Delayed thermal cracking system, apparatus, and method
OwnerKazem Ganjiinventor
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Abstract
A delayed thermal cracking process, system, and apparatus for heavy (i.e., high boiling point) coker feed materials which eliminates the production of a solid coke product and replaces the coke product with a higher value, pumpable tar liquid material which can be used as an asphalt paving material, as a fuel oil, or for other purposes. A hydrocarbon cooling and diluting material is added to and mixed with the tar material in the coking drum after the fill cycle to produce the liquid tar product and eliminate the steam-out, quenching, draining, unheading, hydraulic cutting, reheading, pressure testing, and warm-up procedures previously required in delayed coking systems, and to also eliminate the environmental issues and costs associated therewith.
Claims20
A process for thermal cracking a hydrocarbon feed material in a coking drum comprising the steps of:
- a) heating the hydrocarbon feed material to a cracking temperature to produce a heated feed material;
- b) delivering the heated feed material into the coking drum during a filling cycle in which the heated feed material undergoes thermal cracking to produce a cracked vapor product, which is recovered from the coking drum, and a tar material which remains in the coking drum;
- and
- c) switching the coking drum from the filling cycle to a cooling, diluting, and emptying cycle in which the delivery of the heated feed material into the coking drum is stopped and a hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material is delivered into the coking drum while rotating a mixer in the coking drum, which mixes the hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material with the tar material to cool and dilute the tar material and substantially prevent the tar material from solidifying to form coke,
- the hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material having an end point which is lower than an end point of the hydrocarbon feed material, and a temperature which is lower than a temperature of the tar material, and
- the mixing of the hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material with the tar material producing a pumpable tar product.
A process of thermal cracking a hydrocarbon feed material comprising the steps of:
- a) heating the hydrocarbon feed material to a cracking temperature of at least 850° F. to produce a heated feed material, the hydrocarbon feed material having TBP cut point of at least 825° F.;
- b) delivering the heated feed material into a vertical drum during a filling cycle in which the heated feed material undergoes thermal cracking to produce a cracked vapor product, which is recovered from the vertical drum, and a tar material which remains in the vertical drum, the vertical drum having a mixer therein which comprises
- (i) a drive shaft which extends downwardly in the vertical drum and
- (iii) a mixing stage positioned on the drive shaft at a location which is below a fill level to which the vertical drum is filled with the tar material in step (b), the mixing stage comprising one or more mixing paddles, blades, or other mixing elements which extend outwardly from the drive shaft;
- and
- c) switching the vertical drum from the filling cycle to a cooling, diluting, and emptying cycle in which the delivery of the heated feed material into the vertical drum is stopped and a hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material at a temperature in a range of from 235° F. to 450° F. is delivered into the vertical drum while the mixer is rotated in the vertical drum, which mixes the hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material with the tar material to cool and dilute the tar material and substantially prevent the tar material from solidifying to form coke,
- the tar material being cooled in step (c) to a cooled temperature,
- the hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material having an end point which is greater than the cooled temperature, and
- the mixing of the hydrocarbon cooling and diluent material with the tar material producing a pumpable tar product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.