Process for sweetening a sour hydrocarbon fraction
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsRobert R. Frame, Jeffery C. Bricker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention deals with a process for sweetening a sour hydrocarbon fraction containing mercaptans. The process involves contacting the hydrocarbon fraction in the presence of an oxidizing agent with a catalytic composite, ammonium hydroxide and a quaternary ammonium salt other than hydroxide. The instant process does not use any strong base nor any alkali hydroxides to sweeten the sour hydrocarbon fraction.
Claims9
A process for sweetening a sour hydrocarbon fraction containing mercaptans comprising contacting the hydrocarbon fraction in the presence of an oxidizing agent with a catalytic composite effective in oxidizing said mercaptans to disulfides, ammonium hydroxide and a quaternary ammonium salt having the structural formula ##STR3## where R is a hydrocarbon group containing up to about 20 carbon atoms and selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, and aralkyl, R.sub.1 is a straight chain alkyl group containing from about 5 to about 20 carbon atoms, R.sub.2 is a hydrocarbon group selected from the group consisting of aryl, alkaryl and aralkyl, X is an anion selected from the group consisting of halide, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, phosphate, acetate, citrate and tartrate, and said catalytic composite comprising a metal chelate dispersed on an adsorbent support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.