Conversion of heavy fuel oil to chemicals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10815437-B2
Application number	US-201816235824-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Processes and systems for converting high sulfur fuel oils to petrochemicals including hydrocracking the high sulfur fuel oil in a fuel oil hydrocracker to form a cracked fuel oil effluent, which may be separated into a light fraction and a heavy fraction. The heavy fraction may be gasified to produce a syngas, and the syngas or hydrogen recovered from the syngas may be fed to the fuel oil hydrocracker. The light fraction may be hydrocracked in a distillate hydrocracker to form a cracked effluent, which may be separated into a hydrogen fraction, a light hydrocarbon fraction, a light naphtha fraction, and a heavy naphtha fraction. The heavy naphtha fraction may be reformed to produce hydrogen and at least one of benzene, toluene, and xylenes. The light hydrocarbon fraction and/or the light naphtha fraction may be steam cracked to produce at least one of ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, and xylenes.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A process for converting high sulfur fuel oils to petrochemicals, the process comprising:
hydrocracking a high sulfur fuel oil in an ebullated bed or slurry bed fuel oil hydrocracker to form a cracked fuel oil effluent;
separating the cracked fuel oil effluent into a light fraction and a heavy fraction;
hydrocracking the light fraction in a distillate hydrocracker to form a cracked effluent;
separating the cracked effluent into a hydrogen fraction, a lights fraction comprising C2, C3, and/or C4 hydrocarbons, a light naphtha fraction, and a heavy naphtha fraction;
reforming the heavy naphtha fraction to produce a reformer effluent comprising hydrogen and at least one of benzene, toluene, and xylenes;
steam cracking the lights fraction and/or the light naphtha fraction to produce a steam cracker effluent comprising at least one of ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, and xylenes.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising:
gasifying the heavy fraction to produce a syngas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen; and
feeding the syngas to the fuel oil hydrocracker; or
separating hydrogen from the syngas and feeding hydrogen recovered from the syngas to the fuel oil hydrocracker.

3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising separating the steam cracker effluent into a hydrogen fraction, one or more light olefin fractions comprising propylene and/or ethylene, one or more aromatic fractions, and a pyrolysis gas oil fraction.

4. The process of claim 3 , further comprising feeding the steam cracker effluent hydrogen fraction to the distillate hydrocracker.

5. The process of claim 3 , further comprising feeding the pyrolysis gas oil fraction to the fuel oil hydrocracker.

6. The process of claim 1 , further comprising separating the reformer effluent to form a hydrogen fraction and one or more aromatics fractions.

7. The process of claim 6 , further comprising feeding the reformer effluent hydrogen fraction to the distillate hydrocracker.

8. A system for converting high sulfur fuel oils to petrochemicals, the system comprising:
an ebullated bed or slurry bed fuel oil hydrocracker for hydrocracking a high sulfur fuel oil to form a cracked fuel oil effluent;
a first separator for separating the cracked fuel effluent into a light fraction and a heavy fraction;
a distillate hydrocracker for hydrocracking the light fraction to form a cracked effluent;
a second separation system comprising a flash drum and fractionator for separating the cracked effluent into a hydrogen fraction, a light hydrocarbon fraction, a light naphtha fraction, and a heavy naphtha fraction;
a catalytic reformer for reforming the heavy naphtha fraction to produce a reformer effluent comprising hydrogen and at least one of benzene, toluene, and xylenes;
a steam cracker for steam cracking the light hydrocarbon fraction and/or the light naphtha fraction to produce a steam cracker effluent comprising at least one of ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, and xylenes.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a gasifier for gasifying the heavy fraction to produce a syngas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen; and
a flow line for feeding the syngas to the fuel oil hydrocracker; or
a separator for separating hydrogen from the syngas and a flow line for feeding hydrogen separated from the syngas to the fuel oil hydrocracker.

10. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a third separation system comprising one or more distillation columns for separating the steam cracker effluent into a hydrogen fraction, one or more light olefin fractions comprising propylene and/or ethylene, one or more aromatic fractions, and a pyrolysis gas oil fraction.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a flow line for feeding the steam cracker effluent hydrogen fraction to the distillate hydrocracker.

12. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a flow line for feeding the pyrolysis gas oil fraction to the fuel oil hydrocracker or the distillate hydrocracker or both.

13. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a fourth separation system comprising one or more distillation columns for separating the reformer effluent to form a hydrogen fraction and one or more aromatics fractions.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a flow line for feeding the reformer effluent hydrogen fraction to the distillate hydrocracker.

15. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a separator for separating the pyrolysis gas oil fraction into a light pyrolysis gas oil fraction and a heavy pyrolysis gas oil fraction.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a flow line for feeding the heavy pyrolysis gas oil fraction to the fuel oil hydrocracker and a flow line for feeding the light pyrolysis gas oil fraction to the distillate hydrocracker.

17. A process for converting high sulfur fuel oils to petrochemicals, the process comprising:
hydrocracking a high sulfur fuel oil in an ebullated bed or slurry bed fuel oil hydrocracker to form a cracked fuel oil effluent;
separating the cracked fuel oil effluent into a light fraction and a heavy fraction;
hydrocracking the light fraction in a distillate hydrocracker to form a cracked effluent;
separating the cracked effluent to recover one or more gas fractions comprising hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and/or ammonia, and to recover two or more hydrocarbon fractions, including a light hydrocarbon fraction and a heavy hydrocarbon fraction;
hydrocracking the heavy hydrocarbon fraction to produce a hydrocracked effluent comprising naphtha range and lighter hydrocarbons;
feeding the light hydrocarbon fraction and the hydrocracked effluent to an ethylene complex to produce petrochemicals including ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, xylenes, and/or methyl tertiary-butyl ether.

18. The process of claim 17 , further comprising:
gasifying the heavy fraction to produce a syngas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen; and
feeding the syngas to the fuel oil hydrocracker; or
separating hydrogen from the syngas and feeding hydrogen separated from the syngas to the fuel oil hydrocracker.

19. The process of claim 17 , further comprising feeding the heavy fraction to a delayed coking unit or a cement plant.

20. The process of claim 17 , wherein the heavy fraction is an IMO compliant ultralow sulfur fuel oil comprising less than 0.5 wt% sulfur.

21. The process of claim 17 , wherein the hydrocracking the light fraction in a distillate hydrocracker to form a cracked effluent comprises:
reacting the light fraction in a first reaction zone containing hydrotreating catalyst;
reacting the first reaction zone effluent in a second reaction zone containing an unsupported tri-metallic catalyst; and
reacting the second reaction zone effluent in a third reaction zone containing a nitrogen-tolerant hydrocracking catalyst.

22. The process of claim 21 , wherein each of the first, second, and third reaction zones are operated at a temperature in the range from about 340° C. to about 430° C., a pressure in the range from about 150 bara to about 180 bara, and a liquid hourly space velocity in the range from about 0.5 h −1 to about 2.5 h −1 .

23. The process of claim 17 , wherein the hydrocracking the heavy hydrocarbon fraction to produce a hydrocracked effluent comprising naphtha range and lighter hydrocarbons comprises:
reacting the heavy hydrocarbon fraction in a reaction zone containing an unsupported tri-metallic catalyst; and

Assignees

• Lummus Technology Inc

Inventors

• Mukherjee Ujjal K

Classifications

• C10G69/00

  Treatment of hydrocarbon oils by at least one hydrotreatment process and at least one other conversion process (C10G67/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C10G65/12 Primary

  including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps · CPC title

• C10G2300/202

  Heteroatoms content, i.e. S, N, O, P · CPC title

• C10G69/10 Primary

  hydrocracking of higher boiling fractions into naphtha and reforming the naphtha obtained · CPC title

• C10G2400/30

  Aromatics · CPC title