Optimized reactor configuration for optimal performance of the aromax catalyst for aromatics synthesis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10537867-B2
Application number	US-201815862273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2018
Priority date	Jan 4, 2018
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A naphtha reforming reactor system comprising a first reactor comprising a first inlet and a first outlet, wherein the first reactor is configured to operate as an adiabatic reactor, and wherein the first reactor comprises a first naphtha reforming catalyst; and a second reactor comprising a second inlet and a second outlet, wherein the second inlet is in fluid communication with the first outlet of the first reactor, wherein the second reactor is configured to operate as an isothermal reactor, and wherein the second reactor comprises a plurality of tubes disposed within a reactor furnace, a heat source configured to heat the interior of the reactor furnace; and a second naphtha reforming catalyst disposed within the plurality of tubes, wherein the first naphtha reforming catalyst and the second naphtha reforming catalyst are the same or different.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
introducing a hydrocarbon feed stream to a first reactor operating under adiabatic naphtha reforming conditions, wherein the first reactor comprises a first naphtha reforming catalyst, and wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream comprises a convertible hydrocarbon;
converting at least a portion of the convertible hydrocarbon in the hydrocarbon feed stream to an aromatic hydrocarbon in the first reactor to form a first reactor effluent;
passing the first reactor effluent from the first reactor to a second reactor operating under isothermal naphtha reforming conditions, wherein the second reactor comprises a second naphtha reforming catalyst, and wherein the first naphtha reforming catalyst and the second naphtha reforming catalyst are the same or different;
converting at least an additional portion of the convertible hydrocarbon in the first reactor effluent to an additional amount of the aromatic hydrocarbon in the second reactor to form a second reactor effluent; and
recovering the second reactor effluent from the second reactor, wherein an amount of the first naphtha reforming catalyst in the first reactor is less than an amount of the second naphtha reforming catalyst in the second reactor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second reactor comprises a plurality of tubes with particles of the second naphtha reforming catalyst disposed therein, wherein the plurality of tubes is disposed within a reactor furnace, and wherein the method further comprises: heating the first reactor effluent within the reactor furnace.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one tube of the plurality of tubes contains a plurality of catalyst zones.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first reactor effluent contacts a mixture of catalyst particles and a first material in a first catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones to produce a first catalyst zone effluent, wherein the first catalyst zone is the first catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones contacted by the first reactor effluent; wherein the first material comprises an inert material, a less active naphtha reforming catalyst material, or a mixture of both; wherein the first catalyst zone effluent contacts a second catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones to produce a second catalyst zone effluent, wherein the second catalyst zone contains a second mixture of catalyst particles and a second material, wherein the weight ratio of the amount of catalyst particles to the second material is higher in the second catalyst zone than the weight ratio of the amount of the catalyst particles to the first material in the first catalyst zone, wherein the first catalyst zone is upstream of the second catalyst zone, and wherein the weight ratio is based on the weight of the catalyst when loaded; and wherein the second material comprises an inert material, a less active naphtha reforming catalyst material, or a mixture of both.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second catalyst zone effluent contacts the remaining catalyst zones of the plurality of catalyst zones, wherein each catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises an increasing amount of catalyst particles from an upstream to a downstream direction, and wherein a final catalyst zone of the plurality of catalysts zones contains none of the first material or none of the second material, wherein the final catalyst zone is the most downstream catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein a first catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises a first catalyst material having a first particle size, wherein a second catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises a second catalyst material having a second particle size, wherein the first particle size is larger than the second particle size, and wherein the first catalyst zone is upstream of the second catalyst zone.

7. A naphtha reforming reactor system comprising:
a first reactor comprising a first inlet and a first outlet, wherein the first reactor is configured to operate as an adiabatic reactor, and wherein the first reactor comprises a first naphtha reforming catalyst; and
a second reactor comprising a second inlet and a second outlet, wherein the second inlet is in fluid communication with the first outlet of the first reactor, wherein the second reactor is configured to operate as an isothermal reactor, and wherein the second reactor comprises:
a plurality of tubes disposed within a reactor furnace,
a heat source configured to heat the interior of the reactor furnace; and
a second naphtha reforming catalyst disposed within the plurality of tubes, wherein the first naphtha reforming catalyst and the second naphtha reforming catalyst are the same or different,
wherein at least one tube of the plurality of tubes has a plurality of catalyst zones.

8. The naphtha reforming reactor system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of tubes comprises between about 250 to about 5,000 tubes in the furnace.

9. The naphtha reforming reactor system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of tubes have a length to diameter ratio between about 25 and about 150; and wherein the plurality of tubes have an internal diameter between about 0.5 inches (13 mm) and about 4.0 inches (102 mm).

10. The naphtha reforming reactor system of claim 7 , wherein a first catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises a mixture of a naphtha reforming catalyst particles and an inert material, a less active naphtha reforming catalyst material, or a mixture of both and wherein the first catalyst zone is disposed on an upstream end of the at least one tube within the reactor furnace.

11. The naphtha reforming reactor system of claim 10 , wherein a second catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises only a naphtha reforming catalyst without the inert material, and wherein the second catalyst zone is disposed downstream of the first catalyst zone.

12. The naphtha reforming reactor system of claim 10 , wherein each catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises an increasing amount of the naphtha reforming catalyst particles and a decreasing amount of less active naphtha reforming catalyst material from an upstream to a downstream direction, and wherein a final catalyst zone of the plurality of catalysts zones contains no less active naphtha reforming catalyst material, wherein the final catalyst zone is the most downstream catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones.

13. The naphtha reforming reactor system of claim 12 , wherein the final catalyst zone of the plurality of catalysts zones comprises a mixture of a naphtha reforming catalyst and an isomerization catalyst, wherein the final catalyst zone is the most downstream catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones.

14. The naphtha reforming reactor system of claim 7 , wherein a first catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises a first catalyst material having a first particle size, wherein a second catalyst zone of the plurality of catalyst zones comprises a second catalyst material having a second particle size, wherein the first particle size is larger than the second particle size, and wherein the first catalyst zone is located upstream of the second catalyst zone in the at least one tube.

15. A naphtha reforming reactor system comprising:
a first reactor comprising a first inlet and a first outlet, wherein the first reactor is configured to operate as an adiabatic reactor, and wherein the first reactor comprises a first naphtha reforming catalyst; and
a second reactor comprising a secon

Assignees

• Chevron Phillips Chemical Co Lp

Inventors

• Mcgahee Vincent D
• Hasenberg Daniel M

Classifications

• C10G59/02

  plural serial stages only · CPC title

• B01J8/0488

  the beds being placed in separate reactors · CPC title

• B01J8/0484

  the beds being placed next to each other · CPC title

• B01J8/0438

  the beds being placed next to each other · CPC title

• B01J2208/025

  Two or more types of catalyst · CPC title