Coking In At Least One Stage Patents (Class 208/50)
  • Patent number: 11959031
    Abstract: An integrated process and associated system for conversion of crude oil to value added petrochemicals. The process includes separating crude oil into light and heavy crude fractions and processing the heavy fraction in a solvent deasphalting unit and a delayed coker unit, and then providing the light fraction and selected effluents of the solvent deasphalting unit and the delayed coker unit to a hydrotreater. The process further includes separating the effluent of the hydrotreater to generate a C1 fraction passed to a methane cracker, a C2 fraction passed to an ethane steam cracker, a C3-C4 fraction passed to a dehydrogenation reactor, a hydrotreated light fraction passed to an aromatization unit, and a hydrotreated heavy fraction passed to a steam enhanced catalytic cracking unit. The process further includes separating effluents of the various unit operations into product streams including a BTX stream and a light olefin stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Aaron Chi Akah, Essa Alnaimi, Qi Xu, Musaed Salem Al-Ghrami
  • Patent number: 11788013
    Abstract: High-quality graphite/needle grade coke is produced with reduced impurity levels and improved coefficient of thermal expansion using an integrated hydrotreatment, catalytic cracking and coking reaction sections, employing a combination of highly paraffinic hydrotreated VGO stream and aromatic CLO stream, which is thereafter processed in a delayed coking section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Ponoly Ramachandran Pradeep, Shivam Ashok Dixit, Prantik Mondal, Jitumoni Brahma, Rajesh, Terapalli Hari Venkata Devi Prasad, Satyen Kumar Das, Madhusudan Sau, Gurpreet Singh Kapur, Sankara Sri Venkata Ramakumar
  • Patent number: 11662092
    Abstract: A biochar apparatus and a related biochar module may have a horizontal table-shaking mechanism and a tapered channel for causing biochar pieces generated in a firebox to fall through openings in the table to a conveyor system below. The table may be configured with replaceable grate panels. A quenching reservoir pan for holding quenching liquid receives a drainage basket at a discharge end of the conveyor system for quenching hot pieces of biochar and allowing easy retrieval of the quenched pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: AIR BURNERS, INC.
    Inventors: Brian M. O'Connor, Thomas Foley, Matthew W. Dennis, James W. Hilliard
  • Patent number: 11591529
    Abstract: In some examples, hydrocarbon feed and a diluent such as steam are mixed, and heated. A vapor phase product and a liquid phase product can be separated from the heated mixture. The liquid phase product can be hydroprocessed to produce a first hydroprocessed product. A pitch and one or more hydrocarbon products can be separated from the first hydroprocessed product. The pitch can be contacted with a diluent to produce a pitch-diluent mixture. The pitch-diluent mixture can be hydroprocessed to produce a second hydroprocessed product. A hydroprocessor heavy product and a utility fluid product can be separated from the second hydroprocessed product. The diluent can be or include at least a portion of the utility fluid product. The vapor phase product can be steam cracked to produce a steam cracker effluent. A tar product and a process gas that can include ethylene and propylene can be separated from the steam cracker effluent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: John R. DeLaney, John J. Monson, Teng Xu, Kendele S. Galvan
  • Patent number: 11530361
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process for determining the suitability of pyrolysis tar, such as steam cracker tar, for upgrading using hydroprocessing without excessive fouling of the hydroprocessing reactor. A pyrolysis tar is sampled, the sample is analyzed to determine one or more characteristics of the tar related to tar reactivity, and the analysis is used to determine conditions under which the tar can be blended, pre-treated, and/or hydroprocessed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Kapil Kandel, Glenn A. Heeter, Teng Xu, Giovanni S. Contello, Krystle J. Emanuele
  • Patent number: 11459508
    Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a coker unit comprising the steps of: collecting a coker-furnace feed stream; introducing the coker-furnace feed-stream into a coker furnace for producing a coker-drum feed stream; and introducing a hydrogen-donor gas into either or both of the coker-furnace feed stream or the coker-drum feed stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Suncor Energy Inc.
