# US 10,865,165 B2 · Ethylene-to-liquids systems and methods

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- Number: US 10,865,165 B2
- Document ID: US10865165B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/359,792
- Filed: 2019-03-20
- Published: 2020-02-20
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2015-06-16
- Assignees: Lummus Technology Inc.
- Applicants: Lummus Technology LLC
- Inventors: Greg Nyce; Peter Czerpak; Carlos Faz; Jarod McCormick; William Michalak; Bipinkumar Patel; Guido Radaelli; Tim A. Rappold; Ron Runnebaum; Erik C. Scher; Aihua Zhang; Joel Cizeron
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865165B2

## CPC

- C07C 2/12: with crystalline alumino-silicates {or with catalysts comprising} molecular sieves
- B01J 8/003: {in a downward flow}
- B01J 8/025: {in a cylindrical shaped bed}
- B01J 8/0278: {Feeding reactive fluids (for solid material B01J8/0015)}
- B01J 8/0457: {the beds being placed in separate reactors}
- B01J 8/0492: {Feeding reactive fluids (for solid material, see B01J8/0015)}
- B01J 8/065: {Feeding reactive fluids}
- B01J 8/067: {Heating or cooling the reactor (B01J8/062 takes precedence)}
- B01J 8/1827: {the fluidising gas being a reactant}
- C10G 50/00: Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from lower carbon number hydrocarbons, e.g. by oligomerisation
- C10G 57/02: with polymerisation
- B01J 2208/00176: outside the reactor
- B01J 2208/00238: Adjusting the heat-exchange profile by adapting catalyst tubes or the distribution thereof, e.g. by using inserts in some of the tubes or adding external fins
- B01J 2208/00256: in a heat exchanger for the heat exchange medium separate from the reactor
- B01J 2208/0053: Controlling multiple zones along the direction of flow, e.g. pre-heating and after-cooling
- B01J 2208/025: Two or more types of catalyst
- B01J 2219/00006: Large-scale industrial plants
- B01J 2219/00038: Processes in parallel
- B01J 2219/0004: Processes in series
- C07C 2529/40: of the pentasil type, e.g. types ZSM-5, ZSM-8 or ZSM-11
- Y02P 20/582: Recycling of unreacted starting or intermediate materials
- C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- 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
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Integrated systems are provided for the production of higher hydrocarbon compositions, for example liquid hydrocarbon compositions, from methane using an oxidative coupling of methane system to convert methane to ethylene, followed by conversion of ethylene to selectable higher hydrocarbon products. Integrated systems and processes are provided that process methane through to these higher hydrocarbon products.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system, comprising:
an adiabatic ethylene-to-liquids (ETL) reactor configured to operate at a temperature of greater than or equal to about 300° C. and a pressure of 4 bar to 50 bar, and that (i) receives an olefin feed stream at a first temperature, said olefin feed stream comprising (1) ethylene (C2H4) at a concentration of at least about 0.5 mole percent (mol %), (2) C2H4 and propylene (C3H6) at a combined concentration of at most about 10 mol %, and (3) carbon monoxide (CO) or carbon dioxide (CO2), and (ii) as part of an ETL process, facilitates conversion of C2H4 to higher hydrocarbon products with the aid of an ETL catalyst to yield a product stream comprising said higher hydrocarbon products that is at a second temperature which is higher than said first temperature, wherein said ETL process liberates heat, wherein said higher hydrocarbon products comprise an olefin compound and an aromatic compound; and
a separations module in fluid communication with said adiabatic ETL reactor that recovers from said product stream a liquid stream comprising said higher hydrocarbon products, wherein said higher hydrocarbon products include (i) at least 5 compounds having 5 different carbon numbers, said 5 different carbon numbers selected from 4 through 20, wherein each of said at least 5 compounds is at a concentration of at least 5 weight percent (wt %) of said liquid stream, and (ii) a paraffin compound, an isoparaffin compound, and a naphthene compound,
wherein at least about 80% of said heat liberated in said ETL process provides a difference between said first temperature and said second temperature of between about 50° C. and about 150° C.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said 5 different carbon numbers are selected from 4 through 12.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said 5 different carbon numbers are selected from 12 through 20.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said recovering comprises cooling said product stream.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising, upstream of said adiabatic ETL reactor, a treatment unit in fluid communication with said adiabatic ETL reactor, wherein said treatment unit reduces the concentration in said olefin feed stream of (i) compounds having triple bonds or (ii) compounds having more than one double bond, wherein said reducing is accomplished by a separations process or a reaction process.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said olefin feed stream comprises less than about 500 parts per million (ppm) of acetylene.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising, upstream of said adiabatic ETL reactor, a treatment unit in fluid communication with said ETL reactor, wherein said treatment unit reduces the concentration in said olefin feed stream of compounds having sulfur to less than about 300 parts per million (ppm).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said olefin feed stream comprises less than about 10 mol % carbon monoxide (CO).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said adiabatic ETL reactor generates said higher hydrocarbon products at a single pass conversion of at least about 40%.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said adiabatic ETL reactor is configured to operate at a temperature greater than or equal to about 320° C.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said product stream comprises less than 50 weight percent (wt %) water.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said ETL reactor operates substantially adiabatically.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the concentration of CO2 in the olefin feed stream is at most about 20 mol %.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the combined concentration of CO and CO2 in the olefin feed stream is at most about 20 mol %.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the combined concentration of olefins in the olefin feed stream is at most 8 mol %.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the olefin feed stream is a gas.