Temperature controlled catalytic demetallization of hydrocarbons
AssigneeUnion Oil Company of California
InventorsDavid A. Lindsay, Michael C. Smith, Walter Albertson, Marvin J. Schwedock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In the catalytic processing of hydrocarbons, a hydrocarbon oil is successively contacted with a particulate catalyst in a first reaction zone and contacted at a higher temperature with a second portion of the particulate catalyst in the same reaction zone or in a second reaction zone.
Claims43
A catalytic process for removing contaminant metals from a petroleum hydrocarbon oil containing contaminant metals, said catalytic process comprising the following steps:
- (1) contacting an upstream portion of a catalyst bed containing a particulate hydrometallization catalyst having a known metals-accumulating capacity under hydrodemetallizing conditions with said hydrocarbon oil to produce a product hydrocarbon oil containing less contaminant metals than said hydrocarbon oil, and
- (2) subsequently contacting a downstream portion of said catalyst bed under said hydrodemetallizing conditions of step (1), including a weighted average catalyst bed temperature controlled at least 5.degree. F. higher than the weighted average catalyst bed temperature in step (1), with said product hydrocarbon obtained in step (1) to produce a second product hydrocarbon oil containing less contaminant metals than said product hydrocarbon oil obtained in step (1), and wherein said weighted average catalyst bed temperatures in step (1) and step (2) are sufficient to cause deposition of a weight percent of contaminant metals on said upstream portion of said catalyst bed, as calculated on a fresh catalyst basis, in a ratio less than 2 to 1 as compared to the weight percent of contaminant metals on a portion of said downstream portion of said catalyst bed equivalent to said upstream portion of said catalyst bed.
A process for removing contaminant metals from a petroleum hydrocarbon oil containing sulfur and contaminant metals, said process comprising successively contacting a first portion of a particulate hydrodemetallization catalyst under hydrodemetallizing conditions with said hydrocarbon oil in a first reaction zone to produce a product hydrocarbon oil containing less contaminant metals than said hydrocarbon oil and, subsequently, contacting a second portion of said particulate hydrodemetallization catalyst with said product hydrocarbon oil obtained from said first reaction zone under hydrodemetallizing conditions in a second reaction zone to produce a second hydrocarbon oil containing less contaminant metals than said product hydrocarbon oil obtained from said first reaction zone, said first reaction zone having a weighted average catalyst bed temperature controlled at least 5.degree. F. lower than the weighted average catalyst bed temperature of said second reaction zone and wherein said weighted average catalyst bed temperatures in said first and said second reaction zones are sufficient to cause deposition of a weight percent of contaminant metals on said catalyst in said first reaction zone, as calculated on a fresh catalyst basis, in a ratio less than 2 to 1 as compared to the weight percent of contaminant metals on a portion of said catalyst in said second reaction zone equivalent to said portion of said catalyst in said first reaction zone.
A multi-reaction zone process for hydrodemetallizing and hydrodesulfurizing a petroleum hydrocarbon oil containing sulfur and contaminant metals, said process comprising the following steps:
- (1) contacting a first portion of a hydrodemetallization catalyst under hydrodemetallization conditions with said hydrocarbon oil in a first reaction zone to produce a product hydrocarbon oil containing less contaminant metals than said hydrocarbon oil, said hydrodemetallization catalyst comprising at least one Group VIB metal hydrogenation component and at least one Group VIII metal hydrogenation component on a porous refractory oxide support containing alumina;
- (2) contacting a second portion of said hydrodemetallization catalyst in a second reaction zone with the product hydrocarbon obtained from step (1) under said hydrodemetallization conditions of step (1) except at a weighted average catalyst bed temperature controlled at least 5.degree. F. higher than the weighted average catalyst bed temperature in said first reaction zone to produce a second product hydrocarbon oil containing less contaminant metals than said product hydrocarbon oil obtained in step (1) and wherein said weighted average catalyst bed temperatures in said first and said second reaction zones are sufficient to cause deposition of a weight percent of contaminant metals on said catalyst in said first reaction zone, as calculated on a fresh catalyst basis, in a ratio less than 2 to 1 as compared to the weight percent of contaminant metals on a portion of said catalyst in said second reaction zone equivalent to said portion of said demetallization catalyst in said first reaction zone;
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- (3) contacting a hydrodesulfurization catalyst under hydrodesulfurization conditions with the product hydrocarbon obtained from step (2) in a third reaction zone, said hydrodesulfurization catalyst comprising at least one Group VIB metal hydrogenation component and at least one Group VIII metal hydrogenation component on a porous refractory oxide support containing alumina, said hydrodesulfurization catalyst having an average pore diameter of at least 30 angstroms less than the average pore diameter of said hydrodemetallization catalyst.
A catalytic process for removing contaminant metals from a petroleum hydrocarbon oil containing contaminant metals, Conradson carbon and sulfur, said catalytic process comprising the following steps:
- (1) contacting a particulate hydrodemetallization catalyst under hydrodemetallization conditions with said hydrocarbon oil in a first reaction zone to produce a product hydrocarbon containing less contaminant metals than said hydrocarbon oil, and
- (2) subsequently contacting a second portion of said particulate hydrodemetallization catalyst under hydrodemetallization conditions with a product hydrocarbon oil obtained from step (1) in a second reaction zone to produce a second product hydrocarbon containing substantially less contaminant metals, sulfur and Conradson carbon than said hydrocarbon oil, said first reaction zone having a weighted average catalyst bed temperature controlled at least 5.degree. F. lower than the weighted average catalyst bed temperature of said second reaction zone and wherein said weighted average catalyst bed temperatures in said first and said second reaction zones are sufficient to cause deposition of a weight percent of contaminant metals on said catalyst in said first reaction zone, as calculated on a fresh catalyst basis, in a ratio less than 2 to 1 as compared to the weight percent of contaminant metals on a portion of said catalyst in said second reaction zone equivalent to said portion of said catalyst in said first reaction zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.