System and Method for Introducing an Additive into a Coking Process to Improve Quality and Yields of Coker Products

Abstract

Gas oil components, coking process recycle, and heavier hydrocarbons are cracked or coked in the coking vessel by injecting an additive into the vapors of traditional coking processes in the coking vessel. The additive contains catalyst(s), seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), quenching agent(s), carrier(s), or any combination thereof to modify reaction kinetics to preferentially crack or coke these components. The quenching effect of the additive can be effectively used to condense the highest boiling point compounds onto the catalyst(s), thereby focusing the catalyst exposure to these target reactants. With a catalyst to crack these highest boiling point materials, this mechanism can effectively increase the catalyst's selectivity, thereby increasing its efficiency and reducing catalyst requirements and costs. Selective, catalytic conversion of the highest boiling point materials in the coking process product vapors (coker recycle and/or ‘heavy tail’ of the heavy coker gas oil) may be accomplished with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in varying degrees. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can also provide methods to control the (1) coke crystalline structure and (2) the quantity and quality of volatile combustible materials (VCMs) in the resulting coke. Pet coke from this process may have unique characteristics with substantial utility.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.