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US 9,809,756 B2Granted
Upgrading pyrolysis tar
AssigneeExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
InventorsNikolaos Soultanidis, Keith G. Reed, Teng Xu, David T. Ferrughelli, Luc R. M. Martens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to pyrolysis tar upgrading processes, and in particular for decreasing reactor pressure drop when the upgrading includes converting pyrolysis tar in a reactor. The invention also relates to upgraded pyrolysis tar, and the use of upgraded pyrolysis tar, e.g., as a fuel oil blending component.
Claims25
A pyrolysis tar upgrading process, the process comprising:
- (a) providing at least
- (i) a reactor zone, the reactor zone containing catalyst;
- (ii) a utility fluid, the utility fluid comprising ≧90.0 wt. % of aromatics and ≦10.0 wt. % of paraffin;
- (iii) a pyrolysis tar;
- (iv) an activating fluid, wherein
- (A) the activating fluid comprises carrier fluid and ≧5.0 wt. % of at least one activator,
- (B) the carrier fluid comprises ≧90.0 wt. % of paraffin and ≦10.0 wt. % of aromatics, and
- (v) a treat gas, wherein the treat gas comprises ≧50.0 vol. % of molecular hydrogen;
- (b) contacting the treat gas and the activating fluid with the catalyst in the reactor zone under catalyst activation conditions, the catalyst activation conditions including an LHSV ≧0.01 m3 of activating fluid per m3 of the catalyst;
- (c) decreasing the activating fluid LHSV to <0.01 m3 of activating fluid per m3 of the catalyst and then contacting the utility fluid with the catalyst in the reactor at a utility fluid LHSV ≧0.1 m3 of utility fluid per m3 of the catalyst;
- (d) transferring the pyrolysis tar to the reactor and contacting the pyrolysis tar, treat gas, and utility fluid with the catalyst under conversion conditions to produce a conversion product, the conversion conditions including
- (i) an LHSV ≧0.1 m3 of (pyrolysis tar+utility fluid) per m3 of the catalyst,
- (ii) a temperature ≧100° C. and a pressure ≧34 bar(g), and
- (iii) a utility fluid:pyrolysis tar weight ratio in the range of from about 0.05 to about 4.0,
- (e) separating a hydroprocessed product from the conversion product;
- and
- (f) substituting at least a portion of the separated hydroprocessed product for at least a portion of the utility fluid during step (d) to achieve a [(substituted hydroprocessed product+utility fluid):pyrolysis tar] weight ratio in the range of from about 0.05 to about 4.0.
14 more elements
A pyrolysis tar upgrading process, the process comprising:
- (a) providing (i) a reactor zone containing catalyst and (ii) a treat gas, wherein the treat gas comprises ≧50.0 vol. % of molecular hydrogen;
- (b) providing a feed mixture, wherein (i) the feed mixture comprises a first utility fluid and ≧10.0 wt. % of pyrolysis tar, (ii) the feed mixture has a first utility fluid:pyrolysis tar weight ratio in the range of from about 0.05 to about 4.0, (iii) the first utility fluid comprises aromatics;
- (c) conducting the treat gas and feed mixture into the reactor zone at an LHSV ≧0.1 m3 of (pyrolysis tar+utility fluid) per m3 of the catalyst, converting least a portion of the feed mixture in the reactor zone to a conversion product, and separating a hydroprocessed product from the conversion product, wherein (i) the converting is carried out at an average reactor zone temperature in the range of about 350° C. to 430° C., a pressure ≧10 bar(g), and a treat gas rate ≧75 standard m3 of molecular hydrogen per m3 of feed mixture, and (ii) the reactor zone has a first pressure-drop ΔP1;
- (d) recycling at least a first portion of the separated hydroprocessed product, the first portion having an atmospheric boiling range of from 175° C. to 400° C., and substituting the first portion of the separated hydroprocessed product for at least a portion of the first utility fluid in the feed mixture;
- (e) (i) continuing steps (c) and (d) until the reactor zone's pressure drop increases to a second pressure-drop ΔP2, and then (ii) introducing into the reactor zone a second utility fluid while maintaining the average reactor zone temperature in the range of about 350° C. to 430° C. to achieve a third pressure-drop ΔP3 which is <ΔP2, wherein the second utility fluid comprises ≧90.0 wt. % of aromatics;
- and
- (f) lessening the introducing of the second utility fluid.
4 more elements
A pyrolysis tar upgrading process, the process comprising:
- (a) providing a reactor zone, catalyst within the reactor zone, and a treat gas, wherein the treat gas comprises ≧50.0 vol. % of molecular hydrogen;
- (b) providing a utility fluid, the utility fluid comprising aromatics;
- (c) providing a pyrolysis tar;
- (d) conducting the treat gas, utility fluid, and pyrolysis tar into the reactor zone and converting in the reactor zone at least a portion of the pyrolysis tar to produce a conversion product, the reactor zone having a first pressure-drop ΔP1 at the start of the converting, wherein
- (i) the treat gas is conducted at a flow rate of ≧75 standard m3 of molecular hydrogen per m3 of [the pyrolysis tar+the utility fluid];
- (ii) the utility fluid is conducted at an LHSV ≧0.01 m3 of the utility fluid per m3 of the catalyst,
- (iii) the pyrolysis tar is conducted at an LHSV ≧0.09 m3 of the pyrolysis tar per m3 of the catalyst, and
- (iv) the converting is carried out at an average reactor zone temperature in the range of 350° C. to 430° C. and an average reactor pressure ≧10 bar(g);
- (e) separating a hydroprocessed product from the conversion product, the separated hydroprocessed product having an atmospheric boiling range of from 175° C. to 400° C., and substituting at least a portion of the separated hydroprocessed product for at least a portion of the first utility fluid in step (d);
- (f) continuing steps (d) and (e) until the reactor zone's pressure drop increases to a second pressure-drop ΔP2, and then (i) decreasing the pyrolysis tar's LHSV to <0.09 m3/m3 and/or (ii) increasing the utility fluid's LHSV to ≧0.10 m3/m3, while maintaining the average reactor zone temperature in the range of about 350° C. to 430° C. in order to decrease the reactor zone's pressure drop to a third pressure-drop ΔP3, and then
- (g) repeating steps (d) and (e).
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.