Patents by Inventor John Anthony Smegal

John Anthony Smegal 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: 11325108
    Abstract: A composition that comprises a support material having incorporated therein a metal component and impregnated with an additive compound that is selected from the group of heterocyclic, polar compounds of the formula CxHnNyOz; wherein: x is an integer of at least 3; y is either 0, 1, 2, or 3; z is either 0, 1, 2, or 3; and n is the number of hydrogen atoms required to fill the remaining bonds with the carbon atoms of the molecule. The composition includes the support material that is impregnated with the additive compound and is useful in the hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstocks, especially in the denitrogenation and desulfurization of distillate feedstocks to make ultra low sulfur diesel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: SHELL USA, INC.
    Inventors: John Anthony Smegal, Alexei Grigorievich Gabrielov, Ed Ganja, Theofiel Meuris
  • Patent number: 11027268
    Abstract: A composition and method of making such a composition that has application in the hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstocks. The method comprises selecting an organic additive by the use of a correlation model for predicting catalytic activity as a function of a physical property that is associated with the organic additive and incorporating the organic additive into a support material to provide the additive impregnated composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: William Douglas Gillespie, Alexei Grigorievich Gabrielov, Peter Wolohan, John Anthony Smegal
  • Patent number: 10118158
    Abstract: A method of hydrotreating a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock using a hydrotreating catalyst having specific properties that make it effective in removing nitrogen and sulfur from the feedstock is disclosed. The catalyst is composed of an alumina support particle having a specific pore diameter distribution which is achieved in part, by the use of pseudo-boehmite as the alumina source and specific calcining temperatures. The hydrotreatment catalyst also comprises a Group 6 metal component (e.g., molybdenum) and a Group 10 metal component (e.g., nickel), and optionally, a phosphorus metal component, which are supported by the alumina support particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventor: John Anthony Smegal
  • Patent number: 9683182
    Abstract: A process for making high cetane diesel. The process includes contacting a distillate feedstock in a hydrodenitrogenation and polyaromatics saturation zone and passing the resulting treated effluent to a high pressure stripping zone. The stripped liquid fraction from the high pressure stripping zone is contacted with a base metal catalyst under monoaromatics saturation conditions to yield a reactor product. The reactor product undergoes a separation to provide a hydrogen portion and a dearomatized distillate portion with the hydrogen portion being recycled and introduced into the high pressure stripping zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: John Anthony Smegal, Aristides Macris, Yvonne Johanna Lucas
  • Patent number: 9546327
    Abstract: A process and catalyst that provides for the upgrading of a high endpoint gas oil feedstock that contains significant concentrations of organic sulfur compound and organic nitrogen compounds. Included among the sulfur compounds are the dimethyl-dibenzothiophenes and derivative thereof. The catalyst of the process is an additive impregnated composition or a derivative thereof that further comprises cobalt and molybdenum. The process provides for the upgrading the high endpoint gas oil feedstock by significantly reducing the difficult to remove thiophene and nitrogen compounds and the process does this with a significantly reduced hydrogen consumption relative to processes using comparative catalysts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Lawrence Stephen Kraus, John Anthony Smegal, Karl Marvin Krueger
  • Patent number: 9528052
    Abstract: A process that provides for the improvement of the properties of a distillate feedstock that has significant concentrations of nitrogen and polyaromatic compounds. The process includes a first reaction zone that uses a base metal catalyst and is operated under high pressure conditions to provide for the hydrodenitrogenation of organic nitrogen and saturation of polyaromatic compounds contained in the distillate feedstock. The first reaction zone treated effluent is separated into a heavy fraction and a lighter fraction with the heavy fraction being charged to a second reaction zone that also uses a base metal catalyst and is operated under high pressure conditions to provide for the saturation of monaromatic compounds that are contained in the heavy fraction. The inventive process provides for a high quality, low-sulfur and low-nitrogen diesel product that has a significantly lower aromatics content than the distillate feedstock and having a high value for its high Cetane Index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: John Anthony Smegal, Aristides Macris
  • Patent number: 9469822
