Methods of cracking a crude product to produce additional crude products

• US 7,584,789 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Mo, Weijian, Nair, Vijay, Roes, Augustinus Wilhelmus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): SUCHFIELD, GEORGE A
• Application Number:
  US11/584,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20070131420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 166/267
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/002 in combination with oil conversion- or refining processes
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/02 by distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/308 Gravity, density, e.g. API
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 9/24 by heating with electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/24 using heat, e.g. steam injection
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2401 by means of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/281 using heat
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/34 Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]

Abstract

A method for producing a crude product is disclosed. Formation fluid is produced from a subsurface in situ heat treatment process. The formation fluid is separated to produce a liquid stream and a first gas stream. The first gas stream includes olefins. The liquid stream is fractionated to produce one or more crude products. At least one of the crude products has a boiling range distribution from 38° C. and 343° C. as determined by ASTM Method D5307. The crude product having the boiling range distribution from 38° C. and 343° C. is catalytically cracked to produce one or more additional crude products. At least one of the additional crude products is a second gas stream. The second gas stream has a boiling point of at most 38° C. at 0.101 MPa.

Claims

1. A method for producing hydrocarbons, comprising:

providing heat from one or more heaters to a subsurface formation to heat at least a portion of the formation;

producing formation fluid from a portion of the subsurface formation;

separating the formation fluid to produce a liquid stream;

catalytically cracking at least a portion of the liquid stream in a first catalytic cracking system by contacting the liquid stream with a catalytic cracking catalyst to produce a crude product stream and a spent catalytic cracking catalyst;

regenerating at least a portion of the spent catalytic cracking catalyst to produce a regenerated cracking catalyst;

catalytically cracking a stream comprising gasoline hydrocarbons in a second catalytic cracking system by contacting the stream comprising gasoline hydrocarbons with at least a portion of the regenerated catalytic cracking catalyst to produce a second crude product stream, the second crude product stream comprising a used regenerated cracking catalyst and hydrocarbons having a carbon number of at least 2, wherein at least 30% by weight of the hydrocarbons having a carbon number of at least 2 are olefins;

separating at least some olefins from the second crude product stream, wherein the separated olefins have carbon numbers from 2 to 5; and

providing at least a portion of the used regenerated cracking catalyst from the second catalytic cracking system to the first catalytic cracking system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the catalytic cracking catalyst comprises amorphous silica alumina and a zeolite.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an additive comprising zeolite to the second catalytically cracking system, wherein an average pore size of the zeolite ranges from about 0.5 nm to about 0.7 nm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a coke content of the regenerated catalytic cracking catalyst ranges from 0.0 1% by weight to 0.5% by weight.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least a portion of the regenerated catalyst to the first catalytic cracking system, wherein a weight ratio of the used regenerated cracking catalyst to the regenerated cracking catalyst ranges from 0.1:

1 to 100;

1.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing steam to the first and/or second catalytic cracking systems.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating the crude product into one or more hydrocarbon streams, wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon streams is a gasoline hydrocarbons stream;

and providing at least a portion of the gasoline hydrocarbons stream to the second catalytic cracking system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating the crude product into one or more hydrocarbon streams, wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon streams is a cycle oil stream;

and providing at least a portion of the cycle oil stream to the first catalytic cracking system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least a portion of the olefins having carbon numbers from 3 to 5 to an alkylation unit.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least a portion of the olefins having carbon numbers from 3 to 5 to an alkylation unit, and then alkylating the olefins to produce hydrocarbons suitable for blending to produce transportation fuel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transportation fuel is gasoline.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least a portion of the olefins to a polymerization unit.

13. A method for producing hydrocarbons, comprising:

providing heat from one or more heaters to a subsurface formation to heat at least a portion of the formation;

producing formation fluid from a portion of the subsurface formation;

separating the formation fluid to produce a liquid stream;

catalytically cracking at least a portion of the liquid stream in a first catalytic cracking system by contacting the liquid stream with a catalytic cracking catalyst to produce a crude product stream and a spent catalytic cracking catalyst;

regenerating at least a portion of the spent catalytic cracking catalyst to produce a regenerated cracking catalyst;

catalytically cracking one or more hydrocarbon streams in a second catalytic cracking system by contacting at least one of the hydrocarbon streams with at least a portion of the regenerated catalytic cracking catalyst to produce a second crude product stream, the second crude product stream comprising a used regenerated cracking catalyst and hydrocarbons having a carbon number of at least 2, wherein at least 30% by weight of the hydrocarbons having a carbon number of at least 2 are olefins, and wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon streams comprises hydrocarbons having a boiling point range from about 32°

C. to about 204°

C. as determined by ASTM Method D2887;

separating at least some olefins from the second crude product stream, wherein the separated olefins have carbon numbers from 2 to 5; and

providing at least a portion of the used regenerated cracking catalyst from the second catalytic cracking system to the first catalytic cracking system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon streams is provided from one or more production wells.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon streams comprises hydrocarbons having carbon numbers from 3 to 5.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon streams comprises hydrowax.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the hydrocarbon streams comprises hydrocarbons produced from a Fischer-Tropsch process.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing at least a portion of the regenerated cracking catalyst to the first catalytic cracking system.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing an additive comprising a zeolite to the second catalytically cracking system, wherein an amount of zeolite ranges from 1% to 30% by weight of the regenerated cracking catalyst and, wherein the an average pore size of the zeolite ranges from about 0.5 nm to about 0.7 nm.