Desulfurization of middle distillates
OwnerMarvin M. Johnson, Edward L. Sughrue II +3inventors
InventorsMarvin M. Johnson, Edward L. Sughrue II, Steven A. Owen, Peter N. Slater, Byron G. Johnson
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Abstract
A process for desulfurizing middle distillates by charging a sulfur-containing middle distillate and a hydrogen-containing diluent to a reaction zone in respective amounts and under reaction conditions sufficient to vaporize substantially all of the sulfur-containing middle distillate present in the reaction zone. In the reaction zone, the vaporized middle distillate is contacted with a sorbent comprising a promoter metal and zinc oxide to thereby provide a desulfurized middle distillate comprising less sulfur than the sulfur-containing middle distillate initially charged to the reaction zone.
Claims48
A hydrocarbon desulfurization process comprising the steps of:
- (a) co-feeding a sulfur-containing middle distillate and a hydrogen-containing diluent to a reaction zone in respective amounts and under reaction conditions sufficient to vaporize substantially all of said sulfur-containing middle distillate present in said reaction zone;
- and
- (b) contacting the vaporized middle distillate with a sorbent comprising a promoter metal and zinc oxide in said reaction zone to thereby provide a desulfurized middle distillate comprising less than about 50 weight percent of the amount of sulfur in said sulfur-containing middle distillate.
A hydrocarbon desulfurization process comprising the steps of:
- (a) charging a sulfur-containing middle distillate to a reaction zone;
- (b) simultaneously with step (a), charging a hydrogen-containing diluent to said reaction zone in an amount sufficient to vaporize substantially all of said sulfur-containing middle distillate present in said reaction zone;
- and
- (c) contacting said sulfur-containing middle distillate with a sorbent comprising a promoter metal and zinc oxide in said reaction zone under reaction conditions sufficient to convert at least a portion of said zinc oxide to zinc sulfide using sulfur removed from said sulfur-containing middle distillate, thereby providing a desulfurized middle distillate and a sulfurized sorbent.
A hydrocarbon desulfurization process comprising the steps of:
- (a) charging a sulfur-containing middle distillate comprising at least about 50 ppmw sulfur to a reaction zone at a rate in a range of from about 0.5 to about 10 LHSV, said reaction zone maintained at a temperature in a range of from about 650 to about 850° F. and a pressure in a range of about 250 to about 600 psig;
- (b) simultaneously with step (a), charging hydrogen to said reaction zone at a rate in a range of from about 2,000 to about 8,000 SCFB to thereby vaporize at least about 95 weight percent of said sulfur-containing middle distillate present in said reaction zone;
- and
- (c) contacting said sulfur-containing middle distillate with a sorbent comprising reduced-valence nickel and zinc oxide in said reaction zone to thereby produce a desulfurized middle distillate comprising less than about 50 ppmw sulfur.
A hydrocarbon desulfurization process comprising the steps of:
- (a) charging a sulfur-containing middle distillate to a reaction zone of a fluidized bed reactor;
- (b) simultaneously with step (a), charging a hydrogen-containing diluent to said reaction zone in an amount sufficient to cause vaporization of at least about 75 weight percent of said sulfur-containing middle distillate present in said reaction zone;
- (c) contacting said sulfur-containing middle distillate with a sorbent comprising a promoter metal and zinc oxide in said reaction zone to thereby provide a desulfurized middle distillate comprising less than 50 ppmw sulfur and a sulfurized sorbent comprising zinc sulfide;
- (d) separating said desulfurized middle distillate and said sulfurized sorbent;
- (e) contacting at least a portion of said sulfurized sorbent with an oxygen-containing stream in a regeneration zone under regeneration conditions sufficient to convert at least a portion of said zinc sulfide to zinc oxide, thereby providing a regenerated sorbent;
- (f) contacting at least a portion of said regenerated sorbent with a reducing stream in an activation zone under activation conditions sufficient to reduce the valence of at least a portion of said promoter metal, thereby providing an activated sorbent;
- and
- (g) returning at least a portion of said activated sorbent to said reaction zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.