Abstract: The present invention relates to an NCC process and an apparatus for producing light olefins and aromatics, wherein the C5+ fraction (16) of the cracking effluent is separated into a C5 fraction (25) recycled into the NCC reactor (4) and a C6+ fraction (26), and wherein the C6+ fraction (26) is sent into an aromatics extraction unit (30) to produce an aromatics-enriched fraction (31) and a low-aromatics fraction (32).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an NCC process and an apparatus for producing light olefins and aromatics, wherein the fraction comprising ethane and/or propane (12) from the cracking effluent is sent at least partly into a steam cracking furnace (19), fed with steam (20), to produce a steam cracking effluent (21) comprising ethylene and/or propylene.

Abstract: A process for separating xylenes from a feedstock in which the feedstock is separated into a xylene stream, a benzene rich stream and a light ends stream. Two separation zones may be utilized in which liquid from the first zone sent to a toluene recovery zone and vapor from the first zone is sent to a compression zone. The compressed vapor from the compression zone is sent to the second separation zone.

Abstract: A method for obtaining crude oil products is proposed in which a gaseous stream (d) is formed from a crude oil stream (b) by evaporation (2) and the gaseous stream (d) is at least partially subjected to a steam cracking process (1), a cracked gas stream (e) being produced in the steam cracking process (1) which is at least partially quenched with a liquid hydrocarbon stream (f), thereby forming a quenching effluent (g). It is provided that a fraction (f) of the crude oil stream (b) that remains liquid during the evaporation (2) of the crude oil stream (b) is used at least partly to form the liquid hydrocarbon stream (f) used for the quenching. The liquid hydrocarbon stream used for the quenching is low in or free from components that have been separated from the quenching effluent (g) or a stream formed from the quenching effluent (g) and the quenching effluent (g) is obtained by quenching with the liquid hydrocarbon stream (f) at a temperature in the range from 0 to 250° C.

Abstract: A process for purifying at least one product from coal tar is described. The process involves separating a coal tar fraction having a boiling point in the range of about 180° C. to about 230° C. into an acidic portion and a non-acidic portion by contacting the fraction with a caustic compound. The acidic portion is separated into a cresol portion and a xylenol portion, and the non-acidic portion is separated into a naphthalene portion and a naphthalene co-boiler portion. The acidic portion and the non-acidic portions are separated by contacting with an adsorbent comprising small, discrete crystallites, the adsorbent having less than 10 wt % amorphous binder component. The various portions can be separated in a similar manner.

Abstract: A process for reforming a hydrocarbon stream is presented. The process involves splitting a naphtha feedstream to at least two feedstreams and partially processing each feedstream in separate reactors. The processing includes passing the light stream to a combination hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reactor. The process reduces the energy by reducing the endothermic properties of intermediate reformed process streams.

Abstract: A process for reforming a hydrocarbon stream is presented. The process involves splitting a naphtha feedstream to at least two feedstreams and partially processing each feedstream in separate reactors. The processing includes passing the light stream to a combination hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reactor. The process reduces the energy by reducing the endothermic properties of intermediate reformed process streams.

Abstract: A process for reforming hydrocarbons is presented. The process involves applying process controls over the reaction temperatures to preferentially convert a portion of the hydrocarbon stream to generate an intermediate stream, which will further react with reduced endothermicity. The intermediate stream is then processed at a higher temperature, where a second reforming reactor is operated under substantially isothermal conditions.

Abstract: A process for the production of aromatics through the reforming of a hydrocarbon stream is presented. The process utilizes the differences in properties of components within the hydrocarbon stream to increase the energy efficiency. The differences in the reactions of different hydrocarbon components in the conversion to aromatics allows for different treatments of the different components to reduce the energy used in reforming process.

Abstract: A process is presented for the increasing the yields of aromatics from reforming a hydrocarbon feedstream. The process includes splitting a naphtha feedstream into a light hydrocarbon stream, and a heavier stream having a relatively rich concentration of naphthenes. The heavy stream is reformed to convert the naphthenes to aromatics and the resulting product stream is further reformed with the light hydrocarbon stream to increase the aromatics yields. The catalyst is passed through the reactors in a sequential manner.