    Inventors: Prabhakar Reddy, Michael Goulding
  • Patent number: 11459513
    Abstract: Oxidized disulfide oil (ODSO) compounds or ODSO compounds and disulfide oil (DSO) compounds are added to a steam cracker feed. During the thermal cracking, the ODSO or ODSO and DSO components in the steam cracker mixture minimize coke formation on the steam cracker coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Omer Refa Koseoglu, Robert Peter Hodgkins
  • Patent number: 11248179
    Abstract: A process for the production of a hydrocarbon fluid includes the step of catalytically hydrogenating a hydrocarbon cut in presence of both a dearomatization catalyst and a dewaxing catalyst in a single slurry reactor. A hydrocarbon fluid is also disclosed as being obtainable by the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOTAL MARKETING SERVICES
    Inventors: Cristina Ferreira, Serge Cukierman, Carole Dupuy, Guillaume Lemarchand, Raphael Siggen
  • Patent number: 10889495
    Abstract: Method for stable ethanol steam reforming, wherein a catalytic ethanol reforming is carried out in two vessels operating in parallel mode both filled in with a catalyst active for this reaction, with the first vessel acting in operation mode, generating an hydrogen rich stream, and the parallel vessel, acting in regeneration mode, made flowing with steam in order to carry out the gasification of carbonaceous compounds deposited on the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: KT—KINETICS TECHNOLOGY S.P.A.
    Inventors: Gaetano Iaquaniello, Emma Palo, Vincenzo Palma, Antonio Ricca, Concetta Ruocco
  • Patent number: 9809753
    Abstract: Processes for quenching coke in a coke drum of a delayed coker unit that more thoroughly cool the coke, eliminate hot spots in the coke bed, and remove residual hydrocarbons from the coke prior to venting the coke drum may comprise a ramp quench phase and a pressure quench phase after the ramp quench phase. During the ramp quench phase, the coke drum internal pressure may rise to a maximum pressure level and then fall to a transitional pressure level. At least one control valve may be actuated at the transitional pressure level to increase the coke drum internal pressure from the transitional pressure level to a pulsed pressure level of the pressure quench phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Dale William Wilborn, Eileen Imelda Love, Mark Anthony Alvarado
  • Patent number: 9771529
    Abstract: A process for producing light olefins and aromatics, which comprises reacting a feedstock by contacting with a catalytic cracking catalyst in at least two reaction zones, wherein the reaction temperature of at least one reaction zone among the reaction zones downstream of the first reaction zone is higher than that of the first reaction zone and its weight hourly space velocity is lower than that of the first reaction zone, separating the spent catalyst from the reaction product vapor, regenerating the separated spent catalyst and returning the regenerated catalyst to the reactor, and separating the reaction product vapor to obtain the desired products, light olefins and aromatics. This process produces maximum light olefins such as propylene, ethylene, etc from heavy feedstocks, wherein the yield of propylene exceeds 20% by weight, and produces aromatics such as toluene, xylene, etc at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignees: CHINA PETROLEUM & CHEMICAL CORPORATION, RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM PROCESSING, SINOPEC
    Inventors: Jun Long, Zhijian Da, Dadong Li, Xieqing Wang, Xingtian Shu, Jiushun Zhang, Hong Nie, Chaogang Xie, Zhigang Zhang, Wei Wang
  • Patent number: 9772267
    Abstract: Method for characterizing a heavily biodegraded oil sand ore sample by microwave-assisted bitumen extraction. Vacuum-filtration of solvent-extracted bitumen and sediments provides a means to recover sediment fines down to a particle size of 0.8 ?m, which is the analytical requirement for accurate mineralogical analysis of the clay mineral fraction. The method may be completed in hours, making it suitable for “just-in-time” analyzes at the mine site. The recovered sediment and sediment fines are suitable for characterization using traditional analytical techniques to understand mineralogy, petrology, and reservoir properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
  • Patent number: 9644157
    Abstract: Methods and systems for hydroprocessing heavy oil feedstocks to form upgraded material use a colloidal or molecular catalyst dispersed within heavy oil feedstock, pre-coking hydrocracking reactor, separator, and coking reactor. The colloidal or molecular catalyst promotes upgrading reactions that reduce the quantity of asphaltenes or other coke forming precursors in the feedstock, increase hydrogen to carbon ratio in the upgraded material, and decrease boiling points of hydrocarbons in the upgraded material. The methods and systems can be used to upgrade vacuum tower bottoms and other low grade heavy oil feedstocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: HEADWATERS HEAVY OIL, LLC
