Abstract: Settling unconverted pitch from a SHC reactor effluent before fractionation improves efficiency of fractionation of slurry hydrocracked products. The recycle of soft pitch to the SHC reactor results in improved reactor operation by avoiding the recycle of lighter products which vaporize in the reactor to occupy reactor space and the recycle of hard pitch which will not convert. The settling step facilitated by mixing with a solvent can achieve a separation between soft pitch and hard pitch not achievable in a fractionation column.

Abstract: Adsorbers have many purposes in chemical, gas-processing, and petrochemical plants. Adsorbers may be used to remove components from gas streams. Adsorbers may be subjected to various issues, including but not limited to moisture breakthrough, spent catalyst, too high or too low pressure drop, over or under heating, over or under cooling, too high or too low flow rates, which can affect their performance or result in a shutdown of the adsorbers. Monitoring the adsorbers and the processes using adsorbers may be performed to determine if the adsorbent bed is reaching saturation, other problems are occurring, or if equipment failures are imminent. Monitoring also helps to predict behavior or problems in different adsorbers used in the same plant or in other plants and/or processes.

Abstract: A process is presented for the removal of contaminants like sulfur compounds from hydrocarbons. The sulfur compounds are removed from hydrocarbons that may be a feed to cracking units. A feed stream is treated with a clinoptilolite or a barium exchanged zeolite adsorbent to effectively remove carbon disulfides from the feed hydrocarbon. The adsorbent may be regenerated by a hydrogen stream, a hydrocarbon stream or a mixture thereof.

Abstract: A steam reboiler unit that includes turbines for reducing the pressure of various streams associated with the reboilers. The turbines generate electricity from the pressure reduction which can be recovered and utilized elsewhere in the processing unit. Data from the turbine associated with the amount of electrical power generated by the turbine is used to adjust other processing conditions to provide for a more efficient operation of the processing unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating a feed stream into product streams. The apparatus includes an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section. The middle section has a dividing wall separating it into two portions. A liquid barrier blocks the flow of liquid from the upper section into the middle section and allows vapor to flow from the middle section to the upper section. A vapor and liquid barrier blocks both the flow of both vapor from the lower section to the middle section and the flow of liquid from the middle section to the lower section. Vapor conduits allow vapor to flow from the lower section to each of the middle portions in varying amounts. Also processes for separating a feed stream.

Abstract: A process and apparatus of a gas-solids separator are provided in which a cap is disposed across an upstream end of swirl blades in a cyclonic separator to protect the blades from erosion by fast traveling solids.

Abstract: A hydroprocessing catalyst or catalyst precursor has been developed. The catalyst is a crystalline transition metal tungstate material or metal sulfides derived therefrom. The hydroprocessing using the crystalline ammonia transition metal tungstate material may include hydrodenitrification, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodemetallation, hydrodesilication, hydrodearomatization, hydroisomerization, hydrotreating, hydrofining, and hydrocracking.

Abstract: Process and apparatus ensure high on-stream reliability of a complex that requires a heat pump which is using a compound having a high boiling point, such as xylenes. When the compressor is shutdown, it can be isolated from the distillation column and receiver while the column is allowed to continue to operate with an auxiliary reboiler for constant heat input. The heat pump can be started up and heated to the normal process temperature, so that when the heavy vapor is charged to the heat pump, it does not immediately condense into liquid, causing damage to the compressor.

Abstract: A plant or refinery may include equipment such as condensers, regenerators, distillation columns, pumps, slide valves, or the like. Different operating methods may impact deterioration in equipment condition, thereby prolonging equipment life, extending production operating time, or providing other benefits. Mechanical or digital sensors may be used for monitoring equipment to determine whether problems are developing. Specifically, sensors may be used in conjunction with one or more system components to predict and detect slide valve hot spots. A shielded, tube skin thermocouple assembly may provide a temperature profile for a slide valve. Tomography may be used to image a slide valve. An operating condition of the plant or refinery may be adjusted to prolong equipment life or avoid equipment failure.

Abstract: A process is provided for separation of light olefins and paraffins and particular for the separation of propylene and propane comprising sending at least one olefin/paraffin stream to a distillation column and a membrane unit to produce an olefin stream comprising at least 92 mol % olefin. In an embodiment of the invention where the membrane unit is placed downstream from the column which can produce propylene streams at polymer grade of over 99.5 mol % propylene.

Abstract: A catalyst for a selective conversion of hydrocarbons. The catalyst includes a first component selected from the group consisting of Group VIII noble metals and mixtures thereof, a second component selected from the group consisting of alkali metals or alkaline-earth metals and mixtures thereof, and a third component selected from the group consisting of tin, germanium, lead, indium, gallium, thallium and mixtures thereof. The catalyst is a support formed as a spherical catalyst particle with a median diameter between 1.6 mm and 2.5 mm and an apparent bulk density between 0.6 and 0.3 g/cc. Also a process of using such a catalyst for a selective hydrocarbon conversion reaction and a process for regenerating such a catalyst by removing coke from same.

