Patents Examined by Brandi M Doyle
  • Patent number: 11173419
    Abstract: A crude oil desalter unit includes a settler, an inlet manifold fluidly coupled to the settler, and one or more inlet distributors extending from the inlet manifold to discharge a water-in-oil emulsion into the settler. Each inlet distributor includes a riser having a first end, a second end, and an inner flowpath extending between the first and second ends, wherein the riser is coupled to the inlet manifold at the first end, one or more outlet nozzles provided at the second end and in fluid communication with the inner flowpath, and a static mixer positioned within the inner flowpath and defining one or more helical pathways operable to induce rotational flow to a fluid flowing within the inner flowpath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Sandipan K. Das, Andrew P. Sullivan, Magaly C. Barroeta
  • Patent number: 11167258
    Abstract: In an FCC apparatus and process structured packing should be located at the very top of the stripping section in an upper region. The lower region below the structural packing may be equipped with fluidization equipment such as stripping media distributors and one or more gratings. This arrangement enables stripping of entrained hydrocarbons off the incoming catalyst immediately upon entry into the stripping section allowing the entrained hydrocarbon to exit the stripping section with minimized residence time to minimize post-riser cracking. Revamp of stripping sections with tall stripping sections should conducted in this way to improve performance and reduce down-time for equipment installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Sathit Kulprathipanja
  • Patent number: 11136514
    Abstract: The process and apparatus enables purification of a recycle hydrogen gas stream from hydroprocessing biorenewable feedstocks. The recycle gas stream is fed to a methanator reactor to hydrogenate carbon monoxide in the gas stream to water and methane. Other acid gases can be removed by scrubbing preferably upstream of the methanator. Removal of carbon monoxide omits the need for a hydrogen purge stream to avoid carbon monoxide accumulation and enables use of the hydrogen for a downstream hydroisomerization reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Afrin Ahmed
  • Patent number: 11130916
    Abstract: The invention relates to approach temperatures and approach temperature ranges that are beneficial in operating a pyrolysis reactor, to pyrolysis reactors exhibiting a beneficial approach temperature, to processes for carrying out hydrocarbon pyrolysis in a pyrolysis reactor having a beneficial approach temperature. The pyrolysis reactor can be, e.g., a reverse-flow pyrolysis reactor, such as a regenerative reverse-flow pyrolysis reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Federico Barrai, Elizabeth G. Mahoney, James R. Lattner, Thomas W. Pavia, John S. Coleman
  • Patent number: 11124710
    Abstract: A naphtha hydrotreating process involves the use of a sulfur guard bed (SGB) with a controlled bypass which allows for control of the sulfur in the feed to a downstream processing unit. The SGB is installed on the light ends stripper bottoms stream in a naphtha hydrotreating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Steven B. Philoon, Patrick J. Bullen, Stanley J. Frey, Gail L. Gray, Dean E. Rende
  • Patent number: 11118119
    Abstract: An ebullated bed hydroprocessing system is upgraded using a dual catalyst system that includes a heterogeneous catalyst and dispersed metal sulfide particles to produce less fouling sediment. The dual catalyst system more effectively converts sediment-forming precursors to produce sediment that is less fouling than sediment produced using only the heterogeneous catalyst and not the dispersed metal sulfide particles. The dual catalyst system provides for a lower rate of equipment fouling for a given sediment production rate and/or concentration. In some cases, sediment production rate and/or concentration can be maintained or increased while equipment fouling is reduced. In some cases, sediment production rate and/or concentration can be increased without increasing equipment fouling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: HYDROCARBON TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION, LLC
    Inventors: David M. Mountainland, Brett M. Silverman, Michael A. Rueter, Lee Smith
  • Patent number: 11091703
    Abstract: A system and method for thermal cracking of crude oil is provided. The system includes a plurality of communicatively coupled components configured to support thermal cracking of crude oil and performs a method including a continuous, industrial-sized thermal cracking process used to convert heavy crude oil or extra-heavy crude oil into lighter crude oil, using a liquid catalyst to prevent coke formation and promote alkylation reactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventor: Jorge Echenagucia Cioppa
  • Patent number: 11091706
    Abstract: A two-stage hydrocracking process for preferentially making a high-quality middle distillate product such as diesel from a relatively light hydrocarbon feedstock such as light vacuum gas oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventor: Michael Chiun-Kuei Hu
  • Patent number: 11066610
    Abstract: The disclosure describes refinery processes and process units for suppressing the precipitation and deposition of heavy polynuclear aromatic (HPNA) compounds in a process unit of a refinery, by combining the effluent from a hydrocracking unit with an aromatic solvent stream. Certain costly HPNA treatment processes can be eliminated, downtime can be reduced, and overall distillate yield can be increased by suppressing HPNA precipitation. The aromatic bottoms—which are suitable solvents for this purpose—of an aromatic recovery complex can be used in certain embodiments to dissolve HPNAs and suppress HPNA precipitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Inventors: Omer Refa Koseoglu, Robert Peter Hodgkins
  • Patent number: 11046897
    Abstract: Methods are provided for performing selective hydrodesulfurization on a naphtha boiling range stream naphtha boiling range portion of a feed. It has been unexpectedly discovered that hydrodesulfurization with improved octane retention can be performed by using a catalyst that comprises CoMo supported on a catalyst support that includes a zeotype framework. By using a catalyst support including a zeotype framework, an unexpectedly high amount of octane in the naphtha boiling range portion of the hydrodesulfurized effluent is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Chuansheng Bai, Majosefina Cunningham, Gregory R. Johnson, Wenyih F. Lai, Brandon J. O'Neill
  • Patent number: 11028332
