Abstract: Process for preparing a sulphided hydrocracking catalyst comprising the steps of (a) treating an amorphous silica alumina carrier with one or more Group VIB metal components, one or more Group VIII metal components and a C3-C12 polyhydric compound, (b) drying the treated catalyst carrier at a temperature of at most 200° C. to form an impregnated carrier, and (c) sulphiding the impregnated carrier to obtain a sulphided catalyst.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for distillation of crude oils comprising i) passing a hydrocarbon crude oil into a preflash vessel maintained under conditions to separate the crude oil into a preflash liquid and a preflash vapor, ii) passing the pre-flash liquid into a furnace maintained under conditions to heat and partially vaporize the preflash liquid, iii) passing the heated furnace effluent into the lower part of a distillation column maintained under fractionating conditions, iv) passing the preflash vapor into the distillation column in a zone at the bottom of a stripping zone located below the introduction zone of the furnace effluent, and v) passing steam into the distillation column in a zone at the bottom of the stripping zone, such that liquid furnace effluent is contacted with steam and preflash vapor in the stripping zone under conditions sufficient to strip the liquid furnace effluent.

Abstract: The invention provides a Fischer-Tropsch jet fuel refining process which has a jet fuel yield in excess of 60% by mass, said process including at least four of the following Five conversion processes: a. hydrocracking one or more of a FT kerosene and heavier material fraction and a C9 and heavier FT Syncrude fraction; b. oligomerising an FT syncrude fraction including hydrocarbons in the range C2 to C8; c. hydrotreating one or more of an FT syncrude fraction, a product from process b., and an alkylated FT syncrude fraction; d. aromatizing one or more of an FT syncrude fraction including hydrocarbons in the range C2 to C8, a product from process a., a product from process b, a product from process c., and a product from an aromatic alkylation process; and e. alkylating one or more of an FT syncrude fraction including hydrocarbons in the C2 to C6 range, a product from process b., and a product from process d.

Abstract: It has been discovered that metals and/or amines can be removed or transferred from a hydrocarbon phase to a water phase in an emulsion breaking process by using a composition that contains water-soluble hydroxyacids. Suitable water-soluble hydroxyacids include, but are not necessarily limited to glycolic acid, gluconic acid, C2-C4 alpha-hydroxy acids, poly-hydroxy carboxylic acids, thioglycolic acid, chloroacetic acid, polymeric forms of the above hydroxyacids, poly-glycolic esters, glycolate ethers, and ammonium salt and alkali metal salts of these hydroxyacids, and mixtures thereof. The composition may also include at least one mineral acid to reduce the pH of the desalter wash water. A solvent may be optionally included in the composition. The invention permits transfer of metals and/or amines into the aqueous phase with little or no hydrocarbon phase undercarry into the aqueous phase.

Abstract: A process for producing pipeline-ready or refinery-ready feedstock from heavy hydrocarbons using a high-performance solvent extraction process with high local solvent-to-process fluid ratios yet maintaining low overall solvent-to-process fluid ratios, by first performing mild thermal cracking on the heavy hydrocarbons and then separating asphaltene-rich fractions from a resulting thermally affected fluid so that the high solvent-to-oil ratio portion of the process acts only on those asphaltene-rich fractions, and producing a dry, solid asphaltene as an end-product.

Abstract: A method to remove a metals impurity from a petroleum feedstock for use in a power generating process is provided. The method comprising the steps of mixing a heated feedstock with a heated water stream in a mixing device to produce a mixed stream; introducing the mixed stream to a supercritical water reactor in the absence of externally provided hydrogen and externally provided oxidizing agent to produce a reactor effluent comprising a refined petroleum portion; cooling the reactor effluent to produce a cooled stream; feeding the cooled stream to a rejecter configured to separate a sludge fraction to produce a de-sludged stream; reducing the pressure of the de-sludged stream to produce a depressurized product; separating the depressurized product to produce a gas phase product and a liquid product; separating the liquid product to produce a petroleum product, having a reduced asphaltene content, reduced concentration of metals impurity, and reduced sulfur.

Abstract: This invention relates to low sulfur marine bunker fuel compositions and methods of making the same. The invention also relates to an uncracked, hydrotreated vacuum resid for use in making the low sulfur marine bunker fuel composition. Contrary to conventional marine/bunker fuel compositions, the low sulfur marine/bunker fuel composition uses mostly uncracked components, including a (cat feed) hydrotreated vacuum resid. The low sulfur marine/bunker fuel composition can also have reduced contents of residual components.

Abstract: Methods of maximizing diesel production are describes. The methods include providing a stream of heavy heavy naphtha; and blending the stream of heavy heavy naphtha with a diesel stream from the crude distillation zone to increase diesel production while maintaining the blended diesel stream within a specification for diesel. Various apparatus for maximizing diesel production are also described.

Abstract: A hydrogenation treatment catalyst is provided for heavy hydrocarbon oil, in which a hydrogenation-active component is supported on a silica-containing porous alumina carrier containing 0.1% to 1.5% by mass of silica based on the carrier. The total pore volume is 0.55 to 0.75 mL/g. Of the total volume of pores having a pore diameter of 3 to 30 nm (1) 30% to 45% have a pore diameter of 5 to 10 nm, (2) 50% to 65% have a pore diameter of 10 to 15 nm, and (3) the total volume of pores having a pore diameter in a range of ±1 nm from the average pore diameter is 25% or more. The total volume of pores having a pore diameter of 30 nm or more is 3% or less. The average pore diameter of pores having a pore diameter of 10 to 30 nm is 10.5 to 13 nm.

