Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Robert B. Furr, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5004852
    Abstract: Light aliphatic streams containing C.sub.4 - olefins are upgraded to C.sub.5 + gasoline in a two-stage process. In the first stage, olefins are oligomerized to C.sub.5 + olefinic gasoline. Unreacted light aliphatics including ethylene as well as light oligomerization byproducts are then charged to a second stage aromatization zone. Catalysts useful for both stages include medium pore zeolites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventor: Mohsen N. Harandi
  • Patent number: 4996381
    Abstract: An improved aromatization process is disclosed in which conversion is increased by recycling a highly purified C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 aliphatic stream. Loss of valuable ethane to fuel gas is substantially eliminated. In a preferred embodiment, a dephlegmator purifies the C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 recycle stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: John L. Pickering, Jr., Margaret Nemet-Mavrodin
  • Patent number: 4990714
    Abstract: A process and reactor apparatus are disclosed for upgrading paraffinic feedstocks to olefinic and/or aromatic products. Hydrogen diffuses through a selectively permeable membrane from the reaction zone into a combustion zone where it reacts exothermically with an oxygen-containing fluid to supply at least a portion of the endothermic heat of reaction for the paraffin upgrading process. Additionally, in-situ separation of by-product hydrogen from the reactant mixture in the reaction zone increases yield of valuable olefinic and aromatic products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Margaret Nemet-Mavrodin
  • Patent number: 4990712
    Abstract: Gasoline octane number and yield are improved while excess fuel gas production is decreased in a catalytic cracking process by integrating etherification and oxygenate/aliphatic upgrading processes into the catalytic cracking unit product fractionation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4981574
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for dewaxing a waxy hydrocarbon feedstock and for upgrading the olefinic interstage by-product to a high-octane gasoline blending stream. Waxy hydrocarbon feedstock is catalytically dewaxed until the catalyst is deactivated. Hydrogen-rich gas or, optionally, oxygen-containing gas, is then circulated to at least partially reactivate the catalyst. The interstage by-product, stored during the dewaxing run, is then upgraded in the reaction zone to a high-octane gasoline blending component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4982049
    Abstract: A process for recovering diamondoid compounds from hydrocarbonaceous minerals and/or from deposits left by such minerals in equipment or otherwise, which comprises dissolving diamondoid compounds in an aromatic distillate fuel oil; extracting aromatics from the solution; and separating diamondoid compounds from the raffinate of the extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Richard A. Alexander, Charles E. Knight, Darrell D. Whitehurst
  • Patent number: 4973778
    Abstract: A reactor system contained in a fired heater and a hydrocarbon upgrading process are discosed for the concurrent conversion of a hydrocarbon feedstock and the regeneration of a deactivated catalyst. An effluent product slipstream from a set of operating reactors is used to hydrogen-regenerate deactivated catalyst in another set of reactors. Flue gas withdrawn from the fired heater stack is used as a purge and/or carrier gas during oxygen-regeneration of the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4973398
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed to reduce the amount of coke and unstripped hydrocarbon flowing to the regenerator in an FCC unit. The catalyst stripper section is heated by indirect heat exchange with hot regenerator flue gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: David A. Pappal, Paul H. Schipper
  • Patent number: 4971681
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed to reduce the amount of unstripped hydrocarbon flowing to the regenerator in a riser reactor FCC unit. The catalyst stripper section is heated by indirect heat exchange with a mixture of hot regenerator flue gas and regenerated catalyst. In the preferred embodiment, the regenerator is operated under partial combustion conditions and the resulting carbon monoxide-containing flue gas is burned in a catalyst stripper heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen, David A. Pappal, Paul H. Schipper
  • Patent number: 4968401
    Abstract: A paraffinic feedstream is aromatized in an FCC external catalyst cooler by contacting the paraffinic feedstream with hot regenerated cracking and additive catalysts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4956509
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for decreasing the emission of airborne pollutants from an oil refinery and for upgrading a paraffinic feedstream to olefins and/or aromatics. Flue gas from a fluid catalytic cracking process catalyst regenerator is cooled to supply the endothermic heat of reaction for a paraffin upgrading reaction, eliminating the need for an additional process furnace. The process further decreases airborne pollutant emissions by upgrading paraffinic fractions which would otherwise be burned as fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4956510
