Patents by Inventor Carlos N. Lopez

Carlos N. Lopez 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: 10053639
    Abstract: Methods are provided for dewaxing a distillate fuel boiling range feed to improve one or more cold flow properties of the distillate fuel feed, such as cloud point, where the distillate fuel feed is fractionated to produce both a jet fuel product and an arctic diesel fuel product. The decrease of cloud point is achieved by using a feedstock having a concentration of nitrogen of less than about 50 wppm and a concentration of sulfur of less than about 15 wppm. Further, the dewaxing catalyst may have a reduced content of hydrogenation metals, such as a content of Pt or Pd of from about 0.05 wt % to about 0.35 wt %. A distillate fuel feed can be dewaxed to achieve a desired cloud point differential using a reduced metals content dewaxing catalyst under the same or similar conditions to those required for a dewaxing catalyst with higher metals content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Stuart S. Shih, Xiaochun Xu, William J. Novak, Carlos N. Lopez, Timothy Lee Hilbert, Stephen John McCarthy
  • Publication number: 20160194566
    Abstract: Methods are provided for producing lubricant base oils using a combination of catalytic and solvent processing. By using a combination of catalytic processing for feed conversion and dewaxing while using solvent processing for removal of aromatics, Group II and Group III lubricant base oils can be produced using low pressure catalytic processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Inventors: Teck-Mui Hoo, Nicole D. Vaughn, Benjamin S. Umansky, James W. Gleeson, Jeenok T. Kim, Carlos N. Lopez, Jean P. Andre, Lei Zhang, Bal K. Kaul
  • Patent number: 9290703
    Abstract: A diesel fuel product with beneficial cold flow properties can be produced. A suitable feedstock for forming a diesel boiling range product can be hydrotreated to have a sulfur content of at least about 100 wppm and then dewaxed. This two stage process can allow for production of an arctic or winter diesel without use of high pressures. Optionally, a divided wall column fractionator can be used to allow a single separation stage to handle the effluent from both the hydroprocessing and the dewaxing stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Umansky, Mohan Kalyanaraman, Timothy L. Hilbert, Carlos N. Lopez, Lei Zhang
  • Patent number: 9267083
    Abstract: Processes are provided herein for producing naphtha boiling range products with a desired sulfur content by reducing the mercaptan content of the naphtha boiling range products after the products exit a hydroprocessing stage. Due to mercaptan reversion, naphtha boiling range products that contain even small amounts of olefins can have a higher than expected sulfur content after hydroprocessing. In order to reduce or mitigate the effects of mercaptan reversion, microchannel reactors (or microreactors) can be placed in a processing system downstream of a reactor that produces a low sulfur naphtha product. The microreactors can include a coating of metals that have activity for hydrodesulfurization. By passing at least a portion of the naphtha product through the downstream microreactors, the mercaptans formed by reversion reactions can be reduced or eliminated, resulting in a naphtha product with possessing a very low sulfur content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Umansky, Charles R. Bolz, Anjaneya S. Kovvali, Carlos N. Lopez, Rathna P. Davuluri
  • Publication number: 20150122701
    Abstract: Methods are provided for dewaxing a distillate fuel boiling range feed to improve one or more cold flow properties of the distillate fuel feed, such as cloud point, where the distillate fuel feed is fractionated to produce both a jet fuel product and an arctic diesel fuel product. The decrease of cloud point is achieved by using a feedstock having a concentration of nitrogen of less than about 50 wppm and a concentration of sulfur of less than about 15 wppm. Further, the dewaxing catalyst may have a reduced content of hydrogenation metals, such as a content of Pt or Pd of from about 0.05 wt % to about 0.35 wt %. A distillate fuel feed can be dewaxed to achieve a desired cloud point differential using a reduced metals content dewaxing catalyst under the same or similar conditions to those required for a dewaxing catalyst with higher metals content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Stuart S. Shih, Xiaochun Xu, William J. Novak, Carlos N. Lopez, Timothy Lee Hilbert, Stephen John McCarthy
  • Patent number: 8852425
    Abstract: A divided wall column allows for fractionation of multiple streams while maintaining separate product qualities. Effluents from multiple stages of a reaction system can be processed in a single divided wall column. The divided wall column can produce multiple cuts from each separated area, as well as at least one output from a common area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Umansky, Berne K. Stober, Carlos N. Lopez, Stuart S. Shih, Timothy L. Hilbert, Andre T. Sims, William J. Tracy, III, Akira Murata, Paul W. Kamienski
  • Publication number: 20140174982
    Abstract: Processes are provided herein for producing naphtha boiling range products with a desired sulfur content by reducing the mercaptan content of the naphtha boiling range products after the products exit a hydroprocessing stage. Due to mercaptan reversion, naphtha boiling range products that contain even small amounts of olefins can have a higher than expected sulfur content after hydroprocessing. In order to reduce or mitigate the effects of mercaptan reversion, microchannel reactors (or microreactors) can be placed in a processing system downstream of a reactor that produces a low sulfur naphtha product. The microreactors can include a coating of metals that have activity for hydrodesulfurization. By passing at least a portion of the naphtha product through the downstream microreactors, the mercaptans formed by reversion reactions can be reduced or eliminated, resulting in a naphtha product with possessing a very low sulfur content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Umansky, Charles R. Bolz, Anjaneya S. Kovvali, Carlos N. Lopez, Rathna P. Davuluri
  • Patent number: 8217214