Abstract: Methods and systems for cracking a light fuel fraction and a heavy fuel fraction by fluidized catalytic cracking are described herein. The method for cracking may include feeding the light fuel fraction and a catalyst from a catalyst regenerator into a first reactor, cracking the light fuel fraction in the first reactor to produce an at least partially cracked light fuel fraction, transporting the at least partially cracked light fuel fraction and the catalyst from the first reactor to a second reactor, feeding the heavy fuel fraction into the second reactor, cracking the heavy fuel fraction and the at least partially cracked light fuel fraction in the second reactor to produce at least a product fuel and a spent catalyst, and transporting the spent catalyst to the catalyst regenerator and regenerating the catalyst in the catalyst regenerator.

Abstract: An integrated process is provided to produce asphalt, high quality petroleum green coke, and liquid and gas coker unit products. Sulfur molecules contained in heavy petroleum fractions, including organosulfur molecules, and in certain embodiments organonitrogen molecules are oxidized. The polar oxidized sulfur compounds shift from the oil phase to the asphalt phase. The deasphalted/desulfurized oil phase is passed to a coker unit to produce liquid and gas coker products as an effluent stream and recover high quality petroleum green coke.

Abstract: The invention provides improved apparatus and method for producing a pipeline-ready or refinery-ready feedstock from heavy, high asphaltene crude, comprising a pre-heater for pre-heating a process fluid to a design temperature at or near the operating temperature of a reactor; moving the process fluid into the reactor for conversion of the process fluid by controlled application of heat to the process fluid in the reactor so that the process fluid maintains a substantially homogenous temperature to produce a stream of thermally affected asphaltene-rich fractions, and a stream of vapor. The stream of vapor is separated into two further streams: of non-condensable vapor, and of light liquid hydrocarbons. The thermally affected asphaltene-rich fraction is deasphalted using a solvent extraction process into streams of heavy deasphalted oil liquid, and concentrated asphaltene, respectively.

Abstract: A method for removing sulfolane from hydrocarbon streams by serial separation using raffinate wash column and at least one raffinate wash drum. The separation may be particularly useful in retrofitting existing separation facilities to produce motor fuels meeting the specifications requiring lower sulfolane content. A method is provided for the purification of a hydrocarbon-containing stream having a sulfolane therein. The method includes separating a first sulfolane-depleted stream from a hydrocarbon stream in a first counter-current separation unit and then separating a second sulfolane-depleted stream from the first sulfolane-depleted stream in a second counter-current separation unit. The first and second counter-current separation units are preferably different and chosen from a raffinate wash column or at least one raffinate wash drum. An apparatus for performing the methods is also described.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and method for distributing a liquid and gas in a multiple-bed downflow reactor, such as a hydrocarbon processing reactor, like a hydrocracker. The device comprises respectively the method uses a distributor device comprising a substantially horizontal collecting tray provided with a central gas passage. Gas passing in downward direction through the central gas passage is forced into a swirling motion by a swirler. This swirling motion has a swirl direction around a vertical swirl axis so that the gas leaves the central gas passage as a swirl. At a location above the collecting tray, a quench fluid is ejected into gas in an ejection direction, which is, viewed in a horizontal plane, at least partly opposite to the swirl direction.

Abstract: Deep desulfurization of hydrocarbon feeds containing undesired organosulfur compounds to produce a hydrocarbon product having low levels of sulfur, i.e., 15 ppmw or less of sulfur, is achieved by hydrotreating the feed under mild conditions, and separating the hydrotreated effluent into an aromatic-rich fraction which contains a substantial amount of the aromatic refractory and sterically hindered sulfur-containing compounds, and an aromatic-lean fraction. The aromatic-rich fraction is contacted with isomerization catalyst, and the isomerized aromatic-rich fraction is recycled to the mild hydrotreating process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid phase additive comprising an alkyl nitrate; a petroleum sulphonates; an aliphatic, aromatic, cyclohexylamines or hetroalkylated lower amines; a hindered phenol based compounds; a phosphate esters and an aliphatic alcohols for use in delayed coking process with decreased coke yield and increased yield of liquid and/or gaseous product and a process for preparing the liquid phase additive. The present invention also relates to a process for thermal cracking of petroleum residue producing petroleum coke and lighter hydrocarbon products by using liquid phase additive.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for cooling hot product gas are provided. The method includes introducing cooled solid into a downward or upward contactor where heat transfer between solid and product gas. After separating solid and product gas in cyclone system, cooled product gas flows to process downstream and hot solid is introduced into a fluidized bed solid cooler from the cyclone dipleg. The hot solid flows through the shell side of the fluidized bed cooler and exchanger heat with the coolant in the tube side. The cooled solid flows through a mechanical or non-mechanical valve back into the downward/upward contactor and complete the cycle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an integrated hydrocracking process for production of olefinic and aromatic petro-chemicals from crude oil. An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated hydrocracking process for production of olefinic and aromatic petrochemicals from a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising crude oil wherein the portion of the crude oil converted to LPG is increased significantly.

Abstract: An integrated hydrocracking process for production of olefinic and aromatic petrochemicals from a hydrocarbon feedstock having crude oil. An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated hydrocracking process for the production of olefinic and aromatic petrochemicals from a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising crude oil in which the portion of crude oil converted to LPG is increased significantly.

Abstract: A catalytic naphtha hydrodesulfurization process is operated in a process unit having a surge drum with equipped for gas blanketing with a blanketing gas containing controlled levels of CO and CO2. If the gas selected for blanketing normally contains more than the acceptable level of these inhibitors, they should be reduced to the levels appropriate for retention of catalyst functionality.