Abstract: Processes for producing aromatics from a naphtha feedstream are provided. An exemplary process includes passing the feedstream to a fractionation unit, thereby generating a first stream including hydrocarbons having less than 8 carbon atoms and a second stream including hydrocarbons having at least 8 carbon atoms. The first stream is passed to a first reformer operated at a first set of reaction conditions to generate a first product stream. The first set of reaction conditions includes a first temperature and a first pressure. The second stream is passed to a second reformer operated at a second set of reaction conditions to generate a second product stream. The second set of reaction conditions includes a second temperature and a second pressure. The first pressure is lower than the second pressure.

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.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for recovering aromatics from a naphtha feedstock obtained from a crude petroleum, natural gas condensate, or petrochemical feedstock. The method and system comprise the steps of recovering an aromatics fraction from the feedstock prior to reforming.

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.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for recovering a water-soluble complex mixture of organic compounds from an aqueous stream through extraction and/or through contact of the aqueous stream with a sorbent or sorbents selected from the group consisting of polymeric microreticular sorbent resins, zeolite-based adsorbents, clay-based adsorbents, activated carbon-based sorbents, and mixtures thereof; and including methods to recover the removed organic compounds.

Abstract: The invention disclosed relates to a process for refining a hydrocarbon feed to make substantially styrene-free C6-C8 aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX). The hydrocarbon feed, for example, unhydrotreated pyrolysis gasoline, is distilled to make a BTX rich stream containing styrene which is fractionated to separate C6 and C7 hydrocarbons from C8 hydrocarbons including styrene. Styrene in the C8 hydrocarbons reacts in the presence of a selective etherification catalyst with a C1-C3 lower alkyl alcohol to form the corresponding styrene ether, which is then separated by distillation into a styrene ether stream and a C8 hydrocarbons rich stream. The C8 hydrocarbons rich stream is then re-mixed with the C6 and C7 hydrocarbons, and sent to hydrogenation reactors to remove sulphur and olefinic hydrocarbons to form substantially styrene-free BTX.

Abstract: A method for cross connecting the lean solvent supply lines between the liquid liquid extraction (LLE) and the extractive distillation (ED) processes thereby using the LLE column as the outlet for removing accumulated heavy hydrocarbons (HCs) and polymeric materials from the solvent loop of both processes to maintain their solvent performance. The unique capabilities of the LLE column in rejecting heavy HCs from the solvent into a raffinate product stream that leaves the system enable the removal of the accumulated heavy HCs and polymeric materials from the closed solvent loop of the ED process when their lean solvent loop are cross connected. Cross connection requires minimum equipment change. In the revamped system, the solvent recovery column (SRC) in LLE process supplies lean solvent for the extractive distillation column while the SRC of the ED process supplies lean solvent for LLE column.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for extracting styrene, having a polymerization quality, from pyrolysis benzol fractions containing styrene by means of extractive distillation. The pyrolysis benzol fraction is separated in a separating wall column in a C8-core fraction, a C7 fraction and a C9+-fraction, the obtained C8-core fraction is subjected to selective hydrogenation of the phenylacetylene C8H6 which it contains. Subsequently, the obtained C8-fraction undergoes extractive-distillative separation in a styrene fraction and a fraction which is low in styrene.

Abstract: The present invention is for a process for the alkylation of aromatic compounds, with a shape-selective zeolite catalyst. The process has reactors in series with C8+ aromatics being separated from the product stream effluents from each reactor before passing the reactor effluent to the next reactor with an additional input of methanol. The C8+ aromatics are separated into para-xylene and other C8+ aromatics. This process is applicable for toluene methylation having a molar excess of toluene:methanol. i.e., greater than 1:1, with a shape-selective catalyst of an aluminosilicate zeolite, such as ZSM-5 which has been modified with phosphorus, to produce para-xylene (p-xylene).

