Patents by Inventor Stephen H. Brown
Stephen H. Brown 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).
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Patent number: 11767477Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2020Date of Patent: September 26, 2023Assignee: EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Eric B. Shen, Anjaneya S Kovvali, Aruna Ramkrishnan, Arun K. Sharma, Samuel J. Cady, Stephen H. Brown, Rustom M. Billimoria, Brenda A. Raich, Bryan A. Patel, Phillip K. Schoch, John Della Mora
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Patent number: 11760942Abstract: An upgraded crude composition is provided, along with systems and methods for making such a composition. The upgraded crude composition can include an unexpectedly high percentage of vacuum gas oil boiling range components while having a reduce or minimized amount of components boiling above 593° C. (1100° F.). In some aspects, based in part on the hydroprocessing used to form the upgraded crude composition, the composition can include unexpectedly high contents of nitrogen. Still other unexpected features of the composition can include, but are not limited to, an unexpectedly high nitrogen content in the naphtha fraction; and an unexpected vacuum gas oil fraction including an unexpectedly high content of polynuclear aromatics, an unexpectedly high content of waxy, paraffinic compounds, and/or an unexpectedly high content of n-pentane asphaltenes.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2020Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brenda A. Raich, Samuel J. Cady, Anjaneya S. Kovvali, Eric B. Shen, Scott R. Horton, Ashish B. Mhadeshwar, Aruna Ramkrishnan
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Publication number: 20230002687Abstract: An hydroconverted effluent composition is provided, along with systems and methods for making such a composition. The hydroconverted effluent composition can have an unexpectedly high percentage of vacuum gas oil boiling range components while having a reduce or minimized amount of components boiling above 593° C. (1100° F.). In some aspects, based in part on the hydroprocessing used to form the hydroconverted effluent composition, the composition can include unexpectedly high contents of nitrogen.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2020Publication date: January 5, 2023Applicant: EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Stephen H. BROWN, Samuel J. CADY
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Publication number: 20220333024Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2020Publication date: October 20, 2022Inventors: Eric B. SHEN, Anjaneya S. KOVVALI, Aruna RAMKRISHNAN, Arun K. SHARMA, Samuel J. CADY, Stephen H. BROWN, Rustom M. BILLIMORIA, Brenda A. RAICH, Bryan A. PATEL, Phillip K. SCHOCH, John DELLA MORA
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Publication number: 20220333026Abstract: An upgraded crude composition is provided, along with systems and methods for making such a composition. The upgraded crude composition can include an unexpectedly high percentage of vacuum gas oil boiling range components while having a reduce or minimized amount of components boiling above 593° C. (1100° F.). In some aspects, based in part on the hydroprocessing used to form the upgraded crude composition, the composition can include unexpectedly high contents of nitrogen. Still other unexpected features of the composition can include, but are not limited to, an unexpectedly high nitrogen content in the naphtha fraction; and an unexpected vacuum gas oil fraction including an unexpectedly high content of polynuclear aromatics, an unexpectedly high content of waxy, paraffinic compounds, and/or an unexpectedly high content of n-pentane asphaltenes.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2020Publication date: October 20, 2022Applicant: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Stephen H. BROWN, Brenda A. RAICH, Samuel J. CADY, Anjaneya S. KOVVALI, Eric B. SHEN, Scott R. HORTON, Ashish B. MHADESHWAR, Aruna RAMKRISHNAN
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Publication number: 20220325189Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2020Publication date: October 13, 2022Applicant: EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Eric B. SHEN, Anjaneya S. KOVVALI, Aruna RAMKRISHNAN, Arun K. SHARMA, Samuel J. CADY, Stephen H. BROWN, Rustom M. BILLIMORIA, Brenda A. RAICH, Bryan A. PATEL, Phillip K. SCHOCH, John DELLA MORA
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Publication number: 20220315844Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing slurry hydroconversion of feeds that include substantial amounts of 1050° F+ (566° C+) components. The productivity of the slurry hydroconversion reaction is improved by recycling slurry hydroconversion pitch or bottoms back to the slurry hydroprocessing reaction system. The mass flow rate of the recycle stream can correspond to 50% or more of the mass flow rate of the fresh feed to the reaction system, and the recycle stream can include more than 50 wt % of 566° C+ components. It has been discovered that using a substantial recycle stream composed of a majority of unconverted 566° C+ bottoms can increase the productivity of the slurry hydroprocessing reaction system when operating at a net conversion relative to 524° C (975° F) of less than 90 wt %.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2020Publication date: October 6, 2022Applicant: EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Samuel J. CADY, Stephen H. BROWN, Eric B. SHEN
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Publication number: 20220275293Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2020Publication date: September 1, 2022Inventors: Eric B. SHEN, Anjaneya S. KOVVALI, Aruna RAMKRISHNAN, Samuel J. CADY, Stephen H. BROWN, Rustom M. BILLIMORIA, Brenda A. RAICH, Bryan A. PATEL, Phillip K. SCHOCH, John DELLA MORA, Arun K. SHARMA
