Abstract: Recovering a polar hydrocarbon (HC) selective solvent substantially free of hydrocarbons (HCs) and other impurities from a lean solvent stream containing the selective solvent, measurable amounts of heavy aromatic HCs, and polymeric materials that are generated in an extractive distillation (ED) or liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) process. At least a portion of the lean solvent stream is contact in a solvent clean-up zone with a slip stream from the HC feed stream of the ED or LLE process or an external stream. The HC feed stream, such as pyrolysis gasoline or reformate, contains significant amounts of benzene and at least 50% polar (aromatic) HCs and serves as a displacement agent to remove the heavy HCs and polymeric material from the lean solvent stream. A magnetic filter can be used to remove the paramagnetic contaminants from the lean solvent.

Abstract: A process for removing sulfur compounds from a liquid hydrocarbon stream includes the steps of feeding the hydrocarbon stream to a recirculation section of an extraction vessel wherein the recirculation section contains a first alkaline solution; passing the hydrocarbon stream through the recirculation section; recirculating at least a part of a first alkaline stream to a top deck of one or more liquid-liquid contacting decks of the recirculation section; passing the hydrocarbon stream from the recirculation section to an extraction section of the extraction vessel wherein the extraction section includes one or more liquid-liquid contacting decks; feeding a second alkaline stream to an upper deck of the one or more liquid-liquid contacting decks of the extraction section wherein the second alkaline stream includes a second alkaline solution; and withdrawing a hydrocarbon product stream from the extraction vessel. An apparatus for removing sulfur compounds from the hydrocarbon stream is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for removing dimethylether from an olefin stream comprising dimethylether, comprising: (a) providing to an oxygenate recovery zone the olefin stream comprising dimethylether and a methanol-comprising solvent, treating the olefin stream comprising dimethylether with the methanol comprising solvent, and retrieving at least a dimethylether-depleted, methanol-comprising olefin stream; and (b) providing to the oxygenate recovery zone a non-aqueous C2 to C4 alcohol solvent and treating the dimethylether-depleted, methanol-comprising olefin stream with the non-aqueous C2 to C4 alcohol solvent, and retrieving from the oxygenate recovery zone at least an olefinic product that is depleted in dimethylether and methanol and a spent solvent comprising at least one C2 to C4 alcohol and methanol.

Abstract: A method for recovering hydrocarbons from an aqueous hydrocarbonaceous slurry comprises pumping a mixture of the slurry and an oxidizing agent through a conduit, wherein the conduit comprises a plurality of stationary interior projections defining a non-linear path through the conduit, and thereby agitating the mixture to release the hydrocarbons from the slurry; and separating the hydrocarbons from the slurry.

Abstract: Solvents and methods are provided for extracting a hydrocarbon fraction from a solid, semi-solid, liquid or viscous liquid hydrocarbon-containing material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the fractionation of knotwood extract, which has been obtained by extraction of knotwood with a hydrophilic solvent. The hydrophilic extract is extracted with a lipophilic solvent to remove lipophilic impurities. The invention also relates to the use of a liquid-liquid extraction for the purification of hydrophilic knotwood extract. The present process provides a purified knotwood extract, which contains more than 90% lignans, flavonoids and stilbenes and less than 10% impurities selected from resin acids, fatty acids, sterols, juvabiones, triglycerides and combinations thereof.

Abstract: A process for upgrading hydrocarbonaceous oil containing heteroatom-containing compounds where the hydrocarbonaceous oil is contacted with a solvent system that is a mixture of a major portion of a polar solvent having a dipole moment greater than about 1 debye and a minor portion of water to selectively separate the constituents of the carbonaceous oil into a heteroatom-depleted raffinate fraction and heteroatom-enriched extract fraction. The polar solvent and the water-in-solvent system are formulated at a ratio where the water is an antisolvent in an amount to inhibit solubility of heteroatom-containing compounds and the polar solvent in the raffinate, and to inhibit solubility of non-heteroatom-containing compounds in the extract. The ratio of the hydrocarbonaceous oil to the solvent system is such that a coefficient of separation is at least 50%.

Abstract: In order to recover hydrogen from a hydrogen-rich gaseous effluent, a procedure is used that comprises:

Abstract: Improved heavy oil conversion processes are disclosed in which the heavy oil feed is first thermally cracked using visbreaking or hydrovisbreaking technology to produce a product that is lower in molecular weight and boiling point than the feed. The product is then deasphalted using an alkane solvent at a solvent to feed volume ratio of less than 2 wherein separation of solvent and deasphalted oil from the asphaltenes is achieved through the use of a two-stage membrane separation system in which the second stage is a centrifugal membrane.