    Inventors: Everette Harris, Jeffrey Gendler
  • Patent number: 9187701
    Abstract: Undesirable components of traditional coking processes are selectively cracked or coked in the coking vessel by injecting an additive into the vapors in the coking vessel. The additive contains catalyst(s), seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), quenching agent(s), carrier(s), or any combination thereof to modify reaction kinetics to preferentially crack (or coke) these undesirable components that typically have a high propensity to coke, and are often precursors to coke in the coking process. These undesirable components can also be very problematic in downstream catalytic cracking processes, significantly contributing to coke on catalyst and catalyst deactivation. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide methods to (1) decrease coke production, (2) increase liquid transportation fuels, (3) control the coke crystalline structure, and (4) control the quantity and quality of volatile combustible materials (VCMs) in the resulting coke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Inventor: Roger G. Etter
  • Patent number: 9109165
    Abstract: Integrated slurry hydrocracking (SHC) and coking methods for making slurry hydrocracking (SHC) distillates are disclosed. Representative methods involve passing a slurry comprising a vacuum column resid, a liquid coker product, and a solid particulate through an SHC reaction zone in the presence of hydrogen to obtain the SHC distillate. Atmospheric distillation in the SHC product recovery section yields a combined SHC gas oil/SHC pitch stream that is sent to coking to generate the liquid coker product. In a representative embodiment, vacuum distillation in the SHC product recovery is avoided, thereby eliminating equipment that is often most susceptible to fouling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Paul R. Zimmerman, Dennis M. Clary
  • Patent number: 9102884
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hydroprocessed product that can be produced by hydroprocessing tar, such as a tar obtained from hydrocarbon pyrolysis. The invention also relates to methods for producing such a hydroprocessed product, and the use of such a product, e.g., as a fuel oil blending component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Teng Xu, Paul M. Edwards, Stephen H. Brown, Frank C. Wang, S. Mark Davis
  • Patent number: 9045345
    Abstract: Provided is a continuous method and apparatus of purifying carbon nanotubes. The continuous method and apparatus of purifying carbon nanotubes is characterized in a first purifying step for injecting a carbon nanotube liquid mixture containing an oxidizer into a purifying reactor under a sub-critical water or supercritical water condition at a pressure of 50 to 400 atm and a temperature of 100 to 600° C. to obtain a purified product, thereby removing amorphous carbon and producing the carbon nanotube product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: HANWHA CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joo Hee Han, Jin Seo Lee, Seung-Hoe Do, Seong Cheol Hong
  • Publication number: 20150129460
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to novel thermal cracking additive compositions for reduction of coke yield in Delayed Coking process and method for preparing the same. The present invention also provides that the thermal cracking additive compositions of the present invention are in micron-size and nano-size. Further, the present invention provides a process of thermal cracking of heavy petroleum residue used in petroleum refineries using Delayed Coking process to produce petroleum coke and lighter hydrocarbon products with decreased coke yield and increased yield of liquid and/or gaseous products.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Terapalli Hari Venkata Devi PRASAD, Ponoly Ramachandran PRADEEP, Satyen Kumar DAS, Jagdev Kumar DIXIT, RAJESH, OM PARKASH, Samik Kumar HAIT, Eswar Prasad DALAI, Ram Mohan THAKUR, Gautam THAPA, Debasis BHATTACHARYYA, Brijesh KUMAR, Biswapriya DAS, Santanam RAJAGOPAL, Ravinder Kumar MALHOTRA
  • Patent number: 8968557
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of converting coal to a petroleum product. The method includes the steps of mixing the coal and water to form a mixture, and heating the mixture to approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The method further includes separating the mixture in a first separator into a liquid stream of a water bearing minerals and a solid stream of coal, and transferring the coal from the first separator to a coking reactor wherein the temperature is raised to approximately 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit to drive off lighter fractions of the coal as a gas. The method also includes transferring the gas to a fourth separator to separate water and liquid petroleum product from the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Inventor: Paul T. Baskis
  • Patent number: 8968553