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Patent number: 11292977Abstract: Methods are provided for processing deasphalted gas oils derived from thermally cracked resid fractions to form Group I, Group II, and/or Group III lubricant base oils. The yield of lubricant base oils (optionally also referred to as base stocks) can be increased by thermally cracking a resid fraction at an intermediate level of single pass severity relative to conventional methods. By performing thermal cracking to a partial level of conversion, compounds within a resid fraction that are beneficial for increasing both the viscosity and the viscosity index of a lubricant base oil can be retained, thus allowing for an improved yield of higher viscosity lubricant base oils from a thermally cracked resid fraction.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2020Date of Patent: April 5, 2022Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering CompanyInventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brenda A. Raich, Beatrice M. Gooding, Stephen M. Davis, Federico Barrai, Warren B. Ames, Keith K. Aldous
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Patent number: 11118120Abstract: A method of upgrading refining streams with high polynucleararomatic hydrocarbon (PNA) concentrations can include: hydrocracking a PNA feed in the presence of a catalyst and hydrogen at 380° C. to 430° C., 2500 psig or greater, and 0.1 hr?1 to 5 hr?1 liquid hourly space velocity (LSHV), wherein the weight ratio of PNA feed to hydrogen is 30:1 to 10:1, wherein the PNA feed comprises 25 wt % or less of hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 700° F. (371° C.) or less and having an aromatic content of 50 wt % or greater to form a product comprising 50 wt % or greater of the hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 700° F. (371° C.) or less and having an aromatic content of 20 wt % or less.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2019Date of Patent: September 14, 2021Assignee: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Stephen H. Brown, Samia Ilias, Randolph J. Smiley, Richard Demmin, Shifang Luo, Brenda A. Raich, Aldrin G. Cuevas, Keith Wilson, Jesse R. McManus, Lei Zhang
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Patent number: 10947464Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for integration of use deasphalted resid as a feed for fuels and/or lubricant base stock production with use of the corresponding deasphalter rock for gasification to generate hydrogen and/or fuel for the fuels and/or lubricant production process. The integration can include using hydrogen generated during gasification as a fuel to provide heat for solvent processing and/or using the hydrogen for hydroprocessing of deasphalted oil.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2016Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANYInventors: Kendall S. Fruchey, Sara K. Green, Anjaneya S. Kovvali, Timothy L. Hilbert, Michael B. Carroll, Ajit B. Dandekar, Sara L. Yohe, Stephen H. Brown, Tracie L. Owens, April D. Ross, Eric B. Senzer, Steven Pyl
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Publication number: 20210024846Abstract: Methods are provided for processing deasphalted gas oils derived from thermally cracked resid fractions to form Group I, Group II, and/or Group III lubricant base oils. The yield of lubricant base oils (optionally also referred to as base stocks) can be increased by thermally cracking a resid fraction at an intermediate level of single pass severity relative to conventional methods. By performing thermal cracking to a partial level of conversion, compounds within a resid fraction that are beneficial for increasing both the viscosity and the viscosity index of a lubricant base oil can be retained, thus allowing for an improved yield of higher viscosity lubricant base oils from a thermally cracked resid fraction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2020Publication date: January 28, 2021Inventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brenda A. Raich, Beatrice M. Gooding, Stephen M. Davis, Federico Barrai, Warren B. Ames, Keith K. Aldous
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Patent number: 10870806Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for upgrading a mixture of catalytic slurry oil and coker bottoms by hydroprocessing. Optionally, the upgrading can further include deasphalting the mixture of catalytic slurry oil and coker bottoms to form a deasphalted oil and a deasphalter residue or rock fraction. The mixture of catalytic slurry oil and coker bottoms and/or the deasphalted oil can then be hydroprocessed to form an upgraded effluent that includes fuels boiling range products. Optionally, in some aspects where the feed mixture is deasphalted prior to hydroprocessing, the feed mixture can further include a portion of a (sour) vacuum resid.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2018Date of Patent: December 22, 2020Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering CompanyInventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brian A. Cunningham, Randolph J. Smiley, Samia Ilias, Brenda A. Raich, Tien V. Le
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Patent number: 10808185Abstract: Methods are provided for forming lubricant base stocks from feeds such as vacuum resid or other 510° C.+ feeds. A feed can be deasphalted and then catalytically and/or solvent processed to form lubricant base stocks, including bright stocks that are resistant to haze formation.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2016Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering CompanyInventors: Timothy L. Hilbert, Michael B. Carroll, Ajit B. Dandekar, Sara L. Yohe, Stephen H. Brown, Tracie L. Owens, April D. Ross, Eric B. Senzer, Steven Pyl, Rugved P. Pathare, Lisa I-Ching Yeh, Bradley R. Fingland, Keith K. Aldous, Anjaneya S. Kovvali, Kendall S. Fruchey, Sara K. Green, Camden N. Henderson
