Cracking Patents (Class 208/106)
  • Patent number: 7531084
    Abstract: A reactor for the thermal cleavage of monofunctional and/or polyfunctional carbamic esters into the corresponding isocyanate and hydroxyl components in the liquid phase having devices for introduction of heat into the reactor, where the devices are heat exchanger plates through which a heat transfer medium flows and have a geometry defined by the ratio of the degassing area to the volume and arrangement of the heating surfaces which makes it possible for the cleavage to be carried out in a two-phase mixture which has a gas content of over 50% by volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: BASF Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Dieter Starosta, Peter Pfab, Volker Krase, Andreas Schmidt, Matthias Kloetzer, Andreas Otterbach
  • Patent number: 7517916
    Abstract: A process to make ethylene and/or propylene from methane comprises preparing a gaseous mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen from methane, performing a Fischer Tropsch synthesis using the gaseous mixture to obtain a Fischer Tropsch product having a 50 wt % recovery point above 250° C., evaporating a part of the Fischer Tropsch product in the presence of a dilution gas comprising the unconverted carbon monoxide and hydrogen from the Fischer Tropsch synthesis step and carbon dioxide into a gas and a liquid fraction and separating the liquid fraction from the remaining gas fraction, further heating the gas fraction and subjecting the gas fraction to a thermal cracking step, isolating a mixture of methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen from the cracked gases, and recycling the mixture of methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen to the step of preparing a gaseous mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Jan Lodewijk Maria Dierickx
  • Publication number: 20090090654
    Abstract: Embodiments of a nozzle reactor of the type useable to inject a first material feed stock and a second material feed stock to cause interaction between the first material feed stock and second material feed stock are described herein. According to one embodiment, the nozzle reactor includes a reactor body having a reactor body passage with an injection end and an ejection end. The nozzle reactor also includes a first material injector having a first material injection passage and being mounted in the nozzle reactor in material injecting communication with the injection end of the reactor body. The first material injection passage can have an enlarged volume injection section, an enlarged volume ejection section, and a reduced volume mid-section intermediate the enlarged volume injection section and the enlarged volume ejection section. The first material injection passage can also have a material injection end and a material ejection end in injecting communication with the reactor body passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Applicant: Marathon Oil Sands (U.S.A.) Inc.
    Inventors: Willem Duyvesteyn, Gordon R. Wicker
  • Patent number: 7513989
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hydrocracking process for hydrocracking petroleum and chemical feedstocks using bulk Group VIII/VIB catalysts. Preferred catalysts include those comprised of Ni—Mo—W.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Stuart Leon Soled, Kenneth Lloyd Riley, Gary P. Schleicher, Richard A. Demmin, Darlene Schuette, legal representative, Ian Alfred Cody, William L. Schuette
  • Publication number: 20090084707
    Abstract: The invention is directed to separating a hydrocarbon feed-stock such as bitumen or heavy oil, into a de-asphalted oil component and a residue component comprising primarily asphaltenes. The asphaltenes with some added bitumen are converted by a plasma arc reactor into a controllable mixture of primarily paraffins and impurities. Natural gas liquids are separated out by refrigeration. The lighter paraffins may be used to operate a steam or gas turbine to produce electrical energy which, in turn, may be used to provide power for generating steam, for powering the plasma arc reactor and other apparatuses of an on-site processing plant or excess power may be sold to the grid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: OSUM OIL SANDS CORP.