    Abstract: A method of hydrothermal hydrocatalytic treating biomass is provided. Lignocellulosic biomass solids is provided to a hydrothermal digestion unit in the presence of a digestive solvent, and a supported hydrogenolysis catalyst containing (a) sulfur, (b) Mo or W, and (c) Co, Ni or mixture thereof, incorporated into an alumina support, which support is predominantly alpha alumina; (ii) heating the lignocellulosic biomass solids and digestive solvent in the presence of hydrogen, and supported hydrogenolysis catalyst thereby forming a product solution containing plurality of oxygenated hydrocarbons, said alumina support having a specific surface area of up to about 30 m2/g and said catalyst retaining a crush strength of at least 50% after being subjected to an aqueous phase stability test compared with before the aqueous phase stability test or a crush strength of at least 0.25 kg after being subjected to an aqueous phase stability test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Joseph Broun Powell, Glenn Charles Komplin, John Anthony Smegal, Kimberly Ann Johnson
  • Patent number: 9447345
    Abstract: A partially digested biomass solids is converted in a fixed bed catalytic reduction reactor under hydrothermal catalytic condition with a supported metal catalyst having a high void fraction. The catalyst having high void fraction allows high permeability and extends reaction run time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Joseph Broun Powell, John Anthony Smegal
  • Patent number: 9404053
    Abstract: A low-pressure process for hydrodenitrogenation and hydrodesulfurization of a gas oil feedstock. The process uses a multi-bed, stacked-bed reactor system. The first and third beds of the multi-bed, stacked-bed reactor system include catalysts that comprise cobalt and molybdenum supported on alumina. The middle, second bed, includes a catalyst comprising nickel and molybdenum supported on alumina that preferably includes an additive. The stacked bed arrangement with the use of the specific catalysts provides for the low-pressure operation and significantly improved HDN and HDS activity with relatively insignificant differences in hydrogen consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Lawrence Stephen Kraus, John Anthony Smegal, Karl Marvin Krueger
  • Patent number: 9102584
    Abstract: A method of hydrothermal hydrocatalytic treating biomass is provided. Lignocellulosic biomass solids is provided to a hydrothermal digestion unit in the presence of a digestive solvent, and a supported hydrogenolysis catalyst containing (a) sulfur, (b) Mo or W, and (c) Co, Ni or mixture thereof, incorporated into a group 4 metal oxide support; (ii) heating the lignocellulosic biomass solids and digestive solvent in the presence of hydrogen, and the supported hydrogenolysis catalyst thereby forming a product solution containing plurality of oxygenated hydrocarbons, said catalyst retaining a crush strength of at least 50% after being subjected to an aqueous phase stability test compared with before the aqueous phase stability test or a crush strength of at least 0.25 kg after being subjected to an aqueous phase stability test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Joseph Broun Powell, Glenn Charles Komplin, John Anthony Smegal, Kimberly Ann Johnson
  • Patent number: 8921254
    Abstract: A method of preparing a hydroprocessing catalyst that may have a high metals loading and has a particularly high activity for hydrodenitrogenation. The method uses several metal impregnations in combination with different intermediate treatment steps so as to provide a catalyst composition that includes a mix of different types of catalytically active sites. The method of the invention allows for the optimization and control of the relative ratio of the different types of active catalyst sites on the catalyst composition in order to give certain desired results and improved catalytic performance. The catalyst composition comprises a one or more active metals or active metal precursors that are incorporated onto a support material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: John Anthony Smegal
  • Publication number: 20140353213
    Abstract: A composition that comprises a support material having incorporated therein a metal component and impregnated with an additive compound that is selected from the group of heterocyclic, polar compounds of the formula CxHnNyOz; wherein: x is an integer of at least 3; y is either 0, 1, 2, or 3; z is either 0, 1, 2, or 3; and n is the number of hydrogen atoms required to fill the remaining bonds with the carbon atoms of the molecule. The composition includes the support material that is impregnated with the additive compound and is useful in the hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstocks, especially in the denitrogenation and desulfurization of distillate feedstocks to make ultra low sulfur diesel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: John Anthony SMEGAL, Alexei Grigorievich GABRIELOV, Ed GANJA, Theofiel MEURIS
  • Publication number: 20140339133
    Abstract: A process that provides for the improvement of the properties of a distillate feedstock that has significant concentrations of nitrogen and polyaromatic compounds. The process includes a first reaction zone that uses a base metal catalyst and is operated under high pressure conditions to provide for the hydrodenitrogenation of organic nitrogen and saturation of polyaromatic compounds contained in the distillate feedstock. The first reaction zone treated effluent is separated into a heavy fraction and a lighter fraction with the heavy fraction being charged to a second reaction zone that also uses a base metal catalyst and is operated under high pressure conditions to provide for the saturation of monaromatic compounds that are contained in the heavy fraction. The inventive process provides for a high quality, low-sulfur and low-nitrogen diesel product that has a significantly lower aromatics content than the distillate feedstock and having a high value for its high Cetane Index.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: John Anthony SMEGAL, Aristides MACRIS
