Addition of a reactor process to a coking process

• US 8,206,574 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roger G. Etter
• Original Assignee: Roger G. Etter
• Inventors: Etter, Roger G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hill, Jr., Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCAIG, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/369,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20090145810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 208/50, 208/52.R, 208 53- 55, 208 67- 77, 208/131
• US Class Current: 208/52.R
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 11/00 Catalytic cracking, in the absence of hydrogen, of hydrocarbon oils cracking in direct contact with molten metals or salts C10G9/34
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 11/18 according to the "fluidised-bed" technique
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 11/187 Controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/701 Use of spent catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/708 Coking aspect, coke content and composition of deposits
• 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 47/02 characterised by the catalyst used
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 9/005 Coking (in order to produce liquid products mainly)
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49718 Repairing

Abstract

A reactor process added to a coking process to modify the quantity or yield of a coking process product and/or modify certain characteristics or properties of coking process products.

Claims

1. A process comprising adding a reactor process to a coking process wherein said addition of reactor process comprises the addition of a reactor vessel and associated equipment to promote chemical reactions of a process stream from said coking process and return products of said reactor process to a fractionator of said coking process to cause a modification of a quantity, a yield characteristic, a quality, or a property of a product resulting from said coking process.

2. A process of claim 1 wherein said reactor process is selected from the group consisting of riser cracking reactor, fluidized bed reactor, ebullated bed reactor, fixed bed reactor, bunker reactor, plug flow reactor, or other reactor processes.

3. A process of claim 1 wherein said coking process is selected from the group consisting of delayed coking, fluid coking, flexicoking, or other coking processes.

4. A process of claim 1 wherein said modification is caused by the introduction of an additive to said reactor process, said additive comprising catalyst(s), seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), quenching agent(s), carrier fluid(s), or any combination thereof.

5. A process of claim 4 wherein said catalyst is an acid based catalyst that provides propagation of carbon based free radicals that actively participate in a mechanism of a cracking reaction, a coking reaction, or any combination thereof.

6. A process of claim 4 wherein said catalyst is selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, zeolite, calcium compounds, iron compounds, activated carbon, crushed pet coke, or any combination thereof.

7. A process of claim 4 wherein said catalyst is selected from the group consisting of new catalyst, FCCU equilibrium catalyst, spent catalyst, regenerated catalyst, pulverized catalyst, classified catalyst, impregnated catalysts, treated catalysts, or any combination thereof.

8. A process of claim 4 wherein said catalyst has particle size characteristics to prevent entrainment in the product vapors, achieve fluidization in said process reactor, or any combination thereof.

9. A process of claim 4 wherein the catalyst has sufficient porosity and other characteristics to catalyze reactions with a reactant in a liquid phase, a vapor phase, a semi-solid phase, a solid phase, or any combination thereof.

10. A process of claim 4 wherein components of said additive are blended using a batch or continuous mixing process prior to introduction of said additive to said reactor process.

11. A process of claim 1 wherein said reactor process provides sufficient process conditions to promote cracking reactions, coking reactions, pyrolysis reactions, hydrogenation reactions, hydrogenolysis reactions, hydrolysis reactions, addition reactions, dehydrogenation reactions, condensation reactions, polymerization reactions, aromatization reactions, oligomerization reactions, isomerization reactions, or any combination thereof.

12. A process of claim 1 wherein hydrogen is added to said reactor process to enhance chemical reactions caused by said reactor process.

13. A process of claim 1 wherein an operating temperature and operating pressure of said reactor process are maintained for desired reactions.

14. A process of claim 13 wherein said operating temperature is maintained between 600 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

15. A process of claim 13 wherein said operating temperature of the reactor process is maintained by a fired heater of said coking process, a new fired heater, removal of insulation on process equipment of said coking process, a heat exchanger to withdraw excess heat, other heat exchange equipment, or any combination thereof.

16. A process of claim 13 wherein said operating pressure is maintained between 5 and 3500 psig.

17. A process of claim 13 wherein said operating pressure is maintained by a pressure of said coking process, a pressure of a compressed fluid to said reactor process, a pressure created by said catalytic reactions, a pressure from an increase in volume of said process stream, or any combination thereof.

18. A process of claim 1 wherein said modification is caused by catalytic cracking, catalytic coking, thermal cracking, thermal coking, or any combination thereof.

19. A process of claim 1 wherein said modification is used to reduce recycle in the coking process, reduce heavy components in the coker gas oils, or any combination thereof.

20. A process of claim 1 wherein said modification includes cracking of higher boiling point hydrocarbons to lower boiling point hydrocarbons that leave the reactor process as vapors and enter the downstream fractionator where said lower boiling point hydrocarbons are separated into lower boiling point hydrocarbon process streams that are useful in oil refinery product blending.

21. A process of claim 20 wherein said lower boiling point hydrocarbon process streams are selected from the group consisting of naphtha, gas oil, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuel, &

heating oil.

22. A process of claim 1 wherein a process stream external to said coking process is added to said reactor process to enhance chemical reactions or provide excess reactants in chemical reactions.

