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US 6,554,994 B1Granted
Upflow reactor system with layered catalyst bed for hydrotreating heavy feedstocks
AssigneeChevron U.S.A. Inc.
InventorsBruce E. Reynolds, Fred W. Lam, Julie Chabot, Fernando J. Antezana, Robert Bachtel, Kirk R. Gibson, Richard Threlkel, Pak C. Leung
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reactor system and process for hydrotreating a heavy feedstock contaminated with metals sulfur and carbon residue using an upflow fixed bed reactor with at least two catalyst layers having different hydrogenation activity.
Claims14
A process for reducing metals, carbon residue, and sulfur contaminants in a heavy feedstock comprising the steps of:
- a) passing the heavy feedstock in the presence of hydrogen generally upwardly into a single reactor containing therein a vertical fixed bed having at least a lower horizontal catalyst layer and an upper horizontal catalyst layer, wherein the catalyst in the lower horizontal catalyst layer is characterized by having lower hydrogenation activity than the catalyst in the upper horizontal catalyst layer;
- b) distributing the heavy feedstock and hydrogen evenly across each catalyst layer as it passes upward;
- c) maintaining a sufficiently low rate of flow for the heavy feedstock and hydrogen that the average expansion of the fixed bed does not exceed five percent;
- d) sequentially contacting under hydrotreating conditions the heavy feedstock with the catalyst in the lower horizontal catalyst layer to remove a significant portion of the metals present followed by contacting the feedstock with the catalyst in the upper horizontal layer to remove a significant portion of the remaining metals and at least a portion of the sulfur and carbon residue;
- and
- e) recovering a heavy feedstock product having less metals and a lower content of carbon residue and sulfur as compared to the heavy feedstock.
3 more elements
A process for reducing the metal, carbon residue, and sulfur contaminants in a residuum feedstock comprising the steps of:
- a) passing the residuum feedstock in the presence of hydrogen generally upwardly into a single reactor containing therein a vertical fixed bed comprised of spherical shaped catalyst particles having at least a lower horizontal catalyst layer and an upper horizontal catalyst layer, wherein the catalyst in the lower horizontal catalyst layer is characterized as having at least 20% of the pores of the catalyst with a diameter within the range of about 130 and about 170 Angstrom units and the catalyst in the upper horizontal catalyst layer is characterized as having at least 30% of the pores of the catalyst with a diameter within the range of about 95 and about 135 Angstrom units;
- b) distributing the residuum feedstock and hydrogen evenly throughout each catalyst layer as it passes upward;
- c) maintaining a sufficiently low rate of flow rate for the residuum feedstock and hydrogen that the average expansion of the fixed bed does not exceed five percent;
- d) sequentially contacting under hydrotreating conditions the residuum feedstock with the catalyst in the lower horizontal catalyst layer to remove a significant portion of the metals present followed by contacting the residuum feedstock with the catalyst in the upper horizontal layer to remove an additional amount of the remaining metals and at least a portion of the sulfur and carbon residue, and
- e) recovering a residuum product having a lower content of metals, carbon residue, and sulfur as compared to the vacuum residuum feedstock.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.