Abstract: A process for the production of ethylene, the process including: feeding hydrogen, a heavy solvent, a light solvent, and acetylene to a down-flow reactor comprising at least one reaction zone comprising a hydrogenation catalyst; concurrently in the down-flow reactor: contacting acetylene and hydrogen in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst to convert at least a portion of the acetylene to ethylene; boiling at least a portion of the light solvent from a liquid phase to a vapor phase; recovering a reactor effluent comprising heavy solvent, light solvent, and ethylene; condensing at least a portion of the light solvent in the vapor phase; recovering a solvent fraction comprising the heavy solvent and the light solvent; recovering a product fraction comprising ethylene.

Abstract: Processes for the alcoholysis, inclusive of transesterification and/or disproportionation, of reactants are disclosed. The alcoholysis process may include feeding reactants and a trace amount of soluble organometallic compound to a reactor comprising a solid alcoholysis catalyst, wherein the soluble organometallic compound and the solid alcoholysis catalyst each independently comprise a Group II to Group VI element, which may be the same element in various embodiments. As an example, diphenyl carbonate may be continuously produced by performing transesterification over a solid catalyst followed by disproportionation, where a trace amount of soluble organometallic compound is fed to the transesterification reactor.

Abstract: A process for the production of olefins from at least one of an alcohol and ether, the process including: contacting at least one alcohol or ether with a hydrofluoric acid-treated amorphous synthetic alumina-silica catalyst under decomposition conditions to produce an olefin.

Abstract: A process for recovering benzene, the process including: feeding hydrogen and a hydrocarbon fraction comprising benzene, components lighter than benzene, components heavier than benzene, and diolefins to a catalytic distillation reactor system comprising at least one reaction zone comprising a hydrogenation catalyst; concurrently in the catalytic distillation reactor system: contacting the diolefins and hydrogen in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst to selectively hydrogenate at least a portion of the diolefins; and fractionating the hydrocarbon fraction to form a fraction comprising benzene and other C6 hydrocarbons, and a heavies fraction comprising C7+ hydrocarbons; recovering the heavies fraction from the first catalytic distillation reactor system as a bottoms fraction; and withdrawing the fraction comprising benzene and other C6 hydrocarbons from the catalytic distillation reactor system as a benzene concentrate fraction.

Abstract: A process for the production of dimethyl ether from a methanol reactor effluent is disclosed. The process may include: contacting an aqueous extractant comprising water and an effluent from a methanol synthesis reactor comprising methanol and one or more of methane, water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen. At least a portion of the methanol partitions into the aqueous extractant; recovering an extract fraction comprising the aqueous extractant and methanol. The extract fraction is fed to a catalytic distillation reactor system for concurrently: contacting the methanol with catalyst in a reaction zone thereby catalytically reacting at least a portion of the methanol to form dimethyl ether and water; and fractionating the resulting dimethyl ether and the water to recover a first overheads fraction comprising dimethyl ether and a first bottoms fraction comprising water.

Abstract: Processes for the alcoholysis, inclusive of transesterification and/or disproportionation, of reactants are disclosed. The alcoholysis process may include feeding reactants and a trace amount of soluble organometallic compound to a reactor comprising a solid alcoholysis catalyst, wherein the soluble organometallic compound and the solid alcoholysis catalyst each independently comprise a Group II to Group VI element, which may be the same element in various embodiments. As an example, diphenyl carbonate may be continuously produced by performing transesterification over a solid catalyst followed by disproportionation, where a trace amount of soluble organometallic compound is fed to the transesterification reactor.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for improving the production of coke having a high volatile combustible material content are disclosed. The process may include, for example: heating a coker feedstock to a coking temperature to produce a heated coker feedstock; contacting the heated coker feedstock with a quench medium to reduce a temperature of the heated coker feedstock and produce a quenched feedstock; feeding the quenched feedstock to a coking drum; subjecting the quenched feedstock to thermal cracking in the coking drum to (a) crack a portion of the quenched feedstock to produce a cracked vapor product, and (b) produce a coke product having a volatile combustible material (VCM) concentration in the range from about 13% to about 50% by weight, as measured by ASTM D3175.

Abstract: A process for the production of olefins from at least one of an alcohol and ether, the process including: contacting at least one alcohol or ether with a hydrofluoric acid-treated amorphous synthetic alumina-silica catalyst under decomposition conditions to produce an olefin.

