# US 2017/0283718 A1 · Process for producing naphthenic base oils

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- Number: US 2017/0283718 A1
- Document ID: US20170283718A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/511,442
- Filed: 2015-09-17
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Earliest claimed: 2014-09-17
- Assignees: Ergon, Inc.
- Applicants: Ergon, Inc.
- Inventors: John K. PATRICK; Howard Don DAVIS; Edward William CASSERLY
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170283718A1

## CPC

- C10G 69/08: including at least one step of reforming naphtha
- C10G 65/12: including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps
- C10M 101/02: Petroleum fractions
- C10M 177/00: Special methods of preparation of lubricating compositions; Chemical modification by after-treatment of components or of the whole of a lubricating composition, not covered by other classes
- C10G 2300/202: Heteroatoms content, i.e. S, N, O, P
- C10G 2300/203: Naphthenic acids, TAN
- C10G 2300/205: Metal content
- C10G 2300/301: Boiling range
- C10G 2300/302: Viscosity
- C10G 2300/304: Pour point, cloud point, cold flow properties
- C10M 2203/1065: used as base material
- C10N 2020/015: {Distillation range}
- C10N 2020/02: Viscosity; Viscosity index
- C10N 2030/43: {Sulfur free or low sulfur content compositions}
- 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
- C10M: LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS (well drilling compositions C09K8/02); USE OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES EITHER ALONE OR AS LUBRICATING INGREDIENTS IN A LUBRICATING COMPOSITION (mould release, i.e. separating, agents for metals B22C3/00, for plastics or substances in a plastic state, in general B29C33/56, for glass C03B40/02; textile lubricating compositions D06M11/00, D06M13/00, D06M15/00; immersion oils for microscopy G02B21/33)
- C10N: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS C10M RELATING TO LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS

## Abstract

A process for producing naphthenic base oils from low quality naphthenic crude feedstocks. The naphthenic base oils produced by the process have improved low temperature properties at high yields based on feedstock.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

-53. (canceled)

### Claim 54

A process for producing a naphthenic base oil comprising the steps of:
a) dewaxing a hydrotreated naphthenic effluent having a sulfur content of about 0.0005% to about 0.5% by weight (as measured by ASTM D4294) and a nitrogen content of up to about 0.1% by weight (as measured by ASTM D5762) in the presence of a dewaxing cracking catalyst and under catalytic dewaxing conditions to produce a dewaxed effluent;
b) hydrofinishing the dewaxed effluent in the presence of a hydrofinishing catalyst and under catalytic hydrofinishing conditions to produce a dewaxed hydrofinished effluent having reduced levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds and reduced levels of unstable olefinic compounds; and
c) fractionating the dewaxed hydrofinished effluent to remove one or more low viscosity high volatility fractions and provide a naphthenic base oil having a pour point (as measured by ASTM D5949) below about −5° C., at a yield greater than 85% of total naphthenic base oil over total hydrotreated naphthenic effluent.

### Claim 55 (depends on 54)

A process according to claim 54 further comprising the steps of:
a1) hydrotreating a naphthenic feedstock having a sulfur content of up to about 5% by weight (as measured by ASTM D4294) and a nitrogen content of up to about 3% by weight (as measured by ASTM D5762) in the presence of a hydrotreating catalyst and hydrotreating conditions to produce the hydrotreated naphthenic effluent used in step a);
c1) fractionating the dewaxed hydrofinished effluent in step c) to provide the naphthenic base oil at a yield greater than 85% of total naphthenic base oil over total naphthenic feedstock.

### Claim 56 (depends on 55)

The process of claim 55, wherein the naphthenic feedstock comprises naphthenic crude, waxy naphthenic crude, naphthenic distillate or a mixture thereof.

### Claim 57 (depends on 55)

The process of claim 55, wherein the naphthenic feedstock comprises a blend of naphthenic crude, waxy naphthenic crude or a naphthenic distillate with paraffinic feedstock, paraffinic distillate, light or heavy cycle oil, deasphalted oil, cracker residue, hydrocarbon feedstock containing heteroatom species and aromatics and boiling at about 150° C. to about 550° C. (as measured by ASTM D7169), or mixture thereof.