    Inventor: Henry Gil
  • Publication number: 20090057198
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process of producing an upgraded product stream from the products of a resid visbreaking process to produce an improved feedstream for refinery and petrochemical hydrocarbon conversion units. This process utilizes an ultrafiltration process for upgrading select visbreaking process product streams to produce a conversion unit feedstream with improved properties for maximizing the conversion unit's throughput, total conversion, run-time, and overall product value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Daniel P. Leta, Leo D. Brown, David T. Ferrughelli, Stephen M. Cundy, MaryKathryn Lee, Copper E. Haith, Eric B. Sirota
  • Publication number: 20090050525
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for depolymerising raw materials containing hydrocarbons, such as residues in a continuous process. To achieve a uniform operation using a comparatively simple technique, the raw material, which has been pre-heated to a liquid or pulpy consistency, is continuously injected under pressure into a reactor (4), which has been heated to a decomposition temperature and a gaseous fraction is continuously withdrawn from the reactor for further processing, whilst a bottom fraction is continuously removed or removed at intervals. The raw material is preferably pre-heated, liquefied and injected by an injection pump or exterior screw. A high degree of availability is guaranteed in conjunction with a mixer or doctor head, which cyclically removes deposits on the interior walls of the reactor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2006
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: Manfred Sappok, Dieter Wagels, Eberhardt Weiss
  • Patent number: 7491314
    Abstract: A process for the production of a pipeline-transportable crude oil from a bitumen feed, the process comprising: (1) dividing the bitumen feed into two fractions, the first fraction comprising between 20 and 80 wt % of the feed, the second fraction comprising between 80 and 20 wt % of the total feed, (the two fraction together forming 100 wt % of the feed), (2) distillation of the first fraction obtained in step (1) (preferably under vacuum) into a light fraction boiling below 380° C. (preferably the 450° C. fraction, more preferably the 510° C. fraction) and a residual fraction; (3) thermal cracking (of at least part of, preferably all of,) the residual fraction obtained in the distillation process described in step (2); (4) distillation of the product obtained in step (3) into one or more light fractions (boiling below 350° C.), optionally one or more intermediate fractions (boiling between 350 and 510° C.) and a heavy fraction (boiling above at least 350° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Petrus Johannes Walterus Maria Van Den Bosch, Franciscus Antonius Maria Schrijvers
  • Patent number: 7488459
    Abstract: An apparatus and process are provided for cracking hydrocarbonaceous feed, wherein the temperature of heated effluent directed to a vapor/liquid separator, e.g., flash drum, whose overhead is subsequently cracked, can be controlled within a range sufficient so the heated effluent is partially liquid, say, from about 260 to about 540° C. (500 to 1000° F.). This permits processing of a variety of feeds containing resid with greatly differing volatilities, e.g., atmospheric resid and crude at higher temperature and dirty liquid condensates, at lower temperatures. The temperature can be lowered as needed by: i) providing one or more additional downstream feed inlets to a convection section, ii) increasing the ratio of water/steam mixture added to the hydrocarbonaceous feed, iii) using a high pressure boiler feed water economizer to remove heat, iv) heating high pressure steam to remove heat, v) bypassing an intermediate portion of the convection section used, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Richard C. Stell, James N. McCoy
  • Publication number: 20090011291
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing reagents for a chemical reaction by introducing a fuel containing hydrocarbons into a flash distillation process wherein the fuel is separated into a first component having a lower average molecular weight and a second component having a higher average molecular weight. The first component is then reformed to produce synthesis gas wherein the synthesis gas is reacted catalytically to produce the desire reagent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventors: Darrell R. Herling, Chris L. Aardahl, Robert T. Rozmiarek, Kenneth G. Rappe, Yong Wang, Jamelyn D. Holladay
  • Patent number: 7459072
    Abstract: Process for the work-up of naphtha, wherein a) naphtha or a stream produced from naphtha in a pretreatment step is separated in a membrane unit into a stream A which is depleted in aromatics and a stream B which is enriched in aromatics, with the aromatics concentration in stream A being from 2 to 12% by weight (step a), b) at least part of the substream A is fed to a steam cracker (step b), c) at least part of the substream B is fed to a unit in which it is separated by means of a thermal process into a stream C which has a lower aromatics content than stream B or a plurality of streams C?, C?, C?? . . . which each have lower aromatics contents than stream B and a stream D which has a higher aromatics content than stream B or a plurality of streams D?, D?, D?? . . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: BASF Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Bitterlich, Hartwig Voss, Gunter Schuch, Rudolf Sinnen, Heinrich Laib, Peter Paessler
  • Publication number: 20080283445
    Abstract: A method for thermally cracking a hydrocarbonaceous feed wherein the feed is first gasified in a vaporization unit. A significant component of the feed is residua from the atmospheric thermal distillation of crude oil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Inventor: Donald H. Powers
  • Publication number: 20080272030
