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US 7,247,235 B2Granted
Hydrogenation of middle distillate using a counter-current reactor
AssigneeABB Lummus Global Inc.
InventorsHarjeet Virdi, Arup Roy, Thu-Huong Nguyen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for the hydrogenation of a hydrocarbon feed includes contacting a major amount of the hydrocarbon feed with hydrogen in a counter-current manner in a first reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst in at least a first catalyst bed wherein a liquid effluent exits at a bottom end of the first reaction zone and a hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent exits at a top end of the first reaction zone, and contacting a minor portion of the hydrocarbon feed with said hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent in a co-current manner in a second reaction zone having a catalyst bed positioned to receive the hydrogen-containing effluent of the first reaction zone.
Claims21
A process for the hydrogenation of a petroleum fraction which comprises:
- a) co-current contacting the petroleum fraction in a first hydrotreating unit with a first hydrogen stream under hydrogenation reaction conditions to provide a partially treated first effluent containing a liquid component and a first vapor component;
- b) cooling the first effluent in a first heat exchange step;
- c) removing the first vapor component from the cooled first effluent in at least one liquid-vapor separation unit to provide a separation unit effluent containing substantially only liquid component;
- d) heating the separation unit effluent in a second heat exchange step to provide a heated liquid component;
- e) introducing the heated liquid component of step (d) into a second hydrotreating unit,
- wherein a major portion of the heated liquid component of step (d) is contacted with a second hydrogen stream in a counter-current manner in a first reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a first hydrogenation catalyst in at least a first catalyst bed to provide a treated bottom effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a bottom end of the first reaction zone and a hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a top end of the first reaction zone,
- and wherein a minor portion of the heated liquid component of step (d) is contacted with the hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent in a co-current manner in a second reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a second hydrogenation catalyst to provide a treated overhead effluent which exits the second reaction zone at a top end of the second reaction zone;
- f) combining the entire treated overhead effluent with the treated bottom effluent to provide a combined treated effluent;
- and
- g) removing a second vapor component from the combined effluent of the second hydrotreating unit to provide a product stream.
7 more elements
A process for hydrogenation of a petroleum fraction which comprises:
- a) co-current contacting the petroleum fraction in a first hydrotreating unit with a first hydrogen stream under hydrogenation reaction conditions to provide a partially treated first effluent containing a liquid component and a first vapor component;
- b) removing the first vapor component from the first effluent in at least one liquid-vapor separation unit to provide a separation unit liquid component containing substantially only liquid component;
- c) cooling the separation unit liquid component and rejoining the first vapor component to the cooled separation unit liquid component to provide a combined liquid-vapor separation unit effluent;
- d) introducing the separation unit effluent of step (c) into a second hydrotreating unit,
- wherein a major portion of the liquid component of step (c) is contacted with a second hydrogen stream in a counter-current manner in a first reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a first hydrogenation catalyst in at least a first catalyst bed to provide a treated bottom effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a bottom end of the first reaction zone and a hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a top end of the first reaction zone,
- and wherein a minor portion of the liquid component of step (c) is contacted with the hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent in a co-current manner in a second reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a second hydrogenation catalyst to provide a treated overhead effluent which exits the second reaction zone at a top end of the second reaction zone;
- e) combining the entire treated overhead effluent with the treated bottom effluent to provide a combined treated effluent;
- and
- f) removing a second vapor component from the combined treated effluent of the second hydrotreating unit to provide a product stream.
6 more elements
A process for the hydrogenation of a petroleum fraction comprising
- a) introducing the petroleum fraction into a hydrotreating unit wherein a major portion of the petroleum fraction is contacted with a stream of hydrogen in a counter-current manner in a first reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a first hydrogenation catalyst in at least a first catalyst bed to provide a treated bottom effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a bottom end of the first reaction zone and a hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a top end of the first reaction zone, and wherein a minor portion of the petroleum fraction is contacted with the hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent in a co-current manner in a second reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a second hydrogenation catalyst to provide a treated overhead effluent which exits the hydrotreating unit at a top end of the hydrotreating unit
- b) cooling the treated bottom effluent of the hydrotreating unit;
- c) separating a first vapor component from the cooled treated bottom effluent to provide a treated product stream;
- d) cooling the treated overhead effluent from the hydrotreating unit;
- e) separating a second vapor component from the cooled treated overhead effluent to provide a liquid bottom which is combined with the product stream;
- f) scrubbing the second vapor component to remove heteroatoms;
- g) adding hydrogen to the scrubbed second vapor component;
- h) compressing the scrubbed second vapor component in at least a two stage compression system with intermediate cooling and with intermediate separation of a liquid condensate to provide a compressed vapor stream;
- i) combining the liquid condensate with the product stream;
- and
- j) introducing the compressed vapor stream into the hydrotreating unit.
8 more elements
A process for the hydrogenation of a petroleum fraction which comprises:
- a) co-current contacting the petroleum fraction in a first hydrotreating unit with a first hydrogen stream under hydrogenation reaction conditions to provide a partially treated first effluent containing a liquid component and a first vapor component;
- b) cooling the first effluent in a first heat exchange step;
- c) removing the first vapor component from the cooled first effluent in at least one liquid-vapor separation unit to provide a separation unit effluent containing substantially only liquid component;
- d) heating the separation unit effluent in a second heat exchange step to provide a heated liquid component;
- e) introducing the heated liquid component of step (d) into a second hydrotreating unit,
- wherein a major portion of the heated liquid component of step (d) is contacted with a second hydrogen stream in a counter-current manner in a first reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a first hydrogenation catalyst in at least a first catalyst bed to provide a treated bottom effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a bottom end of the first reaction zone and a hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent which exits the first reaction zone at a top end of the first reaction zone,
- and wherein a minor portion of the heated liquid component of step (d) is entrained and upwardly carried by the hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent and contacted with the hydrogen-containing gaseous effluent in a co-current manner in a second reaction zone under hydrogenation reaction conditions in the presence of a second hydrogenation catalyst to provide a treated overhead effluent which exits the second reaction zone at a top end of the second reaction zone;
- f) combining the entire treated overhead effluent with the treated bottom effluent to provide a combined treated effluent;
- and
- g) removing a second vapor component from the combined effluent of the second hydrotreating unit to provide a product stream.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.