Supercritical water upgrading process to produce paraffinic stream from heavy oil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10066172-B2
Application number	US-201615374289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 15, 2015
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of a process for producing paraffins from a petroleum-based composition comprising long chain aromatics comprise mixing a supercritical water stream with a pressurized, heated petroleum-based composition to create a combined feed stream, introducing the combined feed stream to a first reactor through an inlet port of the first reactor, where the first reactor operates at supercritical pressure and temperature, cracking at least a portion of the long chain aromatics in the first reactor to form a first reactor product, and then introducing the first reactor product to a second reactor through an upper inlet port of the second reactor operating at supercritical pressure and temperature, where the second reactor is a downflow reactor comprising an upper inlet port, a lower outlet port, and a middle outlet port are provided. The middle outlet product passing out of the middle outlet port comprises paraffins and short chain aromatics.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for producing paraffins from a petroleum-based composition comprising long chain aromatics, the process comprising:
mixing a supercritical water stream with a pressurized, heated petroleum-based composition to create a combined feed stream,
wherein the pressurized, heated petroleum-based composition is at a pressure greater than the critical pressure of water and at a temperature greater than 75° C.,

introducing the combined feed stream to a first reactor through an inlet port of the first reactor, where the first reactor operates at a first temperature greater than the critical temperature of water and a first pressure greater than the critical pressure of water;
cracking at least a portion of the long chain aromatics in the first reactor to form a first reactor product, where the first reactor product comprises water, paraffins, short chain aromatics, olefins, and unconverted long chain aromatics;
introducing the first reactor product to a second reactor through an upper inlet port of the second reactor, the second reactor operating at a second temperature less than the first temperature but greater than the critical temperature of water and a second pressure greater than the critical pressure of water,
wherein the second reactor is a downflow reactor comprising the upper inlet port, a lower outlet port, and a middle outlet port disposed between the upper inlet port and the lower outlet port;
wherein the second reactor has a volume less than or equal to a volume of the first reactor;
wherein a middle outlet product is passed out of the second reactor though the middle outlet port, the middle outlet product comprising paraffins and short chain aromatics; and
wherein a lower outlet product is passed out of the second reactor through the lower outlet port, the lower outlet product comprising multi-ring aromatics and oligomerized olefins;

cooling the middle outlet product to a temperature less than 200° C.;
reducing the pressure of the cooled middle outlet product to form a cooled, depressurized middle stream with a pressure from 0.05 MPa to 2.2 MPa;
separating the cooled, depressurized middle stream into a gas-phase stream and a liquid-phase stream, where the liquid-phase stream comprises water, short chain aromatics, and paraffins;
separating the liquid-phase stream into a water-containing stream and an oil-containing stream, where the oil-containing stream comprises paraffins and short chain aromatics; and
separating the oil-containing stream into a stream comprising the paraffins and a stream comprising the short chain aromatics.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the separating of the oil-containing stream is performed in an extraction unit.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the extraction unit is a solvent extraction unit.

4. The process of claim 2 , wherein the separating of the oil-containing stream further comprises a distillation unit upstream of the extraction unit.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first reactor and the second reactor are absent a catalyst and an external supply of hydrogen gas.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the volume of the first reactor to the volume of the second reactor is 0.1:1 to 1:1 at standard ambient temperature and pressure.

7. The process of claim 1 , further comprising delivering the lower outlet product to a mechanical mixer.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the multi-ring aromatics include asphaltenes.

9. The process of claim 1 , further comprising injecting plug remover solution into the lower outlet port.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the plug remover solution comprises toluene.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the lower outlet port is not continuously opened.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the middle outlet product includes less than 1 weight percent of olefins.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the petroleum-based composition comprises atmospheric residue, vacuum gas oil, or vacuum residue.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a flow rate of the supercritical water stream and a flow rate of the pressurized, heated petroleum-based composition is 5:1 to 1:1 at standard ambient temperature and pressure.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first reactor, the second reactor, or both include agitating or stirring devices.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Choi Ki-Hyouk
• Alabdullah Mohammad A
• Punetha Ashok K
• Al-Shafei Emad N

Classifications

• C10G2400/10

  Lubricating oil · CPC title

• C10G2300/1077

  Vacuum residues · CPC title

• C10G2300/1074

  Vacuum distillates · CPC title

• C10G2300/107

  Atmospheric residues having a boiling point of at least about 538 °C · CPC title

• C10G75/00

  Inhibiting corrosion or fouling in apparatus for treatment or conversion of hydrocarbon oils, in general (C10G7/10, C10G9/16 take precedence) · CPC title