    Abstract: A method for producing synthetic fuels is provided. The process can involve the reaction of metals with water to liberate hydrogen, which can attack the feedstock molecules and with elevated temperature and pressure, reform the feedstocks into liquid fuels. These can be used as is or refined and used as gasoline, diesel fuel, aircraft fuel or burned to produce heat for uses such as generating electricity. The process can be environmentally friendly, producing no net greenhouse gases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Inventors: Jack W. Boykin, Allen W. Boykin
  • Publication number: 20080251419
    Abstract: A contactor/separator is formed from a vessel; an inlet for receiving a vapor/liquid mixture; an inlet for receiving a superheated vapor; a hub located within the vessel, the hub including a plurality of vanes for imparting a centrifugal motion to the vapor/liquid mixture or the superheated vapor; an outlet in a bottom of the vessel for removing liquid; and an outlet for removing vapor from the vessel. A method is also provided for heating and separating liquid and vapor from a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising introducing a hydrocarbon feedstock into a contactor/separator: introducing a superheated vapor into the contactor/separator such that it contacts and vaporizes a portion of the feedstock within the contactor/separator; separating unvaporized feedstock from vaporized feedstock in the contactor/separator; removing the vaporized feedstock and the superheated vapor through a first outlet; and removing the unvaporized feedstock through a second outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Inventors: Louis Edward Stein, Danny Yuk Kwan Ngan, Arthur James Baumgartner, Karl Gregory Anderson, Raul Jasso Garcia, Richard Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 7435332
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process for cracking hydrocarbon oils. The process comprises contacting a hydrocarbon oil with a catalyst that has been contacted with an atmosphere containing a reducing gas, separating cracked products and the catalyst, and regenerating the catalyst. The catalyst is a cracking catalyst containing a metal component, or a catalyst mixture of a cracking catalyst containing a metal component and a cracking catalyst free of metal component. The catalyst is contacted with the atmosphere containing a reducing gas at a temperature of 100 to 900° C. for at least 1 second, and the amount of the atmosphere containing a reducing gas is not less than 0.03 cubic meters of reducing gas per ton of the cracking catalyst containing a metal component per minute, at a pressure of 0.1-0.5 MPa in the reduction reactor. The process has enhanced capability for desulfurizing and cracking heavy oils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignees: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Sinopec
    Inventors: Jun Long, Huiping Tian, Yujian Liu, Yuxia Zhu, Zhenyu Chen, Yaoqing Guo, Zhijian Da, Jiushun Zhang, Mingyuan He
  • Patent number: 7435330
    Abstract: A heavy oil reforming method which reforms a heavy oil to give a fuel suitable for a gas turbine, eliminates sulfur and vanadium, i.e., harmful components, from a heavy oil, and enables almost all the hydrocarbons in the heavy oil to be used in gas turbine combustion; an apparatus therefor; and a gas turbine power generation system using the reformed heavy oil as fuel is disclosed. The method includes reacting a heavy oil with supercritical water and then with a scavenger for sulfur and vanadium to eliminate sulfur and vanadium from the heavy oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Hokari, Tomohiko Miyamoto, Hirokazu Takahashi, Atsushi Morihara, Hiromi Koizumi
  • Publication number: 20080217211
    Abstract: A process for treating a heavy oil which comprises subjecting a heavy oil to cavitation to reduce the viscosity of the heavy oil. The treated heavy oil, which has a reduced viscosity and specific gravity, thus is more pumpable and transportable, which facilitates further processing. The treated heavy oil also can be fractionated with less severity than untreated heavy oil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: Michel Chornet, Esteban Chornet
  • Patent number: 7419584
    Abstract: A process is provided for cracking hydrocarbon feedstock containing resid comprising: heating the feedstock, mixing the heated feedstock with a fluid and/or a primary dilution steam stream to form a mixture, optionally further heating the mixture, flashing the mixture within a flash/separation vessel to form a vapor phase and a liquid phase, partially condensing the vapor phase by contacting with a condenser within the vessel, to condense at least some coke precursors within the vapor while providing condensates which add to the liquid phase, removing the vapor phase of reduced coke precursors content as overhead and the liquid phase as bottoms, heating the vapor phase, cracking the vapor phase in a radiant section of a pyrolysis furnace to produce an effluent comprising olefins, and quenching the effluent and recovering cracked product therefrom. An apparatus for carrying out the process is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Richard C. Stell, George Stephens, Jennifer L. Bancroft, John R. Messinger
  • Patent number: 7419939
    Abstract: The invention describes a method for decreasing the viscosity of crude oils and residuum utilizing a combination of thermal and acidic treatment. Further, the invention describes a method for making a water-in-oil emulsion, or a solids-stabilized water-in-oil emulsion with a reduced viscosity. The emulsion can be used in enhanced oil recovery methods, including using the emulsion as a drive fluid to displace hydrocarbons in a subterranean formation, and using the emulsion as a barrier fluid for diverting flow of fluids in the formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventor: Ramesh Varadaraj
  • Publication number: 20080202982
