# US 2014/0197069 A1 · Conversion of asphaltenic pitch within an ebullated bed residuum hydrocracking process

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- Number: US 2014/0197069 A1
- Document ID: US20140197069A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/743,936
- Filed: 2013-01-17
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-17
- Assignees: Lummus Technology Inc.
- Applicants: Lummus Technology Inc.
- Inventors: Ujjal K. Mukherjee; Mario C. Baldassari; Marvin I. Greene
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197069A1

## CPC

- B01J 8/18: with fluidised particles {(combustion apparatus with fluidised bed in general F23C10/00; furnaces with fluidised bed F27B15/00)}
- B01J 19/245: {placed in series}
- C10G 1/08: with moving catalysts
- C10G 1/086: {Characterised by the catalyst used}
- C10G 47/26: suspended in the oil, e.g. slurries
- C10G 65/10: including only cracking steps
- C10G 65/12: including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps
- C10G 67/02: plural serial stages only
- C10G 67/049: {The hydrotreatment being a hydrocracking}
- B01J 2208/00796: Details of the reactor or of the particulate material
- B01J 2219/24: Stationary reactors without moving elements inside
- C10G 2300/701: Use of spent catalysts
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- 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

A process for upgrading residuum hydrocarbons including: feeding pitch, hydrogen, and a partially spent catalyst recovered from a hydrocracking reactor to an ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor; contacting the pitch, hydrogen, and the catalyst in the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor at reaction conditions of temperature and pressure sufficient to convert at least a portion of the pitch to distillate hydrocarbons; and separating the distillate hydrocarbons from the catalyst. In some embodiments, the process may include selecting the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor reaction conditions to be at or below the level where sediment formation would otherwise become excessive and prevent continuity of operations.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for upgrading pitch, the process comprising:
feeding pitch, hydrogen, and a partially spent catalyst recovered from a hydrocracking reactor to an ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor;
contacting the pitch, hydrogen, and the catalyst in the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor at reaction conditions of temperature and pressure sufficient to convert at least a portion of the pitch to distillate hydrocarbons;
separating the distillate hydrocarbons from the catalyst.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, further comprising selecting the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor reaction conditions to be at or below the level where sediment formation would otherwise become excessive and prevent continuity of operations.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the catalyst is a partially spent catalyst recovered from an ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, further comprising
hydrocracking a heavy oil feedstock in a hydrocracking reaction system comprising one or more hydrocracking reaction stages comprising an ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor;
recovering the partially spent catalyst from the ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The processes of claim 4, wherein the heavy oil feedstock comprises one or more of: virgin atmospheric petroleum residuum; virgin vacuum petroleum residuum; deasphalted oils from a solvent deasphalting unit; tar sands bitumen; atmospheric shale oil-derived residuum; heavy coal-derived liquids; coal gasification byproduct tars; and black oils.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, wherein the spent or partially spent catalyst is recovered from a first hydrocracking reaction stage.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, wherein the spent or partially spent catalyst is recovered from a second hydrocracking reaction stage.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, wherein the spent or partially spent catalyst is a mixture of spent or partially spent catalysts recovered from both a first hydrocracking reaction stage and a second hydrocracking reaction stage.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, further comprising slurrying the recovered partially spent catalyst to form a catalyst slurry fed to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, further comprising grinding the recovered partially spent catalyst recovered from the ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The process of claim 10, further comprising slurrying the ground catalyst to form a catalyst slurry fed to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 12 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, further comprising:
recovering an effluent from the hydrocracking reaction system;
fractionating the effluent to produce two or more hydrocarbon fractions;
solvent deasphalting at least one of the two or more hydrocarbon fractions to produce a deasphalted oil fraction and the pitch.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein at least 10% of the pitch is converted to distillate hydrocarbons.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein from about 50% to about 75% of the pitch is converted to distillate hydrocarbons.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor is operated at a pressure of greater than about 50 bar, a temperature greater than about 350° C., and a liquid hourly space velocity greater than about 0.05 h−1.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, further comprising:
fractionating the distillate hydrocarbons in a vacuum distillation tower to produce one or more hydrocarbon fractions and a vacuum distillation tower bottoms fraction comprising unreacted pitch;
recycling the vacuum distillation tower bottoms fraction to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The process of claim 16, further comprising mixing the vacuum tower distillation bottoms fraction with a hydrocarbon diluent comprising at least one of a cycle oil, a slurry oil, and an aromatics-rich solvent.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The process of claim 16, further comprising:
cooling and solidifying the vacuum distillation tower bottoms fraction;
grinding the solidified vacuum tower distillation bottoms and the spent or partially spent catalyst to form a ground mixture;
slurrying the ground mixture in a liquid hydrocarbon to form a slurry; and
feeding the slurry to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor as at least a portion of the pitch and the catalyst fed to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 19

