# US 10,118,878 B2 · Process for increasing xylene isomer to benzene ratio > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,118,878 B2 - Document ID: US10118878B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/668,535 - Filed: 2017-08-03 - Published: 2018-03-22 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-20 - Assignees: Uop LLC - Applicants: Uop LLC - Inventors: Rajeswar R. Gattupalli; Mohamed S. M. Shakur; Naiyl A. Rashid - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118878B2 ## CPC - C07C 15/08: Xylenes - B01D 3/143: {by two or more of a fractionation, separation or rectification step} - C07C 5/25: Migration of carbon-to-carbon double bonds - C07C 5/2737: {with crystalline alumino-silicates, e.g. molecular sieves} - C07C 6/12: of exclusively hydrocarbons containing a six-membered aromatic ring - C07C 6/126: {of more than one hydrocarbon} - C07C 7/04: by distillation - C07C 7/12: by adsorption, i.e. purification or separation of hydrocarbons with the aid of solids, e.g. with ion-exchangers - C10G 7/00: Distillation of hydrocarbon oils - C10G 45/58: to change the structural skeleton of some of the hydrocarbon content without cracking the other hydrocarbons present, e.g. lowering pour point; Selective hydrocracking of normal paraffins (C10G32/00 takes precedence; improving or increasing the octane number or aromatic content of naphtha C10G35/00) - C10G 67/0409: {Extraction of unsaturated hydrocarbons} - C10G 67/0445: {The hydrotreatment being a hydrocracking} - C07C 15/04: Benzene - C07C 15/06: Toluene - C07C 15/20: Polycyclic condensed hydrocarbons - C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES ## Abstract Apparatuses and processes are provided for regulating C7 and C8 feed to an aromatics complex to increase the ratio of a selected xylene isomer to benzene ratio. Reformate may be split into three cuts in a splitter column. A side cut stream comprises predominantly C7 hydrocarbons and a bottoms steam from the splitter column comprises predominantly C8+ hydrocarbons. The relative proportion of the C7 and C8+ hydrocarbon streams sent to the aromatics complex are metered to determine the resulting ratio of a selected xylene isomer to benzene produced by the aromatics complex. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for producing aromatics in an aromatics complex comprising: fractionating a naphtha stream to provide a C7 stream and a C8+ aromatics stream; feeding a first C7 stream taken from the C7 stream to the aromatics complex comprising an aromatics extraction unit, a BTX fractionation zone, a xylene fractionation zone, and a transalkylation unit and/or an isomerization unit; feeding a first C8+ aromatics stream taken from the C8+ aromatics stream to the aromatics complex; and feeding a second C7 stream taken from the C7 stream away from the aromatics complex; or feeding a second C8+ aromatics stream taken from the C8+ aromatics stream away from the aromatics complex. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 comprising feeding the first C7 stream taken from the C7 stream to the aromatics extraction unit in the aromatics complex to extract a non-aromatic C7 raffinate stream from a toluene stream. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2 comprising feeding the C7 raffinate stream to a gasoline pool. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The process of claim 2 comprising fractionating the toluene stream to separate a benzene stream from a concentrated toluene stream. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The process of claim 4 comprising feeding the concentrated toluene stream to the transalkylation unit to produce xylene and benzene. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The process of claim 5 further comprising fractionating a transalkylation effluent with the toluene stream to obtain a xylene stream in addition to the benzene stream and the concentrated toluene stream. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The process of claim 6 comprising feeding the xylene stream to the xylene fractionation zone in the aromatics complex to separate a concentrated xylene stream. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The process of claim 7 comprising feeding the concentrated xylene stream to a xylene extraction unit to extract a selected xylene isomer stream from a xylene raffinate stream. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The process of claim 8 comprising isomerizing the xylene raffinate stream in the isomerization unit to produce more selected xylene isomer and recycling an isomerate stream to said xylene extraction unit via said xylene fractionation zone. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 comprising calculating a selected xylene isomer product to benzene product ratio and changing a flow rate of the second C7 stream and/or the second C8+ aromatics stream in response to the calculated selected xylene isomer product to benzene product ratio. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The process of claim 10 comprising fractionating said C8+ aromatics stream to provide said first C8+ aromatics stream comprising C8 aromatics and said second C8+ aromatics stream comprising C9 aromatics. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1 comprising recovering paraxylene and benzene from the aromatics complex at a mass ratio of paraxylene to benzene of at least 85:15. ### Claim 13 A process for producing aromatics in an aromatics complex comprising an aromatics extraction unit, a BTX fractionation zone, a xylene fractionation zone, and a transalkylation unit and/or an isomerization unit, the process comprising the steps of: fractionating a naphtha stream to provide an intermediate stream and a heavy stream; feeding a first intermediate stream taken from the intermediate stream to an aromatics extraction unit to extract a raffinate stream from a toluene stream; feeding all or a first portion of the heavy stream to a xylene column; and feeding a second intermediate stream taken from the intermediate stream to a gasoline pool; or feeding a second portion of the heavy stream to a the gasoline pool. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13 comprising feeding the raffinate stream to the gasoline pool. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13 comprising feeding the second portion of the heavy stream to the gasoline pool. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The process of claim 15 comprising fractionating said heavy stream to provide said first portion of the heavy stream comprising C8 aromatics and a second portion of the heavy stream comprising C9 aromatics. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13 comprising feeding the toluene stream to a BTX fractionation zone to separate a benzene stream from a concentrated toluene stream and a xylene stream; feeding the concentrated toluene stream to a transalkylation unit to produce xylene and benzene; passing the xylene stream to a xylene fractionation zone to produce a concentrated xylene stream; and passing the concentrated xylene stream to an xylene extraction unit to extract a selected xylene isomer. ### Claim 18 A process for producing aromatics comprising: fractionating a naphtha stream to provide a C7 stream and a C8+ aromatics stream; feeding a first C7 stream taken from the C7 stream to an aromatics complex comprising an aromatics extraction unit, a BTX fractionation zone, a xylene fractionation zone, and a transalkylation unit and/or an isomerization unit; feeding a second C7 stream taken from the C7 stream to a gasoline pool; feeding a first C8+ aromatics stream taken from the C8+ aromatics stream to the aromatics complex; and feeding a second C8+ aromatics stream taken from the C8+ aromatics stream to the gasoline pool. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The process of claim 18 comprising feeding the first C7 stream to the aromatics extraction unit in said aromatics complex to extract a C7 raffinate stream from a toluene stream and passing said C7 raffinate stream to the gasoline pool. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The process of claim 18 comprising fractionating said C8+ aromatics stream to provide said first C8+ aromatics stream taken from the C8+ aromatics stream comprising C8 aromatics and a second C8+ aromatics stream taken from the C8+ aromatics stream comprising C9 aromatics.