# US 2008/0185316 A1 · Method for Reducing Quench Oil Fouling in Cracking Processes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0185316 A1 - Document ID: US20080185316A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/024,251 - Filed: 2008-02-01 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-06 - Assignees: Baker Hughes Incorporated - Inventors: Marco Respini; Enrico Madeddu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080185316A1 ## CPC - C10G 9/00: Thermal non-catalytic cracking, in the absence of hydrogen, of hydrocarbon oils - C10G 2400/02: Gasoline - C10G 2400/04: Diesel oil - C10G 2400/20: C2-C4 olefins - C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES ## Abstract Quench oil aging and its propensity to cause fouling may be evaluated by determining the amount of a precipitant necessary to cause the flocculation of polymer species present in the quench oil. The propensity of quench oil to cause fouling may be used as a basis to mitigate fouling in cracking processes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for reducing fouling from quench oil comprising: treating a hydrocarbon feed using a cracking process having a quenching step wherein: quench oil used in the quenching step has a known tendency to cause fouling; and the known tendency of the quench oil to cause fouling has been determined by measuring a tendency of the quench oil to precipitate polymeric species. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting process conditions in the cracking process based upon the tendency of quenching oil in the quenching step to cause fouling. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the quench oil is selected from the group consisting: of crude oil; the precursors of naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, quinoline, and hydroquinone; alkyl derivatives of naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, quinoline, and hydroquinone; and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the quench oil is selected from the group consisting of: steam cracked quench oils; steam cracked tars; cat cracked tars; cat cracked cycle oils; cat cracked bottoms; coker gas oils; coal tar oils; aromatic extent oils; cuts of steam cracked quench oils, steam cracked tars, cat cracked tars, cat cracked cycle oils, cat cracked bottoms, coker gas oils, coal tar oils, and aromatic extract oils; and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feed is selected from the group consisting of: crude oil, intermediate refinery products resulting from the refining of crude oil, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feed is used to produce ethylene, gasoline, diesel fuel, other fuel oils, or coke. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the hydrocarbon feed is used to produce ethylene. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the tendency of the quench oil to precipitate polymeric species is determined by measuring light scattering. ### Claim 9 A method for reducing fouling from quench oil comprising: treating a hydrocarbon feed using a cracking process having a quenching step, and introducing an additive to reduce fouling to the cracking process based upon a tendency of the quench oil in the quenching step to cause fouling which is determined by measuring a tendency of the quench oil to precipitate polymeric species. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the tendency of the quench oil to precipitate polymeric species is determined by measuring light scattering. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein differences in solubility parameters of candidate quench oils for use in a cracking process and for polymeric species present therein is measured and this measurement used as a basis for evaluating the propensity of the quench oil to undergo a polymer phase separation which may cause the deposition of foulants during a cracking process. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the quench oil candidate is placed in a container with a probe capable of measuring light scattering properties of the quench oil. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising introducing aliquots of a precipitant to the quench oil and measuring the light scattering properties of the quench oil. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein a quench oil candidate requiring more precipitant to increase light scattering is considered less likely to foul than a quench oil candidate requiring less precipitant. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the precipitant is selected from the group consisting of pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, isobutane, cyclohexane, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the probe is a fiber optic probe. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the fiber optic probe is selected from the group consisting of transmission probes, reflectance probes, and attenuated total reflectance probes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 further comprising using an automatic titrator to measure the light scattering properties of the quench oil. ### Claim 19 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 further comprising using solvent to dilute the quench oil prior to measuring the tendency of the quench oil to precipitate polymeric species. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19 wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of: benzene, toluene, xylene, ethyl benzene, and mixtures thereof.