Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm James C. Paschall
  • Patent number: 8314276
    Abstract: A method of hydroprocessing hydrocarbons is provided using a substantially liquid-phase reactor having first and second catalyst beds with a heat transfer section positioned therebetween. The first and second catalyst beds and the heat transfer section are combined within the same reactor vessel. Each catalyst bed having an inlet temperature and an exit temperature and having a hydroprocessing catalyst therein with a maximum operating temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: John A. Petri, Peter Kokayeff
  • Patent number: 8277638
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for converting heavy hydrocarbon feed into lighter hydrocarbon products. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is slurried with a catalyst comprising iron oxide and alumina to form a heavy hydrocarbon slurry and hydrocracked to produce lighter hydrocarbons. The iron oxide in the catalyst converts to catalytically active iron sulfide in the presence of hydrogen and sulfur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Alakananda Bhattacharyya, Beckay J. Mezza
  • Patent number: 8277641
    Abstract: One exemplary embodiment can be a stack for a separation vessel adapted to receive a fluid having one or more phases. The stack may include one or more walls surrounding a void, a packed bed positioned within the void, and a distributor positioned above the packed bed. Generally, the stack has a height greater than its width. Usually, the separation vessel further includes a base having a length greater than its height, and the height of the stack is orientated substantially perpendicular to the length of the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan A. Tertel, July S. Maglente, David A. Bahr
  • Patent number: 8163247
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for contacting feed with mixed catalyst in a secondary reactor that is incorporated into an FCC reactor. The mixed catalyst used in the secondary reactor is regenerated catalyst from a regenerator that regenerates spent catalyst from an FCC reactor that is mixed with spent catalyst from either the FCC reactor or the secondary reactor. The mixing of spent and regenerated catalyst reduces the catalyst temperature and tempers catalyst activity to inhibit both thermal and catalytic cracking reactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: David A. Lomas, Rusty M. Pittman
  • Patent number: 8158070
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for hydroprocessing two hydrocarbon streams at two different pressures. A hydrogen stream is compressed and split. A first split compressed stream is further compressed to feed a first hydroprocessing unit that requires higher pressure for operation. A second split compressed stream is fed to a second hydroprocessing unit that requires lower pressure. Recycle hydrogen from the second hydroprocessing unit is recycled back to the compression section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Andrew P. Wieber
  • Patent number: 8124020
    Abstract: A process and apparatus is described in which a sulfiding agent is added to a catalytic conversion reactor to prevent metal catalyzed coking. The catalytic reactor may be downstream from a first fluid catalytic cracking reactor that provides C10— hydrocarbons as feed to the downstream catalytic reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Keith A. Couch, Christopher D. Gosling
  • Patent number: 8110090
    Abstract: Integrated slurry hydrocracking (SHC) and solvent deasphalting (SDA) methods for making slurry hydrocracking (SHC) distillates are disclosed. Representative methods involve passing a slurry comprising a vacuum column resid, a recycled, deasphalted oil obtained from SDA, and a solid particulate through an SHC reaction zone in the presence of hydrogen to obtain the SHC distillate. Fractionation or distillation in the SHC product recovery section yields a combined SHC gas oil/SHC pitch stream that is sent to SDA. In a representative embodiment, vacuum distillation in the SHC product recovery is avoided, thereby eliminating equipment that is often most susceptible to fouling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Paul R. Zimmerman, Mark Van Wees, Robert S. Haizmann, Milan Skripek
  • Patent number: 8066867
    Abstract: Methods are disclosed for the hydrotreating and hydrocracking of highly aromatic distillate feeds such as light cycle oil (LCO) to produce ultra low sulfur gasoline and diesel fuel. Optimization of hydrotreater severity improves the octane quality of the gasoline or naphtha fraction. In particular, the operation of the hydrotreater at reduced severity to allow at least about 20 ppm by weight of organic nitrogen into the hydrocracker feed is shown to lead to these important benefits. Post-treating of the hydrocracker effluent over an additional hydrotreating catalyst bed may be desired to meet specifications for ultra low sulfur fuel components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Bart Dziabala, Vasant P. Thakkar, Suheil F. Abdo
  • Patent number: 8062507
    Abstract: A process for stripping gases from catalyst material in which catalyst travels down baffles at a first acute angle and then at a second acute angle on the same baffle. Traveling down the baffle at the second angle assures the catalyst will cross a downcomer channel and land on an adjacent baffle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Jason P. Lambin, Keith A. Couch, Paolo Palmas, Giovanni Spinelli
  • Patent number: 8038869
    Abstract: Processes and systems are provided for removing contaminants from a vapor stream containing hydrocarbon and hydrogen, and can include: providing a feed stream to a first pressurized vapor liquid separator that produces a liquid stream and a vapor stream containing hydrocarbon and hydrogen, passing the vapor stream to an inlet of a particulate trap containing a plurality of treatment zones that remove contaminants from the vapor stream to produce a particulate trap effluent, and passing the particulate trap effluent directly to a catalytic hydrogenation zone. The processes and systems can also include: passing the liquid stream from the first pressurized vapor liquid separator to a second vapor liquid separator that produces an overhead vapor stream and a liquid bottoms stream, condensing the overhead vapor stream from the second vapor liquid separator to form a liquid overhead stream, routing the liquid overhead stream to the inlet of the particulate trap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Tom N. Kalnes
  • Patent number: 8025793