Abstract: A process for the separation of the aromatic compounds benzene, toluene and xylene from an aromatics-containing reformate gasoline and pyrolysis gasoline or a coke-oven light oil or an aromatics-containing refinery stream, in which the aromatics are separated by an extractive distillation uses a novel solvent combination made up of the compounds n,n?-diformyl piperazine or 2,2?-bis-(cyanoethyl)ether in a combination with n-formyl morpholine as a second solvent for extractive distillation so that the solvent combination obtained shows a higher selectivity with regard to the aromatics to be extracted so that a lower solvent load is required. The aromatics-containing feed mixture is first submitted to a pre-distillation so that the obtained fraction has a narrow boiling point range. This fraction is then submitted to an extractive distillation in a first column, in which an aromatics-lean head product of predominantly paraffinic hydrocarbons is obtained as well as an aromatics-enriched bottom product.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a reactor system for preparing linear alpha-olefins by oligomerization of ethylene in the presence of an organic solvent and an oligomerization catalyst, wherein a product fraction of C10+ alpha-olefins contaminated with aromatic C9+ compounds is separated from a product main stream and transferred into a conversion reactor, where C10+ alpha-olefins and aromatic C9+ components are reacted in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts alkylation catalyst to produce aromatic C19+ compound.

Abstract: Processes for maximizing high-value aromatics production utilizing stabilized crude benzene withdrawal are provided. Aromatic reactor effluent comprising a C5? fraction and a C6 to C10 fraction is separated into a benzene-rich stream and liquid and vapor streams depleted in benzene, one of the liquid streams depleted in benzene being a benzene-depleted C6? fraction. At least a portion of the C5? fraction from the benzene-rich stream is removed.

Abstract: A process for recovering benzene, the process including: feeding hydrogen and a hydrocarbon fraction comprising benzene, components lighter than benzene, components heavier than benzene, and diolefins to a catalytic distillation reactor system comprising at least one reaction zone comprising a hydrogenation catalyst; concurrently in the catalytic distillation reactor system: contacting the diolefins and hydrogen in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst to selectively hydrogenate at least a portion of the diolefins; and fractionating the hydrocarbon fraction to form a fraction comprising benzene and other C6 hydrocarbons, and a heavies fraction comprising C7+ hydrocarbons; recovering the heavies fraction from the first catalytic distillation reactor system as a bottoms fraction; and withdrawing the fraction comprising benzene and other C6 hydrocarbons from the catalytic distillation reactor system as a benzene concentrate fraction.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for reducing the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs in aromatic extracts including oxidizing the PAHs in the presence of a hemoprotein via an oxidizing compound, wherein the aromatic extract is brought into contact with the oxidizing agent in a non-reactive organic solvent, then is brought into contact with the immobilized or supported hemoprotein.

Abstract: A process for the purification of aromatic streams is provided that includes a new start up procedure that in embodiments significantly reduces impurities in an aromatics feedstock.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus relate to separating and removing aromatic compounds from a hydrocarbon stream. Splitting of the hydrocarbon stream into constituents as desired relies on a membrane and distillation columns that supply feed into the membrane and receive retentate and permeate streams output from the membrane. Configurations employing the membrane and the distillation columns enable benzene recovery and facilitate efficient separation.

Abstract: In a process for reducing the amount of benzene produced in a startup procedure for purification of an aromatic feedstream, the improvement comprising a start-up procedure including contacting said catalyst with said feedstream at elevated LHSV for a period of time sufficient to reduce benzene and/or toluene levels to a predetermined level, and proceeding under normal operational conditions.

Abstract: A method for the solvent extraction of 1,3-butadiene from a mixture of C4 hydrocarbons that employs a distillation tower to produce the desired 1,3-butadiene product as an overhead and a separate bottoms stream that is removed from and not recycled in the solvent extraction process.

Abstract: Processes and apparatuses for separating diisopropylbenzene (DIPB) and triisopropylbenzene (TIPB) from a feed including DIPB, TIPB, and polyalkylate heavies are disclosed. The disclosed processes include introducing the feed into a distillation column having a column top pressure of less than 5 psia, a column bottoms pressure of less than 3 psi, and preferably 2 psi or less above the column top pressure with a bottoms temperature ranging from about 435° F. to about 465° F. The processes also include taking off a side draw including at least 99.8 wt % of the DIPB and at least 50 wt % of the TIPB present in the feed and a bottoms stream including at least 95 wt % of the heavies contained in the distillation feed. The low temperature bottoms temperature enables high pressure steam to be used as the bottoms reboiler heat source.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for reducing the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feedstock having at least 50 wt. % of C8 aromatics, comprising the step of contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst at conversion conditions, wherein the catalyst includes a molecular sieve having a zeolite structure type of MWW.