    Abstract: Undesirable components of traditional coking processes are selectively cracked or coked in the coking vessel by injecting an additive into the vapors in the coking vessel. The additive contains catalyst(s), seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), quenching agent(s), carrier(s), or any combination thereof to modify reaction kinetics to preferentially crack (or coke) these undesirable components that typically have a high propensity to coke, and are often precursors to coke in the coking process. These undesirable components can also be very problematic in downstream catalytic cracking processes, significantly contributing to coke on catalyst and catalyst deactivation. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide methods to (1) decrease coke production, (2) increase liquid transportation fuels, (3) control the coke crystalline structure, and (4) control the quantity and quality of volatile combustible materials (VCMs) in the resulting coke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Inventor: Roger G. Etter
  • Patent number: 8940950
    Abstract: The process relates to the use of any naphtha-range stream containing a portion of C8+ aromatics combined with benzene, toluene, and other non-aromatics in the same boiling range to produce toluene. By feeding the A8+ containing stream to a dealkylation/transalkylation/cracking reactor to increase the concentration of toluene in the stream, a more suitable feedstock for the methylation reaction can be produced. This stream can be obtained from a variety of sources, including the pygas stream from a steam cracker, “cat naphtha” from a fluid catalytic cracker, or the heavier portion of reformate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Justin M. Ellrich, Robert D. Strack, John W. Rebeck, Allen S. Gawlik, Larry L. Iaccino, Glenn C. Wood, Stephen H. Brown, Timothy Paul Bender
  • Patent number: 8936715
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing high quality lube base oil (Group III) from unconverted oil having various properties obtained in a variety of hydrocrackers using improved catalytic dewaxing and hydrofinishing, the method including producing unconverted oil of at least one kind in the same or different hydrocrackers; subjecting the unconverted oil to vacuum distillation; supplying all or part of the distillate fractions to a catalytic dewaxing reactor; supplying the dewaxed oil fraction to a hydrofinishing reactor; and stripping the hydrofinished light oil fraction, wherein make-up hydrogen is supplied upstream of the hydrofinishing reactor to increase hydrogen partial pressure, thereby enabling high quality base oil to be manufactured at high yield under optimal process conditions using unconverted oil produced by hydrocracking under various conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: SK Innovation Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyung Seok Noh, Yong Woon Kim, Gyung Rok Kim, Jae Wook Ryu, Sun Hyuk Bae, Tae Young Jang, Sun Choi, Seung Hoon Oh
  • Patent number: 8921633
    Abstract: In a hydrocarbon upgrading process, a hydrocarbon feed is treated in at least one of a steam cracker, catalytic cracker, coker, hydrocracker, and reformer under suitable conditions to produce a first stream comprising olefinic and aromatic hydrocarbons. A second stream composed mainly of C4 to C12+ olefinic and aromatic hydrocarbons is recovered from the first stream and blended said second stream with a residual fraction from a steam cracker or an atmospheric or vacuum distillation unit to produce a third stream. The third stream is then catalytically pyrolyzed in a reactor under conditions effective to produce a fourth stream having an increased benzene and/or toluene content compared with said second stream and a C3-olefin by-product. The C3-olefin by-product is recovered and benzene and/or toluene are recovered from the fourth stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Larry L. Iaccino, Stephen M. Davis, Steven E. Silverberg
  • Patent number: 8888991
    Abstract: Heavy gas oil components, coking process recycle, and heavier hydrocarbons in the delayed coking process are cracked in the coking vessel by injecting a catalytic additive into the vapors above the gas/liquid-solid interface in the coke drum during the coking cycle. The additive comprises cracking catalyst(s) and quenching agent(s), alone or in combination with seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), carrier fluid(s), or any combination thereof to modify reaction kinetics to preferentially crack these components. The quenching effect of the additive can be effectively used to condense the highest boiling point compounds of the traditional recycle onto the catalyst(s), thereby focusing the catalyst exposure to these target reactants. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can also provide methods to (1) reduce coke production, (2) reduce fuel gas production, and (3) increase liquids production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Inventor: Roger G. Etter
  • Publication number: 20140275676
