Composition and control method for treating hydrocarbon
AssigneesExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, Merichem Company
InventorsMark A. Greaney, Binh N. Le, Daniel P. Leta, John N. Begasse, Charles T. Huang, Verlin Keith Turner
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Abstract
The invention relates to a composition and method for treating liquid hydrocarbons in order to remove acidic impurities, such as mercaptans, particularly mercaptans having a molecular weight of about C4 (C4H10S=90 g/mole) and higher, such as recombinant mercaptans.
Claims20
A composition for treating and upgrading a hydrocarbon containing mercaptans, comprising:
- (a) water, alkali metal hydroxide, cobalt phthalocyanine sulfonate, and alkylphenols and having at least two phases,
- (i) the first phase containing dissolved alkali metal alkylphenylate, dissolved alkali metal hydroxide, water, and dissolved sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine, and
- (ii) the second phase containing water and dissolved alkali metal hydroxide.
A method for forming a composition useful for treating and upgrading a hydrocarbon containing mercaptans, comprising:
- (a) combining water, alkali metal hydroxide, sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine, and alkylphenols to form a treatment solution having at least an aqueous extractant phase and a more dense aqueous bottom phase substantially immiscible in the extractant;
- wherein
- (i) the extractant phase contains dissolved alkali metal alkylphenylate, dissolved alkali metal hydroxide, water, and dissolved sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine, and
- (ii) the bottom phase contains water and dissolved alkali metal hydroxide.
A control method for a hydrocarbon treating and upgrading process, comprising:
- (a) contacting the hydrocarbon with an extractant, wherein
- (i) the extractant is substantially immiscible with its analogous bottom phase of aqueous alkali metal hydroxide, and
- (ii) the extractant contains water, dissolved alkali metal alkylphenylate, dissolved alkali metal hydroxide, and dissolved sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine;
- (b) extracting mercaptan sulfur from the hydrocarbon to the extractant;
- (c) separating an upgraded hydrocarbon;
- (d) conducting an oxidizing amount oxygen and the extractant containing mercaptan sulfur to an oxidizing region and oxidizing the mercaptan sulfur to disulfides;
- (e) separating the disulfides from the extractant;
- (f) conducting the bottom phase to a concentrating region wherein water is removed from the bottom phase to regulate the extractant's composition and volumetric relationship with the bottom phase;
- and
- (g) conducting the extractant from step (e) to step (a) for re-use.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.