Upgrading petroleum and residual fractions thereof
AssigneeEngelhard Minerals & Chemicals Corporation
InventorDavid B. Bartholic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Whole crude and bottoms fractions from distillation of petroleum are upgraded by high temperature, short time contact with a fluidizable solid of essentially inert character to deposit high boiling components of the charge on the solid whereby Conradson Carbon values, salt content and metal content are reduced. The upgraded hydrocarbon fraction may be supplied to fractionator, in which case the high temperatue contactor serves as a heater, e.g. crude heater for crude distillation, in addition to improving quality of the fractions derived by distillation. For charge stocks boiling above about 500.degree.-650.degree. F., the upgrading process yields a product suitable for charge to catalytic cracking in that Conradson Carbon, salts and metals are reduced to levels tolerable in catalytic cracking.
Claims39
In a process for preparing premium products from crude petroleum by fractionally distilling the crude petroleum to separate gasoline and distillate gas oil from a residual fraction having a substantial Conradson Carbon number and charging the distillate gas oil to catalytic cracking;
- the improvement which comprises contacting said residual fraction in a rising confined vertical column with an inert solid material having a microactivity for catalyst cracking not substantially greater than 20 at low severity, including a temperature of at least about 900.degree. F. for a period of time less than two seconds and less than that which induces substantial thermal cracking of said residual fraction, at the end of said period of time separating from said inert solid a decarbonized residual fraction of reduced Conradson Carbon number as compared with said residual fraction, reducing temperature of the said separated fraction to a level below that at which substantial thermal cracking takes place and adding said decarbonized residual fraction to said distillate gas oil as additional charge to said catalytic cracking.
In a process for preparing premium products from crude petroleum by fractionally distilling the crude petroleum to separate distillates from a residual fraction having a substantial Conradson Carbon number;
- the improvement which comprises contacting said residual fraction in a rising confined vertical column which an inert solid material having a microactivity for catalytic cracking not substantially greater than 20 at low severity, including a temperature of at least about 900.degree. F. for a period of time less than that which induces substantial thermal cracking of said residual fraction, separating from said contacting a decarbonized residual fraction of reduced Conradson Carbon number as compared with said residual fraction and promptly quenching said separated residual fraction to a temperature below that at which substantial thermal cracking takes place.
In a process for preparing premium products from crude petroleum by fractionally distilling the crude petroleum to separate gasoline and distillate gas oil from a residual fraction having a substantial Conradson Carbon number and charging the distillate gas oil to catalytic cracking;
- the improvement which comprises contacting said residual fraction and a quantity of water or steam to substantially decrease hydrocarbon partial pressure in a rising confined vertical column with an inert solid material having a microactivity for catalytic cracking not substantially greater than 20, a surface area of about 10 to about 15 square meters per gram and pores of which most are in the range of 150 to 600 Angstrom Units at low severity including a temperature of at least about 900.degree. F. for a period of time below 0.5 seconds and less than that which induces substantially thermal cracking of said residual fraction, at the end of said period of time separating from said inert solid a decarbonized residual fraction of reduced Conradson Carbon number as compared with said residual fraction, reducing temperature of the said separated fraction to a level below that at which substantial thermal cracking takes place and adding said decarbonized residual fraction to said distillate gas oil as additional charge to said catalytic cracking.
In a process for preparing premium products from crude petroleum having a substantial Conradson Carbon number;
- the improvement which comprises contacting a charge of said crude or a residual fraction thereof containing the highest boiling components of said crude in a rising confined vertical column with an inert solid material having a microactivity for catalytic cracking not substantially greater than 20 at low severity, including a temperature at least equal to the average boiling point of said charge for a period of time less than two seconds and less than that which induces substantial thermal cracking of said charge, at the end of said period of time separating from said inert solid a decarbonized crude or residual fraction thereof product of reduced Conradson Carbon number as compared with said charge and reducing temperature of the said separated fraction to a level below that at which substantial thermal cracking takes place to thereby terminate said period of time.
A process for upgrading a petroleum charge of a crude oil or a residual fraction which contains high boiling components of substantial Conradson Carbon number which comprises contacting said charge in a confined rising vertical column with a finely divided solid contact material consisting essentially of an inert solid material having a microactivity for catalytic cracking not substantially greater than 20 at low severity, including a temperature of at least about 900.degree. F. for a period of time less than 2 seconds and less than that which induces substantial thermal cracking of said charge, at the end of said period of time separating from said inert solid a decarbonized hydrocarbon fraction of reduced Conradson Carbon number as compared with said charge and reducing temperature of said separated fraction to a level below that at which substantial thermal cracking takes place to terminate said period of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.