    Abstract: A process for upgrading residuum hydrocarbon feedstocks that may include: contacting a residuum hydrocarbon and hydrogen with a hydroconversion catalyst in a residuum hydroconversion reactor system; recovering an effluent from the residuum hydroconversion reactor system; separating the effluent to recover two or more hydrocarbon fractions including at least a vacuum residuum fraction and a heavy vacuum gas oil fraction; combining at least a portion of the heavy vacuum gas oil fraction and at least a portion of the vacuum residuum fraction to form a mixed heavy hydrocarbon fraction; feeding at least a portion of the mixed heavy hydrocarbon fraction to a coker; operating the coker at conditions to produce anode grade green coke and distillate hydrocarbons; recovering the distillate hydrocarbons from the coker; fractionating the distillate hydrocarbons to recover hydrocarbon fractions including a light distillates fraction, a heavy coker gas oil fraction, and a coker recycle fraction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Lummus Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Gary Sieli, Ahmad Faegh, Ujjal K. Mukherjee, Mario C. Baldassari, Marvin I. Greene
  • Patent number: 8715484
    Abstract: The invention provides a stock oil composition for needle coke for a graphite electrode, the stock oil composition having a 10 vol % distillation temperature of 280° C. or higher as the distillation property, and when separated into the aromatic component and non-aromatic component by elution chromatography, having an aromatic component content of 30-80 wt % with respect to the total weight of the stock oil composition and an aromatic component molecular weight of 255-1300, as well as a non-aromatic component normal paraffin content of at least 5 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the aromatic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Tamotsu Tano, Takashi Oyama, Toshiyuki Oda, Ippei Fujinaga, Hiromitsu Hashisaka
  • Patent number: 8663456
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon feed is passed to a first zone of a vaporization unit to separate a first vapor stream and a first liquid stream. The first liquid stream is passed to a second zone of the vaporization unit and contacted intimately with a counter-current steam produce a second vapor stream and a second liquid stream. The first vapor stream and the second vapor stream are cracked in the radiant section of the steam cracker to produce a cracked effluent. The second liquid stream is thermally cracked in a coking drum to produce a coker effluent and coke. The coker effluent is separated into a coker gas and a coker liquid. The coker liquid is reacted with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to produce a hydroprocessed product. The hydroprocessed product is separated into a gas product and a liquid product. The liquid product is fed to the vaporization unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals, LP
    Inventors: Robert S. Bridges, Sellamuthu G. Chellappan
  • Patent number: 8658019
    Abstract: A process for cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feed comprising a vaporization step, a coking step, a hydroprocessing step, and a steam cracking step is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals, LP
    Inventors: Robert S. Bridges, Sellamuthu G. Chellappan
  • Patent number: 8518334
    Abstract: A process for upgrading unconventional or heavy oils such as, tar sands, shale oil, or bitumen. This process may include a coking scheme in which oil-containing solids, of suitable size, are fed directly into the riser of an FCC unit. Contacting a hot stream of solids causes vaporization and produces a gaseous product stream. The gaseous product may be separated out in a separating vessel and coked or unconverted oil-containing solids may be transferred to a gasifier for combustion at high temperatures to remove the coke and residual oil. Syngas from the gasifier may be converted to hydrogen using a water gas shift reaction. The hydrogen may be used for hydroprocessing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Gavin P. Towler
  • Patent number: 8491779
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the pretreatment of heavy oils using a catalytic hydrotreating process prior to introduction to a refinery. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of an HDM reactor and an HDS reactor in order to improve the characteristics of the heavy oil, such that when the oil is introduced into the refinery, the refinery can achieve improved throughputs, increased catalysts life, increased life cycles, and a reduction in overall operation costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Raheel Shafi, Esam Z. Hamad, Stephane Cyrille Kressmann, Julio Hasselmeyer Moses
  • Patent number: 8435452
