# US 7,071,237 B2 · Method to start a process for hydrocarbons

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- Number: US 7,071,237 B2
- Document ID: US7071237B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/477,743
- Filed: 2002-05-29
- Published: 2004-09-16
- Granted: 2006-07-04
- Earliest claimed: 2001-05-29
- Assignees: Shell Oil Company
- Inventors: Joachim Ansorge; Joannes Ignatius Geijsel
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7071237B2

## CPC

- C10G 2/32: {with the use of catalysts}
- C01B 3/36: using oxygen; using mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents
- B01J 2208/00716: Means for reactor start-up
- B01J 2219/00006: Large-scale industrial plants
- C01B 2203/0255: containing a non-catalytic partial oxidation step
- C01B 2203/062: Hydrocarbon production, e.g. Fischer-Tropsch process
- C01B 2203/1235: Hydrocarbons
- C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method to start a process for producing normally gaseous, normally liquid and optionally normally solid hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbonaceous feed, which process involves the steps of: (i) compressing and optionally separating an oxygen containing gas; (ii) partial oxidation of the hydrocarbonaceous feed at elevated temperature and pressure using the compressed oxygen containing gas of step (i) to obtain synthesis gas and steam; (iii) catalytically converting the synthesis gas of step (ii) at elevated temperature and pressure to obtain the normally liquid and/or gaseous hydrocarbons and steam; and (iv) using steam obtained in step (ii) and/or step (iii) and optionally combusting of hydrocarbons for generating power for providing the pressurized oxygen containing gas for step (i), which method starts with using a hydrocarbonaceous feed fired boiler for providing steam for the generation of power for step (i) for compressing and optionally separating the pressurized oxygen containing gas until step (iv) takes over for providing the power for step (i).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for starting a process for producing normally gaseous, normally liquid and optionally normally solid hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbonaceous feed, which process comprises the steps of:
(i) compressing and optionally separating an oxygen containing gas;
(ii) partially oxidating the hydrocarbonaceous feed at elevated temperature and pressure using the compressed oxygen containing gas of step (i) to obtain synthesis gas and steam;
(iii) catalytically converting the synthesis gas of step (ii) at elevated temperature and pressure to obtain the normally liquid and/or gaseous hydrocarbons and steam; and,
(iv) using steam or synthesis gas obtained in step (ii) and/or the gaseous hydrocarbons or steam obtained in step (iii) and optionally combusting of hydrocarbons for generating power for providing the pressurized oxygen containing gas for step (i),
which method comprises providing steam for the generation of power for starting step (i) for compressing and optionally separating the pressurized oxygen containing gas via a hydrocarbonaceous feed fired boiler until step (iv) takes over for provision of power for step (i) and wherein the steam, synthesis gas or a mixture thereof obtained in starting step (ii) is used in step (iv).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein step (i) comprises at least two units for compressing and/or optionally separating the oxygen containing gas and the boiler provides steam for the generation of power for at least one of these units.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in of claim 1, wherein step (ii) comprises at least two partial oxidation reactors and the oxygen containing gas is fed to at least one of the partial oxidation reactors.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in of claim 1, wherein the synthesis gas produced in step (ii) is at least partly used for firing the boiler.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein synthesis gas produced in step (ii) is used to start step (iii) for catalytically converting synthesis gas into the normally gaseous, normally liquid and optionally normally solid hydrocarbons and steam.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising storing hydrocarbons produced in step (iii) for later use.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein step (iii) comprises at least two synthesis gas converting reactors and the synthesis gas is fed to at least one of the synthesis gas converting reactors.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the process further comprises step (v) of catalytically hydrocracking higher boiling range paraffinic hydrocarbons produced in step (iii).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method claim 1, in which steam generated in the boiler or step (ii) is used for additional compression after step (i) or (ii) or to preheat the reactor to be used in step (iii) or to create fluidization in the reactor of step (iii).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein step (iv) comprises using steam and/or synthesis gas from step (ii).

### Claim 11 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the synthesis gas produced in step (ii) is at least partly used for firing the boiler.

### Claim 12 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein after starting the partial oxidation of step (ii) synthesis gas produced in step (ii) is used to start step (iii) for catalytically conversing synthesis gas into the normally gaseous, normally liquid and optionally normally solid hydrocarbons and steam.

### Claim 13 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein after starting the partial oxidation of step (ii) synthesis gas produced in step (ii) is used to start step (iii) for catalytically conversing synthesis gas into the normally gaseous, normally liquid and optionally normally solid hydrocarbons and steam.

### Claim 14 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising using the hydrocarbons produced in step (iii) for firing the boiler.

### Claim 15 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein step (iii) comprises at least two synthesis gas converting reactors and the synthesis gas is fed to at least one of the synthesis gas converting reactors.

### Claim 16 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the process further comprises step (v) of catalytically hydrocracking higher boiling range paraffinic hydrocarbons produced in step (iii), and hydrocarbons produced in step (iii) are fed to at least one catalytically hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 17 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the process further comprises step (v) of catalytically hydrocracking higher boiling range paraffinic hydrocarbons produced in step (iii), and hydrocarbons produced in step (iii) are fed to at least one catalytically hydrocracking reactor.

### Claim 18 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, in which steam generated in the boiler or step (ii) is used for additional compression after step (i) or (ii) or to preheat the reactor to be used in step (iii) or to create fluidization in the reactor of step (iii).

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, in which steam generated in the boiler or step (ii) is used for additional compression after step (i) or (ii) or to preheat the reactor to be used in step (iii) or to create fluidization in the reactor of step (iii).

### Claim 20 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, in which steam generated in the boiler or step (ii) is used for additional compression after step (i) or (ii) or to preheat the reactor to be used in step (iii) or to create fluidization in the reactor of step (iii).