    Abstract: Valuable product yield and catalyst useful life are improved by regenerating spent catalyst at temperatures below those maintained in the reaction zone. Relatively cold regenerated catalyst is then preheated and reactor effluent product is quenched by directly contacting the regenerated catalyst with hot reactor effluent product. The quenching step minimizes undesirable thermal cracking of valuable product to C.sub.2 -light gas. The process and apparatus are useful both in aromatization and dehydrogenation of aliphatic hydrocarbons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventor: Mohsen N. Harandi
  • Patent number: 4956518
    Abstract: An improved continuous process for alkylation of isoparaffins with olefins to yield a product which includes a large proportion of highly branced paraffins for making gasoline having improved octane is taught. The improved process comprises contacting isoparaffins and olefins with a composite catalyst comprising a Lewis acid and a non-zeolitic inorganic oxide in the presence of a controlled amount of water. The process results in reduced catalyst aging and obviates environmental problems associated with prior art processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Jonathan E. Child, Tai-Sheng Chou, Albin Huss, Jr., Clinton R. Kennedy, Francis P. Ragonese, Samuel A. Tabak
  • Patent number: 4952749
    Abstract: A process for recovering diamondoid compounds from a fluid mixture thereof with other hydrocarbonaceous compounds which comprises contacting said mixture with a porous solid, for example, a zeolite, having pore opening large enough to admit said diamondoid compounds thereinto and small enough so that at least 50% of the external atoms of said diamondoid compounds are capable of simultaneously contacting the internal walls of the pores of said solid under conditions conducive to absorption of diamondoid compounds by said solid; and then desorbing the absorbate comprising diamondoid compounds from said solid absorbant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Richard A. Alexander, Charles E. Knight, Darrell D. Whitehurst
  • Patent number: 4952748
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for extracting diamondoid compounds from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The process includes two stages, each of which alone is effective to remove diamondoids from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The first stage comprises contacting the diamondoid-laden hydrocarbon gas with a suitable solvent to preferentially dissolve the diamondoids into the solvent. Diesel fuel is the preferred solvent for this first stage. The second stage comprises sorbing diamondoids from the diamonoid-laden hydrocarbon gas with silica gel. The most preferred embodiment of the invention is a serial process in which a diamondoid-laden gas is first treated in the solvation stage and the partially purified gas is further resolved in the silica gel sorption stage. The invention still further includes a process for segregating adamantane and diamantane when both are separated from a hydrocarbon gas stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Richard A. Alexander, Charles E. Knight
  • Patent number: 4951613
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for transferring heat to a reaction zone in which hot flue gas is passed through a heat exchanger positioned inside the reaction zone. The flue gas may be generated in a catalyst regenerator, a combustion chamber, or both. The combustion chamber may be external or internal to the heat exchanger. The invention is particularly useful for transferring heat to an endothermic fluid-bed catalytic reaction such as dehydrogenation or aromatization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4952747
    Abstract: According to this invention, substantially hydrocarbonaceous fractions comprising diamondoid compounds are peculiarly suitable for separation by a thermal gradient diffusion process. Applicability of this process to this service is dependent upon the fact that the diamondoid compounds exhibit a large change in viscosity relative to temperature, that is, their viscosity goes down significantly per degree of increase in temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Richard A. Alexander, Charles E. Knight, Darrell D. Whitehurst
  • Patent number: 4950691
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for the conversion of an aliphatic feedstream in which an oxygen-deficient flue gas is used to directly transfer heat to the primary conversion reaction. Hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from the primary conversion reactor effluent are converted to methanol or Fischer-Tropsch liquid and may be recycled to the primary conversion reactor. Preferred primary conversion reactions include dehydrogenation and aromatization of aliphatics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4950387
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for increasing the octane number of an FCC unit gasoline pool by upgrading selected gasoline boiling-range streams. FCC gasoline is mixed with the feed to a light olefin upgrading reactor. Upgraded gasoline is then fractionated in an existing FCC gas plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen, Francis P. Ragonese, Sergei Yurchak
  • Patent number: 4936976
    Abstract: An integrated reforming/aromatization process is disclosed which improves the octane number and C.sub.5 + liquid yield of a catalytic reforming unit by integrating a catalytic aromatization zone into a catalytic reforming unit gas plant fractionator overhead condenser reflux circuit. The fractionator may be operated as a debutanizer to maximize C.sub.5+ gasoline product volume or a depentanizer to maximize C.sub.5+ gasoline product octane number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Hartley Owen