    Abstract: A process and apparatus is disclosed for converting heavy hydrocarbon feed into lighter hydrocarbon products. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is slurried with a catalyst comprising iron oxide and alumina to form a heavy hydrocarbon slurry and hydrocracked to produce lighter hydrocarbons. The iron oxide in the catalyst converts to catalytically active iron sulfide in the presence of hydrogen and sulfur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Alakananda Bhattacharyya, Beckay J. Mezza
  • Patent number: 8007662
    Abstract: Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) processes are described, in which hydroprocessed hydrocarbon streams or other hydrocarbon feed streams having a low coking tendency are subjected to direct heat exchange with the FCC reactor effluent, for example in the FCC main column. The processes operate with sufficient severity such that little or no net FCC main column bottoms liquid (e.g., with a 343° C. (650° F.) distillation cut point) is generated. Regeneration temperatures with the representative low coking tendency feeds are beneficially increased by using an oxygen-enriched regeneration gas stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: David A. Lomas, Peter J. Van Opdorp
  • Patent number: 8007729
    Abstract: Hydrocarbon feed to a catalytic reactor can be heat exchanged with flue gas from a catalyst regenerator. This innovation enables recovery of more energy from flue gas thus resulting in a lower flue gas discharge temperature. As a result, other hot hydrocarbon streams conventionally used to preheat hydrocarbon feed can now be used to generate more high pressure steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Yunbo Liu, Xin X. Zhu, Daniel N. Myers, Patrick D. Walker
  • Patent number: 7841304
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and process for recovering heat from multiple hot process streams without multiplying instrumentation. Each hot process stream is indirectly heat exchanged with a water circuit which leaves and feeds a steam drum. Heat is added to the steam drum through the addition of water heated outside of the steam drum. The heated liquid and vapor water is heated in heat exchangers decoupled from the steam drum. The water circuits are arranged in parallel with each other and feed a single steam drum to provide a steam product of a desired pressure for which only one set of instrumentation is needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Mark Van Wees, Jason L. Stahlman
  • Patent number: 7763165
    Abstract: Processing schemes and arrangements are provided for the processing a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock via hydrocarbon cracking processing with selected hydrocarbon fractions being obtained via fractionation-based product recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Michael A. Schultz
  • Patent number: 7708956
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for removing sulfur hydrocarbon compounds from a naphtha stream and for simultaneously removing sulfur hydrocarbon compounds from two streams is described. A separator vessel having a top, a bottom, a primary feed inlet and a co-feed inlet is disposed vertically above the primary feed inlet. The separator vessel further includes a catalyst bed disposed between the co-feed inlet and the top. A primary feed stream comprising sulfur hydrocarbon compounds is delivered through the effluent inlet and a vaporized co-feed stream that also comprises sulfur hydrocarbon compounds is delivered through the co-feed inlet. Vaporized sulfur hydrocarbon compounds from the primary feed stream with the vaporized co-feed stream pass upwardly through the desulfurization catalyst bed. Sulfur hydrocarbon compounds from both primary feed and co-feed stream are at least partially converted to hydrogen sulfide and non-sulfur containing hydrocarbons in the catalyst bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Richard K. Hoehn, Giles R. Maddox, David A. Lindsay
  • Patent number: 7687048
    Abstract: Processing schemes and arrangements for the amine treatment of high olefin content (e.g., ethylene-rich) carbon dioxide-containing streams such as for the effective separation and removal of carbon dioxide therefrom are provided. Corresponding or associated processing schemes and arrangements for the catalytic cracking of a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock and obtaining light olefins substantially free of carbon dioxide via absorption-based product recovery are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Michael A. Schultz, Gavin P. Towler, John P. Brady, William J. Lechnick
  • Patent number: 7682576
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for recovering power from an FCC product. The dry gas is combusted and combined with FCC regenerator flue gas to raise the power recovery capability of the flue gas. The flue gas can be used to generate electrical power or steam. Alternatively or additionally, dry gas from an FCC product stream is separated and delivered to an expander to recover power before combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Xin X. Zhu, Keith A. Couch, James P. Glavin
  • Patent number: 7677300
    Abstract: Disclosed is a heat exchanger comprising a boiling passage and cooling passage defined by opposite sides of metal walls. Layers of brazing material between the metal walls and a spacer member bond components of the heat exchanger together. An enhanced boiling layer (EBL) comprising metal particles bonded to each other and to a boiling side of the metal wall provides nucleate boiling pores to improve heat transfer. The EBL has a melting temperature that is higher than the melting temperature of the brazing material. Also disclosed is a process for assembling the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Patrick S. O'Neill, Dennis P. Held, Sr., Thomas J. Godry
  • Patent number: 7622033
    Abstract: A coking process and apparatus may include cracking a hydrocarbon feed stream with a catalyst, generating a hot flue gas from regenerating said catalyst, directing the hot flue gas into a spray contactor, spraying a heavy residual oil into the spray contactor, and coking the heavy residual oil utilizing the hot flue gas as a heat source. The hydrocarbon feed stream and the heavy residual oil may each or both be generated by a solvent deasphalter. The coking process produces a solid coke product and volatile hydrocarbons which leave with the hot gas and may be burned in an oxidizer to generate steam with the pressure energy recovered by a turbo-expander.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: James F. McGehee