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for heating liquid material, which are particularly suitable for refining waste oil, are disclosed. The process comprises the steps of creating a swirling body of liquid material, such as waste oil, within a reaction chamber, and exposing the swirling body of material to microwave radiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventor: John Tooley
  • Patent number: 7414166
    Abstract: This invention provides feed introduction devices, and processes for using same, which minimize catalyst clogging. In particular, the invention is to a feed introduction device having a first end in fluid communication with a feed source, a second end in fluid communication with a reactor and a deviation zone between the first end and the second end to deviate the flow of feed about a deviation angle from the first end toward the second end. According to the invention, the deviation angle is greater than 90 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: James H. Beech, Jr., Brian A. Cunningham, Christopher G. Smalley, Rathna P. Davuluri
  • Patent number: 7413648
    Abstract: An apparatus and process are provided for cracking hydrocarbonaceous feed, wherein the temperature of heated effluent directed to a vapor/liquid separator, e.g., flash drum, whose overhead is subsequently cracked, can be controlled within a range sufficient so the heated effluent is partially liquid, say, from about 260 to about 540° C. (500 to 1000° F.). This permits processing of a variety of feeds containing resid with greatly differing volatilities, e.g., atmospheric resid and crude at higher temperature and dirty liquid condensates, at lower temperatures. The temperature can be lowered as needed by: i) providing one or more additional downstream feed inlets to a convection section, ii) increasing the ratio of water/steam mixture added to the hydrocarbonaceous feed, iii) using a high pressure boiler feed water economizer to remove heat, iv) heating high pressure steam to remove heat, v) bypassing an intermediate portion of the convection section used, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Richard C. Stell, James N. McCoy
  • Publication number: 20080184915
    Abstract: The disclosed invention relates to a process for converting a feed composition comprising one or more hydrocarbons to a product comprising one or more unsaturated hydrocarbons, the process comprising: flowing the feed composition and steam in contact with each other in a microchannel reactor at a temperature in the range from about 200° C. to about 1200° C. to convert the feed composition to the product, the process being characterized by the absence of catalyst for converting the one or more hydrocarbons to one or more unsaturated hydrocarbons. Hydrogen and/or oxygen may be combined with the feed composition and steam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2007
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Inventors: Anna Lee Tonkovich, Thomas Yuschak, Timothy J. LaPlante, Scott Rankin, Steven T. Perry, Sean Patrick Fitzgerald, Wayne W. Simmons, Terry Mazanec, Eric Daymo
  • Publication number: 20080179218
    Abstract: A process for steam cracking liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks containing synthetic crude oil comprises i) hydroprocessing a wide boiling range aliquot containing a) normally liquid hydrocarbon portion substantially free of resids and b) thermally cracked hydrocarbon liquid, boiling in a range from about 600° to about 1050° F., to provide a synthetic crude oil substantially free of resids; ii) adding to the synthetic crude oil a normally liquid hydrocarbon component boiling in a range from about 100° to about 1050° F.; and iii) cracking the mixture resulting from ii) in a cracker furnace comprising a radiant coil outlet to provide a cracked effluent, wherein the cracking is carried out under conditions sufficient to effect a radiant coil outlet temperature which is greater than the optimum radiant coil outlet temperature for cracking the synthetic crude oil separately. A method for upgrading synthetic crude for use in cracking is also provided, as well as a feedstock for cracking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Inventors: Paul F. Keusenkothen, James N. Mccoy, James Earl Graham, Chad David Reimann
  • Patent number: 7404889
    Abstract: A method for thermally cracking a hydrocarbonaceous feed wherein the feed is first processed in an atmospheric thermal distillation step to form a light gasoline and atmospheric residuum mixture. The light gasoline/residuum combination is gasified at least in part in a vaporization step, and the gasified product of the vaporization step is thermally cracked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2008
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals, LP
    Inventor: Donald H. Powers
  • Publication number: 20080142410
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of lower olefins from a heavy synthetic oil fraction prepared in a Fischer Topsch process. The process according to the invention comprises mild thermal cracking of the heavy synthetic oil fraction, followed by short residence, high temperature thermal cracking of the product obtained in the first process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Inventors: Emil Eduard Antonius Cruijsberg, Jeroen Van Westrenen
  • Patent number: 7374661
    Abstract: A method for thermally cracking a hydrocarbonaceous feed material using a combustion fuel fired furnace wherein at least part of the combustion fuel employed in the furnace is syngas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals, LP
    Inventors: Robert S. Bridges, Sellamuthu G. Chellappan
  • Patent number: 7371316
    Abstract: A catalytic composition useful for cracking and reducing the viscosity of heavy hydrocarbons. The catalytic composition comprises Portland cement, a volcanic ash component, titanium dioxide, and a transition metal salt. Optionally, a hydrogen source is added to the catalytic composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Inventor: Jeffrey P. Newton