### Claim 58 (depends on 55)

The process of claim 55, wherein the naphthenic feedstock comprises more than 50 wt. % naphthenic vacuum distillate fractions, and up to 50 wt. % deasphalted oils containing sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds.

### Claim 59 (depends on 55)

The process of claim 55, wherein the naphthenic feedstock contains about 0.5 wt. % to 15 wt. % waxy compounds based on total feedstock.

### Claim 60 (depends on 55)

The process of claim 55, wherein the hydrotreating conditions include a temperature of about 260° C. to about 399° C., a pressure of about 5,515 kPa to about 27,579 kPa and a liquid hourly space velocity of about 0.25 to about 5 cc of oil per cc of catalyst per hour (hr−1).

### Claim 61 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the hydrotreated naphthenic effluent contains about 0.01 to about 0.15 wt. % sulfur and the hydrotreated naphthenic effluent contains about 0.01 to about 0.1 wt. % nitrogen.

### Claim 62 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the dewaxing catalyst is a molecular sieve zeolite having a 10-membered oxygen ring, a mordenite framework inverted zeolite or a ZSM-5 catalyst.

### Claim 63 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the dewaxing catalyst is a bifunctional catalyst having both a dewaxing function and a hydrogenation function.

### Claim 64 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the dewaxing conditions comprise a temperature from about 260° C. to about 399° C., a pressure from about 5,515 kPa to about 27,579 kPa, and a liquid hourly space velocity from about 0.25 hr−1 to about 7 hr−1.

### Claim 65 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the hydrofinishing conditions comprise a temperature from about 260° C. to about 399° C., a pressure from to about 5,515 kPa to about 27,579 kPa, and a liquid hourly space velocity from about 0.25 to about 5 hr−1.

### Claim 66 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the naphthenic base oil has a viscosity of about 52 to about 2800 Saybolt Universal Seconds at 37.8° C.

### Claim 67 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the pour point is below about −10° C.

### Claim 68 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the yield is greater than about 97% of total naphthenic base oil over total hydrotreated naphthenic effluent.

### Claim 69 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the naphthenic base oil contains no more than 10 ppm total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 8-markers and no more than 1 ppm benzo[a]pyrene as evaluated using European standard EN 16143:2013.

### Claim 70 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the naphthenic base oil is a 100 SUS base oil having an aniline point (ASTM D611) of about 64° C. to about 85° C., a flash point (Cleveland Open Cup, ASTM D92) of at least about 90° C. to about 260° C., a viscosity (SUS at 37.8° C.) of about 85 to about 135, and a pour point (° C., ASTM D5949) of about −90° C. to about −12° C.

### Claim 71 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the naphthenic base oil is a 500 SUS base oil having an aniline point (ASTM D611) of about 77° C. to about 98° C., a flash point (Cleveland Open Cup, ASTM D92) of at least about 111° C. to about 333° C., a viscosity (SUS at 37.8° C.) of about 450 to about 600, and a pour point (° C., ASTM D5949) of about −73° C. to about −17° C.

### Claim 72 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the naphthenic base oil is a 2000 SUS base oil having an aniline point (ASTM D611) of about 90° C. to about 110° C., a flash point (Cleveland Open Cup, ASTM D92) of at least about 168° C. to about 363° C., a viscosity (SUS at 37.8° C.) of about 1700 to about 2500, and a pour point (° C., ASTM D5949) of about −53° C. to about 24° C.

### Claim 73 (depends on 54)

The process of claim 54, wherein the naphthenic base oil contains no more than 20 ppm total of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, anthracene, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(e)pyrene, benzo(ghi)perylene, benzo(j)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene, dibenzo(a,e)pyrene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, dibenzo(a,h)pyrene, dibenzo(a,i)pyrene, dibenzo(a,l)pyrene, fluoranthene, fluorene, indeno[123-cd]pyrene, naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene.