Back to results
US 4,793,980 AGranted
Hollow porous microspheres as substrates and containers for catalyst
OwnerLeonard B. Torobininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerLeonard B. Torobininventor
Estimating the term…
Hollow porous microspheres are used as substrates and containers for catalyst to make microsphere catalysts. The hollow porous microspheres are made from dispersed particle compositions. The microspheres have a single central cavity, have substantially uniform diameters and substantially uniform wall thickness and the walls of the microspheres have substantially uniform void content, i.e., interconnecting voids, and have substantially uniform distribution of interconnecting voids. The interconnecting voids in the walls of the microspheres are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface of the microsphere to the inner wall surface of the microsphere. The microsphere catalysts are prepared by coating or impregnating the hollow porous microspheres with a catalyst or by applying a catalyst support to the microspheres and then coating or impregnating the microspheres and catalyst support with a catalyst. The microsphere catalyst can also be prepared by filling the hollow porous microspheres with a catalyst or catalyst and catalyst support. The microsphere catalyst can be treated to immobilize the catalyst and can be treated to provide the microsphere with a selective membrane. The microsphere catalyst can be used for a wide variety of catalyst reactions.
A process for carrying out a catalytic reaction which comprises contacting hollow porous microsphere catalyst with a reaction medium under conditions such that at least one constituent in the reaction medium is brought into contact with the catalyst for a period of time sufficient for said constituent to undergo a chemical change, said microsphere catalyst comprising hollow porous microspheres having a substantially uniform diameter of 200 to 10,000 microns and a substantially uniform wall thickness of 1.0 to 1000 microns, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said walls include entrance means through which a reactant can be introduced into the interconnecting voids and into the single central cavity of the microspheres, said microspheres have catalyst on the particles forming the walls or have catalyst contained within the single central cavity or have catalyst on the particles forming the walls and have catalyst contained within the single central cavity, and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions or sections and bubbles.
A method for controlling CO and hydrocarbon constituents in an auto exhaust which comprises placing in a container a bed of auto emission control microsphere catalyst comprising hollow porous microspheres of substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 microns and of substantially uniform wall thickness of 5.0 to 400 microns, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together alumina particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said microspheres have a catalyst selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium and rhodium and mixtures thereof coated or impregnated on the inner and outer wall surfaces of the microspheres and on the particles forming the interconnecting voids in the wall of the microspheres, and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions or sections and bubbles, installing the container in an engine exhaust line and contacting the engine exhaust with the microsphere catalysts to convert the CO to CO.sub.2 and hydrocarbons to CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O and to thereby reduce the concentration of CO and hydrocarbons in the exhaust.
A method for reducing the sulfur and nitrogen content of a hydrocarbon feed containing sulfur or nitrogen which comprises contacting a hydrodinitrification and hydrodesulfurization catalyst comprising hollow porous microspheres of substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 microns and of substantially uniform wall thickness of 5.0 to 400 microns, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together alumina particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said microspheres have contained within the single central cavity and have within the interconnecting voids a catalyst selected from the group consisting of cobalt-molybdenum, nickel-molybdenum and nickel-tungsten and the oxides and sulfides thereof and mixtures thereof, and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned walls portions or sections and bubbles in a reactor vessel with the hydrocarbon feed and hydrogen and removing sulfur and nitrogen from the hydrocarbon feed.
A method for hydrocracking a hydrocarbon feed to obtain hydrocarbons of a lower molecular weight than said feed hydrocarbons which comprises contacting a hydrocracking catalyst comprising hollow porous microspheres of substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 and of substantially uniform wall thickness of 5.0 to 400 microns, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together alumina particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said microspheres have contained within the single central cavity a nickel catalyst and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions or sections and bubbles in a reactor vessel with the hydrocarbon feed and hydrogen under hydrocarbon cracking conditions and cracking the hydrocarbon feed to obtain hydrocarbons of a lower molecular weight than the feed.
A catalytic cracking catalyst comprising hollow porous microspheres of substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 microns and of substantially uniform wall thickness of 5.0 to 400 microns and having macro pores 5.0 to 400 microns in size which extend through the walls, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together alumina particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said microspheres have contained within the single central cavity crystalline zeolite molecular sieve catalyst, and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions of sections and bubbles.
A method for catalytically cracking a hydrocarbon petroleum fraction to increase the yield of light cycle oil and gasoline which comprises contacting a catalytic cracking catalyst comprising hollow porous microspheres of substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 microns and of substantially uniform wall thickness of 5.0 to 400 microns and having macro pores 5.0 to 400 microns in size which extend through the walls, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together alumina particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said microspheres have contained within the single central cavity crystalline zeolite molecular sieve catalyst, and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions or sections and bubbles in a reactor vessel with the hydrocarbon and catalytically cracking the hydrocarbon.
A microsphere catalyst for removing SO.sub.2 from gases and for converting NO.sub.x in gases to N.sub.2 comprising hollow porous microspheres of substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 microns and of substantially uniform wall thickness of 5.0 to 400 microns, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together alumina particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said microspheres have contained within the single central cavity finely divided carbon catalyst particles, and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions or sections and bubbles.
A microsphere absorbent, for selectively removing SO.sub.2 from a gas stream containing SO.sub.2, comprising hollow porous microspheres of substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 microns and of substantially uniform wall thickness of 5.0 to 400 microns, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together alumina particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said microspheres have contained within the single central cavity polyethylene glycol which has a high solubility for SO.sub.2 and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions or sections and bubbles.
A process for carrying out a catalytic reaction which comprises contacting hollow porous microsphere catalyst with a reaction medium under conditions such that at least one constituent in the reaction medium is brought into contact with the catalyst for a period of time sufficient for said constituent to undergo a chemical change, said microsphere catalyst comprising hollow porous microspheres having a substantially uniform diameter of 500 to 6000 microns and a substantially uniform wall thickness of 5 to 400 microns, the walls of said microspheres comprise sintered together particles which define interconnecting voids within the walls and a single central cavity in the interior of the microspheres and inner and outer microsphere wall surfaces, said interconnecting voids are continuous and extend from the outer wall surface to the inner wall surface, said walls have substantially uniform void content and said interconnecting voids are substantially uniformly distributed in the walls of the hollow microspheres, said walls include entrance means through which a reactant can be introduced into the interconnecting voids and into the single central cavity of the microspheres, said microspheres have catalyst on the particles forming the walls or have catalyst contained within the single central cavity or have catalyst on the particles forming the walls and have catalyst contained within the single central cavity, and the walls of said microspheres are free of latent solid or liquid blowing gas materials and are substantially free of relatively thinned wall portions or sections and bubbles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.