Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for processing a feed derived from a renewable source to form oligomerized compounds corresponding to waxes, ketone waxes, and/or lubricant boiling range compounds. The oligomerized compounds derived from the renewable source can have various novel properties relative to waxes and/or lubricant boiling range compounds derived from mineral sources or derived from renewable sources in a conventional manner. The oligomerized compounds can be derived from a renewable source including fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, such as glycerides (including triglycerides) and fatty amides. Optionally but preferably, at least a portion of the fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives can include olefinic bonds.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides ketone waxes, methods of forming ketone waxes, and compositions comprising ketone waxes. In at least one embodiment, a ketone wax is provided. The ketone wax includes about 50 wt % or greater C40-C90 ketone content; about 50 wt % or greater of the ketone wax has a boiling point of 961° F. or greater; and a paraffins content of less than about 10 wt %, as determined by 2-dimensional gas chromatography. In at least one embodiment, a method for forming a C40-C90 ketone wax includes exposing a feed stock to a basic catalyst under conditions suitable for coupling unsaturated carbon chains from the feed to form a composition including a ketone wax, oligomerizing the ketone wax to form a ketone wax having C40-C90 ketone wax, and distilling and/or extracting the oligomerized ketone wax to provide a C40-C90 ketone wax of the present disclosure.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides ketone waxes, methods of forming ketone waxes, and compositions comprising ketone waxes. In at least one embodiment, a ketone wax is provided. The ketone wax includes about 50 wt % or greater C40-C90 ketone content; about 50 wt % or greater of the ketone wax has a boiling point of 961° F. or greater; and a paraffins content of less than about 10 wt %, as determined by 2-dimensional gas chromatography. In at least one embodiment, a method for forming a C40-C90 ketone wax includes exposing a feed stock to a basic catalyst under conditions suitable for coupling unsaturated carbon chains from the feed to form a composition including a ketone wax, oligomerizing the ketone wax to form a ketone wax having C40-C90 ketone wax, and distilling and/or extracting the oligomerized ketone wax to provide a C40-C90 ketone wax of the present disclosure.

Abstract: Integrated methods and systems are disclosed for the production of dimethyl ether. The method may include reforming natural gas to syngas in a first reactor; contacting the syngas produced in the first reactor with a catalyst system in a second reactor to produce dimethyl ether and carbon dioxide; and supplying steam as a cofeed to at least one of the first reactor and the second reactor in an amount sufficient to achieve a Mm value of 1.4 to 1.8 or to improve the hydrocarbon or oxygenate selectivity.

Abstract: An improved method and process unit for desalting petroleum crude oils in which a portion of the stable emulsion layer which forms in the desalter vessel is withdrawn from the desalter and diluted with a liquid diluent, typically oil or water or both to destabilize the emulsion which is then separated into separate oil and water phases.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process involving hydrocracking and dewaxing of a feedstream in which a converted fraction can correspond to a majority of the product from the reaction system, while an unconverted fraction can exhibit improved properties. In this hydrocracking process, it can be advantageous for the yield of unconverted fraction for gasoline fuel application to be controlled to maintain desirable cold flow properties for the unconverted fraction. Catalysts and conditions can be chosen to assist in attaining, or to optimize, desirable product yields and/or properties.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for processing a feed derived from a biomass source that contains nitrogen in the form of fatty amides, e.g., derived from hydrothermal processing of a biomass source feed, while reducing/minimizing the amount of heteroatom removal performed during subsequent/concurrent hydroprocessing. Optionally, the feed can also contain free fatty acids. This is accomplished in part by first exposing the feed to a catalyst comprising a rare earth oxide, alkali oxide, and/or alkaline earth oxide, which can remove the nitrogen heteroatoms from the compounds within the feed or can convert the nitrogen to a form readily removed in subsequent hydroprocessing. The catalyst may also suitable for catalyzing coupling (such as condensation) or conversion reactions of amides, carboxylic acids, carboxylic acid derivatives, and/or other molecules in the feed suitable for participating in the coupling reaction.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for processing a feed derived from a renewable source to form oligomerized compounds corresponding to waxes, ketone waxes, and/or lubricant boiling range compounds. The oligomerized compounds derived from the renewable source can have various novel properties relative to waxes and/or lubricant boiling range compounds derived from mineral sources or derived from renewable sources in a conventional manner. The oligomerized compounds can be derived from a renewable source including fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives, such as glycerides (including triglycerides) and fatty amides. Optionally but preferably, at least a portion of the fatty acids and/or fatty acid derivatives can include olefinic bonds.

Abstract: Methods are provided for improving the yield of aromatics during conversion of oxygenate feeds. An oxygenate feed can contain a mixture of oxygenate compounds, including one or more compounds with a hydrogen index of less than 2, so that an effective hydrogen index of the mixture of oxygenates is between about 1.4 and 1.9. Methods are also provided for converting a mixture of oxygenates with an effective hydrogen index greater than about 1 with a pyrolysis oil co-feed. The difficulties in co-processing a pyrolysis oil can be reduced or minimized by staging the introduction of pyrolysis oil into a reaction system. This can allow varying mixtures of pyrolysis oil and methanol, or another oxygenate feed, to be introduced into a reaction system at various feed entry points.

