Optimization of p-xylene recovery by integration of hplc into aromatics recovery complex
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsOmer Refa KOSEOGLU, Saroj Kumar PANDA, Robert Peter HODGKINS
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Abstract
Disclosed are methods and systems for quantitation of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, o-xylene, m-xylene, and p-xylene in aromatics recovery complexes. High-performance liquid chromatography using a carbon stationary phase and a gradient mobile phase is performed. The carbon stationary phase can be a porous graphitic carbon stationary phase. The mobile phase includes an organic acid in water and an alcohol. The organic acid can include formic acid, and the alcohol can include methanol. The methods and systems achieve a resolution between xylene isomer peaks of greater than 2.0 when sampling industrial process streams in aromatic recovery complexes.
Claims19
A method for the determination of concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbon components in industrial samples from an aromatics recovery complex, the method comprising the steps of:
- gathering a sample from a process stream in the aromatics recovery complex;
- analyzing the sample, comprising the steps of:
- injecting the sample into a high-performance liquid chromatography column, wherein the high-performance liquid chromatography column comprises a carbon stationary phase, further wherein the sample comprises the aromatic hydrocarbon components, wherein the aromatic hydrocarbon components are selected from the group consisting of:
- benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene isomers, and combinations of the same, wherein the xylene isomers are selected from the group consisting of:
- o-xylene, p-xylene, m-xylene, and combinations of the same;
- introducing a mobile phase into the carbon stationary phase, wherein the mobile phase comprises an organic acid in water and an alcohol;
- increasing the concentration of the alcohol in the mobile phase and decreasing the concentration of the organic acid in water in the mobile phase such that the mobile phase reaches a concentration of 100% of the alcohol and 0% of the organic acid in water, such that a gradient elution is performed;
- then
- decreasing the concentration of the alcohol in the mobile phase and increasing the concentration of the organic acid in water in the mobile phase;
- and
- quantitating, based on the gradient elution, a concentration of the xylene isomers in the sample.
A system for the determination of concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbon components in industrial samples from an aromatics recovery complex, the system comprising:
- a process unit;
- a high-performance liquid chromatography instrument, the high-performance liquid chromatography instrument fluidly connected to the process unit, the high-performance liquid chromatography instrument comprising:
- a carbon stationary phase;
- a mobile phase comprising an organic acid in water and an alcohol;
- a UV detector;
- and
- a fluorescence detector;
- wherein the high-performance liquid chromatography instrument is configured to perform a gradient elution such that the mobile phase reaches a concentration of 100% of the alcohol and 0% of the organic acid in water;
- further wherein the high-performance liquid chromatography instrument is configured to analyze a sample gathered from a process stream in the process unit, the sample comprising aromatic hydrocarbon components, wherein the aromatic hydrocarbon components are selected from the group consisting of:
- benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene isomers, and combinations of the same, wherein the xylene isomers are selected from the group consisting of:
- o-xylene, p-xylene, m-xylene, and combinations of the same, such that a sample chromatogram can be generated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.