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Patent number: 10752849Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for upgrading catalytic slurry oil. The upgrading can be performed by deasphalting the catalytic slurry oil to form a deasphalted oil and a residual or rock fraction. The deasphalted oil can then be hydroprocessed to form an upgraded effluent that includes fuels boiling range products.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2018Date of Patent: August 25, 2020Assignee: ExxonMobil Research & Engineering CompanyInventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brian A. Cunningham, Randolph J. Smiley, Samia Ilias, Keith K. Aldous, Sara K. Green, Patrick L. Hanks, Kendall S. Fruchey
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Patent number: 10752846Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improving the processing of heavy or challenged feeds in a refinery based on integrated use of deasphalting, coking, and hydroprocessing. An optional fluid catalytic cracking unit can be included in the integrated system to allow for further improvements. The improved processing can be facilitated based on a process configuration where the vacuum resid fractions and/or other difficult fractions are deasphalted to generate a deasphalted oil and a deasphalter residue or rock fraction. The deasphalted oil can be passed into a hydroprocessing unit for further processing. The rock fraction can be used as the feed to a coking unit. Although deasphalter residue or rock is typically a feed with a high content of micro carbon residue, a high lift deasphalting process can allow a portion of the micro carbon residue in the initial feed to remain with the deasphalted oil.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2018Date of Patent: August 25, 2020Assignee: ExxonMobil Research & Engineering CompanyInventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brian A. Cunningham, Randolph J. Smiley, Samia Ilias, Brenda A. Raich, Tien V. Le
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Publication number: 20200199464Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for producing naphthenic compositions corresponding to various types of products, such as naphthenic base oil, specialty industrial oils, and/or hydrocarbon fluids. The methods of producing the naphthenic compositions can include exposing a heavy fraction from a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process, such as a FCC bottoms fraction (i.e., a catalytic slurry oil), to hydroprocessing conditions corresponding to hydrotreating and/or aromatic saturation conditions. Naphthenic compositions formed from processing of FCC fractions are also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2019Publication date: June 25, 2020Inventors: Shifang Luo, Lei Zhang, Samia Ilias, Richard A. Demmin, Mark A. Deimund, Stephen H. Brown, Randolph J. Smiley, Larry E. Hoch, Daniel Bien, Shiwen Li
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Publication number: 20200181497Abstract: A method for producing pitch can include: hydroprocessing a challenged feed from a refinery operation to produce a hydroprocessed product; distilling the hydroprocessed product to yield one or more upgraded fractions and a resid fraction; and solvent deasphalting the resid fraction to yield a deasphalted oil stream and a hydroprocessed pitch stream. The resultant pitch can have a micro carbon residue (MCR) of 50 wt % or greater, a solubility in toluene of 95 wt % or greater, and a softening point of 200° C. or less. The pitch can optionally be fluxed with a fluxing solvent.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2019Publication date: June 11, 2020Inventors: Stephen H. Brown, G. Alan Vaughan, Patrick L. Hanks, Keith K. Aldous, Warren B. Ames, Federico Barrai, Samia Ilias, Randolph J. Smiley, David C. Boyer
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Publication number: 20200181509Abstract: A method of upgrading refining streams with high polynucleararomatic hydrocarbon (PNA) concentrations can include: hydrocracking a PNA feed in the presence of a catalyst and hydrogen at 380° C. to 430° C., 2500 psig or greater, and 0.1 hr?1 to 5 hr?1 liquid hourly space velocity (LSHV), wherein the weight ratio of PNA feed to hydrogen is 30:1 to 10:1, wherein the PNA feed comprises 25 wt % or less of hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 700° F. (371° C.) or less and having an aromatic content of 50 wt % or greater to form a product comprising 50 wt % or greater of the hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 700° F. (371° C.) or less and having an aromatic content of 20 wt % or less.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2019Publication date: June 11, 2020Inventors: Stephen H. Brown, Samia Ilias, Randolph J. Smiley, Richard Demmin, Shifang Luo, Brenda A. Raich, Aldrin G. Cuevas, Keith Wilson, Jesse R. McManus, Lei Zhang
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Patent number: 10550341Abstract: Methods are provided for producing lubricant base stocks from deasphalted oils formed by sequential deasphalting. The deasphalted oil can be exposed a first deasphalting process using a first solvent that can provide a lower severity of deasphalting and a second deasphalting process using a second solvent that can provide a higher severity of deasphalting. This can result in formation of at least a deasphalted oil and a resin fraction. The resin fraction can represent a fraction that traditionally would have been included as part of a deasphalter rock fraction.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2016Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering CompanyInventors: Mohsen N. Harandi, Doron Levin, Himanshu Gupta, James R. Lattner, Glenn C. Wood, Keith K. Aldous, Timothy L. Hilbert, Michael B. Carroll, Ajit B. Dandekar, Sara L. Yohe, Stephen H. Brown, Tracie L. Owens, April D. Ross, Eric B. Senzer, Steven Pyl