Abstract: A semisubmersible trimaran for use in an afloat sea base is disclosed. The trimaran has an upper deck structure 12 supported on a longitudinal center hull 26 and column-stabilized, longitudinal outrigger pontoons 28. The center hull 26 and pontoon columns 38 and 40 have a reduced waterplane area for minimizing motion during operations. The trimaran has a transit draft 37 for deployment at full waterplane area, and an operating draft 36 with a reduced waterplane area for damping motion. The vessel can be deployed with a transit drive 42 on the hull 26, and dynamically positioned at a destination for operations. Multiple trimarans can be assembled to provide an extended upper surface, including a landing area for fixed-wing aircraft.

Abstract: Syngas production process and reforming exchanger. The process involves passing a first portion of hydrocarbon feed mixed with steam and oxidant through an autothermal catalytic steam reforming zone to form a first reformed gas of reduced hydrocarbon content, passing a second portion of the hydrocarbon feed mixed with steam through an endothermic catalytic steam reforming zone to form a second reformed gas of reduced hydrocarbon content, and mixing the first and second reformed gases and passing the resulting gas mixture through a heat exchange zone for cooling the gas mixture and thereby supplying heat to the endothermic catalytic steam reforming zone. The endothermic catalytic steam reforming zone and the heat exchange zone are respectively disposed tube side and shell side within a shell-and-tube reforming exchanger.

Abstract: Washed cleavage product (WCP) in a phenol manufacturing process is treated to remove sodium ions. The WCP is contacted with a cation exchange resin in hydrogen form, and then with anion exchange resin in free base or hydroxide form, to produce a WCP essentially free of sodium ions. The cation and anion exchange resins are regenerated with acid and caustic, respectively. The treatment improves productivity and product quality of new and existing phenol processes.

Abstract: A steam/hydrocarbon reformer employing a convection-heated pre-reformer is disclosed. The pre-reformer comprises catalyst-filled tubes disposed in the transition section between the radiant and convection sections. The pre-reformer tubes are transverse to the flow of flue gas from the radiant section. The pre-reformer achieves 10-20% of the total reforming load, and can be installed as a module or modules between the radiant and convection sections without increasing the size of the reformer.

Abstract: Staged combustion in a single regenerator of a FCC unit is disclosed. The regenerator has a spent catalyst distributor at the top of the catalyst bed, and an air grid at the lower end of the bed. A baffle separates the catalyst bed into upper and lower stages. Excess oxygen is present in the lower bed; partial CO combustion mode is maintained in the upper bed. The baffle inhibits backmixing flux to achieve sufficient staging to burn the catalyst clean under partial CO combustion. This achieves a clean burn of the catalyst in a single regenerator vessel in the partial CO combustion operating mode. Surprisingly, the baffle also reduces catalyst entrainment in the dilute phase, thereby cutting particulate emissions from the regenerator and reducing cyclone wear.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pelletizer vessel and a prilling head assembly for use in the pelletizer vessel for prilling a hard resid material. The pellitizer vessel has an has an upright pelletizing vessel with an upper prilling zone, a sphere-forming zone below the prilling zone, a cooling zone below the sphere-forming zone, a bath below the cooling zone, and a prilling head in the prilling zone rotatable along a vertical axis and having a plurality of discharge orifices for throwing molten material radially outwardly. A vertical height of the sphere-forming zone is sufficient to allow material discharged from the prilling head to form substantially spherical liquid pellets. Nozzles are provided for spraying water inwardly into the cooling zone to cool and at least partially solidify the liquid pellets to be collected in the bath.

Abstract: A process and system which integrates on-site heavy oil or bitumen upgrading and energy recovery for steam production with steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) production of the heavy oil or bitumen. The heavy oil or bitumen produced by SAGD is flashed to remove the gas oil fraction, and the residue is solvent deasphalted to obtain deasphalted oil, which is mixed with the gas oil fraction to form a pumpable synthetic crude. The synthetic crude has an improvement of 4-5 degrees of API and lower in sulfur, nitrogen and metal compounds. The synthetic crude is not only more valuable than the heavy oil or bitumen, but also has substantial economic advantage of reducing the diluent requirement since it has lower viscosity than the heavy oil or bitumen. The asphaltenes, following an optional pelletizing and/or slurrying step, are used as a fuel for combustion in boilers near the steam injection wells for injection into the heavy oil or bitumen reservoir.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and apparatus for making substantially spherical, homogenous petroleum resid pellets having a size range between 0.1 and 10 mm, a penetration of essentially 0, a softening point temperature from about 200° to about 400° F., a residual water content of from 0.1 to 10 weight percent, and a sulfur content less than 10 weight percent. The process includes feeding the material in a molten state to a rotating prilling head to discharge the material into free space at an upper end of a pelletizing vessel having a diameter larger than a throw-away diameter of the discharged material, allowing the discharged material to break apart, form into substantially spherical liquid pellets, and fall downwardly into a liquid spray and/or bath to solidify the pellets.

Abstract: An integrated debutanizer and low pressure depropanizer column and process for separating a feed stream comprising C3's, C4's and C5+ is disclosed. A single shell houses a refluxed upper portion and a lower portion of the column. A generally vertical wall partitions the lower portion of the column into a debutanizer section and a depropanizer stripper section. The upper column portion is used as the absorption section of the depropanizer. The feed is supplied to an intermediate stage in the debutanizer, and the debutanizer is operated at a lower pressure (and correspondingly lower temperature) matching that of the low pressure depropanizer. The design allows the use of one slightly larger column in place of the two large columns previously used for separate debutanization and low pressure depropanization.

