Process for making a lubricating composition

• US 6,288,296 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.), University Of Kentucky Research Foundation (University of Kentucky)
• Inventors: Huffman, Gerald P., Shah, Naresh, Miller, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Walter D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tam M.
• Application Number:
  US09/497,949
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 208/69, 208/97, 585/240, 585/241, 585/502, 585/510
• US Class Current: 585/510
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/002 in combination with oil conversion- or refining processes
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 65/043 at least one step being a change in the structural skeleton
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 69/126 polymerisation, e.g. oligomerisation

Abstract

The invention includes a process of making a lubricating oil composition including: a process for making a high VI lubricating oil composition including the steps of (1) contacting a waste plastics feed including mainly polyethylene in a pyrolysis zone at pyrolysis conditions, whereby at least a portion of the waste plastics feed is cracked, thereby forming a pyrolysis zone effluent including 1-olefins and n-paraffins; (2) passing the pyrolysis zone effluent, including a heavy fraction and a middle fraction, the pyrolysis effluent middle fraction including 1-olefins, to a separations zone; where the pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction portion is separated from the pyrolysis effluent middle fraction; (3) passing the pyrolysis effluent middle fraction to a dimerization zone, where at least a portion of the pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is converted to a lube oil range material; and (4) passing at least a portion of the lube oil range material to a catalytic isomerization dewaxing zone, where at least a portion of the lube oil range material is contacted with a isomerization dewaxing catalyst at isomerization dewaxing conditions thereby forming a high VI lubricating oil composition.

Claims

1. A process for making a high VI lubricating oil composition comprising the steps of:

(a) passing a waste plastics feed comprising polyethylene to a pyrolysis zone, whereby at least a portion of said waste plastics feed is cracked, thereby forming a pyrolysis zone effluent comprising 1-olefins and n-paraffins;

(b) passing said pyrolysis zone effluent, to a separations zone, thereby separating said pyrolysis zone effluent into at least one heavy fraction and one middle fraction, said middle fraction comprising 1-olefins;

(c) passing said pyrolysis effluent middle fraction to a dimerization zone, where said pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is contacted with a dimerization catalyst at dimerization conditions, wherein at least a portion of said pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is dimerized;

(d) passing at least a portion of said dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction to a catalytic hydrotreating zone wherein at least a portion of said dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is contacted with a hydrotreating catalyst at hydrotreating conditions, thereby producing a hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction; and

(e) passing at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction to a catalytic isomerization dewaxing zone, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is contacted with a isomerization dewaxing catalyst at isomerization dewaxing conditions, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is converted to a high VI lubricating oil composition.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said high VI lubricating oil composition comprises a lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein said lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt comprises at least 10 weight percent of said high VI lubricating oil composition.

4. The process of claim 2, wherein said lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt comprises at least 50 weight percent of said high VI lubricating oil composition.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said high VI lubricating oil composition boils in the bright stock range.

6. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) passing at least a portion of said pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction to said catalytic hydrotreating zone wherein at least a portion of said pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction is contacted with said hydrotreating catalyst at hydrotreating conditions, thereby producing a hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction; and

(b) passing at least a portion of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction to said catalytic isomerization dewaxing zone, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction is contacted with said isomerization dewaxing catalyst at isomerization dewaxing conditions, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction is converted to a second high VI lubricating oil composition.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein said second high VI lubricating oil composition comprises a lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein said second lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt comprises at least 10 weight percent of said high VI lubricating oil composition.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein said second lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt comprises at least 50 weight percent of said high VI lubricating oil composition.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein said pyrolysis zone is at about atmospheric pressure.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein said pyrolysis zone is at sub-atmospheric pressure.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein said pyrolysis zone is at sub-atmospheric pressure not greater than about 0.75 atmospheres.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein said pyrolysis zone is at sub-atmospheric pressure not greater than about 0.50 atmospheres.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein pyrolysis zone includes an inert gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, hydrogen, steam, methane or a recycled light fraction from said separations zone in step (b).

15. The process of claim 1, wherein said isomerization dewaxing catalyst comprises an intermediate pore size molecular sieve.

16. The process of claim 1, wherein said isomerization dewaxing catalyst comprises an intermediate pore size molecular sieve selected from the group consisting of ZSM-22, ZSM-23, SSZ-32, ZSM-35, SAPO-11, SM-3, and mixtures thereof.

17. The process of claim 1, wherein said isomerization dewaxing catalyst consists essentially of an intermediate pore size molecular sieve selected from the group consisting of SSZ-32, SAPO-11, SM-3, and mixtures thereof.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein said waste plastics feed comprises at least about 95 wt. % polyethylene.

19. The process of claim 1, wherein from about 25 wt. % to about 75 wt. % of said pyrolysis zone effluent comprises 1-olefins.

20. The process of claim 4, wherein the yield of the sum of said high VI lubricating oil composition and said second high VI lubricating oil composition of said high VI lubricating oil composition based on the weight of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction and said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is at least about 50 wt. %.

21. The process of claim 4, wherein the yield of the sum of said high VI lubricating oil composition and said second high VI lubricating oil composition based on the weight of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction and said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is at least about 60 wt. %.

22. The process of claim 4, wherein the yield of the sum of said high VI lubricating oil composition and said second high VI lubricating oil composition of said high VI lubricating oil composition based on the weight of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction and said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is at least about 70 wt. %.

23. The process of claim 1, wherein said pyrolysis zone is a temperature of from about 500°

C. to about 700°

C.

24. The process of claim 1, wherein said pyrolysis zone is a temperature of from about 600°

C. to about 700°

C.

25. The process of claim 1, wherein said dimerization zone is at a temperature of from about 200°

F. to about 500°

F., a pressure of about 100 psig to about 600 psig, and a space flow velocity of about 0.2 LHSV to about 2 LHSV.

26. The process of claim 1, wherein said dimerization catalyst comprises Ni/ZSM-5.

27. The process of claim 1, wherein prior to passing said waste plastic feed to said pyrolysis zone, said waste plastic feed is ground and substantially liquefied.

28. The process of claim 1, wherein the S and N levels of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction portion are not greater that about 5 ppm S and 1 ppm N.

29. The process of claim 1, wherein said high VI lubricating oil composition has a pour point not greater than about 20°

F.

30. The process of claim 1, wherein said high VI lubricating oil composition has a cloud point of not more than about 10°

F. higher than its pour point.

31. The process of claim 1, wherein said high VI lubricating oil composition has a pour point not greater than about 15°

F.

32. The process of claim 1, wherein said high VI lubricating oil composition has a cloud point not greater than about 25°

F.

33. A process for making a high VI lubricating oil composition comprising the steps of:

(a) passing a waste plastics feed comprising polyethylene to a pyrolysis zone having a temperature of from about 600°

C. to about 700°

C. and pressure not greater than about 0.75 atm., whereby at least a portion of said waste plastics feed is cracked, thereby forming a pyrolysis zone effluent comprising 1-olefins and n-paraffins;

(b) passing said pyrolysis zone effluent, to a separations zone, thereby separating said pyrolysis zone effluent into at least one heavy fraction and one middle fraction, said middle fraction comprising 1-olefins;

(c) passing said pyrolysis effluent middle fraction to a dimerization zone, where said pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is contacted with a dimerization catalyst at dimerization conditions, wherein at least a portion of said pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is dimerized;

(d) passing at least a portion of said dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction to a catalytic hydrotreating zone wherein at least a portion of said dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is contacted with a hydrotreating catalyst at hydrotreating conditions, thereby producing a hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction;

(e) passing at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction to a catalytic isomerization dewaxing zone, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is contacted with a isomerization dewaxing catalyst comprising an intermediate pore size molecular sieve selected from the group consisting of ZSM-22, ZSM-23, SSZ-32, ZSM-35, SAPO-11, SM-3, and mixtures thereof, at isomerization dewaxing conditions, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent middle fraction is converted to a high VI lubricating oil composition;

(f) wherein said high VI lubricating oil composition comprises a lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt;

(g) passing at least a portion of said pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction to said catalytic hydrotreating zone wherein at least a portion of said pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction is contacted with said hydrotreating catalyst at hydrotreating conditions, thereby producing a hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction;

(h) passing at least a portion of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction to said catalytic isomerization dewaxing zone, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction is contacted with said isomerization dewaxing catalyst at isomerization dewaxing conditions, wherein at least a portion of said hydrotreated dimerized pyrolysis effluent heavy fraction is converted to a second high VI lubricating oil composition; and

(i) wherein said second high VI lubricating oil composition comprises a lube fraction having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt.

34. The process of claim 33, wherein both said high VI lubricating oil composition and said second high VI lubricating oil composition have pour points not greater than about 15°

F.

35. The process of claim 33, wherein both said high VI lubricating oil composition and said second high VI lubricating oil composition have cloud points not greater than about 25°

F.

36. The process of claim 33, wherein said lube fractions having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt comprises at least about 10 weight percent of both said high VI lubricating oil composition and said second high VI lubricating oil composition.

37. The process of claim 33, wherein said lube fractions having a kinematic viscosity at 100°

C. of at least about 8 cSt comprises at least about 50 weight percent of both said high VI lubricating oil composition and said second high VI lubricating oil composition.