Abstract: A process is presented for the management of sulfur on a catalyst. The catalyst is a dehydrogenation catalyst, and sulfur accumulates during the dehydrogenation process. Sulfur compounds are stripped from the spent catalyst and the catalyst is cooled before the regeneration process. The process includes controlling the amount of sulfur that needs to be removed from the catalyst before regeneration.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 20, 2017
Date of Patent:
October 20, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Wolfgang A. Spieker, Adam D. Ballard, Gregory J. Gajda, J. W. Adriaan Sachtler
Abstract: A process is presented for the treatment of spent catalyst to manage sulfur-containing compounds on the catalyst. The catalyst may be a dehydrogenation catalyst, where sulfur accumulates during a dehydrogenation process. Sulfur compounds are stripped from the spent catalyst and the catalyst may be cooled before a regeneration step. The process includes controlling removal of sulfur compounds from the spent catalyst before regeneration.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 9, 2018
Date of Patent:
October 13, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Wolfgang A. Spieker, Gregory J. Gajda, J. W. Adriaan Sachtler, Kristoffer E. Popp
Abstract: A process using a dealkylated aromatic liquid improves a heavy hydrocarbon liquid used for supporting molybdenum carbonized catalyst. Dealkylated aromatic liquid can be derived from heavy hydrocarbon materials that have been subjected to cracking, such as fluid catalytic cracking or slurry hydrocracking. The heavy hydrocarbon liquid can comprise a portion of resid SHC feed and a portion of a gas oil stream from SHC effluent.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 26, 2018
Date of Patent:
October 13, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Phuong T. M. Do, Alakananda Bhattacharyya, Fred G. Sollberger, Lance A. Baird, Grant H. Yokomizo, Ping Sun, Mark Van Wees
Abstract: A process for hydrotreating a hydrocarbon residue stream is provided. The process comprises hydrotreating the hydrocarbon residue stream over a demetallation catalyst to demetallize the hydrocarbon residue stream to provide a demetallized hydrocarbon residue stream reduced in metals and sulfur concentration. The demetallized hydrocarbon residue stream is separated in a hot separator to provide an overhead vapor stream comprising hydrogen and a bottoms liquid stream. The bottoms liquid stream is split into a first liquid stream and a second liquid stream comprising low sulfur fuel oil. The second liquid stream is recovered as a low sulfur fuel oil product stream. The first liquid stream is hydrotreated over a desulfurization catalyst in the presence of at least a portion of the overhead vapor stream to provide a desulfurized hydrocarbon residue stream. The present process provides low sulfur fuel oil product stream comprising from about 0.3 wt % to about 1.5 wt % sulfur.
Abstract: A turbine with a supersonic separator disposed upstream of the turbine. The supersonic separator imparts a swirl on a vapor stream to remove any heavier components. A superheated vapor stream from the supersonic separator is passed through the turbine to reduce the pressure of the vapor stream. At the same time, electricity is generated by the superheated vapor stream via a turbine wheel. The turbine and the supersonic separator can be integrally formed, or they can be discrete components.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 16, 2018
Date of Patent:
October 6, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Stanley Joseph Frey, Michael Van de Cotte
Abstract: The present invention relates to the fractionation technology that is used to create purified phenol and acetone products. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fractionation technology that is used to create crude acetone and crude phenol streams using a dividing wall column intended to remove cumene, alpha-methyl styrene and water from the product side of the wall.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 28, 2019
Date of Patent:
October 6, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Russell C. Schulz, Chad A. Williams, James W. Harris, Nikunj Manubhai Patel
Abstract: An apparatus and process doubles the number of trays in a single fractionation column. A dividing wall is used to isolate a first side from a second side and fractionation on trays on each side is independent of the other. A transition vapor stream is ducted from a top of a first side to the bottom of the second side, and a transition liquid stream is ducted from a bottom of the second side to the top of the first side.
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: A process for separating xylenes from a feedstock in which the feedstock is separated into a xylene stream, a benzene rich stream and a light ends stream. Two separation zones may be utilized in which liquid from the first zone sent to a toluene recovery zone and vapor from the first zone is sent to a compression zone. The compressed vapor from the compression zone is sent to the second separation zone.
