Abstract: A process for treating a gas stream comprising H2S that includes the step of selectively oxidizing the H2S of the gas stream within a catalytic zone containing an oxidation catalyst and in the presence of an inert liquid medium and molecular oxygen to form elemental sulfur and a gas stream depleted of H2S. A liquid stream yielded from the catalytic zone and containing the inert liquid medium and liquid elemental sulfur undergoes a separation into a first liquid phase rich in the inert liquid medium and a second liquid phase rich in elemental sulfur. Either at least a part of the liquid stream or at least a part of the second liquid phase, or both, undergoes a combustion to form a fluid stream that comprises sulfur dioxide.

Abstract: A catalyst having dual functionality for the removal of arsenic and the selective hydrogenation of diolefins from monoolefin-containing hydrocarbon streams that have an arsenic concentration and a diolefin concentration, and processes for making and using such catalyst. The catalyst is a heat treated shaped mixture of a refractory oxide and a Group VIII metal that is overlaid with additional Group VIII metal.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for sequestration of carbon dioxide by mineral carbonation comprising the following steps: (a) converting a magnesium or calcium sheet silicate hydroxide into a magnesium or calcium ortho- or chain silicate by bringing the silicate hydroxide in direct or indirect heat-exchange contact with hot synthesis gas to obtain the silicate, silica, water and cooled synthesis gas; (b) contacting the silicate obtained in step (a) with carbon dioxide to convert the silicate into magnesium or calcium carbonate and silica.

Abstract: Process for separating colour bodies and/or asphalthenic contaminants from a hydrocarbon mixture using a membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, by contacting the hydrocarbon mixture with the feed side of the membrane, and by removing at the permeate side a hydrocarbon permeate having a reduced content of colour bodies and/or asphalthenic contaminants, wherein the membrane is arranged in a spirally wound membrane module.

Abstract: A process for reactive distillation wherein a carboxylic acid is reacted in a reaction section of a reactive distillation column with an alcohol under esterifying conditions in the presence of a catalyst to form an ester, wherein a first supply stream comprising the carboxylic acid, a second supply stream comprising the alcohol and a third supply stream comprising an inert entrainer are supplied to the reactive distillation column, wherein the first supply stream is supplied to the column at a first entry level located just above or at the top of the reaction section, the second supply stream is supplied to the column at a second entry level located in or just below the reaction section and below the first entry level, and the third supply stream is supplied to the column at a third entry level located in or below the reaction section and not above the second entry level and wherein a bottom stream comprising the ester formed and unreacted carboxylic acid is obtained and a top stream comprising unreacted alco

Abstract: Process for separating colour bodies and/or asphalthenic contaminants from a hydrocarbon mixture using a membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, by contacting the hydrocarbon mixture with the feed side of the membrane, wherein between the feed and permeate sides of the membrane a pressure difference is applied, thereby passing part of the hydrocarbon mixture from the feed side to the permeate side and obtaining at the permeate side of the membrane a hydrocarbon permeate having a reduced content of colour bodies and/or asphalthenic contaminants, and by removing the hydrocarbon permeate from the permeate side of the membrane, wherein during selected time intervals the removal of hydrocarbon permeate from the permeate side of the membrane is stopped so that the pressure difference over the membrane is temporarily substantially lowered.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for disposal of mercaptans, the process comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a feed gas stream comprising mercaptans with liquid sulphur in a sulphide producing zone at elevated pressure and at a temperature in the range of from 300 to 450° C. to obtain a liquid stream comprising sulphur and sulphide compounds; (b) optionally separating the liquid stream obtained in step (a) into a first liquid phase enriched in liquid sulphur and a second liquid phase enriched in sulphide compounds; (c) combusting at least part of the sulphide compounds at elevated temperature in the presence of an oxygen-containing gas in a sulphur dioxide generation zone using a sulphide burner to which burner oxygen-containing gas is supplied, whereby at least part of the sulphide compounds is converted to sulphur dioxide to obtain a gas stream comprising sulphur dioxide.

Abstract: Described is a novel amorphous silica-alumina composition having a high ratio of pore volume contained in large pores to pore volume contained in medium to small pores. The amorphous silica-alumina composition also may have the characteristic of a strong aluminum-NMR penta-coordinated peak representing greater than 30% of the total aluminum and a method of making such novel amorphous silica-alumina composition using a pH swing preparation method.

Abstract: Disclosed is method for restoring catalytic activity to a hydroprocessing catalyst that has become spent due to its use or to the deposition of carbon thereon. The method includes a carbon reduction step whereby carbon is removed from the spent hydroprocessing catalyst in a controlled manner to within a specifically defined concentration range. Following the carbon removal step, the resulting catalyst, having a reduced concentration of carbon, is subjected to a chelation treatment whereby the resulting carbon-reduced catalyst is contacted with a chelating agent and aged for a time period necessary for realizing the benefit from the controlled carbon reduction step. In a preferred embodiment, the catalyst resulting from the chelation treatment is subjected to a sulfurization treatment involving the incorporation of elemental sulfur therein and contacting therewith an olefin.

Abstract: Process to prepare a water-white lubricating base oil having a saturates content of more than 90 wt %, a sulphur content of less than 0.03 wt % and a viscosity index of between 80-120 by subjecting a non-water-white hydrocarbon feed having a lower saturates content than the desired saturates content to a hydrogenation step, the hydrogenation step comprising contacting the feed with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, wherein the contacting is performed in two steps: (a) contacting the hydrocarbon feed with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst at a temperature of above 300° C. and at a WSHV of between 0.3 and 2 kg of oil per litre of catalyst per hour, and (b) contacting the intermediate product obtained in step (a) with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst at a temperature of below 280° C.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for the removal of sulfur from a gas stream containing sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen sulfide. The process includes a hydrogenation step, a hydrolysis step, an ammonia removal step and a hydrogen sulfide removal step. An aqueous alkaline washing liquid is used in the hydrogen sulfide removal step and with the spent sulfide containing washing liquid being regenerated using an oxidation bioreactor that utilizes sulfide oxidizing bacteria such as autotropic aerobic cultures of Thiobacillus and Thiomicrospira.