Abstract: A process for reducing the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feed containing bromine-reactive contaminants that has improved cycle length and utilizes a crystalline molecular sieve catalyst. The process is carried out by contacting the hydrocarbon feed under conversion conditions with a catalyst shaped in the form of an elongated aggregate comprising a crystalline molecular sieve having a MWW or *BEA framework type. The shortest cross-sectional dimension of the elongated aggregate is less about 1/10 inch (2.54 millimeters).

Abstract: A process for reducing the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feedstock, the process comprising the step of contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst at conversion conditions, wherein the catalyst includes at least one molecular sieve and at least one clay, and wherein said catalyst is sufficient to reduce more than 50% of the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feedstock.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a process for producing one or more olefins from an oxygenate feed. According to the invention, an oxygenate stream is provided and a recycle stream is added to the oxygenate stream to form a feed stream to an oxygenate-to-olefin conversion system. The recycle stream comprises (i.e., contains) propane and dimethyl ether.

Abstract: A process for producing industrially important chemicals from renewable resources is disclosed. This “biobased” process employs readily available, renewable resources comprising fatty acids rather than exploiting fossil sources, such as coal and petroleum. In one embodiment of the process 1-octene, along with methyl-9-decenoate and butadiene, is produced from linoleic acid via an enzymemediated isomerization reaction, followed by a metathesis reaction with ethylene. Linoleic acid can be isolated from vegetable oils, such as soybean oil.

Abstract: A method for the separation of hydrocarbon compounds utilizing a dividing wall distillation column is described. The dividing wall distillation column enables one or more side draw stream to be removed from the dividing wall distillation column in addition to an overhead stream and a bottoms stream.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for separating and disposing of catalyst in an oxygenate to olefins reaction system. Oxygenates are converted to olefins in a reactor in the presence of a catalyst having carbonaceous deposits, then effluent stream comprising the olefins is removed from the reactor. This effluent stream is entrained with a portion of the catalyst having carbonaceous deposits. The catalyst is separated from the effluent stream by contacting the effluent stream with a neutralized liquid quench medium to produce a catalyst containing stream. The carbonaceous deposits are incinerated and then the catalyst is recirculated to the reactor.

Abstract: This invention is to a process for separating condensed water and entrained solids from an olefin stream so that fouling of the separation equipment by the entrained solids is reduced or eliminated. The process involves injecting an antifouling agent into a water condensing or quench system in an amount to maintain a zeta potential of fouling liquid and a zeta potential of the surface of the quench system both in a positive range or both in a negative range.

Abstract: This invention is directed to methods for forming an olefin stream from a methanol stream. A lower grade methanol, such as chemical grade or crude methanol, can be used as feed to form the olefin stream. The process uses a relatively simple distillation type step to vaporize a portion of the methanol feed stream and send the resulting vapor stream to a reaction unit to form the olefin stream. In addition, the invention provides the ability to operate the downstream recovery units with reduced fouling or plugging due to the presence of fine solids components.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for reducing the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feedstock having at least 50 wt. % of C8 aromatics, comprising the step of contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst at conversion conditions, wherein the catalyst includes a molecular sieve having a zeolite structure type of MWW.

Abstract: An integrated, continuous process for transforming feedstock, e.g., reformate, which contains high levels of benzene into a low-benzene content feedstock that is suitable for gasoline blending initially removes benzene from the reformate by extractive distillation, then partially hydrogenating the high purity benzene into cyclohexane under mild conditions in a one-stage hydrogenation reactor, and thereafter recovering a cyclohexane product with high purity from the hydrogenation reactor effluent in a back-end purification step using extractive distillation. The initial or front-end separation step yields a low-benzene content reformate.

Abstract: This invention is to a process for separating condensed water and entrained solids from an olefin stream so that fouling of the separation equipment by the entrained solids is reduced or eliminated. The process involves injecting an antifouling agent into a water condensing or quench system in an amount to maintain a zeta potential of fouling liquid and a zeta potential of the surface of the quench system both in a positive range or both in a negative range.

