Abstract: A method is disclosed for recovering useful energy from the overhead stream of a fractionation column. A high efficiency for the overall process is achieved by first removing heat from the overhead stream by vaporizing an expansion turbine working fluid stream and by then removing an additional amount of heat in a working fluid preheater. The amount of working fluid flowing through the preheater is more than is vaporized by exchange against the overhead stream. The remaining liquid-phase portion of the working fluid is separately passed into a second vaporizer having a different heat source.

Abstract: A new process for reforming hydrocarbons is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for making a catalyst utilized in the process. The catalyst comprises a platinum group component and a phosphorous component with a porous support material. The catalyst is made by compositing a platinum group component with a porous support material and then contacting that composite with phosphorus or a compound of phosphorus to incorporate the phosphorous component. In a preferred embodiment of the invention a catalyst comprising platinum, phosphorus and chlorine with alumina is utilized in the catalytic reforming of hydrocarbons boiling in the gasoline range to produce a high octane reformate suitable for gasoline blending or a high aromatics content reformate suitable as a petrochemical feedstock.

Abstract: Sucrose which is found in molasses such as beet molasses or cane molasses may be selectively extracted therefrom by passing an aqueous solution of the molasses over a solid adsorbent such as activated carbon. The sucrose will be selectively adsorbed thereon and separated from the betaine and mineral salts, specifically potassium chloride, in the molasses. The sucrose is then removed from the adsorbent by treatment with a desorbent material comprising an alcohol. An essential step in the process is the flushing of the desorbent from the adsorbent with water prior to the subsequent contact of the adsorbent with the feed stream.

Abstract: An energy recovery method is disclosed for use on acid catalyzed alkylation processes which produce motor fuel blending components. The method is used on alkylation processes in which a light hydrocarbon, such as isobutane, is withdrawn from an elevated pressure fractionation column as a vapor-phase stream which is preferably a sidecut stream, condensed and then recycled to the reaction zone of the alkylation process. In the subject method, the vapor-phase stream is first depressurized to recover useful energy and is then condensed.

Abstract: Surfactants or surface active agents may be obtained by treating the product obtained from the boron trifluoride etherate catalyzed depolymerization of coal with a sulfonating agent such as sulfur trioxide and thereafter neutralizing the sulfonated product with a basic compound such as sodium hydroxide to obtain a sodium sulfonated derivative of the depolymerized coal product.

Abstract: A catalyst regeneration process and apparatus for the oxidative removal of coke from a coke contaminated fluid catalyst. The process comprises a high temperature coke combustion zone, a catalyst disengagement zone and an external heat removal zone. A mixture of coke contaminated catalyst, oxygen containing gas, hot regenerated catalyst and cool regenerated catalyst from the heat removal zone are contacted in the high temperature combustion zone, the temperature of which is controlled by adjusting the rate at which catalyst is recycled from the heat removal zone. The temperature of the catalyst-gas mixture is controlled by adjusting the rate at which hot catalyst is recycled from the disengagement zone.

Abstract: Hydrogenation of fatty materials using zerovalent platinum group metals supported on alpha-alumina are substantially more selective than those where the metal is supported on a porous alumina. An alpha-alumina with surface area less than about 5 m.sup.2 /g, a micropore volume under about 0.05 ml/g, and a macropore volume less than about 0.25 ml/g is particularly desirable. Using these methods, continuous hydrogenations based on a fixed bed process are sufficiently selective to be commercially practicable.

Abstract: Selective reductions of fatty materials occur using a catalyst consisting of essentially of zerovalent nickel dispersed on a support which shows strong metal, support interaction. A particularly desirable catalyst is one where the nickel is dispersed on titania which is subsequently activated in hydrogen at a temperature above about 325.degree. C. The catalyst is sufficiently selective so as to permit continuous reduction of fatty material using a fixed bed of catalyst.

Abstract: A catalyst regeneration process and apparatus for the oxidative removal of coke from a coke contaminated fluid catalyst. The process comprises a high temperature coke combustion zone, a catalyst disengagement zone and an external heat removal zone comprising a shell and tube heat exchanger. Catalyst is cooled by passing it through the shell side of the heat exchanger with a cooling medium through the tube side. A mixture of coke contaminated catalyst, oxygen containing gas, and cool regenerated catalyst from the heat removal zone are contacted in the high temperature combustion zone, the temperature of which is controlled by adjusting the rate at which fluidizing gas is passed to the bottom portion of the shell of the heat exchanger which varies the degree of turbulence of the fluidized bed in the shell side and thus the heat transfer coefficient at the outside surface of the tubes which in turn varies the quantity of heat transferred to the cooling medium in the tubes.

Abstract: Surfactants, or surface active agents, may be prepared by treating oil shale with an aromatic compound such as benzene, toluene, etc. in the presence of a Friedel Crafts catalyst such as aluminum chloride at temperatures up to the reflux temperature of the aromatic compound. Thereafter, the alkylated product is separated from any excess aromatic compound and oil shale, sulfonated by treatment with a sulfonating agent such as sulfur trioxide and neutralized to produce the desired surfactant.

Abstract: A catalytic composite is disclosed which catalyst comprises a silica-alumina carrier material, a nickel component and a vanadium component, and which catalyst is useful for the conversion of hydrocarbons. A preferred method of preparation comprises the incorporation of the vanadium component from an alcoholic solution of a vanadium compound.

Abstract: A hydrocarbon conversion process is disclosed which may be used to produce high purity isobutylene and/or tertiary butyl alcohol and methyl tertiary butyl ether. A mixed C.sub.4 feed stream is divided into two portions with a first portion being passed through a hydration zone to produce the tertiary butyl alcohol. The remaining hydrocarbons withdrawn from the hydration zone and the second portion of the feed stream are changed to an etherification zone. The unconverted hydrocarbons exiting the etherification zone may be subjected to isomerization and/or dehydrogenation to produce additional isobutylene. The high purity isobutylene is obtained by dehydrating the tertiary butyl alcohol.