A process for upgrading pitch, the process comprising:
feeding pitch, hydrogen, and a spent or partially spent catalyst recovered from a hydrocracking reactor to a pitch hydrocracking reactor;
contacting the pitch, hydrogen, and the catalyst in the pitch hydrocracking reactor at reaction conditions of temperature and pressure sufficient to convert at least a portion of the pitch to distillate hydrocarbons;
separating the distillate hydrocarbons from the catalyst.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The process of claim 19, wherein the catalyst is a spent or partially spent catalyst recovered from an ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The process of claim 19, further comprising
hydrocracking a heavy oil feedstock in a hydrocracking reaction system comprising one or more hydrocracking reaction stages comprising an ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor;
recovering the spent or partially spent catalyst from the ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The process of claim 21, wherein the spent or partially spent catalyst is recovered from a first hydrocracking reaction stage.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The process of claim 21, wherein the spent or partially spent catalyst is recovered from a second hydrocracking reaction stage.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The process of claim 21, wherein the spent or partially spent catalyst is a mixture of spent or partially spent catalysts recovered from both a first hydrocracking reaction stage and a second hydrocracking reaction stage.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The process of claim 21, further comprising slurrying the catalyst to form a catalyst slurry fed to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 26 (depends on 21)

The process of claim 21, further comprising grinding the spent or partially spent catalyst recovered from the ebullated bed hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The process of claim 26, further comprising slurrying the ground catalyst to form a catalyst slurry fed to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 28 (depends on 21)

The process of claim 21, further comprising:
recovering an effluent from the hydrocracking reaction system;
fractionating the effluent to produce two or more hydrocarbon fractions;
solvent deasphalting at least one of the two or more hydrocarbon fractions to produce a deasphalted oil fraction and the pitch.

### Claim 29 (depends on 19)

The process of claim 19, wherein at least 10% of the pitch is converted to distillate hydrocarbons.

### Claim 30 (depends on 19)

The process of claim 19, wherein from about 50% to about 75% of the pitch is converted to distillate hydrocarbons.

### Claim 31 (depends on 19)

The process of claim 19, wherein the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor is operated at a pressure of greater than about 50 bar, a temperature greater than about 350° C., and a liquid hourly space velocity greater than about 0.05 h−1.

### Claim 32 (depends on 19)

The process of claim 19, further comprising:
fractionating the distillate hydrocarbons in a vacuum distillation tower to produce one or more hydrocarbon fractions and a vacuum distillation tower bottoms fraction;
recycling the vacuum distillation tower bottoms fraction to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The process of claim 32, further comprising mixing the vacuum tower distillation bottoms fraction with a hydrocarbon diluent comprising at least one of an FCC cycle oil, a slurry oil, and an aromatics-rich solvent.

### Claim 34 (depends on 32)

The process of claim 32, further comprising:
cooling and solidifying the vacuum distillation tower bottoms fraction;
grinding the solidified vacuum tower distillation bottoms and the spent or partially spent catalyst to form a ground mixture;
slurrying the ground mixture in a liquid hydrocarbon to form a slurry; and
feeding the slurry to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor as at least a portion of the pitch and the catalyst fed to the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 35

A system for upgrading residuum hydrocarbons, the system comprising:
a residuum hydrocarbon conversion reactor system for contacting a residuum hydrocarbon, hydrogen, and a hydrocracking catalyst to convert at least a portion of the residuum hydrocarbon to distillate range hydrocarbons;
a separation system for fractionating the distillate range hydrocarbons into two or more hydrocarbon fractions including a vacuum tower bottoms fraction;
a separation system for recovering at least some of the spent catalyst from the residuum hydrocarbon conversion reactor system;
a solvent deasphalting unit for solvent deasphalting the vacuum tower bottoms fraction to produce a deasphalted oil fraction and a pitch fraction;
a pitch hydrocracking reactor system for contacting the pitch, hydrogen, and spent catalyst recovered from the residuum hydrocarbon reactor system at reaction conditions of temperature and pressure sufficient to convert at least a portion of the pitch to distillate hydrocarbons.