HYDROCARBON CONVERSION PROCESS TO REMOVE METALS

• US 20140001092A1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UOP Llc (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: UOP Llc (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Mezza, Beckay J., Wang, Haiyan, Nicholas, Christopher P., Bhattacharyya, Alakananda, Huovie, Brenna E., Gattupalli, Rajeswar R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,133,403 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 208/96
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/18 Halogen-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/205 Metal content
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/08 Jet fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 47/00 Cracking of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen- generating compounds, to obtain lower boiling fractions C10G15/00 takes precedence; destructive hydrogenation of non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials C10G1/06
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 55/04 including at least one thermal cracking step
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 67/04 including solvent extraction as the refining step in the absence of hydrogen

Abstract

The invention involves a process for hydrocarbon conversion. The process can include providing a feed to a primary upgrading zone and then treating the product from the primary upgrading zone with a feed-immiscible ionic liquid to remove metal compounds.

Claims

1. A process for hydrocarbon conversion, comprising:

(a) providing a heavy oil hydrocarbon feed to a primary upgrading zone, wherein the primary upgrading zone comprises;

(1) at least one upgrading reactor; and

(2) at least one separator;

(b) obtaining a hydrocarbon stream comprising one or more C₁₆-C₄₅ hydrocarbons from at least one separator; and

(c) sending the hydrocarbon stream to an ionic liquid extractor containing a hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid to remove metal compounds.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said upgrading reactor is selected from the group consisting of a slurry hydrocracking reactor, a vis-breaking reactor and a delayed coking reactor.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid comprises at least one ionic liquid from at least one of tetraalkylphosphonium dialkylphosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium dialkyl phosphinates, tetraalkylphosphonium phosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium tosylates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfonates, tetraalkylphosphonium carbonates, tetraalkylphosphonium metalates, oxometalates, tetraalkylphosphonium mixed metalates, tetraalkylphosphonium polyoxometalates, and tetraalkylphosphonium halides.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid comprises at least one of trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium chloride, tetrabutylphosphonium bromide, tetrabutylphosphonium chloride, triisobutyl(methyl)phosphonium tosylate, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium methylsulfate, tributyl(ethyl)phosphonium diethylphosphate, and tetrabutylphosphonium methanesulfonate.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid comprises at least one of imidazolium ionic liquids, pyridinium ionic liquids, ammonium ionic liquids and combinations thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid comprises at least one of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, tetraethyl-ammonium acetate, tetrabutylphosphonium methanesulfonate, and 1-butyl-4-methypyridinium hexafluorophosphate.

7. The process of claim 1 further comprising passing at least a portion of the hydrocarbon stream from said ionic liquid extractor to a reactor for further downstream processing.

8. The process of claim 1 further comprising washing at least a portion of the hydrocarbon stream from said ionic liquid extractor with water to produce a washed hydrocarbon feed stream and a spent water stream.

9. The process of claim 8 further comprising passing at least a portion of the washed hydrocarbon feed stream to a hydrocarbon conversion process.

10. The process of claim 1 further comprising contacting the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent with a regeneration solvent and separating the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent from the regeneration solvent to produce an extract stream comprising the metal compounds and a regenerated hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream.

11. The process of claim 10 further comprising recycling at least a portion of the regenerated hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream to the metal compound removal contacting step of claim 1(c).

12. The process of claim 10 wherein the regeneration solvent comprises a lighter hydrocarbon fraction relative to the hydrocarbon feed and the extract stream further comprises the lighter hydrocarbon.

13. The process of claim 10 wherein the regeneration solvent comprises water and the regenerated hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream comprises water.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein up to 100 wt % of said metal compounds are removed from said hydrocarbon feed.

15. A process for removing metal compounds from a hydrocarbon feed produced by a primary upgrading process comprising:

(a) contacting the hydrocarbon feed comprising the metal compounds with a hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid to produce a mixture comprising the hydrocarbon feed, and the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid;

(b) separating the mixture to produce a hydrocarbon feed effluent and a hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent, the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent comprising the metal compounds;

(c) washing at least a portion of the hydrocarbon feed effluent with water to produce a washed hydrocarbon feed stream and a spent water stream;

(d) contacting the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent with a regeneration solvent and separating the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent from the regeneration solvent to produce an extract stream comprising the metal compounds and a regenerated hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream; and

(e) drying at least a portion of at least one of the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent;

the spent water stream, and the regenerated hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream to produce a dried hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein said primary upgrading process is selected from the group consisting of slurry hydrocracking, vis-breaking and delayed coking.

17. The process of claim 15 further comprising recycling at least a portion of at least one of the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid effluent;

the spent water stream, the regenerated hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream, and the dried hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid stream to contaminant removal contacting step of claim 15(a).

18. The process of claim 15 wherein the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid comprises at least one ionic liquid from at least one of tetraalkylphosphonium dialkylphosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium dialkyl phosphinates, tetraalkylphosphonium phosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium tosylates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfonates, tetraalkylphosphonium carbonates, tetraalkylphosphonium metalates, oxometalates, tetraalkylphosphonium mixed metalates, tetraalkylphosphonium polyoxometalates, and tetraalkylphosphonium halides.

19. The process of claim 15 wherein the hydrocarbon feed-immiscible ionic liquid comprises at least one of trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium chloride, tetrabutylphosphonium bromide, tetrabutylphosphonium chloride, triisobutyl(methyl)phosphonium tosylate, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium methylsulfate, tributyl(ethyl)phosphonium diethylphosphate, and tetrabutylphosphonium methanesulfonate.

20. The process of claim 15 wherein up to 100 wt % of said metal compounds are removed from said hydrocarbon feed.