Abstract: Methods are provided for improving the yield of aromatics during conversion of oxygenate feeds. An oxygenate feed can contain a mixture of oxygenate compounds, including one or more compounds with a hydrogen index of less than 2, so that an effective hydrogen index of the mixture of oxygenates is between about 1.4 and 1.9. Methods are also provided for converting a mixture of oxygenates with an effective hydrogen index greater than about 1 with a pyrolysis oil co-feed. The difficulties in co-processing a pyrolysis oil can be reduced or minimized by staging the introduction of pyrolysis oil into a reaction system. This can allow varying mixtures of pyrolysis oil and methanol, or another oxygenate feed, to be introduced into a reaction system at various feed entry points.

Abstract: Integrated methods and systems are disclosed for the production of dimethyl ether. The method may include reforming natural gas to syngas in a first reactor; contacting the syngas produced in the first reactor with a catalyst system in a second reactor to produce dimethyl ether and carbon dioxide; and supplying steam as a cofeed to at least one of the first reactor and the second reactor in an amount sufficient to achieve a Mm value of 1.4 to 1.8 or to improve the hydrocarbon or oxygenate selectivity.

Abstract: Methods are provided for forming aromatic compounds from a highly unsaturated aliphatic feeds optionally in combination with methanol. The method can include dehydrogenating a feed containing at least about 50 vol % C1-C4 alkanes under dehydrogenation conditions to form a dehydrogenation effluent containing at least about 25 vol % alkynes. Alternatively, other sources of alkyne-containing feeds can be used. At least a portion of the alkyne-containing feed can then be converted under effective conversion conditions to form a conversion effluent comprising a hydrocarbon product containing aromatic compounds.

Abstract: Methods are provided for improving the yield of aromatics during conversion of oxygenate feeds. An oxygenate feed can contain a mixture of oxygenate compounds, including one or more compounds with a hydrogen index of less than 2, so that an effective hydrogen index of the mixture of oxygenates is between about 1.4 and 1.9. Methods are also provided for converting a mixture of oxygenates with an effective hydrogen index greater than about 1 with a pyrolysis oil co-feed. The difficulties in co-processing a pyrolysis oil can be reduced or minimized by staging the introduction of pyrolysis oil into a reaction system. This can allow varying mixtures of pyrolysis oil and methanol, or another oxygenate feed, to be introduced into a reaction system at various feed entry points.

Abstract: An integrated process for producing naphtha fuel, diesel fuel and/or lubricant base oils from feedstocks under sour conditions is provided. The ability to process feedstocks under higher sulfur and/or nitrogen conditions allows for reduced cost processing and increases the flexibility in selecting a suitable feedstock. The sour feed can be delivered to a catalytic dewaxing step without any separation of sulfur and nitrogen contaminants. The integrated process includes an initial dewaxing of a feed under sour conditions, optional hydrocracking of the dewaxed feed, and a separation to form a first diesel product and a bottoms fraction. The bottoms fraction is then exposed to additional hydrocracking and dewaxing to form a second diesel product and optionally a lubricant base oil product. Alternatively, a feedstock can be hydrotreated, fractionated, dewaxed, and then hydrocracked to form a diesel fuel and a dewaxed, hydrocracked bottoms fraction that is optionally suitable for use as a lubricant base oil.

Abstract: Provided are processes for making hydrocarbons from renewable feed sources. In an embodiment, there is provided a method for co-producing lube basestock and transportation fuel from a feedstock of biological origin, the method including: a) converting a feedstock of biological origin to a ketone or a dimer acid in the presence of a first catalyst; and b) hydrogenating the ketone or the dimer acid to produce a hydrocarbon in the presence of a second catalyst comprising a hydrogenation catalyst and a hydrothermally stable binder.

Abstract: Provided are processes for making saturated hydrocarbons from renewable feed sources. In an embodiment, a process for producing a lube basestock and/or a diesel fuel from a feedstock of biological origin includes: contacting the feedstock in a single reactor in the presence of hydrogen with catalyst components including a first catalyst and a second catalyst, wherein the first catalyst comprises an acidic material, a basic material, or a combination of both, and wherein the second catalyst is a hydrogenation catalyst including a hydrothermally stable binder.

Abstract: An improved method and process unit for desalting petroleum crude oils in which a portion of the stable emulsion layer which forms in the desalter vessel is withdrawn from the desalter and diluted with a liquid diluent, typically oil or water or both to destabilize the emulsion which is then separated into separate oil and water phases.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing field enhanced separations on a feed, such as a petroleum feed, a refinery feed, or another type of hydrocarbonaceous feed. The system can allow for increased throughput of feed per volume of the separation device or system while performing a desired amount of field enhanced separation. The field enhanced separation can include separation by thermal diffusion, optionally enhanced by the presence of an electric field in the channel for performing the separation by thermal diffusion.

Abstract: An improved method and process unit for desalting petroleum crude oils in which a portion of the stable emulsion layer which forms in the desalter vessel is withdrawn from the desalter and diluted with a liquid diluent, typically oil or water or both to destabilize the emulsion which is then separated into separate oil and water phases.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process involving hydrocracking of a feedstream in which a converted fraction can exhibit relatively high distillate product yields and maintained or improved distillate fuel properties, while an unconverted fraction can exhibit improved properties particularly useful in the lubricant area. In this hydrocracking process, it can be advantageous for the yield of converted/unconverted product for gasoline fuel application to be reduced or minimized, relative to converted distillate fuel and unconverted lubricant. Catalysts and conditions can be chosen to assist in attaining, or to optimize, desirable product yields and/or properties.