Abstract: An apparatus and process doubles the number of trays in a single fractionation column. A dividing wall is used to isolate a first side from a second side and fractionation on trays on each side is independent of the other. A transition vapor stream is ducted from a top of a first side to the bottom of the second side, and a transition liquid stream is ducted from a bottom of the second side to the top of the first side.
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.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 27, 2018
Date of Patent:
October 6, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Sanford Allan Victor, Phillip F. Daly, Ian G. Horn
Abstract: A Fluid Catalytic Cracking process converts heavy crude oil fractions into lighter hydrocarbon products at high temperature and moderate pressure in the presence of a catalyst. During this process, catalyst particles stay entrained in the descending gas stream. An inlet scroll on the cyclone may be used to keep the inlet gas stream and the entrained particles away from the entrance to the gas outlet tube. Refractory material may applied to the interior of the wall of the cyclone to form an abrasion resistant lining to insulate the walls of the cyclone from the gas flow contents. The inlet feed velocity may be used as a predictive factor to determine a wear rate of the cyclones. Thus, lining erosion can be predicted so that the lining can be repaired or replaced during a planned turnaround.
Abstract: A process and apparatus for catalytically cracking fresh heavy hydrocarbon feed to produce cracked products is disclosed. A fraction of the cracked products can be obtained to re-crack it in a downer reactor. The downer reactor may produce high selectivity to light olefins. Spent catalyst from both reactors can be regenerated in the same regenerator.
Abstract: A medium separator is used to recover a gaseous stream from a hydroprocessed liquid stream for hydrogen recovery in a hydrogen recovery unit. A medium flash drum may further remove liquid components from the gaseous stream prior to hydrogen recovery in the hydrogen recovery unit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 27, 2016
Date of Patent:
September 22, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Kiran Ladkat, Richard K. Hoehn, Hemant Mahajan, Rajaraman Panchapakesan
Abstract: A process and apparatus for hydrocracking a distillate stream and provides for separation into product cuts without a separate debutanizer column, a naphtha splitter column or a sponge absorber column. The product cuts include a C3-C5 LPG stream and a heavy naphtha stream which can be useful as a reforming feed stream. Additionally, as few as two heaters that rely on external utilities may be required for reboiling fractionator column bottoms.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 26, 2018
Date of Patent:
September 22, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
David A. Wegerer, Hari S. Bajpai, Gautam Pandey
Abstract: The present invention relates to a combined reactor settler with the reactor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a combined reactor settler and reactor in a caustic free kerosene sweetening reactor which reduces equipment costs, operating costs, and plot space requirements.
Abstract: A process is disclosed for increasing hydrogen recovery in an integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in which natural gas is used as a co-purge gas in a pressure swing adsorption unit. This natural gas is recovered in tail gas from the pressure swing adsorption unit. This process is useful for refinery off-gas and partial oxidation feeds.
Abstract: A membrane unit is able to recover hydrogen from a resid waste gas stream. Two membrane units provide even greater hydrogen recovery. The membrane separation is performed at conditions that allow the pressure of the recovered hydrogen to enter into a second stage of compression, saving the expense of the first stage of compression.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 31, 2017
Date of Patent:
September 15, 2020
Assignee:
UOP LLC
Inventors:
Richard K. Hoehn, Eleftherios Adamopoulos
Abstract: A hydroprocessing catalyst has been developed. The catalyst is a crystalline transition metal molybdotungstate material or metal sulfides derived therefrom, or both. The hydroprocessing using the crystalline transition metal molybdotungstate material may include hydrodenitrification, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodemetallation, hydrodesilication, hydrodearomatization, hydroisomerization, hydrotreating, hydrofining, and hydrocracking.
Abstract: A process for recovery hydrogen and LPG from a gaseous separated hydroprocessed stream and a stripper gaseous stream and/or a fractionator gaseous stream by increasing the pressure of the stripper gaseous stream and/or the fractionator gaseous stream. Both streams or all three streams can be subjected to sponge absorption and hydrogen recovery in series.