Back to results
US 11,377,402 B2Granted
Integrated aromatics formation and methylation
AssigneeExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
InventorsCatherine M. Dorsi, Todd E. Detjen, Mayank Shekhar, Anthony Go
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for integration of an aromatic formation process for converting non-aromatic hydrocarbon to an aromatic product and subsequent methylating of a portion of the aromatic product to produce a methylated product, with improvements in the aromatic formation process and/or the methylation process based on integrating portions of the secondary processing trains associated with the aromatic formation process and the methylation process. The aromatic formation process and methylation process can be used, for example, for integrated production of specialty aromatics or gasoline blending components.
Claims26
A method for forming aromatic compounds, comprising:
- providing a feed comprising a non-aromatic hydrocarbon, at least a portion of the non-aromatic hydrocarbon being obtained from each of a recycle portion of a first light ends stream and a recycle portion of a second light ends stream;
- aromatizing at least a portion of the feed's non-aromatic hydrocarbon to produce an aromatic formation effluent comprising benzene, a C7 aromatic hydrocarbon, and a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon, the aromatization being carried out in an aromatic formation process under effective aromatic formation conditions;
- separating from the aromatic formation effluent a first higher boiling intermediate stream, a first lower boiling intermediate stream, and a first light ends stream which includes the recycle portion of the first light ends stream, wherein the first higher boiling intermediate stream has a C7 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent), a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) or a combined C7-C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than those of the aromatic formation effluent, wherein the first lower boiling intermediate stream has a benzene concentration (weight percent), a C7 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) or a combined C6-C7 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than those of the aromatic formation effluent, and wherein the first light ends stream comprises a C2-C5 hydrocarbon;
- methylating at least a portion of the first lower boiling intermediate stream with a methylating agent to form a methylated intermediate stream, the methylated intermediate stream having a C7-C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the portion of the first lower boiling intermediate stream which reacts to form the methylated intermediate stream;
- separating from the methylated intermediate stream a second higher boiling intermediate stream, a second lower boiling intermediate stream, and a second light ends stream which includes the recycle portion of the second light ends stream, wherein the second higher boiling intermediate stream has a C7-C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the methylated intermediate stream, and wherein the second light ends stream comprises a C2-C5 hydrocarbon;
- and
- transferring the recycle portion of the first light ends stream and the recycle portion of the second light ends stream to the feed.
4 more elements
A method for forming aromatic compounds, comprising:
- providing a feed comprising a non-aromatic hydrocarbon, the non-aromatic hydrocarbon comprising a recycle portion of a first light ends stream and a recycle portion of a second light ends stream;
- producing an aromatic formation effluent comprising benzene, a C7 aromatic hydrocarbon, and a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon from at least a portion of the feed's non-aromatic hydrocarbon in an aromatic formation process carried out under effective aromatic formation conditions;
- separating from the aromatic formation effluent a first C8 intermediate stream, a first lower boiling intermediate stream, a hydrogen-containing stream, and the first light ends stream, wherein the first C8 intermediate stream has a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the aromatic formation effluent, wherein the first lower boiling intermediate stream has a benzene concentration (weight percent), a C7 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent), or a combined C6-C7 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than those of the aromatic formation effluent, wherein the first light ends stream comprises a C2-C5 hydrocarbon, and wherein the separation of the hydrogen-containing stream comprising separating uses a cooling system comprising C1-C4 refrigerant;
- catalytically reacting at least a portion of the first lower boiling intermediate stream with a methylating agent to form a methylated intermediate stream, the methylated intermediate stream having a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the portion of the first lower boiling intermediate stream which reacts to form the methylated intermediate stream;
- separating from the methylated intermediate stream a second C8 intermediate stream, a second lower boiling intermediate stream, and the second light ends stream, the second C8 intermediate stream having a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the methylated intermediate stream;
- separating the recycle portion of the first light ends stream from at least a portion of the first light ends stream;
- and
- separating the recycle portion of the second light ends stream from at least a portion of the second light ends stream, wherein
- i) the method further comprises separating a deoxygenated light ends stream and a stream comprising dimethyl ether from the second light ends stream, the deoxygenated light ends stream comprising the at least a portion of the second light ends stream, wherein the separation of the stream comprising dimethyl ether from the second light ends stream includes separating using the cooling system comprising the C1-C4 refrigerant;
- ii) the method further comprises:
- separating a first para-xylene enriched fraction and a first para-xylene depleted fraction from the first C8 intermediate stream, the first para-xylene enriched fraction having a para-xylene concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the first C8 intermediate stream;
- and
- separating a second para-xylene enriched fraction and a second para-xylene depleted fraction from the second C8 intermediate stream, the second para-xylene enriched fraction having a para-xylene concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the second C8 intermediate stream,
- wherein at least one of 1) the separating a first para-xylene enriched fraction and a first para-xylene depleted fraction from the first C8 intermediate stream, and 2) the separating a second para-xylene enriched fraction and a second para-xylene depleted fraction from the second C8 intermediate stream, comprises separating using the cooling system comprising the C1-C4 refrigerant;
- or
- iii) a combination of i) and ii).