Abstract: A process for reducing the sulfur content of a hydrocarbon stream, including: feeding hydrogen and a hydrocarbon stream including sulfur compounds to a catalytic distillation reactor having one or more hydrodesulfurization reaction zones; concurrently in the catalytic distillation reactor: fractionating the hydrocarbon stream into a heavy fraction and a light fraction; contacting hydrogen and the light fraction to form H2S and a light fraction of reduced sulfur content; recovering the light fraction, H2S, and hydrogen as an overheads; recovering the heavy fraction; heating the overheads to a temperature from 500 to 700° F.; feeding the heated overheads and hydrogen to a high temperature low pressure reactor to form H2S and a reactor effluent of reduced mercaptan content; separating the reactor effluent, H2S, and unreacted hydrogen to form a light hydrocarbon fraction and a fraction including H2S and hydrogen; recycling a portion of the light hydrocarbon fraction to the catalytic distillation reactor.

Abstract: A process for the selective hydrogenation of dienes and acetylenes in a mixed hydrocarbon stream from a pyrolysis steam cracker in which a front end a one step acetylene hydrogenation is carried out using catalyst comprising (A) 1 to 30 wt. % based on the total weight of the catalyst of a catalytic component of nickel only or nickel and one or more elements selected from the group consisting of copper, rhenium, palladium, zinc, gold, silver, magnesium, molybdenum, calcium and bismuth deposited on (B) a support having the a BET surface area of from 1 to about 100 m2/gram, total nitrogen pore volume of from 0.2 to about 0.9 cc/gram and an average pore diameter of from about 110 to 450 ? under conditions of temperature and pressure to selectively hydrogenate acetylenes and dienes. The process hydrogenates the dienes and acetylenes to olefins without loss of ethylene and propylene in the light and heavy products which eliminates the need for further processing of the heavier stream.

Abstract: Processes for the alcoholysis, inclusive of transesterification and/or disproportionation, of reactants are disclosed. The alcoholysis process may include feeding reactants and a trace amount of soluble organometallic compound to a reactor comprising a solid alcoholysis catalyst, wherein the soluble organometallic compound and the solid alcoholysis catalyst each independently comprise a Group II to Group VI element, which may be the same element in various embodiments. As an example, diphenyl carbonate may be continuously produced by performing transesterification over a solid catalyst followed by disproportionation, where a trace amount of soluble organometallic compound is fed to the transesterification reactor.

Abstract: A process for reducing benzene content in a reformate stream, including: fractionating a full range reformate comprising benzene, C7 to C9 monoalkyl aromatics, and C10+ polyalkyl aromatics into at least three fractions including a light reformate fraction comprising the benzene; a medium reformate fraction comprising the C7 to C9 monoalkyl aromatics; and a heavy reformate fraction comprising the C10+ polyalkyl aromatics; feeding the light reformate fraction, the heavy reformate fraction and a transalkylation catalyst to a transalkylation reaction zone; contacting the light fraction and the heavy fraction in presence of the transalkylation catalyst in the transalkylation reaction zone to react at least a portion of the benzene with C10+ polyalkyl aromatics to form monoalkyl aromatics; separating an effluent from the transalkylation reaction zone to form a catalyst fraction and a liquid fraction comprising the monoalkyl aromatics.

Abstract: A process for producing an alkylate having a low Reid vapor pressure, the process including: contacting a C6+-containing hydrocarbon stream with a mixture of isopentane and isobutane in the presence of an acid catalyst in an alkylation reactor to form a dilute alkylate product, wherein the C6+-containing hydrocarbon stream includes at least one of oligomers of C3 to C5 olefins and a dilute alkylate produced by contacting an isoparaffin with at least one of C3 to C5 olefins and oligomers of C3 to C5 olefins; fractionating the dilute alkylate product to form an isobutane-rich fraction, a n-butane-rich fraction, a fraction containing isopentane, and an alkylate product having a Reid vapor pressure less than 0.35 bar (5 psi); recycling at least a portion of the fraction containing isopentane to the alkylation reactor.

Abstract: A process for the reduction of benzene in a gasoline stream, the process including: feeding a gasoline fraction including benzene and C6+ hydrocarbons and at least one of an alcohol and an ether to a catalytic distillation column comprising at least one reaction zone containing an alkylation catalyst, wherein the at least one reaction zone is above a gasoline fraction feed location; concurrently in the catalytic distillation column: separating the C6 hydrocarbons from C7+ hydrocarbons, wherein the C6 hydrocarbons and benzene distill upward into the at least one reaction zone; contacting benzene and the at least one of an alcohol and an ether in the at least one reaction zone in the presence of the alkylation catalyst to convert at least a portion of the benzene and alcohol/ether to an alkylate; recovering an overheads fraction including C6 hydrocarbons, any unreacted alcohol and ether, and water; and recovering a bottoms fraction including C7+ hydrocarbons and the alkylate.