    Abstract: A circulating fluid bed reactor such as that used in fluid coking processes has a circular dense bed reaction section above the reactor base where the fluidizing gas is injected and a plurality of frusto-conical baffles in the dense bed reaction section, each of which depends downwardly and radially inwards from the reactor wall to a lower, inner edge defining a central aperture. The baffles are preferably provided with downcomers which permit downward flow of solids and upward flow of gas through the baffles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: John T. Wyatt, Jr., E. Nicholas Jones, Alvin U. Chen, Clay R. Sutton, Timothy M. Healy, Ronald Suryo, Len Lampert, Jonathan Miller
  • Publication number: 20130075303
    Abstract: A process for hydroconversion of heavy petroleum feedstocks comprising a hydroconversion step of the feedstock in at least one reactor containing a slurry catalyst and allowing the recovery of metals in the unconverted residual fraction, in particular those used as catalysts, The process comprises a hydroconversion step, a gas/liquid separation step, a coking step, a combustion step, a metals extraction step and a step of preparing catalytic solutions which are recycled to the hydroconversion step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: IFP ENERGIES NOUVELLES
    Inventors: Jean Philippe Heraud, Frederic Morel, Alain Quignard
  • Patent number: 8394257
    Abstract: A reactor process added to a coking process to modify the quantity or yield of a coking process product and/or modify certain characteristics or properties of coking process products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Inventor: Roger G. Etter
  • Patent number: 8372264
    Abstract: Heavy gas oil components, coking process recycle, and heavier hydrocarbons in the delayed coking process are cracked in the coking vessel by injecting a catalytic additive into the vapors above the gas/liquid-solid interface in the coke drum during the coking cycle. The additive comprises cracking catalyst(s) and quenching agent(s), alone or in combination with seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), carrier fluid(s), or any combination thereof to modify reaction kinetics to preferentially crack these components. The quenching effect of the additive can be effectively used to condense the highest boiling point compounds of the traditional recycle onto the catalyst(s), thereby focusing the catalyst exposure to these target reactants. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can also provide methods to (1) reduce coke production, (2) reduce fuel gas production, and (3) increase liquids production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Inventor: Roger G. Etter
  • Patent number: 8372265
    Abstract: Undesirable gas oil components are selectively cracked or coked in a coking vessel by injecting an additive into the vapors of traditional coking processes in the coking vessel prior to fractionation. The additive contains catalyst(s), seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), quenching agent(s), carrier(s), or any combination thereof to modify reaction kinetics to preferentially crack or coke these undesirable components that typically have a high propensity to coke. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide methods to control the (1) coke crystalline structure and (2) the quantity and quality of volatile combustible materials (VCMs) in the resulting coke. That is, by varying the quantity and quality of the catalyst, seeding agent, and/or excess reactant the process may affect the quality and quantity of the coke produced, particularly with respect to the crystalline structure (or morphology) of the coke and the quantity & quality of the VCMs in the coke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Inventor: Roger G. Etter
  • Patent number: 8361310
    Abstract: Gas oil components, coking process recycle, and heavier hydrocarbons are cracked or coked in the coking vessel by injecting an additive into the vapors of traditional coking processes in the coking vessel. The additive contains catalyst(s), seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), quenching agent(s), carrier(s), or any combination thereof to modify reaction kinetics to preferentially crack or coke these components. Modifications of the catalysts in the additive improve performance for certain desired outcomes. One exemplary embodiment of the present invention uses the olefin production capabilities from newly developed catalysts to increase the production of light olefins (e.g. ethylene, propylenes, butylenes, pentenes) for alkylation process unit feed, the production of oxygenates, and petrochemical feedstocks, such as plastics manufacture. Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is the use of the olefin production from newly developed catalysts to improve the coker naphtha quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Inventors: Roger G. Etter, Augusto Quinones
  • Patent number: 8206574
    Abstract: A reactor process added to a coking process to modify the quantity or yield of a coking process product and/or modify certain characteristics or properties of coking process products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Inventor: Roger G. Etter
  • Patent number: 8197668
