# US 7,744,742 B2 · Integration of molecular redistribution and hydroisomerization processes for the production of paraffinic base oil > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,744,742 B2 - Document ID: US7744742B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/987,207 - Filed: 2007-11-28 - Published: 2009-05-28 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2007-11-28 - Assignees: Chevron U.S.A. Inc. - Inventors: Dennis J. O'Rear - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744742B2 ## CPC - C10G 69/02: plural serial stages only - C10G 65/046: {at least one step being an aromatisation step} - C10M 101/02: Petroleum fractions - C10M 107/02: Hydrocarbon polymers; Hydrocarbon polymers modified by oxidation - C10M 2203/1025: used as base material - C10M 2203/1045: used as base material - C10M 2203/1065: used as base material - C10M 2205/173: used as base material - C10N 2020/015: {Distillation range} - C10N 2020/02: Viscosity; Viscosity index - C10N 2020/04: Molecular weight; Molecular weight distribution - C10N 2020/065: {Saturated Compounds} - C10N 2020/071: {Branched chain compounds} - C10N 2030/02: Pour-point; Viscosity index - C10N 2030/10: Inhibition of oxidation, e.g. anti-oxidants - C10N 2030/74: {Noack Volatility} - 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 - C10M: LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS (well drilling compositions C09K8/02); USE OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES EITHER ALONE OR AS LUBRICATING INGREDIENTS IN A LUBRICATING COMPOSITION (mould release, i.e. separating, agents for metals B22C3/00, for plastics or substances in a plastic state, in general B29C33/56, for glass C03B40/02; textile lubricating compositions D06M11/00, D06M13/00, D06M15/00; immersion oils for microscopy G02B21/33) - C10N: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS C10M RELATING TO LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS ## Abstract The process as described herein produces a moderately aromatic isoparaffinic base oil from a distillate range product. This process comprises: (a) providing a distillate range paraffin feed comprising paraffins and cycloparaffins; (b) mildly reforming the distillate range paraffin feed to convert at least a portion of the cycloparaffins to alkylaromatics and provide a mildly reformed distillate range stream; (c) treating a stream comprising the mildly reformed distillate range stream in a molecular redistribution reactor to provide a distributed stream; (d) dewaxing at least a portion of the distributed stream to provide a dewaxed stream; (e) combining at least a portion of the dewaxed stream with the stream to be processed in the molecular redistribution reactor to provide the distributed stream; and (f) isolating a moderately aromatic isoparaffinic base oil from the dewaxed stream. According to another aspect, the process generates low ring content isoparaffinic base oil by hydrotreating the moderately aromatic isoparaffinic base oil. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for producing a moderately aromatic isoparaffinic base oil from a distillate range product comprising: (a) providing a distillate range paraffin feed comprising paraffins and cycloparaffins; (b) mildly reforming the distillate range paraffin feed to convert at least a portion of the cycloparaffins to alkylaromatics and provide a mildly reformed distillate range stream; (c) treating a stream comprising the mildly reformed distillate range stream in a molecular redistribution reactor to provide a distributed stream; (d) dewaxing at least a portion of the distributed stream to provide a dewaxed stream; (e) combining at least a portion of the dewaxed stream with the stream to be processed in the molecular redistribution reactor to provide the distributed stream; and (f) isolating a moderately aromatic isoparaffinic base oil from the dewaxed stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, further comprising distilling the dewaxed stream to separate the moderately aromatic isoparaffinic base oil from a lighter material stream. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A process according to claim 2, wherein the lighter material stream comprises a distillate stream and a naphtha stream. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A process according to claim 3, further comprising recycling the distillate stream to the distillate range paraffin feed of step (a). ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) A process according to claim 3, further comprising: providing a waxy product stream; combining the waxy product stream with at least a portion of the distributed stream to provide a combined stream to be dewaxed; and dewaxing the combined stream in step (d). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A process according to claim 5, further comprising hydrotreating the waxy product stream prior to combining the waxy product stream with at least a portion of the distributed stream. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A process according to claim 5, wherein the waxy product stream is a Fischer-Tropsch product. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) A process according to claim 2, further comprising: optionally hydrotreating the distillate range paraffin feed to provide a hydrotreated distillate range paraffin feed; distilling the distillate range paraffin feed or the hydrotreated distillate range paraffin feed and the lighter material stream with the distributed stream to provide a stream boiling above the distillate range, a naphtha stream, and a distillate range stream comprising paraffins and cycloparaffins; dewaxing the stream boiling above the distillate range of the distributed stream in step (d); and mildly reforming the distillate range stream to convert at least a portion of the cycloparaffins to alkylaromatics and provide the mildly reformed distillate range stream of step (b). ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A process according to claim 8, further comprising hydrotreating the stream boiling above the distillate range of the distributed stream prior to dewaxing. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) A process according to claim 8, further comprising hydrotreating the distillate range stream prior to mildly reforming the distillate range stream. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, wherein the cycloparaffins comprise saturated ring carbons and the alkylaromatics comprise aromatic carbons, and the mildly reformed distillate range stream has a percentage of aromatic carbons less than or equal to 5 times a percentage of the saturated ring carbons in the distillate range paraffin feed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, wherein the cycloparaffins comprise saturated ring carbons and the alkylaromatics comprise aromatic carbons, and wherein at least a portion of the cycloparaffins have been converted into aromatics, and the mildly reformed distillate range stream has a percentage of aromatic carbons equal to between 10% and 200% of a percentage of the saturated ring carbons in the distillate range paraffin feed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, wherein the dewaxed stream further comprises a wax. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A process according to claim 13, further comprising combining the wax into the stream to be processed in the molecular redistribution reactor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, further comprising: distilling the distributed stream to provide a first heavy product stream, a first distillate range paraffin stream, and a naphtha stream; and dewaxing the heavy product stream of the distributed stream in step (d). ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A process according to claim 15, further comprising: hydroisomerizing the first distillate range paraffin stream to provide an isoparaffinic stream; and combining the isoparaffinic stream into the stream to be processed in the molecular redistribution reactor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) A process according to claim 15, further comprising: distilling the mildly reformed distillate range stream to provide a second heavy product stream and a second distillate range paraffin stream; and combining the second heavy product stream into the stream to be processed in the molecular redistribution reactor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A process according to claim 17, further comprising: combining the first distillate range paraffin stream with the second distillate range paraffin stream to provide a combined distillate range paraffin stream; hydroisomerizing the combined distillate range paraffin stream to provide an isoparaffinic stream; and combining the isoparaffinic stream into the stream to be processed in the molecular redistribution reactor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, further comprising hydrotreating the moderately aromatic isoparaffinic base oil to provide a low ring content isoparaffinic base oil. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, wherein the distillate range paraffin feed is a Fischer-Tropsch product. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, further comprising hydrotreating the distillate range paraffin feed prior to step (b). ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, further comprising distilling the distillate range paraffin feed prior to step (b). ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, wherein the dewaxing step (d) comprises solvent dewaxing and distillate hydroisomerization. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the distributed stream that is dewaxed in step (d) comprises a bottom portion of the distributed stream, and the dewaxing is catalytic. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) A process according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the distributed stream that is dewaxed in step (d) comprises a bottom portion of the distributed stream and a lighter portion of the distributed stream, and the dewaxing is catalytic.