Abstract: Processes for the desulfurization of high end point naphtha, such as naphtha fractions having an ASTM D-86 end point of greater than 450° F., greater than 500° F., or greater than 550° F., and containing hindered sulfur compounds, are disclosed.

Abstract: Processes for the desulfurization of a cracked naphtha by the reaction of hydrogen with the organic sulfur compounds present in the feed are disclosed. In particular, processes disclosed herein may use one or more catalytic distillation steps followed by further hydrodesulfurization of the naphtha in a fixed bed reactor. It has been found that the formation of recombinant mercaptans in the fixed bed reactor effluent may be reduced or eliminated by reducing the concentration of hydrogen sulfide and/or olefins at the exit of the fixed bed reactor. The reduction or elimination in the formation of recombinant mercaptans may be accomplished by recycling a select portion of the fixed bed reactor effluent to the fixed bed reactor, where the select portion has a relatively low or nil concentration of olefins. Processes disclosed herein may thus facilitate the production of hydrodesulfurized cracked naphthas having a total sulfur content of less than 10 ppm, by weight.

Abstract: A process for oligomerization of isobutene, the process including: feeding a hydrocarbon stream comprising n-butane, 1-butene, 2-butene, isobutane, and isobutene to a catalytic distillation reactor system comprising a hydroisomerization catalyst; feeding hydrogen to the catalytic distillation reactor system; concurrently in the catalytic distillation reactor system: contacting the 1-butene with the hydrogen in the presence of the hydroisomerization catalyst to convert at least a portion of the 1-butene to 2-butene; separating the isobutane and the isobutene from the n-butane and the 2-butene; recovering the isobutane and the isobutene from the catalytic distillation reactor system as an overheads fraction; recovering the n-butane and the 2-butene from the catalytic distillation reactor system as a bottoms fraction; contacting the overheads fraction in an oligomerization reaction system with an oligomerization catalyst to convert a portion of the isobutene to oligomers.

Abstract: A process for reducing the sulfur content of a hydrocarbon stream, including: feeding hydrogen and a hydrocarbon stream including sulfur compounds to a catalytic distillation reactor having one or more hydrodesulfurization reaction zones; concurrently in the catalytic distillation reactor: fractionating the hydrocarbon stream into a heavy fraction and a light fraction; contacting hydrogen and the light fraction to form H2S and a light fraction of reduced sulfur content; recovering the light fraction, H2S, and hydrogen as an overheads; recovering the heavy fraction; heating the overheads to a temperature from 500 to 700° F.; feeding the heated overheads and hydrogen to a high temperature low pressure reactor to form H2S and a reactor effluent of reduced mercaptan content; separating the reactor effluent, H2S, and unreacted hydrogen to form a light hydrocarbon fraction and a fraction including H2S and hydrogen; recycling a portion of the light hydrocarbon fraction to the catalytic distillation reactor.

Abstract: A process for treating an alkylation feedstock comprising olefins, n-alkanes, iso-alkanes, and impurities including one or more of butadiene, oxygenates, nitrogen-containing compounds, and sulfur-containing compounds, the process including: contacting an alkylation feedstock containing at least one of oxygenates and nitrogen-containing compounds with water to produce a hydrocarbon fraction having a reduced concentration of the at least one of oxygenates and nitrogen-containing compounds and an aqueous fraction comprising at least a portion of the at least one of oxygenates and nitrogen-containing compounds; separating water from the hydrocarbon fraction having a reduced concentration to produce a hydrocarbon fraction having a reduced water content; contacting the hydrocarbon fraction having a reduced water content with an oligomerization catalyst in a first oligomerization reaction zone under oligomerization conditions to react at least a portion of the olefins to form a reactor effluent comprising olefin oli

Abstract: A process for reformate benzene reduction, the process including: feeding a light reformate fraction, an olefin feed, and an alkylation catalyst to an alkylation reaction zone; contacting the light reformate fraction and the olefin feed in the presence of the alkylation catalyst in the alkylation reaction zone to convert at least a portion of the benzene and the olefin to a monoalkylate; recovering a catalyst fraction from an alkylation reaction zone effluent; and recovering a light reformate product having a reduced benzene content.