Patents by Inventor Tien V. LE

Tien V. LE 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: 10870806
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brian A. Cunningham, Randolph J. Smiley, Samia Ilias, Brenda A. Raich, Tien V. Le
  • Patent number: 10752846
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company
    Inventors: Stephen H. Brown, Brian A. Cunningham, Randolph J. Smiley, Samia Ilias, Brenda A. Raich, Tien V. Le
  • Publication number: 20190352572
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adding a heated stream of light hydrocarbons to a fluidized coking environment to improve liquid product yield and/or reduce coke production. The light hydrocarbons can correspond to C1-C10 hydrocarbons and/or hydrogen. The light hydrocarbons can be heated so that the light hydrocarbons are exposed to an activation temperature of 535° C. to 950° C. and/or an activation temperature higher than the temperature in the coking zone by 50° C. or more for an activation time prior to entering the fluidized coking reactor and/or the coking zone in the fluidized coking environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventors: Tien V. Le, Walter E. Dubois, Brenda A. Raich, Bing Du, Sumathy Raman, Gawain J. Lau
  • Patent number: 10400177
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for integrating a fluidized coking process, optionally a coke gasification process, and processes for production of additional liquid products from the coking and/or gasification process. In some aspects, the integrated processes can allow for conversion of olefins generated during a fluidized coking process to form additional liquid products. Additionally or alternately, in some aspects the integrated processes can allow for separation of syngas from the flue gas/fuel gas generated by a gasifier integrated with a fluidized coking process. This syngas can then be used to form methanol, which can then be converted in a methanol conversion process to form heavier products. In such aspects, olefins generated during the fluidized coking process can be added to the methanol conversion process to improve the yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Tien V. Le, Brenda A. Raich, Bing Du, Mohsen N. Harandi, Suriyanarayanan Rajagopalan
  • Publication number: 20190144756
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for integrating a fluidized coking process, optionally a coke gasification process, and processes for production of additional liquid products from the coking and/or gasification process. In some aspects, the integrated processes can allow for conversion of olefins generated during a fluidized coking process to form additional liquid products. Additionally or alternately, in some aspects the integrated processes can allow for separation of syngas from the flue gas/fuel gas generated by a gasifier integrated with a fluidized coking process. This syngas can then be used to form methanol, which can then be converted in a methanol conversion process to form heavier products. In such aspects, olefins generated during the fluidized coking process can be added to the methanol conversion process to improve the yield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Tien V. Le, Brenda A. Raich, Bing Du, Mohsen N. Harandi, Suriyanarayanan Rajagopalan
  • Publication number: 20180291288
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Stephen H. BROWN, Brian A. CUNNINGHAM, Randolph J. SMILEY, Samia ILIAS, Brenda A. RAICH, Tien V. LE
  • Publication number: 20180291287
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improving operation of a fluid catalytic cracker as part of an integrated processing environment including a deasphalting unit and a hydroprocessor. Optionally, a coker can be included in the integrated system to allow for further improvements. The improved processing can be facilitated based on a process configuration where a combination of deasphalting and hydroprocessing are used to perform conversion on more refractory compounds, so that the fluid catalytic cracker can be operated at lower severity conditions. This can allow for improved production of desirable olefins and reduced production of light paraffins and coke. Additionally or alternately, the processing configuration can allow the bottoms fraction from fluid catalytic cracking to be incorporated into a higher value use than the typical regular sulfur fuel oil disposition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Stephen H. BROWN, Brian A. CUNNINGHAM, Randolph J. SMILEY, Samia ILIAS, Brenda A. RAICH, Tien V. LE
  • Publication number: 20180291291
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Stephen H. BROWN, Brian A. CUNNINGHAM, Randolph J. SMILEY, Samia ILIAS, Brenda A. RAICH, Tien V. LE