    Abstract: A process and apparatus are provided for upgrading steam cracker tars from steam crackers. The invention also relates to a steam cracking process and apparatus for reducing yields of tars produced from steam cracking while increasing yields of higher value products by heating steam cracker tar, in the presence of hydrogen donor compounds, e.g., tetralin. The hydrogen donor compounds can be provided in a hydrogen donor-rich hydrocarbon stream, e.g., light cycle oils, or low sulfur vacuum tower bottoms. The treated tar can be separated into gas oil, fuel oil and tar streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Y. Ou, Glenn A. Heeter, Paul F. Keusenkothen, James N. McCoy, Judith Hey, legal representative
  • Publication number: 20120125811
    Abstract: A process for cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feed comprising a vaporization step, a coking step, a hydroprocessing step, and a steam cracking step is disclosed. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is passed to a first zone of a vaporization unit to separate a first vapor stream and a first liquid stream. The first liquid stream is passed to a second zone of the vaporization unit and contacted intimately with a counter-current steam produce a second vapor stream and a second liquid stream. The first vapor stream and the second vapor stream are cracked in the radiant section of the steam cracker to produce a cracked effluent. The second liquid stream is thermally cracked in a coking drum to produce a coker effluent and coke. The coker effluent is separated into a coker gas and a coker liquid. The coker liquid is reacted with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to produce a hydroprocessed product. The hydroprocessed product is separated into a gas product and a liquid product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Robert S. Bridges, Sellamuthu G. Chellappan
  • Patent number: 8168061
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process for the selective conversion of vacuum gas oil. The vacuum gas oil is treated in a two step process. The first is thermal conversion and the second is catalytic cracking of the products of thermal conversion. The product slate can be varied by changing the conditions in the thermal and catalytic cracking steps as well as by changing the catalyst in the cracking step. The combined products from thermal and catalytic cracking are separated in a divided wall fractionator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Martin L. Gorbaty, Bruce R. Cook, David T. Ferrughelli, Jason B. English, Steven S. Lowenthal
  • Patent number: 8163168
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the selective conversion of hydrocarbon feed having a Conradson Carbon Residue content of 0 to 6 wt %, based on the hydrocarbon feed. The hydrocarbon feed is treated in a two-step process. The first is thermal conversion and the second is catalytic cracking of the products of the thermal conversion. The present invention results in a process for increasing the distillate production from a hydrocarbon feedstream for a fluid catalytic cracking unit. The resulting product slate from the present invention can be further varied by changing the conditions in the thermal and catalytic cracking steps as well as by changing the catalyst in the cracking step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Martin L. Gorbaty, Bruce R. Cook, David T. Ferrughelli, Jason B. English, Steven S. Lowenthal
  • Patent number: 8147676
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved delayed coking process. A coker feed, such as a vacuum resid, is treated with (i) a metal-containing agent and (ii) an oxidizing agent. The feed is treated with the oxidizing agent at an oxidizing temperature. The oxidized feed is then pre-heated to coking temperatures and conducted to a coking vessel for a coking time to allow volatiles to evolve and to produce a substantially free-flowing coke. A metals-containing composition is added to the feed at at least one of the following points in the process: prior to the heating of the feed to coking temperatures, during such heating, and/or after such heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Michael Siskin, David T. Ferrughelli, Martin L. Gorbaty, Simon R. Kelemen, Leo D. Brown
  • Patent number: 8137530
    Abstract: A process is provided for producing petroleum coke that is high in strength and sufficiently small in thermal expansion coefficient and sufficiently suppressed from puffing. The process includes coking a feedstock containing a first heavy oil having a sulfur content of 1.0 percent by mass or less, a nitrogen content of 0.5 percent by mass or less, and an aromatic index of 0.1 or greater, produced by hydrodesulfurizing a heavy oil with a sulfur content of 1 percent by mass or more under conditions (1) where the total pressure is 10 MPa or greater and less than 16 MPa and the hydrogen partial pressure is 5 MPa or greater and 16 MPa or less or conditions (2) where the total pressure is 20 MPa or greater and 25 MPa or less and the hydrogen partial pressure is greater than 20 MPa and 25 MPa or less, and a second heavy oil with an aromatic index of 0.3 or greater and an initial boiling point of 150° C. or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Petroleum Refining Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Tano, Takashi Oyama, Kazuhisa Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Oda, Keiji Higashi