Abstract: A catalyst for a selective conversion of hydrocarbons. The catalyst includes a first component selected from the group consisting of Group VIII noble metals and mixtures thereof, a second component selected from the group consisting of alkali metals or alkaline-earth metals and mixtures thereof, and a third component selected from the group consisting of tin, germanium, lead, indium, gallium, thallium and mixtures thereof. The catalyst is a support formed as a spherical catalyst particle with an average pore diameter between 200 to 350 Angstroms, a porosity of at least 75% and an apparent bulk density between 0.60 and 0.3 g/cc. Also, a process of using such a catalyst for a selective hydrocarbon conversion reaction and a process for regenerating such a catalyst by removing coke from same.

Abstract: A hydroprocessing catalyst or catalyst precursor has been developed. The catalyst is a transition metal tungstate material or metal sulfides derived therefrom. The hydroprocessing using the crystalline ammonia transition metal tungstate material may include hydrodenitrification, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodemetallation, hydrodesilication, hydrodearomatization, hydroisomerization, hydrotreating, hydrofining, and hydrocracking.

Abstract: A plant or refinery may include equipment such as condensers, regenerators, distillation columns, pumps, slide valves, or the like. Different operating methods may impact deterioration in equipment condition, thereby prolonging equipment life, extending production operating time, or providing other benefits. Mechanical or digital sensors may be used for monitoring equipment to determine whether problems are developing. Specifically, sensors may be used in conjunction with one or more system components to predict and detect slide valve sticking. An operating condition of the plant or refinery may be adjusted to prolong equipment life or avoid equipment failure.

Abstract: A vacuum separator is used to separate a pitch stream from a slurry hydrocracking reactor upstream of the product fractionation column. The process and apparatus removes pitch from the product streams to enable easier separation of light VGO from heavy VGO in a fractionation column.

Abstract: A plant or refinery may include equipment such as condensers, regenerators, distillation columns, rotating equipment, compressors, pumps, turbines, or the like. Different operating methods may impact deterioration in equipment condition, thereby prolonging equipment life, extending production operating time, or providing other benefits. Mechanical or digital sensors may be used for monitoring equipment to determine whether problems are developing. For example, sensors may be used in conjunction with one or more system components to perform invariant mapping, monitor system operating characteristics, and/or predict pressure, volume, surges, reactor loop fouling, gas quality, or the like. An operating condition (e.g., of one or more pieces of equipment in the plant or refinery) may be adjusted to prolong equipment life or avoid equipment failure.

Abstract: The hydroprocessing reactor internals (HRI) have reduced height compared to standard HRI designs. The HRI height reduction is achieved by a more open design of a rough liquid distribution tray so that the required spaces above and below the tray for vapor flow are reduced. The hydroprocessing reactor quench zone internals comprise a collection tray, a rough liquid distribution tray, and a vapor-liquid distribution tray. Fluid mixing occurs above both the collection tray and the rough liquid distribution tray.

Abstract: A plant or refinery may include equipment such as reactors, heaters, heat exchangers, regenerators, separators, or the like. Types of heat exchangers include shell and tube, plate, plate and shell, plate fin, air cooled, wetted-surface air cooled, or the like. Operating methods may impact deterioration in equipment condition, prolong equipment life, extend production operating time, or provide other benefits. Mechanical or digital sensors may be used for monitoring equipment, and sensor data may be programmatically analyzed to identify developing problems. For example, sensors may be used in conjunction with one or more system components to detect and correct maldistribution, cross-leakage, strain, pre-leakage, thermal stresses, fouling, vibration, problems in liquid lifting, conditions that can affect air-cooled exchangers, conditions that can affect a wetted-surface air-cooled heat exchanger, or the like. An operating condition or mode may be adjusted to prolong equipment life or avoid equipment failure.

Abstract: A separation vessel for separating an effluent stream that comprises a mixture of hydrocarbons and ionic liquid. The separation vessels may be vertically orientated. Ionic liquid is utilized to remove entrained ionic liquid droplets form rising hydrocarbons within the separation zone. The ionic liquid may be provided with a stream of the ionic liquid from the separation vessel. The ionic liquid may be provided as a layer or travel counter-current to the hydrocarbons rising in the separation vessel.

Abstract: Process and apparatuses for producing benzene and para-xylene from a reformate stream is provided. The process comprises separating the reformate stream to provide a first stream comprising C4 and lighter hydrocarbons and a second stream comprising aromatic hydrocarbons. The second steam is provided to a reformate splitter to provide a reformate bottoms stream comprising C8+ aromatic hydrocarbons and a reformate overhead stream comprising C7? aromatic hydrocarbons. The reformate overhead stream is passed to an aromatics extraction unit to provide an aromatics extract stream comprising benzene and toluene and a raffinate stream comprising non-aromatic hydrocarbons. The reformate bottoms stream and one of the first stream and the raffinate stream is passed to an olefin reduction zone, wherein the reformate bottoms stream and one of the first stream and the raffinate stream are contacted with an olefin saturation catalyst under olefin saturation conditions to produce an olefin-treated reformate stream.