Systems, methods, and catalysts for producing a crude product

• US 20060231456A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Bhan, Opinder Kishan
• Application Number:
  US11/400,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20060231456A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 208/85
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/00 Refining of hydrocarbon oils using hydrogen or hydrogen-generating compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/04 characterised by the catalyst used
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/08 in combination with chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten metals, or compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 47/10 with catalysts deposited on a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 47/12 Inorganic carriers
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 49/04 containing nickel, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten metals, or compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 65/04 including only refining steps

Abstract

Methods and systems for contacting of a crude feed with one or more catalysts to produce a total product that includes a crude product are described. The crude product is a liquid mixture at 25° C. and 0.101 MPa. The crude product may have a total content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids of at most 90% of the total content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids of the crude feed. One or more other properties of the crude product may be changed by at least 10% relative to the respective properties of the crude feed.

Claims

1. A method of producing a crude product, comprising:

contacting a crude feed with one or more catalysts to produce a total product that includes the crude product, wherein the crude product is a liquid mixture at 25°

C. and 0.101 MPa, the crude feed comprising one or more alkali metal salts of one or more organic acids, alkaline-earth metal salts of one or more organic acids, or mixtures thereof, the crude feed having, per gram of crude feed, a total content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids of at least 0.00001 grams, and at least one of the catalysts is a Columns 5-10 catalyst that comprises;

a support, the support comprising theta alumina; and

one or more metals from Columns 5-10 of the Periodic Table and/or one or more compounds of one or more metals from Columns 5-10 of the Periodic Table; and

controlling contacting condition temperature, pressure, crude feed flow, or combinations thereof such that the crude product has a total content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids of at most 90% of the content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids in the crude feed, wherein content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids is as determined by ASTM Method D1318.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the total content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids in the crude product is at most 50% of the content of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids in the crude feed.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crude feed has, per gram of crude feed, from 0.00001 grams to 0.005 grams of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crude product has, per gram of crude product, from 1×

10<sup>−

7</sup> grams to 5×

10<sup>−

5</sup> grams of alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal in metal salts of organic acids.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crude feed also comprises one or more zinc salts of one or more organic acids, and the crude product has a total content of zinc salts of organic acids of at most 90% of the content of zinc salts of organic acids in the crude feed.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Columns 5-10 metal catalyst comprises in addition one or more elements from Column 15 of the Periodic Table and/or one or more compounds of one or more elements from Column 15 of the Periodic Table.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support has, per gram of support, at least 0.1 grams of theta alumina.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Columns 5-10 metal catalyst has a pore size distribution with a median pore diameter of at least 180 Å

wherein pore size distribution is as determined by ASTM Method D4282.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crude feed also has a C₅ asphaltenes content and the crude product has a C₅ asphaltenes content of at most 90% of the C₅ asphaltenes content of the crude feed, wherein C₅ asphaltenes content is as determined by ASTM Method D2007.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein crude product has a viscosity at 37.8°

C. (100°

F.) of at most 90% of the viscosity at 37.8°

C. of the crude feed, wherein viscosity is as determined by ASTM Method D445.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crude feed also has a sulfur content, and the crude product has a sulfur content of at most 90% of the sulfur content of the crude feed, wherein sulfur content is as determined by ASTM Method D4294.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crude feed also has a residue content, and the crude product has a residue content of at most 90% of the residue content of the crude feed, wherein residue content is as determined by ASTM Method D5307.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contacting is performed in the presence of a hydrogen source and contacting condition hydrogen source flow is controlled to produce the crude product.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contacting conditions comprise:

a temperature within a range from 50°

C. to 500°

C.;

a total pressure within a range from 1 MPa to 20 MPa;

a liquid hourly space velocity of at least 0.05 h<sup>−

1</sup>; and

a ratio of a gaseous hydrogen source to the crude feed in a range from 0.1 Nm³/m³ to 100,000 Nm³/m³.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a crude feed/total product mixture has a P-value of at least 1.5 during contacting.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crude feed has in addition a content of chromium and/or arsenic in metal salts of organic acids, and the crude product has a content of chromium and/or arsenic in metal salts of organic acids of at most 90% of the content of chromium and/or arsenic in metal salts of organic acids of the crude feed.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises combining the crude product or a blend with a crude that is the same as or different from the crude feed to form a blend.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 17 further comprising the step of processing the crude product or blend to produce transportation fuel, heating fuel, lubricants, or chemicals.