Patents by Inventor Xin X. Zhu

Xin X. Zhu 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: 20150252725
    Abstract: A power generation process for use in a processing unit that includes the steps of: using a regenerator to produce a flue gas stream; removing catalyst particles from the flue gas stream; routing the flue gas stream to a combustor/expander unit after performing the step of removing catalyst particles; and using rotation of the turbine of the combustor/expander unit as a source of rotary power. Preferably, the combustor/expander unit includes a combustion chamber and a power recovery turbine housed within a single casing. In certain embodiments, the flue gas stream is routed between the regenerator and the combustor/expander without passing through a compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Xin X. Zhu, Joao Jorge da Silva Ferreira Alves, Paolo Palmas, Richard A. Johnson II, Michael R. Van de Cotte
  • Publication number: 20150251972
    Abstract: A process for separation and treatment of a naphtha feedstock to increase overall octane in a gasoline blending pool by reducing or removing the normal pentane in the feedstock. The feedstock is passed into a divided wall column having an undivided top portion, an undivided bottom portion and a wall dividing a middle portion into two sections. The intermediate faction can include either all normal pentane, which can be utilized on other processes, or it can include a mixture of normal pentane and C6 hydrocarbons, which can be isomerized in an isomerization zone to increase the octane and then passed to a gasoline blending pool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: UOP LLC
    Inventors: David James Shecterle, Stephen Thomas King, Xin X. Zhu
  • Patent number: 9127209
    Abstract: Two or three strippers are used to strip three hydroprocessed effluent streams, perhaps from a slurry hydrocracking reactor, separated by temperature instead of a single stripper to preserve separations previously made and conserving energy and reducing vessel size. A cold stripped stream may be taken as a diesel blending stock without further fractionation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Mark Van Wees, David M. Bowman, Xin X. Zhu
  • Patent number: 9079118
    Abstract: Two or three strippers are used to strip three hydroprocessed effluent streams, perhaps from a slurry hydrocracking reactor, separated by temperature instead of a single stripper to preserve separations previously made and conserving energy and reducing vessel size. A cold stripped stream may be taken as a diesel blending stock without further fractionation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Mark Van Wees, David M. Bowman, Xin X. Zhu
  • Patent number: 9045697
    Abstract: Hydrocarbon distillation columns with heat pumps and methods of operating them are described. The overhead stream is compressed to increase temperature so that it can be used both to heat the reboiler and to superheat the overhead stream before it enters the heat pump compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Clayton C. Sadler, Xin X. Zhu, Tokhanh N. Ngo, David J. Shecterle
  • Publication number: 20150101921
    Abstract: A process for recovering heat from the separation of hydrocarbons. The overhead vapor stream from a fractionation column is passed to a two stage heat pump compressor. The first stage of compression is used to reboil the fractionation column. The second stage is compressed and cooled passed to a separation zone. The liquid in the separation zone may be passed back to the fractionation column as secondary reflux, and/or recovered as liquid product. Heat may also be removed from the second stage. A suction drum on the first stage may be used to protect the heat pump compressor from any droplets in the overhead stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventors: Stephen T. King, Adam J. Kanyuh, Xin X. Zhu
  • Patent number: 8999117
    Abstract: One exemplary embodiment can be a system for separating a plurality of naphtha components. The system can include a column, an overhead condenser, and a side condenser. Generally, the column includes a dividing imperforate wall with one surface facing a feed and another surface facing at least one side stream. Typically, the wall extends a significant portion of the column height to divide the portion into at least two substantially vertical, parallel contacting sections. Typically, the overhead condenser receives an overhead stream including a light naphtha from the column. Usually, a side condenser receives a process stream from the column and returns the stream to the column to facilitate separation. A cooling stream may pass through the overhead condenser and then the side condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Michael A. Schultz, Xin X. Zhu, Jibreel A. Qafisheh
  • Patent number: 8999152
    Abstract: A process and apparatus provides for blending a heavy naphtha stream with a diesel stream to increase the yield of diesel. The diesel stream is recovered separately from a kerosene stream to leave the kerosene stream undiminished. The blended diesel provides a valuable composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Douglas G. Stewart, James P. Glavin, Xin X. Zhu
  • Patent number: 8999146
    Abstract: Hydrocarbon feed to a catalytic reactor can be heat exchanged with flue gas from a catalyst regenerator. This innovation enables recovery of more energy from flue gas thus resulting in a lower flue gas discharge temperature. As a result, other hot hydrocarbon streams conventionally used to preheat hydrocarbon feed can now be used to generate more high pressure steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Yunbo Liu, Xin X. Zhu, Daniel N. Myers, Patrick D. Walker
  • Patent number: 8999150