Abstract: A method for concentrating the amount of alkylated mono-aromatics in a lubricating oil feedstock useful as a feedstock for sulfonation. The method comprises extracting a feedstock rich in aromatics with a solvent selected from NMP, phenol and furfural, said feedstock containing sufficient water to provide a raffinate having a target VI between about 86 and 97 under extraction conditions of treat and temperature selected to achieve the target VI. The raffinate is then hydrofmed and solvent dewaxed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the removal of mercury and other heavy metals from a hydrocarbon feedstream. The process involves contacting the hydrocarbon feedstream with a feedstream-soluble sulfur compound and then contacting the hydrocarbon feedstream and solubilized sulfur compound with an adsorbent.

Abstract: A process for the removal of corrosive compounds from a fluid stream, comprising the steps of: in an extraction column with an outer steel tube and an inner tube of corrosion resistant material having an open inlet end and an open outlet end and being arranged coaxially with and spaced apart within at least top portion of the outer tube, introducing at elevated temperature at the inlet end of the inner tube the fluid stream and an extraction agent and effecting in the mixed stream of the fluid and extraction agent extraction of the corrosive compounds; introducing into an annular space between the walls of the outer and the inner tube a shell stream of a non-corrosive fluid, thereby absorbing in the shell stream amounts of the corrosive compounds diffusing through the wall of the inner tube; passing the shell stream to the bottom portion of the outer tube; cooling the mixed stream at the outlet end of the inner tube by introducing into the stream a cooling stream; passing the cooled stream to the bottom porti

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for separating aromatic hydrocarbons from a mixed hydrocarbon feed employing a selective solvent which exhibits a low critical solution temperature of the solvent with a solute. The mixed hydrocarbon feed is passed to an extraction zone wherein the feed is contacted with a lean solvent to provide a raffinate stream comprising non-aromatics and a rich solvent stream comprising aromatics and solvent. Both the raffinate stream and the rich solvent stream are admixed with a sufficient amount of a solute at a temperature which is at or below a low critical solution temperature with the solvent to separate the raffinate and aromatic phases from the solvent/solute mixture. The solvent/solute mixture is heated to a separation temperature which is above the low critical solution temperature to provide a solvent phase which is essentially free of solute at energy levels significantly lower than conventional processes.

Abstract: Water and organic low-boiling constituents in organic heat transfer fluids used to heat commercial processes are removed by introducing a gas such as nitrogen into a turbulent flow of the heat transfer fluid and separating gas which then contains low-boiling constituents from the heat transfer fluid of the heat transfer system. The gas containing low-boiling constituents may be sent to a condenser to return heat transfer fluid which also vaporizes into the gas, but to a lesser extent than the low-boilers, to the heat transfer system. The gas containing low-boiling constituents is then combusted.

Abstract: Water and organic low-boiling constituents in a organic heat transfer fluids used to heat commercial processes are removed by counter current stripping the fluid with a gas such as nitrogen. The gas containing low-boiling constituents is sent to a rectification column and condenser to return heat transfer fluid which also vaporizes into the gas, but to a lesser extent than the low-boilers, to the heat transfer system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for removing acid soluble oils, produced as an undesirable by-product of an HF catalyzed alkylation reaction, from a liquid containing a sulfone compound. The process includes the use of water to induce the formation of the two immiscible liquid phases of ASO and sulfone with water. The two immiscible phases can subsequently be separated from each other.

Abstract: A method is provided for the recovery of aromatic hydrocarbons from the extract phase of aromatic-selective solvent extraction process which involves withdrawing a vapor side-cut fraction containing aromatic hydrocarbons and solvent from a stripping zone and passing the side-cut fraction to a rectification zone which can be refluxed with an aqueous condensate. The benefits of the invention are that the introduction of the rectification zone bottoms to the bottom of the stripping section provides an aromatic product comprising less than 100 wt. ppm. solvent, provides improved stripping over prior schemes, and reduces the flowrate of stripping medium throughout the stripping zone which results in energy saving.

Abstract: Methods are provided for the recovery of aromatic hydrocarbons from the extract phase of aromatic-selective solvent extraction processes which involve withdrawing a vapor side-cut fraction containing aromatic hydrocarbons and solvents from a stripping zone and passing the side-cut fraction to a rectification zone which can be refluxed with aromatic hydrocarbons or aqueous condensate.