Abstract: The invention provides an unsupported catalyst composition which comprises one or more Group VIb metals, one or more Group VIII metals, one or more zeolites, and, optionally, a refractory oxide material. A (co)precipitation preparation process is described and also use of the composition in hydrocracking.

Abstract: Process to prepare a base oil having a viscosity index of between 80 and 140 starting from a distillate or a de-asphalted oil by (a) contacting the feedstock in the presence of hydrogen with a sulphided hydrodesulphurization catalyst comprising nickel and tungsten on an acid amorphous silica-alumina carrier and (b) performing a pour point reducing step on the effluent of step (a) to obtain the base oil.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of a catalyst, which process comprises the steps of: i) mixing an alumina precursor with combustible carbon-containing fibers with a diameter in the range of from 0.5 to 5 ?m and a length of no greater than 100 ?m in an amount in the range of from 20 to 40 wt % based on the total dry mixture; ii) adding nitric acid and water to form an extrudable mass; iii) extruding the mixture to form shaped particles; iv) drying the shaped particles; v) heating the particles in an atmosphere comprising no more than 5 vol % oxygen at a temperature in the range of from 350 to 600° C.; and vi) then heating the particles in a gas mixture comprising at least 12 vol % oxygen at a temperature in the range of from 450 to 600° C.

Abstract: Process to prepare a lubricant having a dynamic viscosity at ?35° C. of below 5000 cP by performing the following steps: a) contacting a feed containing more than 50 wt % wax in the presence of hydrogen with a catalyst comprising a Group VIII metal component supported on a refractory oxide carrier, and b) contacting the effluent of step (a) with a catalyst composition comprising a noble Group VIII metal, a binder and zeolite crystallites of the MTW type to obtain a product having a lower pour point than the effluent of step (b) and having a viscosity index greater than 120, and (c) adding a pour point depressant additive to the base oil as obtained in step (b).

Abstract: A process for producing a purified gas stream from a feed gas stream comprising contaminants, the process comprising the steps of: (a) removing contaminants from the feed gas stream to obtain the purified gas stream and a sour gas stream comprising H2S and RSH; (b) separating the sour gas stream comprising H2S and RSH into a gas stream enriched in H2S and a residual gas stream comprising RSH; (c) converting H2S in the gas stream enriched in H2S to elemental sulphur in a Claus unit, thereby obtaining a first off-gas stream comprising SO2; (d) converting SO2 in the first off-gas stream comprising SO2 to H2S in a Claus off-gas treating reactor to obtain a second off-gas stream comprising H2S; (e) converting RSH from the residual gas stream comprising RSH to H2S in an RSH conversion reactor to obtain a residual gas stream comprising H2S, wherein at least one of the operating conditions of the RSH conversion reactor is different from the corresponding operating condition of the Claus off-gas treating reactor.

Abstract: A process for the reduction of carbonyl sulfide (COS) in a gas stream is described. It comprises contacting the gas stream with an iron oxide-based material. The present invention relates to the removal of COS from any type of gas stream, in particular those which include one or more of the group comprising ethane, methane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and noble gases. These include natural gas, and in particular syngas. Syngas is useable in a Fischer-Tropsch process. The present invention provides a simple but effective process for the reduction of COS, especially with a material that can easily be located in existing guard beds—avoiding any re-engineering time and costs. The iron oxide-based materials can also be useable against other impurities, providing a single bed solution.

Abstract: Process to cool hot gas by passing the hot gas through a tube having a main tubular part and an upstream tubular part, wherein (i) the exterior of main tubular part is cooled by an evaporating liquid cooling medium flowing freely around said tube, (ii) the upstream tubular part is cooled by passing fresh liquid cooling medium and a defined part of the liquid cooling medium of activity (i) along the exterior of the upstream end of the tube and (iii) wherein the mixture of fresh cooling medium and the defined part of the liquid medium after being used to cool the upstream tubular part is used in activity (i) as cooling medium.

Abstract: The invention provides a zeolite of the faujasite structure which has a unit cell size in the range of from 24.40 to 24.50 ?; a bulk silica to alumina ratio (SAR) in the range of from 5 to 10; and an alkali metal content of less than 0.15 wt %. Such zeolites have been found to have a very useful naphtha selectivity in hydrocracking, particularly a selectivity to heavy naphtha. A preparation process for the zeolite, hydrocracking catalyst composition comprising the zeolite and its use in hydrocracking are also provided.

Abstract: An assembly of baffles and seals for mounting in a heat exchanger shell, comprising a plurality of longitudinal baffles; a plurality of longitudinal seals for sealingly engaging longitudinal rims of the longitudinal baffles against the heat exchanger shell after mounting, and further a wall member that is arranged to extend between longitudinal seals of adjacent longitudinal baffles so as to form a double wall with the heat exchanger shell after mounting. A method of assembling a heat exchanger, comprising providing a heat exchanger shell and an assembly of baffles and seals according to the invention; assembling the assembly of baffles and seals outside the heat exchanger shell and introducing the assembled arrangement into the heat exchanger shell so that each wall member forms a double wall with the heat exchanger shell.