Integrated refining process
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorsCostandi A. Audeh, Saverio G. Greco
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Abstract
An integrated method for refining a hydrocarbon distillate fraction such as kerosene which has sulfur-containing compounds by washing the fraction with an alkaline solution and then sweetening the resulting distillate by treating it with a phthalocyanine catalyst in the presence of a second alkaline solution and oxygen while simultaneously disposing of the spent caustic from the washing by incinerating same in the presence of a sulfur-containing fuel and oxygen to yield harmless sulfates.
Claims12
A method for refining a hydrocarbon distillate fraction having sulfur-containing compounds comprising:
- washing said distillate fraction with a first aqueous alkaline solution to remove acidic materials and mercaptans that form soluble and easily removable alkaline metal mercaptides;
- treating the distillate fraction resulting from said washing with a phthalocyanine catalyst in the presence of a second aqueous alkaline solution and oxygen so that the mercapto compounds contained in said fraction are oxidized to form innocuous disulfides;
- incinerating spent alkaline solution resulting from said washing in the presence of oxygen and introducing a sufficient amount of sulfur-containing gas to convert the alkaline material to the corresponding sulfate.
A method for refining a hydrocarbon distillate fraction having sulfur-containing compounds comprising:
- washing said distillate fraction with a first aqueous alkaline solution to remove acidic materials and mercaptans that form soluble and easily removable alkaline metal mercaptides;
- treating the distillate fraction resulting from said washing with a metal phthalocyanine catalyst in the presence of a second aqueous alkaline solution and oxygen so that the mercapto compounds contained in said fraction are oxidized to form innocuous disulfides;
- incinerating spent alkaline solution resulting from said washing in the presence of oxygen and a sufficient amount of hydrogen sulfide gas to convert the alkaline material to the corresponding sulfate.
A method for refining a hydrocarbon distillate fraction having sulfur-containing compounds comprising:
- (a) washing said distillate fraction with a first aqueous alkaline solution to remove acidic materials and mercaptans that form soluble and easily removable alkaline metal mercaptides;
- (b) treating the distillate fraction resulting from said washing with phthalocyanine metal catalyst in the presence of a second aqueous alkaline solution and oxygen so that the mercapto compounds contained in said fraction are oxidized to form innocuous disulfides;
- (c) oxidizing spent alkaline solution from washing step (a) in the presence of excess oxygen from step (b) together with added sulfur-containing fuel to convert the alkaline material to the corresponding sulfate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.