US 5,837,130 A · Catalytic distillation refining

Abstract

A process for hydrotreating petroleum fractions early in the refining process by employing catalyst prepared as components of distillation structures or as contained beds of catalyst in atmospheric distillation columns and or side draw columns. For example, a crude petroleum is hydrotreated by taking side streams from an atmospheric distillation column and the vacuum gas oil from a vacuum distillation column which are individually fed to separate desulfurizations, preferably in distillation column reactors containing a hydrodesulfurization catalyst. The overheads from each of the distillation column reactors is returned to the atmospheric column and the bottoms from each distillation column reactor is withdrawn as hydrotreated product. The process may also be used for upgrading the effluent from a fluid catalytic cracking unit, preferably operated as a catalytic distillation reactor.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A process for hydrotreating petroleum fractions comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding a petroleum fraction containing organic sulfur compounds to an atmospheric distillation column wherein an overheads is taken, a bottoms is taken and at least one side stream is taken;
(b) feeding a portion of said side stream to a separate side column;
provided that at least one of said columns contains a hydrodesulfurization catalyst wherein a portion of the organic sulfur contained in each of said side streams is reacted with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen;
(c) returning said hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen in said side column to said atmospheric column;
and
(d) recovering said side stream from said side column having less organic sulfur compounds than in step (b).

3 more elements

A process for refining crude petroleum comprising the steps of:

(A) feeding the crude petroleum containing organic sulfur compounds to an atmospheric distillation column wherein an overheads is taken, a bottoms is taken and a plurality of different boiling range side streams are taken;
(B) feeding a portion of each of said side streams and hydrogen to a separate distillation column reactor containing a hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the form of a catalytic distillation structure wherein concurrently:
(i) a portion of the organic sulfur contained in each of said side streams is reacted with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide and
(ii) said hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen are separated from said side streams by fractional distillation;
(C) removing the hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen from each of said separate distillation column reactors as overheads;
(D) removing, as bottoms from each of said distillation column reactors, a desulfurized stream having less organic sulfur than said side stream fed to each of said separate distillation column reactors;
and
(E) returning the overheads from each of separate distillation column reactors to said atmospheric column.

5 more elements

A process for refining crude petroleum comprising the steps of:

(A) feeding the crude petroleum containing organic sulfur compounds to an atmospheric distillation column wherein an overheads is taken, a bottoms is taken and a plurality of different boiling range side streams are taken;
(B) feeding each of said side streams and hydrogen to a separate distillation column reactor containing a hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the form of a catalytic distillation structure wherein concurrently:
(i) a portion of the organic sulfur contained in each of said side streams is reacted with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide and
(ii) said hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen are separated from said side streams by fractional distillation;
(C) removing the hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen from each of said separate distillation column reactors as overheads;
(D) removing, as bottoms from each of said distillation column reactors, a desulfurized stream having less organic sulfur than said side stream fed to each of said separate distillation column reactors;
(E) returning the overheads from each of separate distillation column reactors to said atmospheric column;
(F) feeding the bottoms from said atmospheric distillation column to a vacuum distillation column where a vacuum gas oil is separated from the vacuum residuum;
(G) feeding the vacuum gas oil and hydrogen to a separate gas oil distillation column reactor containing a hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the form of a catalytic distillation structure wherein concurrently:
(i) a portion of the organic sulfur contained in said vacuum gas oil is reacted with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide and
(ii) said hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen are separated from said gas oil by fractional distillation;
(H) removing the hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen from said gas oil distillation column reactor as overheads;
(I) removing a desulfurized vacuum gas oil less the reacted organic sulfur from said gas oil distillation column reactor as bottoms;
and
(J) returning the overheads from said gas oil distillation column reactor to said atmospheric distillation column.

12 more elements

A process for upgrading the effluent from a fluid catalytic cracking unit comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding hydrogen and the effluent from a fluid catalytic cracking reactor containing organic sulfur compounds to a primary distillation column reactor containing a plurality of beds of a hydrotreating catalyst in the form of a catalytic distillation structure wherein the effluent is simultaneously hydrotreated to remove sulfur and fractionated into a heavy fluid cracked gasoline, a light cycle oil and a heavy cycle oil;
(b) withdrawing the heavy fluid cracked gasoline from said primary distillation column reactor at a point near the top;
(c) withdrawing said light cycle oil and said heavy cycle oil separately and feeding each of said light cycle oil and heavy cycle oil to separate secondary distillation column reactors containing a hydrodesulfurization catalyst wherein a portion of the organic sulfur contained in each of said side streams is reacted with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide;
(d) separating said hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen from said light cycle oil and heavy cycle oil by distillation in said secondary distillation column reactors;
(e) returning said hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen to said primary column;
and
(f) recovering each said light cycle oil and heavy cycle oil having less organic sulfur compounds than in step (b).

4 more elements

A process for refining crude petroleum comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding hydrogen and the effluent from a fluid catalytic cracking containing organic sulfur compounds to a primary distillation column reactor containing a plurality of beds of a hydrotreating catalyst in the form of a catalytic distillation structure wherein the effluent is simultaneously hydrotreated to remove sulfur and fractionated into an overheads, a bottoms and a plurality of different boiling range side streams comprising heavy fluid cracked gasoline, light cycle oil and heavy cycle oil;
(b) feeding each of said side streams and hydrogen to separate secondary distillation column reactors each containing a hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the form of a catalytic distillation structure wherein concurrently:
(i) a portion of the organic sulfur contained in each of said side streams is reacted with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide and
(ii) said hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen are separated from said side streams by fractional distillation;
(c) removing the hydrogen sulfide and unreacted hydrogen from each of said separate distillation column reactors as overheads;
(d) removing, as bottoms from each of said separate secondary distillation column reactors, a desulfurized stream having less organic sulfur than said side stream fed to each of said separate distillation column reactors;
and
(e) returning the overheads from each of separate secondary distillation column reactors to said atmospheric column.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Catalytic distillation refining

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Catalytic distillation refining

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22