  • Publication number: 20080093261
    Abstract: A method processing a liquid crude and/or natural gas condensate feed comprising subjecting the feed to a vaporization step to form a vaporous product and a liquid product, subjecting the vaporous product to severe thermal cracking, and subjecting the liquid product to crude oil refinery processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventor: Donald H. Powers
  • Publication number: 20080083653
    Abstract: An apparatus and process for partially upgraded heavy oil diluent production. A crude heavy oil and/or bitumen feed is supplied to an FCC unit having a low activity catalyst and low conversion number. A distillate fraction is supplied for use as diluent to end users. The distillate fraction and FCC unit gas oil products can be supplied to a hydrotreater for upgrading and collected as a synthetic crude product stream. An asphaltene fraction can be supplied to a gasifier for the recovery of power, steam and hydrogen, which can be supplied to the hydrotreater or otherwise within the process or exported.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2006
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventor: Gerard Bruha
  • Publication number: 20080083656
    Abstract: A quench exchanger and quench exchanger tube with increased heat transfer area on the process side of the tube are provided. The exchanger provides increased heat transfer efficiency relative to a fixed tube length and at the same time eliminates stagnant and low velocity areas as well as recirculation eddies. The tubes incorporate a fin profile on the process side of the tube with alternating concave and convex surfaces. Additionally, the fins are preferably aligned with the tube center line as opposed to being twisted or spiraled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: David B. Spicer, Wallace L. Ottersbach
  • Publication number: 20080083654
    Abstract: Process to obtain liquid hydrocarbons by cleavage of carbon and hydrogen molecules using materials with chemical waste, textile waste, biomass and whatever kind, being the same milled by a turbine and transferred to the main chamber, increasing its temperatures to eliminate water, there is application of kinetic energy and friction with selected reactants to cleave the chains and separate the above mentioned elements and restructure the long or short chains to obtain the selected hydrocarbons by distillation and condensation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventor: Pedro A. Server Barcelo
  • Publication number: 20080078692
    Abstract: Processing schemes and arrangements are provided for the processing a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock via hydrocarbon cracking processing with selected hydrocarbon fractions being obtained via absorption-based product recovery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Inventors: David A. Wegerer, Micheal A. Schultz
  • Publication number: 20080029432
    Abstract: An addition apparatus, a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) system having an addition apparatus, and a method for adding material to an FCC unit are provided. In one embodiment, an addition system for an FCC unit includes a container, a first eductor and a sensor. The eductor is coupled to an outlet of the container. The sensor is configured to detect a metric of material dispensed from the container through the eductor. A valve is provided for controlling the flow through the eductor. A controller provides a control signal for regulating an operational state of the valve. In another embodiment, an FCC system having an addition system is provided. In yet another embodiment, a method for adding material to an FCC unit is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2006
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Inventors: Eric Elliott, Martin Evans
  • Patent number: 7326819
    Abstract: A catalyst and process is disclosed to selectively upgrade a paraffinic feedstock to obtain an isoparaffin-rich product for blending into gasoline. The catalyst comprises a support of a sulfated oxide or hydroxide of a Group IVB (IUPAC 4) metal, a first component of at least one lanthanide element or yttrium component, which is preferably ytterbium, and at least one platinum-group metal component which is preferably platinum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Ralph D. Gillespie, Michelle J. Cohn
  • Publication number: 20070284285
    Abstract: A pretreatment process is described for heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock, such as oils extracted from tar sands. The feedstock is passed through a heated, continuous flow electron or x-ray treatment zone. The process is designed to allow the feedstock to be conditioned with ozone-containing air, steam or a hydrogen donor gas prior to electron/x-ray treatment. The ozone-containing air stream may be the stream produced in the electron treatment zone. After conditioning, the heavy oil is heated to a specified temperature and uniformly treated with high-energy beams of electrons or x-rays. A key feature of the invention is the electron/x-ray treatment zone may use multiple accelerators or a beam splitter to ensure acceptable dose distributions in the flowing feedstock. Another key feature is the recirculation of volatiles back into the feedstock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Inventors: Terence Mitchell Stepanik, Christopher Barton Saunders, John Wesley Barnard
  • Patent number: 7300566
    Abstract: Petroleum residua are combined with water or an aqueous solution to form an emulsion which is then treated with ultrasound at a sufficient intensity and for a sufficient period of time to cause a conversion of the heavy hydrocarbon components of the residua to lighter components, thereby shifting the entire boiling point curve to lower boiling points. This allows one to draw a greater proportion of usable oil from the residua.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Sulphco, Inc.
