Compositions, Configurations, and Methods of Reducing Naphtenic Acid Corrosivity
AssigneeFluor Corporation
InventorsBarry Messer, Bart Tarleton, Michael Beaton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Naphthenic acid corrosivity of hydrocarbon feedstocks is correlated with the chemical composition of naphthenic acids, and especially with a ratio between an alpha fraction and a beta fraction of naphthenic acids. Contemplated plants, configurations, and methods are directed to reducing naphthenic acid corrosivity of hydrocarbon feedstocks by increasing the beta fraction over the alpha fraction.
Claims34
A combination of a first refinery feedstock and a second refinery feedstock, wherein the fraction of the second refinery feedstock in the combination is at least in part a function of respective quantities of an alpha fraction and a beta fraction of total naphthenic acids in the first refinery feedstock.
A combination of a refinery crude and a composition enriched in a beta fraction of naphthenic acids, wherein an amount of the composition in the combination is an amount effective to reduce naphthenic acid corrosivity of the first refinery crude.
A mixture of a first refinery feedstock and a second refinery feedstock, wherein the first feedstock is determined to have a specific quantity of alpha naphthene acids, wherein the second feedstock is determined to have a specific quantity of beta naphthenic acids, and wherein the mixture has a composition such that corrosivity of the mixture is reduced as compared to corrosivity of the first feedstock.
A plant comprising:
- a first feedstock supply providing a first feedstock, and a second feedstock supply providing a second feedstock;
- at least one of a crude unit and a vacuum unit, each are configured to receive the first feedstock and the second feedstock;
- and
- an instruction associated with at least one of the first and second feedstock supplies that provides information that the second feedstock is to be fed to the at least one of the crude unit and the vacuum unit in a predetermined amount that is effective to reduce naphthenic acid corrosion in the at least one of the crude unit and the vacuum unit as compared to naphthenic acid corrosion of the first feedstock without the second feedstock.
A plant comprising:
- at least one of a crude unit and a vacuum unit receiving a feedstock;
- a separation unit that removes beta naphthenic acids from the feedstock;
- and
- a recycling circuit fluidly coupled to the separation unit and the at least one of the crude unit and the separation unit, wherein the recycling circuit provides at least some of the beta naphthenic acids to the feedstock.
A plant comprising:
- at least one of a crude unit and a vacuum unit receiving a treated feedstock;
- a hydrothermal treatment unit that receives a feedstock and removes at least a portion of alpha naphthenic acids from the feedstock to form the treated feedstock;
- and
- an instruction that provides information that the alpha naphthenic acids are to be removed to achieve a predetermined alpha naphthenic acid to beta naphthenic acid ratio.
A method of operating at plant, comprising a step of determining a beta naphthenic acid content of a feed, and combining the feed with a hydrocarbon feedstock.
A method of operating a plant, comprising:
- determining napthenic acid corrosivity of a first refinery feedstock, and determining content of a beta fraction of total naphthenic acids in a second refinery feedstock;
- combining the first and second refinery feedstock to form a combined refinery feedstock having a combined naphthenic corrosivity;
- and
- wherein the second refinery feedstock is combined with the first refinery feedstock in an amount such that the combined naphthenic corrosivity is less than the naphthenic corrosivity of the first refinery feedstock.
A method of operating a plant, comprising:
- providing a refinery feedstock comprising a beta fraction of total naphthenic acids;
- fractionating the refinery feedstock into at least one product fraction and a fraction comprising the beta fraction;
- and
- combining at least a portion of the fraction comprising the beta fraction with the refinery feedstock.
A method of operating a plant, comprising a step of determining a total acid number of a feedstock, and a step of increasing the total acid number to reduce naphthenic acid corrosivity of the feedstock.
The method of claim 27 wherein the step of increasing the total acid number comprises combining a composition enriched in a beta fraction of naphthenic acids with the feedstock.
A method of producing a hydrocarbon product, comprising:
- identifying a resource as comprising a hydrocarbon feed, wherein the hydrocarbon feed was previously rejected for we as a feed to at least one of a crude with and a vacuum unit;
- and
- processing the hydrocarbon feed such that a ratio of beta naphthenic acids in the feed to alpha naphthenic acids in the feed increases.
A method of marketing, comprising determining a quantity of a beta function of total naphthenic acids in a refinery feedstock, and providing information correlating the quantity of the beta fraction with naphthemic acid corrosivity of the refinery feedstock.
A method of reducing naphthenic acid corrosivity of a feedstock in a plant comprising a step of adding an iron chelator to the feedstock, wherein the iron chelator binds to iron disposed in a metal surface that contacts the feedstock, and wherein the iron chelator does substantially not dissolve the iron into the feedstock.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.