Abstract: A process for the separation of the para-isomer from a hydrocarbon feed mixture comprising at least two bi-alkyl substituted monocyclic aromatic isomers, including the para-isomer, said isomers having from 8 to about 18 carbon atoms per molecule, which process employs an adsorbent comprising a zeolite which has been contacted at pyrolyzing conditions with a pyrolyzing agent to preferentially adsorb the para-isomer. The para-isomer thereafter is removed from the adsorbent by contacting it with a desorbent material and is recovered as a product stream. In a preferred embodiment the process uses a simulated moving-bed countercurrent flow system.

Abstract: Improved lead attachment method accommodates a situation wherein electrical signal leads must be connected to portions of a circuit operating at high temperatures such as 900.degree. F. or more and terminate in equipment operating at or near ambient temperatures. For example, in solid electrolyte oxygen sensors incorporating a tubular ceramic member, a connection wire which is sufficiently thick to resist wire breakage during normal handling has been found to be too thick to bond to a connection pad on the ceramic without having the bond crack during thermal cycling. With improved method, a thin wire is attached to a thicker one in a region where flexing cannot occur. At least the larger wire is shrunk-fit into a hole formed in the ceramic before firing, and then the thinner wire is bonded to the pad with a conductive paste which must also be fired.

Abstract: An apparatus for regenerating coke-contaminated fluid catalyst which comprises a vertical combustion chamber, an inlet to said chamber for spent catalyst and regeneration gas, a disengagement chamber above and in communication with the combustion chamber, a heat removal chamber below the combustion chamber in which may be maintained a dense phase catalyst bed, heat removal means positioned within the heat removal chamber such that it will be immersed in the catalyst bed, a recycle conduit for passing catalyst from the disengagement chamber to the heat removal chamber, a vertical cooled catalyst inlet conduit connecting the heat removal chamber with the lower portion of the combustion chamber so that catalyst can pass from the former to the latter, and a regeneration gas inlet line connecting with a lower part of the cooled catalyst inlet conduit to enable the flow of cooled catalyst up into the combustion chamber, wherein a control system senses the catalyst level in the heat removal zone, formulates an outpu

Abstract: A process for separating a component from a feed blend comprising an aqueous solution of a mixture of different components, such as a blend of saccharides. In the process the blend is contacted with an adsorbent comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate and cation exchange resin mixture which selectively adsorbs a component from the feed blend. The adsorbed component is then recovered by contacting the adsorbent with a desorbent material such as water to effect the desorption of the adsorbed component from the adsorbent. There is an undesirable tendency for the silicon constituent of a crystalline aluminosilicate to dissolve in an aqueous system and for the volume of a cationic exchange resin to change with the ionic strength of an aqueous medium. The adsorbent of this invention is dispersed in a binder material comprising a water permeable organic polymer and the effect is a substantial reduction of the undesirable dissolution and volume changes.

Abstract: Alcohols such as those containing from about 1 to about 10 carbon atoms may be converted to aldehydes by treating the alcohols with an oxygen-containing gas such as air or oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising at least two oxides of metals selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, nickel, manganese, iron and chromium, at least one of said oxides being molybdenum oxide or tungsten oxide composited on a high surface area support. The conversion reaction may be effected at a temperature ranging from about 200.degree. to about 400.degree. C. and a pressure in the range of from about atmospheric to about 50 atmospheres. By employing this particular catalyst, good conversion rates and high selectivity to the aldehydes will be obtained.

Abstract: Dehydrogenatable hydrocarbons are dehydrogenated by contacting them at hydrocarbon dehydrogenation conditions with a multimetallic catalytic composite comprising a combination of a catalytically effective amount of a pyrolyzed ruthenium carbonyl component with a porous carrier material containing a uniform dispersion of catalytically effective amounts of a platinum group component maintained in the elemental metallic state, and of a rhenium component. An optional non-acidic multimetallic catalytic composite disclosed herein is a combination of a catalytically effective amount of a pyrolyzed ruthenium carbonyl component with a porous carrier material containing a uniform dispersion of catalytically effective amounts of a platinum group component which is maintained in the elemental metallic state during the incorporation of the ruthenium carbonyl component, a rhenium component, and an alkali or alkaline earth component.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of aromatic hydrocarbons and a non-aromatic raffinate stream from a hydrocarbon charge stock is disclosed. The hydrocarbon charge stock is treated with an aromatics-selective solvent to provide an aromatics-rich solvent stream and a non-aromatic raffinate stream. The aromatics-rich solvent stream is treated in a stripper column at conditions to separate substantially all of the non-aromatic hydrocarbons therefrom. The rich solvent stream is subjected to steam stripping to provide a high purity aromatics stream and an aqueous stream comprising the steam condensate and residual aromatics. This aqueous stream is treated with a minor portion of the non-aromatic raffinate to remove the residual aromatics, and the resulting aqueous stream is utilized to wash the remainder of the raffinate free of solvent. The raffinate stream is recovered substantially free of aromatics.

Abstract: Dehydrogenatable hydrocarbons may be subjected to a dehydrogenation process in which a dehydrogenatable hydrocarbon is contacted with a dehydrogenation catalyst at dehydrogenation conditions in the presence of steam. The resulting mixture of undehydrogenated dehydrogenatable hydrocarbon, dehydrogenated hydrocarbon, hydrogen and steam is contacted with an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of an oxidative catalyst comprising a noble metal of Group VIII of the Periodic Table and a metal cation which possesses an ionic radius no less than about 1.35 Angstroms composited on a porous alumina support.