23. A process of claim 22 wherein said process stream is selected from a group consisting of hydrogen, gas oils, FCCU slurry oils, FCCU cycle oils, extract from aromatic extraction units, coker feed, bitumen, other aromatic oils, coke, activated carbon, coal, carbon black, or any combination thereof.

24. A process comprising adding a reactor process to a coking process:

wherein said addition of reactor process comprises the addition of a reactor vessel and associated equipment to promote chemical reactions of a process stream from said coking process and return products of said reactor process to a fractionator of said coking process; and

wherein said coker process stream is selected from the group consisting of coker recycle, coker fractionator bottoms, coker naphtha, light coker gas oil, heavy coker gas oil, extra heavy coker gas oil, partially condensed coker product vapors, or any combination thereof;

to cause a modification of a quantity, a yield characteristic, a quality, or a property of a product resulting from said coking process.

25. A process of claim 24 wherein said reactor process is selected from the group consisting of riser cracking reactor, fluidized bed reactor, ebullated bed reactor, fixed bed reactor, bunker reactor, plug flow reactor, or other reactor processes.

26. A process of claim 24 wherein said coking process is selected from the group consisting of delayed coking, fluid coking, flexicoking, or other coking processes.

27. A process of claim 24 wherein said modification is caused by the introduction of an additive to said reactor process, said additive comprising catalyst(s), seeding agent(s), excess reactant(s), quenching agent(s), carrier fluid(s), or any combination thereof.

28. A process of claim 27 wherein said catalyst is an acid based catalyst that provides propagation of carbon based free radicals that actively participate in a mechanism of a cracking reaction, a coking reaction, or any combination thereof.

29. A process of claim 27 wherein said catalyst is selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, zeolite, calcium compounds, iron compounds, activated carbon, crushed pet coke, or any combination thereof.

30. A process of claim 27 wherein said catalyst is selected from the group consisting of new catalyst, FCCU equilibrium catalyst, spent catalyst, regenerated catalyst, pulverized catalyst, classified catalyst, impregnated catalysts, treated catalysts, or any combination thereof.

31. A process of claim 27 wherein said catalyst has particle size characteristics to prevent entrainment in the product vapors, achieve fluidization in said process reactor, or any combination thereof.

32. A process of claim 27 wherein the catalyst has sufficient porosity and other characteristics to catalyze reactions with a reactant in a liquid phase, a vapor phase, a semi-solid phase, a solid phase, or any combination thereof.

33. A process of claim 27 wherein components of said additive are blended using a batch or continuous mixing process prior to introduction of said additive to said reactor process.

34. A process of claim 24 wherein said reactor process provides sufficient process conditions to promote cracking reactions, coking reactions, pyrolysis reactions, hydrogenation reactions, hydrogenolysis reactions, hydrolysis reactions, addition reactions, dehydrogenation reactions, condensation reactions, polymerization reactions, aromatization reactions, oligomerization reactions, isomerization reactions, or any combination thereof.

35. A process of claim 24 wherein hydrogen is added to said reactor process to enhance chemical reactions caused by said reactor process.

36. A process of claim 24 wherein an operating temperature and operating pressure of said reactor process are maintained for desired reactions.

37. A process of claim 36 wherein said operating temperature is maintained between 600 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

38. A process of claim 36 wherein said operating temperature of the reactor process is maintained by a fired heater of said coking process, a new fired heater, removal of insulation on process equipment of said coking process, a heat exchanger to withdraw excess heat, other heat exchange equipment, or any combination thereof.

39. A process of claim 36 wherein said operating pressure is maintained between 5 and 3500 psig.

40. A process of claim 36 wherein said operating pressure is maintained by a pressure of said coking process, a pressure of a compressed fluid to said reactor process, a pressure created by said catalytic reactions, a pressure from an increase in volume of said process stream, or any combination thereof.

41. A process of claim 24 wherein said modification is caused by catalytic cracking, catalytic coking, thermal cracking, thermal coking, or any combination thereof.

42. A process of claim 24 wherein said modification is used to reduce recycle in the coking process, reduce heavy components in the coker gas oils, or any combination thereof.

43. A process of claim 24 wherein said modification includes cracking of higher boiling point hydrocarbons to lower boiling point hydrocarbons that leave the reactor process as vapors and enter a downstream fractionator where said lower boiling point hydrocarbons are separated into lower boiling point hydrocarbon process streams that are useful in oil refinery product blending.

44. A process of claim 43 wherein said lower boiling point hydrocarbon process streams are selected from the group consisting of naphtha, gas oil, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuel, &

heating oil.

45. A process of claim 24 wherein a process stream external to said coking process is added to said reactor process to enhance chemical reactions or provide excess reactants in chemical reactions.

46. A process of claim 45 wherein said process stream is selected from a group consisting of hydrogen, gas oils, FCCU slurry oils, FCCU cycle oils, extract from aromatic extraction units, coker feed, bitumen, other aromatic oils, coke, activated carbon, coal, carbon black, or any combination thereof.