Abstract: A vertical tubular reactor for converting ammonia synthesis loop purge gas to ammonia; a method for converting ammonia synthesis loop purge gas to form additional ammonia; and a method for retrofitting a conventional ammonia plant having a synthesis loop using an iron-based synthesis catalyst and having a purge gas stream, the method including a supplemental ammonia converter for the purge gas stream. The supplemental ammonia converter is a shell and tube reactor. The tubes are filled with a catalyst comprising a platinum group metal such as ruthenium. The tubes are maintained in a substantially isothermal condition by boiling water in the shell side. As a retrofit modification to an existing ammonia synthesis plant, the purge stream is passed through the supplemental ammonia converter on a once-through basis to form additional ammonia and reduce the amount of purge gas. Advantages of the retrofit modification include lower energy consumption, lower purge rates and higher ammonia production rates.

Abstract: A method for modifying a standard two-bed horizontal ammonia converter to provide increased conversion and/or production capacity by placing the first secondary catalyst bed of the existing converter in parallel flow with the existing primary catalyst bed and replacing magnetite catalyst in the second secondary catalyst bed with high activity ruthenium-on-carbon catalyst.

Abstract: A process for use of magnetic separation to remove non-magnetic particles from FCC catalyst is disclosed. A stream of circulating catalyst from a fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) unit is charged to a magnetic separator. The catalyst is magnetically fractionated into at least three fractions, a high-metals fraction which is discarded, an intermediate-metals content fraction which is directly recycled to the FCC unit, and an inert, relatively magnetic metals-free fraction which is also discarded. Preferably, the high-metals fraction is immediately mixed with the inert, low-metals fraction, and the combined high-metals/inert fraction is pneumatically transmitted together to a spent catalyst storage facility for disposal.

Abstract: An integrated deethanizer and ethylene fractionation column and process for separating a feed stream comprising ethylene, ethane and C.sub.3+ is disclosed. A single shell houses a refluxed upper portion and a lower portion of the column. A generally vertical wall partitions the lower portion of the column into a deethanizer section and an ethylene stripper section. The upper column portion is used as the absorption section of the ethylene fractionator. The feed is supplied to an intermediate stage in the deethanizer, and the deethanizer is operated at a lower pressure (and correspondingly lower temperature) matching that of the ethylene fractionation. The design allows the use of one slightly larger column in place of the two large columns previously used for separate deethanization and ethylene fractionation.

Abstract: This process controls the magnetic separation of high metals catalyst by influencing the magnetic susceptibility by carbon levels on catalyst. In an FCC/RCC.RTM. operation employing magnetic separation of catalyst, particularly where the catalyst has enough metals to exhibit a high magnetic susceptibility, e.g., 110.times.10.sup.-6 emu/g or higher, all of the catalyst may be attracted to the magnet and go to the magnetic reject side. By controlling the amount of carbon, coke, or graphite present on the catalyst after partial regeneration, the magnetic properties of the catalyst can be diminished and separation can occur. Varying the amount of carbon affects the magnetic metals, the higher the magnetic susceptibility, and yet the catalyst particles will have a lower carbon level. The lower the magnetic susceptibility, the less metals, the higher the activity, and the higher the coke/carbon content.

Abstract: An improved magnet configuration of the magnet field generated by the magnetic roller in a magnetic separator to increase the separation capability of magnetic separators includes disc shaped magnets forming a magnetic roller beneath a Kevlar.TM. belt upon which withdrawn catalyst is placed. Catalyst particles having paramagnetic and/or ferromagnetic properties are attracted to the belt because of the influence of the magnetic field. Particles not having ferromagnetic and/or paramagnetic properties are carried further by momentum than those with the ferromagnetic and/or paramagnetic properties. The magnetic roller provides a concentrated magnetic field by placing a series of disc magnets arranged so that like poles face each other with spacers placed between the magnets. In this stacked configuration the magnetic field strength is doubled, which permits a greater range of operation of the speed at which the belt may be operated.

Abstract: Methanol emissions in the CO.sub.2 vent from a synthesis gas unit in an ammonia or hydrogen plant are reduced by contacting raw synthesis gas from a low temperature shift converter with recycled stripped condensate to absorb methanol. The synthesis gas is treated in a purification unit to form the CO.sub.2 vent of reduced methanol content. The condensate from the contacting step is steam stripped to form a process steam stream suitable for feed to the reformer and a stripped process condensate stream suitable for offsites polishing, a portion of which is recycled for contacting the raw synthesis gas.

Abstract: A plant and process for converting associated gas from crude oil to methanol at or near the wellhead. The process uses partial oxidation of the associated gas, direct quench, liquid phase methanol conversion wherein substoichiometric H.sub.2 :CO is converted to methanol, and a loop purge to a gas turbo generator to provide all of the plant power requirements. This results in avoiding a complex vapor phase, multiple reactor methanol loop and steam-catalytic reforming, and obtains a compact, low-cost, self-sufficient facility suitable for remote locations.

Abstract: A process for metals passivation of metals-contaminated equilibrium catalyst (ECat) used in a fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) process is disclosed. Repeated treatment of a slip stream of ECat in a high-strength magnetic field, preferably a magnetic catalyst separator, changes the properties of the ECat, promoting growth of relatively large crystals or deposits of metal deposits on ECat which are less catalytically poisonous. Magnetic conditioning permits an increase in metals levels on ECat from, e.g., 3000 to 4000 ppm, without increasing hydrogen and/or coke make. Metals passivation by magnetic conditioning can also be used to concentrate feed metals on the oldest catalyst in the unit. This allows magnetic separation of the oldest catalyst in the unit after 1-6 months of magnetic conditioning, even though feed metals levels are otherwise insufficient to permit effective magnetic catalyst separation.