  • Publication number: 20140339132
    Abstract: A process for making high cetane diesel. The process includes contacting a distillate feedstock in a hydrodenitrogenation and polyaromatics saturation zone and passing the resulting treated effluent to a high pressure stripping zone. The stripped liquid fraction from the high pressure stripping zone is contacted with a base metal catalyst under monoaromatics saturation conditions to yield a reactor product. The reactor product undergoes a separation to provide a hydrogen portion and a dearomatized distillate portion with the hydrogen portion being recycled and introduced into the high pressure stripping zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: John Anthony SMEGAL, Aristides MACRIS, Yvonne Johanna LUCAS
  • Publication number: 20140339135
    Abstract: A composition and method of making such a composition that has application in the hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstocks. The method comprises selecting an organic additive by the use of a correlation model for predicting catalytic activity as a function of a physical property that is associated with the organic additive and incorporating the organic additive into a support material to provide the additive impregnated composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: William Douglas GILLESPIE, Alexei Grigorievich GABRIELOV, Peter WOLOHAN, John Anthony SMEGAL
  • Publication number: 20140315712
    Abstract: A method of hydrotreating a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock using a hydrotreating catalyst having specific properties that make it effective in removing nitrogen and sulfur from the feedstock is disclosed. The catalyst is composed of an alumina support particle having a specific pore diameter distribution which is achieved in part, by the use of pseudo-boehmite as the alumina source and specific calcining temperatures. The hydrotreatment catalyst also comprises a Group 6 metal component (e.g., molybdenum) and a Group 10 metal component (e.g., nickel), and optionally, a phosphorus metal component, which are supported by the alumina support particle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventor: John Anthony SMEGAL
  • Publication number: 20140305842
    Abstract: A process and catalyst that provides for the upgrading of a high endpoint gas oil feedstock that contains significant concentrations of organic sulfur compound and organic nitrogen compounds. Included among the sulfur compounds are the dimethyl-dibenzothiophenes and derivative thereof. The catalyst of the process is an additive impregnated composition or a derivative thereof that further comprises cobalt and molybdenum. The process provides for the upgrading the high endpoint gas oil feedstock by significantly reducing the difficult to remove thiophene and nitrogen compounds and the process does this with a significantly reduced hydrogen consumption relative to processes using comparative catalysts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Lawrence Stephen KRAUS, John Anthony SMEGAL, Karl Marvin KRUEGER
  • Publication number: 20140305843
    Abstract: A low-pressure process for hydrodenitrogenation and hydrodesulfurization of a gas oil feedstock. The process uses a multi-bed, stacked-bed reactor system. The first and third beds of the multi-bed, stacked-bed reactor system include catalysts that comprise cobalt and molybdenum supported on alumina. The middle, second bed, includes a catalyst comprising nickel and molybdenum supported on alumina that preferably includes an additive. The stacked bed arrangement with the use of the specific catalysts provides for the low-pressure operation and significantly improved HDN and HDS activity with relatively insignificant differences in hydrogen consumption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Lawrence Stephen KRAUS, John Anthony SMEGAL, Karl Marvin KRUEGER
  • Patent number: 8841228
    Abstract: A composition and method of making such a composition that has application in the hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feedstocks. The method comprises selecting an organic additive by the use of a correlation model for predicting catalytic activity as a function of a physical property that is associated with the organic additive and incorporating the organic additive into a support material to provide the additive impregnated composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: John Anthony Smegal, Alexei Grigorievich Gabrielov, Peter Wolohan, William Douglas Gillespie
  • Patent number: 8772196
    Abstract: Disclosed is a composition useful in the saturation of aromatics contained in a hydrocarbon feedstock. The composition includes a support composition having a high macroporosity of greater than 51 percent. The support composition comprises an amorphous silica-alumina having unique properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Russell Craig Ackerman, Christian Gabriel Michel, John Anthony Smegal, Johannes Anthonius Robert Van Veen