Abstract: A process for reducing the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feedstock, the process comprising the step of contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst at conversion conditions, wherein the catalyst includes at least one molecular sieve and at least one clay, and wherein said catalyst is sufficient to reduce more than 50% of the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feedstock.

Abstract: A method for optimizing the production of nitration grade toluene from a solvent extraction process that produces an aromatic rich extract and a saturate rich raffinate, comprising adding an effective amount of the raffinate back to the extract.

Abstract: A processing scheme and arrangement for enhanced olefin production involves recovering thermal energy from a reactor effluent stream resulting from the dehydrogenation of a dehydrogenatable hydrocarbon. The process involves contacting the reactor effluent stream with a circulating fluid stream in a first contact cooling zone to produce a product stream and to form a heated circulating fluid stream. Thermal energy is recovered from the heated circulating fluid stream via indirect heat exchange with a first process stream in a first heat exchange zone to form a cooled circulating fluid stream. The cooled circulating fluid stream can be subsequently cooled and at least a first portion thereof returned to the first contact cooling zone.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a method of removing dimethyl ether from an olefin stream. The method includes distilling the olefin stream so that the dimethyl ether is separated out of the olefin stream with propane. The olefin stream can then be further distilled to provide a polymer grade ethylene stream and a polymer grade propylene stream, with each stream containing not greater than about 10 wppm dimethyl ether.

Abstract: Provided is a method for the separation and purification of high-purity 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene from a reaction mixture of dimethylnaphthalenes by continuous crystallization. According to the method, shell-tubetype crystallization apparatuses are used to perform crystallization operations under a continuous flow of a reaction mixture of dimethylnaphthalenes, which is obtained from the synthesis of dimethylnaphthalenes using o-xylene and butadiene as starting materials. As a result, high-purity 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene is separated and purified in a high yield from the reaction mixture. In addition, the method is advantageous in terms of energy saving when compared to conventional separation methods and enables continuous separation and purification of 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene on an industrial scale. A system for implementing the method is further provided.

Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for cleaning tar-bearing waste water (17), a mixture of water and hydrocarbons, e.g. comprising polyaromatic hydrocarbons and phenols, the mixture is separated into a low-boiling-point part and a high-boiling-point part, bringing the low-boiling-point part on vapor form in a boiler (1), and the low-boiling-point part is cracked in vapor form at a high temperature in a reactor (2), providing light combustible gases, which can be utilized in e.g. gas engines, gas turbines or the like. Furthermore, the high-boiling-point part may be used for energy supply to the process or other processes or as an alternative be cracked for providing light combustible gases.

Abstract: A process for fractionating a starting mixture of two or more components by extractive distillation using a selective solvent in a dividing wall column aligned in the longitudinal direction of the column and extending to the upper end of the column and dividing the column interior into a first region, a second region, and a lower combined column region. The starting mixture is fed into the first region, a first top stream is taken off from the first region, and a second top stream is taken off from the second region, each stream having a prescribed specification. The selective solvent is introduced in the upper part of the first region and/or in the upper part of the second region, and solvent flow into the first region and/or solvent flow into the second region are set so that each of the prescribed specifications for the top streams are met.

Abstract: An integrated process for the isolation of benzene contained within a fluid catalytically cracked naphtha is disclosed wherein a C6 fraction containing a benzene concentrate is subjected to etherification with alcohol (e.g. methanol and/or ethanol) to convert the C6 isoolefins to ethers which are separated by fractional distillation. If desired the ethers may be dissociated to the isoolefins and alcohol. The remaining material in the benzene concentrate may then be treated to remove olefins and organic sulfur compounds so that the benzene may be removed by solvent extraction. Alternatively the benzene in the remaining material may be subjected to hydrogenation.

Abstract: An energy efficient process scheme for a highly exothermic reaction-distillation system in which the reactor is external to the distillation column and the feed to the reactor is a mixture of at least one liquid product stream from the distillation column with or without other liquid/vapor reactants. The reactor is operated under adiabatic and boiling point conditions and at a pressure that results in vaporizing a portion of the liquid flow through the reactor due to the heat of reaction. Under these conditions, reaction temperature is controlled by reactor pressure. The pressure (and hence the temperature) is maintained at a sufficiently high level such that the reactor effluent can be efficiently used to provide reboil heat for the distillation column.