Patents by Inventor Bernard S. Wright

Bernard S. Wright has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4506106
    Abstract: An integrated process is provided for converting methanol, dimethylether or the like to heavy hydrocarbon products, especially distillate range hydrocarbons. In a first stage catalytic process oxygenate feedstock is converted to lower olefins. C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins are selectively sorbed in an interstage sorption fractionator and passed along with gasoline sorbent to a second stage oligomerization reactor. Distillate range hydrocarbons are useful as diesel fuel or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1985
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Chung H. Hsia, Hartley Owen, Bernard S. Wright
  • Patent number: 4504691
    Abstract: An improved catalytic process for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product comprising the steps of:(a) prefractionating the olefinic feedstock to obtain a gaseous stream rich in ethylene and a liquid stream containing C.sub.3.sup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1985
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Chung-hweng Hsia, Hartley Owen, Bernard S. Wright
  • Patent number: 4504693
    Abstract: A catalytic process for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising lower olefin to heavier hydrocarbon product comprising the steps of:contacting the feedstock and a recycled hydrocarbon with shape-selective zeolite oligomerization catalyst in catalytic reaction zone at elevated temperature and pressure to provide a heavier hydrocarbon effluent stream comprising heavy, intermediate and light hydrocarbons;flashing the effluent stream between the reaction zone and a phase separation zone by reducing pressure of the effluent stream, thereby producing a heavy liquid stream rich in heavy hydrocarbons and a flashed effluent vapor stream containing lighter hydrocarbons;separating and recovering a recycle stream rich in intermediate range hydrocarbons from the separation zone and pressurizing the recycle stream for recycle to the reactor inlet;further fractionating the heavy liquid stream and flashed effluent vapor from the phase separation zone in first distillation tower to remove light hydrocarbons therefrom; and
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1985
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Samuel A. Tabak, Bernard S. Wright, Hartley Owen
  • Patent number: 4497968
    Abstract: A multistage technique for converting olefins to heavier hydrocarbons including a sorption prefractionation unit for separating olefinic feedstock into a sorbate stream rich in liquified olefins and a vapor stream rich in light olefins; a first stage catalytic reactor unit for oligomerizing olefins from the sorbate stream including means for maintaining the first stage at elevated pressure and predetermined temperature for producing substantially linear aliphatic hydrocarbons; a second stage catalytic reactor unit for oligomerizing light olefin including means for maintaining the second stage under high severity conditions at substantially higher temperature than the first stage; and a product fractionation unit for separating effluent from the first and second stages to separate and recover heavy hydrocarbon product and a sorbent recycle fraction. The sorbent fraction is recycled to the sorption prefractionation unit for contacting olefinic feedstock with the recycled sorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1985
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Bernard S. Wright, Hartley Owen, Chung H. Hsia
  • Patent number: 4479812
    Abstract: A continuous fractionation technique is provided for recovering ethylene from an olefinic feedstock comprising C.sub.3.sup.+ higher olefins. This technique provides methods and means for contacting the olefinic feedstock in a counter current sorption tower with a liquid sorbent stream comprising C.sub.6.sup.+ gasoline range hydrocarbons under process conditions to selectively sorb substantially the entire C.sub.3.sup.+ olefin components from the feedstock, withdrawing an ethylene-rich vapor stream from the sorption tower and further contacting the ethylene-rich stream with a distillate range liquid hydrocarbon stream in a sponge absorber to purify the ethylene stream. Typically, the olefinic feedstock consists essentially of volatile hydrocarbons, and preferably comprises about 10 to 50 mole % ethylene and 10 to 50 mole % propene. Purified ethylene product may be recovered having an average molecular weight not greater than 28.5 under non-cryogenic conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Chung H. Hsia, Hartley Owen, Bernard S. Wright
  • Patent number: 4471147
    Abstract: A continuous catalytic process for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product comprising the steps of(a) prefractionating the olefinic feedstock to obtain a gaseous stream rich in ethylene and a liquid stream containing C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins;(b) vaporizing and contacting the liquid stream from the prefractionating step with hydrocarbon conversion oligomerization catalyst in a catalytic reactor system to provide a heavier hydrocarbon effluent stream comprising distillate, gasoline and lighter hydrocarbons;(c) fractionating the effluent stream to recover distillate, gasoline and lighter hydrocarbons separately;(d) recycling at least a portion of the recovered gasoline as a liquid sorption stream to prefractionating step (a); and(e) further reacting the recycled gasoline together with sorbed C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins in the catalytic reactor system of step (b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Hartley Owen, Chung H. Hsia, Bernard S. Wright
  • Patent number: 4456781
    Abstract: A continuous catalytic process for oligomerizing lower olefins to heavier hydrocarbons wherein a continuous liquid olefinic feedstream is diluted with a liquid alkane stream, is improved by a technique which comprises cooling catalytically converted effluent, fractionating the effluent to obtain a condensed lower aliphatic recycle stream, a liquid C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 product stream, a liquid product stream consisting essentially of C.sub.5.sup.+ hydrocarbons and a gaseous C.sub.2.sup.- gaseous stream by the sequential fractionation steps of: debutanizing the cooled effluent to obtain the liquid C.sub.5.sup.+ hydrocarbon stream and a condensed lower aliphatic stream; de-ethanizing a portion of the lower aliphatic stream to recover gaseous offgas stream and a C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 alkane product stream; and optionally recycling at least a portion of the condensed aliphatic stream from the debutanizing step for dilution of the olefinic feedstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Susan K. Marsh, Hartley Owen, Bernard S. Wright
  • Patent number: 4456779
    Abstract: An improved continuous process for converting lower olefinic hydrocarbon feedstock to C.sub.5.sup.+ liquid hydrocarbons by contacting vapor phase olefinic feedstream with acid zeolite catalyst in the presence of recycled diluent stream rich in C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbons in an enclosed reactor at elevated temperature and pressure. The improved technique comprises a system for cooling reactor effluent to recover a heavier hydrocarbon stream containing a mixture of C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbons and C.sub.5.sup.+ hydrocarbons and debutanizing the heavier hydrocarbons below reactor pressure to obtain a C.sub.5.sup.+ product stream and a condensed C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbon stream. Operating efficiencies are realized in the heat exchange system by reboiling the debutanized C.sub.5.sup.+ hydrocarbon product stream with hot reactor effluent, and by recycling and combining at least a portion of the condensed C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbon stream to dilute liquid olefin hydrocarbon feedstock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Hartley Owen, Susan K. Marsh, Bernard S. Wright
  • Patent number: 4450311
    Abstract: A heat balanced technique for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product in a catalytic exothermic process. Methods and means are provided for prefractionating the olefinic feedstock to obtain a gaseous stream rich in ethylene and a liquid stream containing C.sub.3.sup.+ olefin, and contacting an olefinic feedstock stream from the prefractionating step with ZSM-5 type oligomerization catalyst in a series of exothermic catalytic reactors to provide a heavier hydrocarbon effluent stream comprising distillate, gasoline and lighter hydrocarbons. In a preferred embodiment a catalytic system is provided for making gasoline or diesel fuel from an olefinic feestock containing ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ lower olefins comprising a prefractionation system for separating and recovering ethylene and a liquid stream rich in C.sub.3.sup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Bernard S. Wright, Hartley Owen, Chung H. Hsia