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US 10,995,282 B2Granted
Process for converting C2-C5 hydrocarbons to gasoline and diesel fuel blendstocks
AssigneeSwift Fuels, LLC
InventorsChris D'Acosta, Jeffery Miller, Kurtis Sluss, Benjamin Wegenhart
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for converting C2-5 alkanes to higher value C5-24 hydrocarbon fuels and blendstocks. The C2-5 alkanes are converted to olefins by thermal olefination, without the use of a dehydrogenation catalyst and without the use of steam. The product olefins are fed to an oligomerization reactor containing a zeolite catalyst to crack, oligomerize and cyclize the olens to the fuel products which are then recovered. Optionally, hydrogen and methane are removed from the product olefin stream prior to oligomerization. Further optionally, C2-5 alkanes are removed from the product olefin stream prior to oligomerization.
Claims29
A method for converting C2-5 alkanes to a broad-range of fuel products constituting higher-value C5-24 hydrocarbon fuels or fuel blendstocks, comprising:
- passing a fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream through a thermal olefination reactor, the fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream having any one or more of the C2 to C5 alkanes and containing at least 90 wt % C2-5 feed alkanes, the thermal olefination reactor operating without a dehydrogenation catalyst and without steam, the olefination reactor converting the C2-5 feed alkanes to product olefins in an effluent olefination stream;
- passing at least a portion of the effluent olefination stream to an oligomerization reactor containing a zeolite catalyst and operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to crack, oligomerize and cyclize the product olefins to form an effluent oligomerization stream comprising the fuel products, unconverted C2-4 alkanes and methane;
- passing a recycle stream comprising unconverted C2-4 alkanes and methane from the effluent oligomerization stream back through the thermal olefination reactor, the olefination reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to convert at least 80 wt % of the feed C2-5 alkanes to product olefins in the effluent olefination stream;
- and
- recovering the fuel products from the effluent oligomerization stream.
2 more elements
A method for converting C2-5 alkanes in a feedstream to a range of C5-24 fuel products, the C2-5 alkanes comprising ethane, propane, butanes, pentanes or any mixture thereof, comprising:
- olefinating the alkanes in a fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream in a thermal olefination reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to convert the C2-5 alkanes to product olefins without the use of a dehydrogenation catalyst and without the use of steam, the alkane-rich feedstream containing at least 90 wt % C2-5 feed alkanes;
- converting the product olefins into the fuel products by contacting the product olefins with a zeolite catalyst in an oligomerizing reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to crack, oligomerize and cyclize the product olefins to form an effluent oligomerization stream comprising the fuel products, unconverted C2-4 alkanes and methane;
- passing a recycle stream comprising unconverted C2-4 alkanes and methane from the effluent oligomerization stream back through the thermal olefination reactor to provide the effluent olefination stream with at least 80 wt % of the feed C2-5 alkanes having been converted to C2-5 olefins;
- and
- recovering the fuel products from the effluent oligomerization stream.
2 more elements
A method for converting C2-5 alkanes to a broad-range of fuel products constituting higher-value C5-24 hydrocarbon fuels or fuel blendstocks, comprising:
- passing a fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream through a thermal olefination reactor, the fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream having any one or more of the C2 to C5 alkanes and containing at least 90 wt % C2-5 feed alkanes, the thermal olefination reactor operating without a dehydrogenation catalyst and without steam, the thermal olefination reactor having an effluent olefination stream comprising C2-5 product olefins and C2-5 alkanes;
- passing the effluent olefination stream through an oligomerization reactor, the oligomerization reactor containing a zeolite catalyst and operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to crack, oligomerize and cyclize product olefins in the effluent olefination stream to form an effluent oligomerization stream comprising the fuel products, unconverted C2-5 alkanes and methane;
- separating unconverted C2-4 alkanes and methane from the effluent oligomerization stream and recycling the separated unconverted C2-4 alkanes and methane from the effluent oligomerization stream back through the thermal olefination reactor, the fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream and the recycled, separated C2-4 alkanes together comprising a total alkane feed to the olefination reactor, the thermal olefination reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to produce the effluent olefination stream in which at least 80 wt % of the C2-5 feed alkanes have been converted to product C2-5 olefins;
- and
- recovering the fuel products from the effluent oligomerization stream.
2 more elements
A method for converting C2-5 alkanes to a broad-range of fuel products constituting higher-value C5-24 hydrocarbon fuels or fuel blendstocks, comprising:
- passing a fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream through a thermal olefination reactor, the fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream having any one or more of the C2 to C5 alkanes and containing at least 90 wt % C2-5 feed alkanes, the thermal olefination reactor operating without a dehydrogenation catalyst and without steam, the olefination reactor converting the C2-5 feed alkanes to product olefins in an effluent olefination stream;
- passing at least a portion of the effluent olefination stream to an oligomerization reactor containing a zeolite catalyst and operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to crack, oligomerize and cyclize the product olefins to form an effluent oligomerization stream comprising the fuel products and methane;
- passing a recycle stream comprising methane from the effluent oligomerization stream back through the oligomerization reactor, the olefination reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to convert at least 80 wt % of the feed C2-5 alkanes to product olefins in the effluent olefination stream;
- and
- recovering the fuel products from the effluent oligomerization stream.
2 more elements
A method for converting C2-5 alkanes in a feedstream to a range of C5-24 fuel products, the C2-5 alkanes comprising ethane, propane, butanes, pentanes or any mixture thereof, comprising:
- olefinating the alkanes in a fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream in a thermal olefination reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to convert the C2-5 alkanes to product olefins without the use of a dehydrogenation catalyst and without the use of steam, the alkane-rich feedstream containing at least 90 wt % C2-5 feed alkanes;
- converting the product olefins into the fuel products by contacting the product olefins with a zeolite catalyst in an oligomerizing reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to crack, oligomerize and cyclize the product olefins to form an effluent oligomerization stream comprising the fuel products and methane;
- passing a recycle stream comprising methane from the effluent oligomerization stream back through the oligomerization reactor, the thermal olefination reactor converting at least 80 wt % of the feed C2-5 alkanes to C2-5 olefins;
- and
- recovering the fuel products from the effluent oligomerization stream.
2 more elements
A method for converting C2-5 alkanes to a broad-range of fuel products constituting higher-value C5-24 hydrocarbon fuels or fuel blendstocks, comprising:
- passing a fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream through a thermal olefination reactor, the fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream having any one or more of the C2 to C5 alkanes and containing at least 90 wt % C2-5 feed alkanes, the thermal olefination reactor operating without a dehydrogenation catalyst and without steam, the thermal olefination reactor having an effluent olefination stream comprising C2-5 product olefins and C2-5 alkanes;
- passing the effluent olefination stream through an oligomerization reactor, the oligomerization reactor containing a zeolite catalyst and operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to crack, oligomerize and cyclize product olefins in the effluent olefination stream to form an effluent oligomerization stream comprising the fuel products and methane;
- separating C2-4 alkanes and methane from the effluent oligomerization stream and recycling methane from the effluent oligomerization stream back through the oligomerization reactor, the fresh, C2-5 alkane-rich feedstream and the recycled, separated C2-4 alkanes together comprising a total alkane feed to the olefination reactor,
- the thermal olefination reactor operating at a temperature, pressure and space velocity to produce the effluent olefination stream in which at least 80 wt % of the C2-5 feed alkanes have been converted to product C2-5 olefins;
- and
- recovering the fuel products from the effluent oligomerization stream.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.