    Inventor: Rudolf W. Gunnerman
  • Patent number: 7288690
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for steam cracking hydrocarbons, which method consists in heating a mixture of hydrocarbons and steam to a desired temperature that is high enough to crack the hydrocarbons and transform them into olefins, the source of energy needed for heating the mixture is supplied essentially by cogeneration using combustion of a fuel to produce simultaneously both heat energy and mechanical work which is transformed into electricity by an alternator, and wherein the mixture is initially subjected to preheating using the heat energy supplied by the cogeneration and is subsequently heated to the desired cracking temperature by means of electrical heating using the electricity supplied by the cogeneration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: BP Chemicals Limited
    Inventors: Serge Bellet, Jean Pinon
  • Patent number: 7276149
    Abstract: The invention is directed to methods of shutting down reaction systems. The reaction systems are those that use catalysts that comprise molecular sieves, particularly metalloaluminophosphate molecular sieves, especially metalloaluminophosphate molecular sieves which are susceptible to loss of catalytic activity due to contact with water molecules. The methods provide appropriate mechanisms of stopping feed to the reactor and unloading catalyst to protect against loss of catalytic activity that can occur due to contact with water molecules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: James H. Beech, Richard E. Walter, Shun Chong Fung, Peter N. Loezos, Marcel Johannes Janssen, Stephen Neil Vaughn
  • Patent number: 7273542
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for recovering product from reactor effluent of a reactor for a hydrocarbon feedstream. An indigenous C4 stream is used as lean oil in a demethanizer, which facilitates significant cost and operational savings. C4 bottoms from a downstream depropanizer is used as lean oil recycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: David J. Duhon, John E. Asplin
  • Patent number: 7264710
    Abstract: The reforming of heavy oil with supercritical water or subcritical water is accomplished by mixing together supercriticai water, heavy oil, and oxidizing agent, thereby oxidizing vanadium in heavy oil with the oxidizing agent at the time of treatment with supercritical water and separate vanadium oxide. The separated vanadium oxide is removed by the scavenger after treatment with supercritical water. In this way it is possible to solve the long-standing problem with corrosion of turbine blades by vanadium which arises when heavy oil is used as gas turbine fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Hokari, Tomohiko Miyamoto, Hirokazu Takahashi, Hiromi Koizumi
  • Patent number: 7261807
    Abstract: The propylene production of a fluid catalytic cracking unit employing a large pore zeolite cracking catalyst, produces more propylene by adding a naphtha cracking riser and a medium pore zeolite catalytic component to the unit, and recycling at least a portion of the naphtha crackate to the naphtha riser. The large pore size zeolite preferably comprises a USY zeolite and the medium pore size is preferably ZSM-5. Propylene production per unit of naphtha feed to the naphtha riser is maximized, by using the 60–300° F. naphtha crackate as the feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co.
