Patents by Inventor Paul F. Keusenkothen

Paul F. Keusenkothen 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).

  • Publication number: 20150065773
    Abstract: The inventing relates to hydrocarbon conversion, and more particularly to catalytically converting alkane in the presence of oxygen released from an oxygen storage material. Conversion products include C2 hydrocarbon, such as C2+ olefin. The hydrocarbon conversion process can be an oxidative coupling reaction, which refers to the catalytic conversion of methane in the presence of oxidant to produce the olefin product. Flow-through reactors can be used to carry out oxygen storage and the oxidative coupling reaction. Reverse-flow reactors are examples of flow-through reactors, which can be used to carry out oxygen storage and the oxidative coupling reaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Juan D. Henao, Paul F. Keusenkothen
  • Publication number: 20150065767
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrocarbon conversion process that is less energy intensive than comparable processes. The hydrocarbon conversion process is particularly desirable for converting alkanes, such as methane into C2+ olefins, such as ethylene and propylene, particularly with increasing selectivity to ethylene production. It is also desirable for effectively removing a C2 composition (i.e., ethane, ethylene and/or acetylene) produced from the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbon comprised of C2+ olefins. In addition, the hydrocarbon process is desirable for providing a substantially non-cryogenic separation of the desired C2 compositions from the hydrocarbons (e.g., methane) present in the reaction mixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Juan D. Henao, Paul F. Keusenkothen, Abhimanyu O. Patil
  • Publication number: 20150065771
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrocarbon conversion process in which an alkane component is catalytically converted in the presence of an oxygen or oxidizing component (i.e., oxidant). The hydrocarbon conversion process can be an oxidative coupling reaction, which refers to the catalytic conversion of alkane in the presence of oxidant to produce an olefin product, i.e., a composition containing C2+ olefin. Reverse-flow reactors can be used to carry out the oxidative coupling reaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventor: Paul F. Keusenkothen
  • Patent number: 8932534
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention includes a reactor apparatus for pyrolyzing a hydrocarbon feedstock, said apparatus including: a reactor component comprising a refractory material in oxide form, the refractory material having a melting point of no less than 2060° C. and which remains in oxide form when exposed to a gas having carbon partial pressure of 10?22 bar and oxygen partial pressure of 10?10 bar, at a temperature of 1200° C.; wherein said refractory material has no less than 4 vol % formed porosity, measured at 20° C., based upon the bulk volume of said refractory material. In another embodiment, the refractory material has total porosity in the range of from 4 to 60 vol %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: ChangMin Chun, Frank Hershkowitz, Paul F. Keusenkothen, Shiun Ling, Gary David Mohr
  • Publication number: 20140332445
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention includes a reactor apparatus for pyrolyzing a hydrocarbon feedstock, the apparatus including: a reactor component comprising a refractory material in oxide form, the refractory material having a melting point of at least 2060° C. and which remains in oxide form when exposed to a gas having an oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar, a carbon partial pressure above the carbon partial pressure of the zirconium carbide and zirconium oxide phase transition at the same temperature, and at temperatures below the temperature of the zirconium triple point at the oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar; and ii) when exposed to a gas having an oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar and at temperatures above the zirconium triple point at the oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar. In some embodiments, the reactor comprises a regenerative pyrolysis reactor apparatus and in other embodiments it includes a reverse flow regenerative reactor apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Frank Hershkowitz, ChangMin Chun, Paul F. Keusenkothen, Shiun Ling, Gary D. Mohr
  • Patent number: 8882991
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention includes in a process for cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising: a) feeding a hydrocarbon feedstock containing at least 1 wt % of resid components having boiling points of at least 500° C. to a furnace convection section to heat the feedstock; b) flashing the heated feedstock in a first flash separation vessel to create a first overhead stream and a first bottoms liquid stream; c) hydrogenating at least a portion of the first bottoms liquid stream to create a hydrogenated bottoms stream; d) flashing the hydrogenated bottoms stream in a second flash separation vessel to create a second overhead stream and a second bottoms liquid stream; e) cracking the first overhead stream and the second overhead stream in a cracking furnace to produce a pyrolysis effluent stream. In other embodiments, the process further comprises heating the hydrocarbon feedstock in step a) to a temperature within a range of from 315° C. to 705° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Keith H. Kuechler, Jennifer L. Bancroft, Paul F. Keusenkothen, Robert D. Strack
  • Publication number: 20140323783
    Abstract: A method and system for converting hydrocarbons into C2+ unsaturates is described. The method includes providing a structural member upstream of a reaction zone having a surface of a catalytic material, wherein the catalytic material is rendered catalytically active to promote the reaction of coke and/or coke precursors with hydrogen (H2) and/or an oxidant. Then, the method involves exposing a hydrocarbon stream to the catalytic material, wherein the hydrocarbon stream comprising coke and/or coke precursors react in the presence of the catalytic material to convert at least a portion of the coke and/or coke precursors to vapor products. Finally, the hydrocarbons in the hydrocarbon stream containing vapor products and hydrocarbons are converted in the reaction zone to produce a reactor product having C2+ unsaturates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Larry Lee Iaccino, Ronald G. Searle, S. Mark Davis
  • Publication number: 20140303418
    Abstract: The invention relates to processes for converting a mixture of hydrocarbon and sulfur-containing molecules such as mercaptan into products comprising acetylene, ethylene, and hydrogen sulfide, to processes utilizing the acetylene and ethylene resulting from the conversion, and to equipment useful for such processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz, Robert D. Denton, Gary D. Mohr
  • Publication number: 20140303416