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for recovering hydroprocessing effluent from a hydroprocessing unit utilizing a hot stripper and a cold stripper. The cold stripper and the hot stripper utilize a common overhead recovery apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Richard K. Hoehn, David M. Bowman, Xin X. Zhu, Vedula K. Murty
  • Patent number: 8993825
    Abstract: An aromatics complex producing one or more xylene isomers offers a large number of opportunities to conserve energy by heat exchange within the complex. One previously unrecognized opportunity is through providing two parallel distillation columns operating at different pressures to separate C8 aromatics from C9+ aromatics. The parallel columns offer additional opportunities to conserve energy within the complex through heat exchange in associated xylene recovery facilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Gregory R. Werba, Jason T. Corradi, Xin X. Zhu, David W. Ablin, Saadet Ulas Acikgoz, Phillip F. Daly
  • Publication number: 20150052940
    Abstract: Fractionation systems utilizing a rectifying column with a stripping column are described. The liquid from the rectifying column bottoms is sent to the first tray of the stripping column, while the overhead stream from the stripping column is sent to the bottom of the rectifying column. Processes for separating feed streams are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Stephen T. King, Steven Lankton, Xin X. Zhu
  • Publication number: 20150052941
    Abstract: Fractionation systems utilizing a single rectifying column with a stripping column housed in the same vessel and having a uniform diameter are described. Methods of separating feed streams using the fractionation systems are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Stephen T. King, Steven Kozup, Xin X. Zhu
  • Publication number: 20150041365
    Abstract: One exemplary embodiment can be a process for treating a hydroprocessing fraction. The process can include obtaining a bottom stream from a fractionation zone, and passing at least a portion of the bottom stream to a film generating evaporator zone for separating a first stream containing less heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds than a second stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: Richard K. Hoehn, Soumendra Mohan Banerjee, David M. Bowman, Xin X. Zhu
  • Patent number: 8940254
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for recovering hydroprocessing effluent from a hydroprocessing unit utilizing a hot stripper and a cold stripper. Only the hot hydroprocessing effluent is heated in a fired heater prior to product fractionation, resulting in substantial operating and capital savings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Richard K. Hoehn, David M. Bowman, Xin X. Zhu
  • Patent number: 8911693
    Abstract: A hot stripped hydroprocessed stream from a stripper column may be sent directly to a vacuum fractionation column instead of being first processed in an atmospheric fractionation column. If a separate warm stripper column is used, both the warm stripped stream and a hot stripped stream may be fractionated in the same fractionation column, particularly a vacuum fractionation column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Xin X. Zhu, David M. Bowman, Anubhav Kapil, Mark Van Wees
  • Patent number: 8877040
    Abstract: One exemplary embodiment can be a process for treating a hydroprocessing fraction. The process can include obtaining a bottom stream from a fractionation zone, and passing at least a portion of the bottom stream to a film generating evaporator zone for separating a first stream containing less heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds than a second stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Richard Hoehn, Soumendra Mohan Banerjee, Dave Bowman, Xin X. Zhu
  • Publication number: 20140323781
    Abstract: Embodiments of apparatuses and methods for reforming of hydrocarbons are provided herein. In one example, a method comprises burning fuel gas to form a hot flue gas and heat a reforming-zone feedstock that contains (C5-C11) hydrocarbons to form a heated reforming-zone feed stream. The heated reforming-zone feed stream is partially reformed to form a partially reformed effluent. The partially reformed effluent is advanced through a process heat recovery coil arrangement that is recovering heat from the hot flue gas to form a heated partially reformed effluent. The heated partially reformed effluent is contacted with reforming catalyst at reforming conditions effective to form a reforming reaction-zone effluent. The reforming reaction-zone effluent comprises H2, C5+ hydrocarbons including aromatics, and C4? hydrocarbons.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: William M. Hartman, Xin X. Zhu, Lisa M. Lane, William Yanez
  • Publication number: 20140291205
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for processing hydrocarbon streams are provided. In an embodiment, a method for processing a hydrocarbon stream includes heating a feed stream in a convective bank. In the method, the feed stream is reacted in a first reaction zone to form a first effluent. The first effluent is heated in a first radiant cell that combusts fuel gas to heat the first effluent and forms a first exhaust gas. The method includes contacting the first exhaust gas with the convective bank to heat the feed stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: UPO LLC
    Inventors: William M. Hartman, Xin X. Zhu, William Yanez, Lisa M. Lane
  • Publication number: 20140271398
    Abstract: A process and apparatus provides for blending a heavy naphtha stream with a diesel stream to increase the yield of diesel. The diesel stream is recovered separately from a kerosene stream to leave the kerosene stream undiminished. The blended diesel provides a valuable composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Douglas G. Stewart, James P. Glavin, Xin X. Zhu