  • Publication number: 20120006722
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for cracking a hydrocarbon feed containing resid, comprising: heating a hydrocarbon feedstock containing resid; passing said heated hydrocarbon feedstock to a vapor/liquid separator; flashing said heated hydrocarbon feedstock in said vapor/liquid separator to form a vapor phase and a liquid phase containing said resid; passing at least a portion of said resid-containing liquid phase from said vapor/liquid separator to a thermal conversion reactor operating at 649° C. or more, wherein the thermal conversion reactor contains coke particles; and converting at least a portion of said resid into olefins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventors: S. Mark Davis, Larry Lee Iaccino, Richard C. Stell, Steven E. Silverberg, Jiunn-Shyan Liou, Howard Freund
  • Patent number: 8083931
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a process wherein a feedstock or stream comprising steam cracker tar is passed to a vacuum pipestill. A deasphalted cut of tar is obtained as an overhead (or sidestream) and a heavy tar asphaltenic product is obtained as bottoms. In preferred embodiments, at least a portion of the bottoms product is sent to a partial oxidation unit (POX) wherein syn gas may be obtained as a product, and/or at least a portion of the bottoms product is used to produce a light product stream in a coker unit, such as coker naphtha and/or or coker gas oil. In another preferred embodiment at least a portion of the overheads product is added to refinery fuel oil pools and in yet another preferred embodiment at least a portion of the overheads product is mixed with locally combusted materials to lower soot make. Two or more of the aforementioned preferred embodiments may be combined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: James N. McCoy, Paul F. Keusenkothen, Alok Srivastava, James E Graham
  • Patent number: 8007659
    Abstract: A reduced puffing needle coke is formed, which includes a reduced nitrogen content within the coke so that the coke particles do not experience as much puffing during the formation of graphitized carbon articles produced from such coke upon heating to graphitization temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: GrafTech International Holdings Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Miller, Ching-Feng Chang, Irwin C. Lewis, Richard T. Lewis, Aaron Tomasek, Richard L. Shao
  • Patent number: 8007660
    Abstract: A reduced puffing needle coke is formed from decant oil, which includes a lesser amount of nitrogen within the coke so that carbon articles produced from such coke experience minimal expansion upon heating to graphitization temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: GrafTech International Holdings Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Miller, Ching-Feng Chang, Irwin C. Lewis, Aaron Tomasek, Richard L. Shao
  • Patent number: 8007658
    Abstract: A reduced puffing needle coke is formed, which includes a lesser amount of nitrogen within the coke so that carbon articles produced from such coke experience minimal expansion upon heating to graphitization temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: GrafTech International Holdings Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Miller, Ching-Feng Chang, Irwin C. Lewis, Aaron Tomasek, Richard L. Shao
  • Patent number: 7976695
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for possibly producing pipeline-ready heavy oil from substantially non-pumpable oil feeds. The methods and apparatus may be designed to produce such pipeline-ready heavy oils in the production field. Such methods and apparatus may involve thermal soaking of liquid hydrocarbonaceous inputs in thermal environments (2) to generate, though chemical reaction, an increased distillate amount as compared with conventional boiling technologies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: University of Wyoming Research Corporation
    Inventor: Lee E. Brecher
  • Patent number: 7947168
    Abstract: A method for recovering NH3 present in a sour water stream containing odiferous compounds such as pyridines, indoles, ketones and mercaptans produced during an upgrading process for upgrading bitumen from oil sands into synthetic crude comprising treating the sour water stream in a sour water treatment unit to produce a NH3-rich stream and a H2S-rich stream; and hydrotreating the NH3-rich stream in a hydrotreater in the presence of hydrogen to remove the odiferous compounds such as pyridines, indoles, ketones and mercaptans and produce a treated NH3-rich stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Syncrude Canada Ltd.
    Inventors: John Machin, Daniel Rusnell, Paul Won, Monica Morphy, Xin Alex Wu, Brenda Crickmore, Craig McKnight