    Inventors: B. Erik Henry, William A. Wachter, George A. Swan, III
  • Patent number: 7255785
    Abstract: An apparatus and a process for reclaiming fuel oils from waste oils. The apparatus and process is characterized in that waste oils are thermally cracked by combination of high pressure and vacuum in a sequence at high temperature. However, rapid thermal cracking is performed at even lower temperature of 300˜350° C. than at 400˜450° C. of conventional batch method. The semi-continuous method with bleeding process is employed and accordingly no pause stage becomes necessary to physically collect ash cake from the thermal cracking vessel as experienced from the conventional batch process. The ash cake contents drops from 5% of conventional method to 1.4% since slow reaction is a cause for oxidation problem which is related with formation of tar compounds and production rate of #2 diesel fuel oil increases 3 times more than batch process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Inventors: Henry Kong, Charlie Jeong
  • Patent number: 7238847
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for determining the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of the liquid fraction of a pyrolysis product by determining the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of the pyrolysis product gas fraction and subtracting the thus determined value from the determined hydrogen-to-carbon of the hydrocarbon feed to the pyrolysis furnace. The determined value for the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of the liquid fraction is used as a measure of cracking severity and in the control of the pyrolysis furnace in response to differences between the desired and actual hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of the liquid fraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Danny Yuk-Kwan Ngan
  • Patent number: 7169292
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pyrolysis tube for enhancing the yield of olefins and reducing a coking tendency in steam cracking of hydrocarbons. According to the present invention, the pyrolysis tube is characterized in that a plurality of mixing blades made by twisting two ends of a plate in opposite directions are included therein. The yield of ethylene is thereby improved and the coking tendency is reduced by mixing a fluid flow, improving a heat transfer rate and shortening a residence time of the reactants therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong-Hyun Chae, Won-Ho Lee, Sang-Mun Jeong, Keun-Hoo Park
  • Patent number: 7156979
    Abstract: A thermal cracking process using tubes, pipes, and coils made of. An outermost surface covering not less than 55% of stainless steel, said surface having a thickness from 0.1 to 15 microns and being a spinel of the formula MnxCr3-xO4 wherein x is from 0.5 to 2 is not prone to coking and is suitable for hydrocarbyl reactions such as furnace tubes for cracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Nova Chemicals (International) S.A.
    Inventors: Leslie Wilfred Benum, Michael C. Oballa, Sabino Steven Anthony Petrone, Weixing Chen
  • Patent number: 7157501
    Abstract: Fischer-Tropsch process for the conversion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen to C5+ hydrocarbon mixtures in which process use is made of Fischer-Tropsch catalyst particles and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst particles. The FCC catalyst can be a fresh FCC catalyst, or an equilibrium catalysts (E-cat).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Albemarle Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Edgar Evert Steenwinkel, Marieke Paulyne Renate Spee, Johannes Petrus Jozef Verlaan, Eelco Titus Carel Vogt
  • Patent number: 7153479
    Abstract: A catalyst regenerator for regenerating spent light FCC catalyst and heating the catalyst to supply heat to an FCC reactor. The regenerator has discharge outlets for catalyst and off gas and a valve for introducing spent catalyst through a central stand pipe portion. The regenerator houses a dense phase catalyst bed. A centerwell receives a lower end of the standpipe portion and defines an annulus therebetween. The spent catalyst is introduced through the standpipe portion into the annulus. A fuel distributor introduces fuel into the centerwell for mixing with the catalyst in the annulus. A fluidization distributor introduces fluidization gas into the centerwell for fluidizing the catalyst in the annulus. A radial slot in the centerwell introduces the catalyst and fuel mixture from the annulus below the upper surface of the dense phase bed. An air distributor located below the radial slot introduces combustion air into the dense phase bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Kellogg Brown & Root LLC
    Inventors: Robert B. Peterson, Chris Santner, Michael Tallman
  • Patent number: 7151199
    Abstract: Hydrocarbon or oxygenate conversion process in which a feedstock is contacted with a non zeolitic molecular sieve which has been treated to remove most, if not all, of the halogen contained in the catalyst. The halogen may be removed by one of several methods. One method includes heating the catalyst in a low moisture environment, followed by contacting the heated catalyst with air and/or steam. Another method includes steam-treating the catalyst at a temperature from 400° C. to 1000° C. The hydrocarbon or oxygenate conversion processes include the conversion of oxygenates to olefins, the conversion of oxygenates and ammonia to alkylamines, the conversion of oxygenates and aromatic compounds to alkylated aromatic compounds, cracking and dewaxing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Luc Roger Marc Martens, Stephen N. Vaughn, Albert Edward Schweizer, John K. Pierce, Shun Chong Fung
  • Patent number: 7150860
    Abstract: An apparatus and process in which a catalyst nozzle and a feed nozzle are joined together at a joint in a reactor vessel that contains a disengaging transport conduit in communication with a separator. An inlet to the transport conduit is disposed vertically higher than the joint to reduce the quantity of catalyst that enters the transport conduit with the vapor product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Paolo Palmas, Steven Niewiedzial