    Abstract: An integrated process and system for conversion of a heavy crude oil to produce transportation fuels is provided. The process includes separating the hydrocarbon feed into an aromatic-lean fraction and an aromatic-rich fraction. The aromatic-rich fraction is hydrocracked under relatively high pressure to convert at least a portion of refractory aromatic organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds and to produce a hydrocracked product stream. Unconverted bottoms effluent is recycled to the aromatic separation step. The aromatic-lean fraction is cracked in a fluidized catalytic cracking reaction zone to produce a cracked product stream, a light cycle oil stream and a heavy cycle oil stream. In certain embodiments the aromatic-lean fraction can be hydrotreated prior to fluidized catalytic cracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: Omer Refa Koseoglu
  • Patent number: 11028330
    Abstract: A facility and a process for hydrotreatment or hydroconversion, in which a fractionation section comprises a stripper which operates on the overhead fraction obtained from a low pressure separator drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: AXENS
    Inventors: Lajeunesse Odile, Pierre-Yves Alspektor, Paris Packeu, Nicolas Pupat
  • Patent number: 11021657
    Abstract: Processes and apparatuses for relocating a reforming process heater service into the convection section rely on combining a flue gas recycle quench stream with the radiant section off gases entering the convection section. The uniformity of mixing influences the effectiveness of that quench stream. The more effective the quench stream is, the lower the equipment size required to manage the recycle design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Hadjira Iddir, William M. Hartman, Robert J. Sanger, Bryan J. Egolf, Nitin Prabhakar Chitgopekar, William Yanez
  • Patent number: 11021659
    Abstract: A method of upgrading a petroleum feedstock, the method comprising the steps of introducing a disulfide oil, a water feed, and a petroleum feedstock to a supercritical water upgrading unit, and operating the supercritical water upgrading unit to produce a product gas stream, a product oil stream, and a used water stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Inventors: Ki-Hyouk Choi, Emad N. Shafei, Mohammed Zuhair Albahar, Abdulaziz A. Ghabbani
  • Patent number: 11008522
    Abstract: A caustic desulfonylation method and system comprising a reactor vessel with a solid carbonaceous selectivity promoter provided therein, a liquid feed input of the reactor vessel configured to receive a source of caustic, a hydrocarbon feed comprising oxidized sulfur containing compounds and a gas feed input of the reactor vessel configured to receive a source of hydrogen. The caustic desulfonylation method and system further includes an output of the reactor vessel releasing the caustic and an upgraded hydrocarbon product with sulfur content less than the sulfur content of the hydrocarbon feed received by the liquid feed of the reactor vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignees: AUTERRA, INC., CENOVUS ENERGY INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Rankin, Sarah Briggs
  • Patent number: 11001766
    Abstract: A method for producing a diesel having improved cold flow properties, the method comprising the steps of introducing a crude oil to a distillation column, separating the crude oil in the distillation unit to produce a light gas oil, and a light vacuum gas oil, where the light gas oil has a T95% cut point in the range between 300 deg C. and 340 deg C., where the light vacuum gas oil has a T95% cut point in the range between 400 deg C. and 430 deg C., processing the light vacuum gas oil in the supercritical water unit to produce an upgraded vacuum gas oil, separating the upgraded vacuum gas oil in the fractionator to produce an upgraded light fraction, an upgraded light gas oil, and upgraded heavy fraction, introducing the upgraded light gas oil into a diesel pool, and blending the light gas oil into the diesel pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Inventors: Ki-Hyouk Choi, Vinod Ramaseshan, Mohnnad H. Alabsi
  • Patent number: 10947461
    Abstract: The present invention provides selective extraction of sulfoxides, or sulfoxides in combination with sulfones, from hydrocarbon mixtures containing these compounds. A significant advantage of the invention is that oxidation products resulting from oxidative desulfurization of hydrocarbon feedstocks are selectively extracted with minimum co-extraction of non-oxidized products such as valuable hydrocarbon fuel components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Emad Naji Al-Shafei, Esam Zaki Hamad
  • Patent number: 10941356
    Abstract: Increased paraxylene production through the use of a split feed reforming process, wherein hydrotreated naphtha is split into light, middle and heavy fractions. Each fraction is reformed separately to generate streams containing aromatic compounds. These streams can further be processed and can undergo dealkylation, transalkylation, disproportionation, isomerization, and separation steps to maximize paraxylene production. In addition, some streams are recycled or recombined in order to maximize paraxylene production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Yufeng He, Qi Xu
  • Patent number: 10941352
    Abstract: Processes for producing a gasoline blend in which C7 hydrocarbons are separated from a naphtha feed. The C7 hydrocarbons are isomerized and dehydrogenated to increase the octane value of the components therein. In order to avoid conversion of methylcyclohexane to toluene in the dehydrogenation reactor, the various processes provide flow schemes in which the methylcyclohexane bypasses the C7 dehydrogenation reaction zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Mark P. Lapinski, Michael W. Penninger, Rajeswar Gattupalli, Christopher D. DiGiulio, Bryan J. Egolf, Louis A. Lattanzio
  • Patent number: 10927313
    Abstract: An integrated upgrading process for upgrading a heavy oil, the process comprising the steps of introducing a heavy oil to a visbreaker unit; processing the heavy oil in the visbreaker unit to produce a visbreaker product stream; feeding the visbreaker product stream to a fractionator; separating the visbreaker product stream in the fractionator to produce a bottoms stream, a gas oil stream, a naphtha stream, and a gas product stream; feeding the bottoms stream to a supercritical water unit; and processing the bottoms stream in the supercritical water unit to produce an upgraded bottoms stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Inventors: Ki-Hyouk Choi, Mazin M. Fathi, Mohnnad H. Alabsi, Vinod Ramaseshan