13 more elements
A method for forming aromatic compounds, comprising:
- providing a feed comprising non-aromatic hydrocarbon, the non-aromatic hydrocarbon comprising a recycle portion of a first light ends stream and a recycle portion of a second light ends stream;
- producing an aromatic formation effluent comprising benzene, a C7 aromatic hydrocarbon, and a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon from at least a portion of the feed's non-aromatic hydrocarbon in an aromatic formation process carried out under effective aromatic formation conditions;
- separating from the aromatic formation effluent a first C8 intermediate stream, a first lower boiling intermediate stream, a hydrogen-containing stream, and the first light ends stream, wherein the first C8 intermediate stream has a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the aromatic formation effluent, wherein the first lower boiling intermediate stream has a benzene concentration (weight percent), a C7 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent), or a combined C6-C7 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than those of the aromatic formation effluent, and wherein the first light ends stream comprises a C2-C5 hydrocarbon;
- reacting at least a portion of the first lower boiling intermediate stream with a methylating agent in the presence of a zeolite catalyst to form a methylated intermediate stream, the methylated intermediate stream having a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the portion of the first lower boiling intermediate stream which reacts to form the methylated intermediate stream;
- separating from the methylated intermediate stream a second C8 intermediate stream, a second lower boiling intermediate stream, and the second light ends stream, wherein the second C8 intermediate stream comprises styrene and has a C8 aromatic hydrocarbon concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the methylated intermediate stream, and wherein the second light ends stream comprises a C2-C5 hydrocarbon;
- exposing the second C8 intermediate stream to hydrogen separated from at least a portion of the hydrogen-containing stream in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to at least partially saturate unsaturated alkyl side chains in the second C8 intermediate stream;
- separating a first para-xylene enriched fraction and a first para-xylene depleted fraction from the first C8 intermediate stream, the first para-xylene enriched fraction having a para-xylene concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the first C8 intermediate stream;
- separating a second para-xylene enriched fraction and a second para-xylene depleted fraction from the second C8 intermediate stream, the second para-xylene enriched fraction having a para-xylene concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the second C8 intermediate stream;
- isomerizing at least a portion of the first para-xylene depleted fraction, the second para-xylene depleted fraction, or a combination thereof to form an isomerized product stream, wherein the portion of the first para-xylene depleted fraction, the second para-xylene depleted fraction, or a combination thereof subjected to the isomerization has a para-xylene concentration (weight percent) less than that of the isomerized product stream;
- separating a third para-xylene enriched fraction from the isomerized product stream, the third para-xylene enriched fraction having a para-xylene concentration (weight percent) greater than that of the isomerized product stream;
- separating the recycle portion of the first light ends stream from at least a portion of the first light ends stream;
- and
- separating the recycle portion of the second light ends stream from at least a portion of the second light ends stream.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.