US 10,865,169 B2Granted

Liquid phase isomerization process integration

AssigneeUop LLC

InventorsJoseph A. Montalbano, Patrick C. Whitchurch, Gregory R. Werba, Ian G. Horn

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Abstract

Processes and apparatuses for producing a C8 aromatic isomer product are provided. The process comprises introducing a reformate stream comprising aromatic hydrocarbons to a reformate splitter column to provide a plurality of streams. One or more streams comprising at least one stream from the plurality of streams is passed to a reformate upgrading unit to obtain an upgraded reformate stream. The upgraded reformate stream is passed to an aromatics stripper column to provide an aromatics stripper sidedraw stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons. The aromatics stripper sidedraw stream is passed to a xylene separation unit to provide the C8 aromatic isomer product and a raffinate product stream. At least a portion of the raffinate product stream is processed in a liquid phase isomerization unit to obtain an isomerized stream.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A process for producing a C8 aromatic isomer product from a reformate stream, wherein the process comprises:

(a) introducing a reformate stream comprising aromatic hydrocarbons to a reformate splitter column to provide a reformate splitter bottoms stream comprising C8+ aromatic hydrocarbons, a reformate splitter sidedraw stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons, and a reformate splitter overhead stream comprising C7− aromatic hydrocarbons;
(b) subjecting at least the reformate splitter sidedraw stream to reformate upgrading conditions in a reformate upgrading unit to convert a portion of ethylbenzene to obtain an upgraded reformate stream, wherein the reformate upgrading unit and a transalkylation unit share a common compressor;
(c) passing the upgraded reformate stream to an aromatics stripper column to provide an aromatics stripper sidedraw stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons and an aromatics stripper bottoms stream;
(d) passing the aromatics stripper sidedraw stream to a xylene separation unit to provide the C8 aromatic isomer product and a raffinate product stream comprising C8 aromatic isomers;
(e) contacting at least a first portion of the raffinate product stream with an isomerization catalyst in an isomerization unit in liquid phase at isomerization conditions in the absence of hydrogen to obtain an isomerized stream;
(f) passing at least a first portion of the isomerized stream to the xylene separation unit;
(g) passing at least a second portion of the isomerized stream to the aromatics stripper column;
(h) passing the aromatics stripper bottoms stream and the reformate splitter bottoms stream to an aromatics rerun column to provide an aromatics rerun column overhead stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons including ethylbenzene;
and
(i) passing the aromatics rerun column overhead stream and a second portion of the raffinate product stream to the reformate upgrading unit.

7 more elements

A process for producing a C8 aromatic isomer product from a reformate stream, wherein the process comprises:

(a) introducing a reformate stream comprising aromatic hydrocarbons to a reformate splitter column to provide a reformate splitter bottoms stream comprising C8+ aromatic hydrocarbons, a reformate splitter sidedraw stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons and a reformate splitter overhead stream comprising C7− aromatic hydrocarbons;
(b) subjecting the reformate splitter sidedraw stream to reformate upgrading conditions in a reformate upgrading unit to convert a portion of ethylbenzene to obtain an upgraded reformate stream, wherein the reformate upgrading unit and a transalkylation unit share a common compressor;
(c) passing the upgraded reformate stream to an aromatics stripper column to provide an aromatics stripper sidedraw stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons and an aromatics stripper bottoms stream, wherein the aromatic stripper column comprises a divided wall column;
(d) passing the aromatics stripper sidedraw stream to a xylene separation unit to provide the C8 aromatic isomer product and a raffinate product stream comprising C8 aromatic isomers;
(e) contacting at least a first portion of the raffinate product stream with an isomerization catalyst in an isomerization unit in liquid phase at isomerization conditions in the absence of hydrogen to obtain an isomerized stream;
(f) passing the aromatics stripper bottoms stream and the reformate splitter bottoms stream comprising C8+ aromatic hydrocarbons to an aromatics rerun column;
(g) passing a bottoms stream from the aromatics rerun column to a heavy aromatics column;
(h) passing a first portion of the isomerized stream to the xylene separation unit;
and
(i) passing a second portion of the raffinate product stream and an aromatics rerun column overhead stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons to the reformate upgrading unit.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/598,140Filed 17 May 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 7 Jun 2016
Published: US 2017/0349508 A17 Dec 2017
Granted: 15 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

C07C 7/12
Purification; Separation; Use of additives: by adsorption, i.e. purification or separation of hydrocarbons with the aid of solids, e.g. with…
B01D 3/141
Fractional distillation or use of a fractionation or rectification column: where at least one distillation column contains at least one dividing wall
C07C 4/12
By splitting-off an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic part from the molecule: from hydrocarbons containing a six-membered aromatic ring, e.g.…
C07C 5/2708
Catalytic processes not covered by C07C5/2732 - C07C5/31; Catalytic processes covered by both C07C5/2732 and C07C5/277 simultaneously: with…

Family

Application62/347,018Us provisional application · filed 7 Jun 2016
US 2017/0349508 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 Dec 2017
US 10,865,169 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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