    Abstract: Disclosed are ethylbenzene processes in which a series-arranged or combined vapor phase alkylation/transalkylation reaction zone is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and a liquid phase transalkylation reactor, and in which a parallel-arranged vapor phase alkylation reactor and vapor phase transalkylation reactor is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and liquid phase transalkylation reactor, wherein the xylenes content of the ethylbenzene product is less than 700 wppm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignees: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc., Stone & Weber, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael C. Clark, Vijay Nanda, Carlos N. Lopez, Brian Maerz, Maruti Bhandarkar
  • Publication number: 20110259793
    Abstract: A diesel fuel product with beneficial cold flow properties can be produced. A suitable feedstock for forming a diesel boiling range product can be hydrotreated to have a sulfur content of at least about 100 wppm and then dewaxed. This two stage process can allow for production of an arctic or winter diesel without use of high pressures. Optionally, a divided wall column fractionator can be used to allow a single separation stage to handle the effluent from both the hydroprocessing and the dewaxing stages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Umansky, Mohan Kalyanaraman, Timothy L. Hilbert, Carlos N. Lopez, Lei Zhang
  • Publication number: 20110178352
    Abstract: Disclosed are ethylbenzene processes in which a series-arranged or combined vapor phase alkylation/transalkylation reaction zone is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and a liquid phase transalkylation reactor, and in which a parallel-arranged vapor phase alkylation reactor and vapor phase transalkylation reactor is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and liquid phase transalkylation reactor, wherein the xylenes content of the ethylbenzene product is less than 700 wppm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Inventors: Michael C. Clark, Vijay Nanda, Carlos N. Lopez, Brian Maerz, Maruti Bhandarkar
  • Publication number: 20110147263
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing a hydrocarbon fuel composition that includes introducing an olefin feed composition including light olefins to an oligomerization catalyst to yield an intermediate composition including olefins having at least four carbon atoms, introducing the intermediate composition and a second feed of aromatic compounds (e.g., a feed including from 2 to 99.9% benzene or other alkylatable aromatics) to an aromatic alkylation catalyst to yield a fractionation feed to provide a composition which can be further refined to provide one or more hydrocarbon fuel compositions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Benjamin S. UMANSKY, Michael C. CLARK, Carlos N. LOPEZ, Katherine L. WEIGER
  • Publication number: 20110132803
    Abstract: A divided wall column allows for fractionation of multiple streams while maintaining separate product qualities. Effluents from multiple stages of a reaction system can be processed in a single divided wall column. The divided wall column can produce multiple cuts from each separated area, as well as at least one output from a common area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Umansky, Berne K. Stober, Carlos N. Lopez, Stuart S. Shih, Timothy L. Hilbert, Andre T. Sims, William J. Tracy, III, Akira Murata, Paul W. Kamienski
  • Patent number: 7939704
    Abstract: Disclosed are ethylbenzene processes in which a series-arranged or combined vapor phase alkylation/transalkylation reaction zone is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and a liquid phase transalkylation reactor, and in which a parallel-arranged vapor phase alkylation reactor and vapor phase transalkylation reactor is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and liquid phase transalkylation reactor, wherein the xylenes content of the ethylbenzene product is less than 700 wppm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignees: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc., Stone & Webster, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael C. Clark, Vijay Nanda, Carlos N. Lopez, Brian Maerz, Maruti Bhandarkar
  • Patent number: 7799961
    Abstract: A process for producing an alkylated aromatic compound from polyalkylated aromatic compound(s) having bi-alkylated aromatic compound(s) and tri-alkylated aromatic compound(s), comprising the step of contacting alkylatable aromatic compound(s) with the polyalkylated aromatic compound(s) at a transalkylation condition in the presence of a transalkylation catalyst. The transalkylation catalyst has high activity sufficient to achieve a ratio of bi-alkylated aromatic compound(s) conversion over tri-alkylated aromatic compound(s) conversion in a range of from about 0.5 to about 2.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignees: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc., Stone & Webster, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael C. Clark, Vijay Nanda, Carlos N. Lopez, Brian Maerz, Chung-Ming Chi
  • Publication number: 20100191028
    Abstract: Disclosed are ethylbenzene processes in which a series-arranged or combined vapor phase alkylation/transalkylation reaction zone is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and a liquid phase transalkylation reactor, and in which a parallel-arranged vapor phase alkylation reactor and vapor phase transalkylation reactor is retrofitted to have a vapor phase alkylation reactor and liquid phase transalkylation reactor, wherein the xylenes content of the ethylbenzene product is less than 700 wppm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Inventors: Michael C. Clark, Vijay Nanda, Carlos N. Lopez, Brian Maerz, Maruti Bhandarkar
  • Publication number: 20080281137
    Abstract: A process for producing an alkylated aromatic compound from polyalkylated aromatic compound(s) having bi-alkylated aromatic compound(s) and tri-alkylated aromatic compound(s), comprising the step of contacting alkylatable aromatic compound(s) with the polyalkylated aromatic compound(s) at a transalkylation condition in the presence of a transalkylation catalyst. The transalkylation catalyst has high activity sufficient to achieve a ratio of bi-alkylated aromatic compound(s) conversion over tri-alkylated aromatic compound(s) conversion in a range of from about 0.5 to about 2.5.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Michael C. Clark, Vijay Nanda, Carlos N. Lopez, Brian Maerz, Chung-Ming Chi