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method may pass a pyrolysis feed to a thermal pyrolysis reactor and expose at least a portion of the pyrolysis feed to high-severity operating conditions in a thermal pyrolysis reactor, wherein the thermal pyrolysis reactor is operated at operating conditions that include pressure?36 psig and provide a reactor product that has a C3+ to C2 unsaturate weight ratio?0.5.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz
  • Publication number: 20140303339
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method enhances the conversion of hydrocarbon feeds into conversion products, such as ethylene and propylene. In particular, the present techniques utilize a high-severity reactor integrated with another reactor type to convert hydrocarbons to other petrochemical products.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz, Jason D. Davis
  • Publication number: 20140296570
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for converting hydrocarbons into products containing aldehydes and/or alcohols. The invention also relates to producing olefins from the aldehyde and alcohol, to polymerizing the olefins, and to equipment useful for these processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: Exxonmobile Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz
  • Publication number: 20140296597
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method enhances the conversion of hydrocarbon feeds into conversion products, such as ethylene. In particular, the present techniques utilize a high-severity thermal pyrolysis reactor that exposes a feed at a peak pyrolysis gas temperature ?1540° C. to produce a reactor product comprising ethylene and acetylene and has a C3+ to acetylene weight ratio ?0.5. Then, the method separates a product comprising tars and/or solids from at least a portion of the reactor product and converts at least a portion of the remaining reactor product into a conversion product, such as ethylene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: Exxon Mobile Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz, Gary D. Mohr
  • Patent number: 8821806
    Abstract: In one aspect, the invention includes a reactor apparatus for pyrolyzing a hydrocarbon feedstock, the apparatus including: a reactor component comprising a refractory material in oxide form, the refractory material having a melting point of at least 2060° C. and which remains in oxide form when exposed to a gas having an oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar, a carbon partial pressure above the carbon partial pressure of the zirconium carbide and zirconium oxide phase transition at the same temperature, and at temperatures below the temperature of the zirconium triple point at the oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar; and ii) when exposed to a gas having an oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar and at temperatures above the zirconium triple point at the oxygen partial pressure of 10?15 bar. In some embodiments, the reactor comprises a regenerative pyrolysis reactor apparatus and in other embodiments it includes a reverse flow regenerative reactor apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Hershkowitz, ChangMin Chun, Paul F. Keusenkothen, Shiun Ling, Gary David Mohr
  • Patent number: 8784743
    Abstract: The invention concerns integration of hydroprocessing and steam cracking. A feed comprising crude or resid-containing fraction thereof is treated by hydroprocessing and visbreaking and then passed to a steam cracker to obtain a product comprising olefins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Stephen H. Brown
  • Publication number: 20140163273
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method enhances the conversion of hydrocarbon feeds into ethylene. In particular, the present techniques expose feed containing hydrocarbons to high-severity operating conditions in a pyrolysis reactor and separate the reactor product from the reactor into a first product having hydrogen and a second product including ?90 mole percent of the acetylene in the reactor product. Then, the second product is reacted with a catalyst in a converter to form ethylene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz, Jason D. Davis
  • Publication number: 20140163287
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method enhances the conversion of hydrocarbon feeds into conversion products, such as ethylene and propylene. In particular, the present techniques combine a first hydrocarbon feed with a second hydrocarbon feed and a hydrogen (H2) containing stream to manage the hydrogen content of the feed provided to a pyrolysis reactor. The mixture is then exposed to high-severity operating conditions in a pyrolysis reactor and further processing into desired olefins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.-Law Technology
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz, Jason D. Davis, Gary D. Mohr
  • Publication number: 20140163271
    Abstract: The invention relates to hydrocarbon conversion processes, e.g., to processes for producing acetylene from hydrocarbon and then hydrogenating at least a portion of the acetylene. The invention also relates to polymerizing one or more products derived from the acetylene saturation, and to equipment useful for these processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Hershkowitz Frank
  • Patent number: 8748686
    Abstract: A process and apparatus are provided to produce acetylene from a feed stream of low hydrogen content hydrocarbons such as coal by: (a) blending the hydrocarbons with methane to provide a blended mixture containing at least about 12.5 wt % atomic hydrogen; (b) partially combusting the blended mixture in a reactor in the presence of a source of oxygen to provide a partially combusted mixture at or above a temperature sufficient to produce methyl radicals; (c) maintaining the partially combusted mixture at or above the temperature for a residence time sufficient to produce a product stream containing enhanced yields of acetylene without significant formation of coke or coke precursors; (d) cooling the product stream to reduce the temperature of the product stream within a time sufficiently brief to substantially arrest any cracking reactions and provide a cooled product stream; and (e) recovering acetylene from the cooled product stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz
  • Patent number: 8709233
    Abstract: In the invention, tar is upgraded by deasphalting and then hydrocracking to produce valuable products such as low sulfur diesel fuel and mogas. The invention is also directed to a system integrating a pyrolysis furnace operation with refinery operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: James N. McCoy, Paul F. Keusenkothen
  • Publication number: 20140105802
    Abstract: A process of introducing a NOx reduction fluid into combustion products within a downstream end of a regenerative pyrolysis reactor. This NOx reduction fluid may thermally reduce NOx contained therein. The NOx reduction fluid may include ammonia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, Frank Hershkowitz