optionally includes base neutralizing the sulfonated copolymer. This invention further relates to the process for making these novel copolymers comprising combining an unhydrogenated or substantially unhydrogenated copolymer of (poly)styrene and a conjugated diene, e.g.

Abstract: Paving binders, especially hot mix paving mixtures, having excellent storage stability, reduced binder runoff, and high temperature viscosity are formed by adding a copolymer of ethylene with an alkyl acrylate or vinyl acetate and a neutralized sulfonated polymer to the asphalt. Preferably, the alkyl acrylate is methyl acrylate and the neutralized sulfonated polymer is a terpolymer of ethylene, propylene, and a diene monomer.

Abstract: A process for the production of gaseous olefins which involves introducing a hydrocarbon feedstock stream into a high temperature thermal cracking zone to produce a high temperature cracked product stream, quenching the cracked product stream to stop the cracking reactions, injecting at least one HDD (hydrogen donor diluent) into the cracked product stream at or downstream of the point at which the reaction is quenched, recovering normally gaseous olefins from the cracked product stream, and recovering a liquid product stream containing a diminished asphaltene content.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for obtaining liquids and gases from carbonaceous material, such as coal. The carbonaceous material is first treated with a gasification catalyst, and optionally a hydrogenation catalyst, and hydropyrolyzed for an effective residence time, below the critical temperature at which methane begins to rapidly form, to make liquid products. The resulting char is gasified in the presence of steam at a temperature from about 500.degree. C. to about 900.degree. C.

Abstract: The present invention is predicated on the discovery that the addition of certain free radical initiators to thermal conversion processes results in increased thermal conversion rate at a given temperature without any substantial increase in the amounts of gaseous products formed. This permits operating the thermal conversion process at lower temperatures than otherwise practical. Indeed, the present invention is especially useful in thermal cracking processes like fluid coking. In this embodiment, a free radical initiator is added, without the addition of a hydrogen donor diluent, to a feedstock which is thermally cracked in a fluidized bed of particulate solids and at lower temperatures than otherwise employed, thereby increased amounts of liquid products are obtained.

Abstract: Coal liquids are disclosed wherein the hydrogen of substantially all of the hydroxyl groups of the coal liquids have been replaced with C.sub.1 to C.sub.20 alkyl or acyl groups.

Abstract: Scale formation during the liquefaction of lower ranking coals and similar carbonaceous materials is significantly reduced and/or prevented by pretreatment with a combination of pretreating agents comprising SO.sub.2 and an oxidizing agent. The pretreatment is believed to convert at least a portion of the scale-forming components and particularly calcium, to the corresponding sulfate prior to liquefaction. The pretreatment may be accomplished with the combination of pretreating agents either simultaneously by using a mixture comprising SO.sub.2 and an oxidizing agent or sequentially by first treating with SO.sub.2 and then with an oxidizing agent.

Abstract: Phenol-containing streams are treated by an oxygen-alkylation process to convert substantially all of the phenol groups to ether groups. The oxygen-alkylation process comprises contacting the phenol-containing stream, preferably a coal liquid, with (a) a basic solution comprising one or more oxides or hydroxides of a metal selected from the group consisting of alkali and alkaline-earth metals; and (b) an alkylating agent represented by the formula RX where R is a C.sub.1 to C.sub.18 alkyl, allyl, cycloalkyl, haloalkyl, benzyl or arylalkyl group provided X is located on the alkyl portion of the compound and X is sulfate or a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine.

Abstract: Coal liquids are rendered compatible with petroleum liquids by selective oxygen alkylation or oxygen acylation of weakly acidic protons such as phenolic and carboxylic functionalities by means of a phase transfer reaction. Phenolic and carboxylic functional substituents, which are very polar, are converted to relatively non-polar ethers and esters, respectively. The O-alkylation or O-acylation is carried out in a binary liquid phase solution (organic/water). A quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salt is reacted with alkali or alkaline earth base (caustic) to produce the corresponding quaternary ammonium or phosphonium base (an example of a phase transfer reagent). This quaternary base is non-nucleophilic and readily removes the phenolic and carboxylic protons, but does little else to the coal liquid molecules. After the removal of the weakly acidic protons by the quaternary base, the phenoxides and carboxylates which are produced then undergo O-alkylation or O-acylation.