Abstract: In the method for the production of an aromate concentrate suitable for use as blending component for gasifier fuel, feed hydrocarbon mixtures having boiling ranges substantially between 40.degree. and 170.degree. C., are subjected, without any previous separation into individual fractions, to an extractive distillation employing N-substituted morpholine, substituents of which display no more than seven C-atoms, as selective solvent. Herewith, the lower boiling non-aromates with a boiling range up to about 105.degree. C., practically completely, and most of the higher boiling non-aromates with a boiling range between about 105.degree. and 160.degree. C., are recovered as raffinate, whereas the aromates, which are to be employed in whole or in part as blending component, come down in the extract of the extractive distillation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the separation of a desired product from a supritical fluid extraction solution employ a restrictor nozzle, a coarse-pore sintered-glass enclosure member and a collecting means for collecting an oil suspension of the desired product. The supercritical fluid extraction solution is decompressed by passing through the restrictor nozzle. The resulting decompressed fluid stream is directed at the enclosure member which is saturated with an oil in which the desired product is soluble. Solutes including the desired product are dissolved in the oil, and the oil is collected. The method and apparatus are particularly suitable for use in separating .beta.-carotene from a carbon dioxide solvent.

Abstract: A phenolic polymerization inhibitor is recovered from a styrene distillation residue containing the phenolic polymerization inhibitor by a method which comprises extracting the inhibitor from the styrene distillation residue with an oxygen-containing organic solvent having not more than 6 carbon atoms, adding an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent to the oxygen-containing organic solvent phase consequently obtained, and subjecting the resultant mixture to distillation thereby separating the mixture into a solution of the phenolic polymerization inhibitor in the aromatic hydrocarbon solvent and the oxygen-containing organic solvent. The recovered solution is put to use as a polymerization inhibitor either in the unmodified form or in a form separated from the aromatic hydrocarbon solvent.

Abstract: Meta- and para-diisopropylbenzenes cannot be easily separated from each other by distillation because of the closeness of their vapor pressures. m-Diisopropylbenzene can be readily removed from p-diispropylbenzene by azeotropic distillation using acetophenone. The acetophenone - m-diisopropylbenzene azeotrope can be separated by solvent extraction with propylene glycol to remove the acetophenone and the propylene glycol - acetophenone mixture is readily separated from each other by rectification.

Abstract: A mixture of normally liquid organic compounds, particularly a light cycle oil obtained by the catalytic cracking of petroleum oils, is separated by contacting the mixture with an essentially anhydrous organic sulfoxide, particularly dimethylsulfoxide, to dissolve an organic extract in said sulfoxide and form an extract phase, comprising sulfoxide and the organic extract, and a raffinate phase, comprising the organic raffinate; diluting the extract phase with about 4.0 to 10.0 wt.

Abstract: A process of removing methanol from a mixed stream comprising methanol and at least one hydrocarbon and utilizing the hydrocarbon as feed for an acid catalyzed alkylation unit which produces a spent acid stream is provided. The process is comprised of the steps of contacting the mixed stream with at least a portion of the alkylation unit spent acid stream whereby the methanol is reacted therewith and an aqueous reaction mixture is formed, separating the aqueous reaction mixture from the hydrocarbon and conducting the hydrocarbon to the alkylation unit.

Abstract: A method of recovering light organic solvent from a liquid mixture containing the solvent and a product material, such as asphaltenes or coal liquefaction products. The solvent-product material mixture is treated to separate a first vapor phase rich in solvent and a first liquid phase rich in product material. The first liquid phase is then intimately contacted with steam, under shearing conditions, in a static or dynamic mixer. The steam-liquid phase mixture is then treated to separate a second vapor phase, rich in steam and solvent, and a second liquid phase, rich in product material and substantially depleted of solvent. Solvent is recovered from the first and second vapor phases.

Abstract: A method for separating olefins from paraffins in which a mixture of olefin and paraffin is contacted with a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) extractant stream in the liquid phase thereby dissolving olefins in the DMSO and permitting separation of a paraffin stream. The DMSO containing dissolved olefin is then contacted with water and a phase separation is effected between olefin and a mixture of DMSO and water. At least a portion of the DMSO and water mixture can be fractionated to produce a dried DMSO product which can be recycled as a portion of the extractant into contact with the mixture of olefin and paraffin.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for the separation of ethylene or propylene from a purified, multi-component gas stream produced from the thermal cracking of hydrocarbons and containing ethylene or propylene and other low molecular weight components comprising the steps of: introducing said multi-component gas stream into an aqueous silver salt solution stream to effect the absorption and/or complexing of said contained ethylene or propylene and reaction of trace acetylenes with the silver metal ions of such solution; venting of the silver salt solution stream at reduced pressure to remove the dissolved other low molecular weight components; treating the resulting silver salt solution stream to separate the absorbed and/or complexed ethylene or propylene from the silver salt stream; further treating the resultant silver salt solution stream to release the contained trace acetylenes therefrom and provide an aqueous silver salt stream; and recycling said aqueous silver salt stream to said introducing step.