Fluidized catalytic cracking unit system with integrated reformer-electrolyzer-purifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11339333-B2
Application number	US-201716091001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A fluidized catalytic cracking unit system includes a fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly comprising a cracking unit; a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly comprising a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell, the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell comprising an anode section and a cathode section; and a carbon capture assembly. The anode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to receive an input stream comprising hydrocarbon gases and water. The cathode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to produce a cathode exhaust stream comprising oxygen and carbon dioxide. The fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly is configured to receive the cathode exhaust stream and to produce a flue gas comprising carbon dioxide, water, and less than 5 mole % oxygen. The carbon capture assembly is configured to receive the flue gas from the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly, to separate the carbon dioxide contained in the flue gas, and to produce a gas stream that comprises at least 90 mole % carbon dioxide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluidized catalytic cracking unit system comprising:
a fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly comprising a cracking unit;
a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly comprising a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell, the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell comprising an anode section and a cathode section;
a carbon capture assembly; and
a fractionation assembly;
wherein the anode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to receive an input stream that includes only a mixture of a light end stream produced by the fractionation assembly and steam;
wherein the cathode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to produce a cathode exhaust stream comprising oxygen and carbon dioxide;
wherein the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly is configured to receive the cathode exhaust stream, and to produce a cracked hydrocarbon stream and a flue gas comprising carbon dioxide, water, and less than 5 mole % oxygen;
wherein the carbon capture assembly is configured to receive the flue gas from the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly, to separate the carbon dioxide contained in the flue gas by condensing and cooling the flue gas, and to produce a gas stream that comprises at least 90 mole % carbon dioxide; and
wherein the fractionation assembly is configured to receive the cracked hydrocarbon stream from the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly comprises a first catalyst regenerator unit that is configured to receive the cathode exhaust stream.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein:
the cracking unit of the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly comprises a riser and a catalyst separation unit;
the riser is configured to receive catalyst from the first catalyst regenerator unit, to receive steam and hydrocarbon feedstock, to crack the hydrocarbon feedstock into smaller molecules using the catalyst, and to provide cracked hydrocarbons and spent catalyst to the catalyst separation unit; and
the catalyst separation unit is configured to separate the cracked hydrocarbons from spent catalyst, to output the cracked hydrocarbon stream, and to output the spent catalyst to the first catalyst regenerator unit.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the catalyst separation unit is configured to output an amount of the spent catalyst to the first catalyst regenerator unit such that, when the oxygen and carbon dioxide from the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is used to regenerate the spent catalyst in the first catalyst regenerator unit, an amount of carbon on the spent catalyst is correlated to an amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide received from the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly so as to minimize an amount of excess oxygen output by the first catalyst regenerator unit.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein:
the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly further comprises a second catalyst regenerator unit; and
the second catalyst regenerator unit is configured to receive any excess catalyst from the first catalyst separation unit that is not needed to minimize the excess oxygen output by the first catalyst regenerator, and to regenerate the excess catalyst using air.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein:
the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly further comprises a second catalyst regenerator unit;
the cathode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to produce a cathode exhaust stream comprising oxygen and carbon dioxide;
the catalyst separation unit is configured to output an amount of spent catalyst to the first catalyst regenerator unit such that substantially all oxygen from the reformer electrolyzer purifier assembly is consumed to partially regenerate the spent catalyst; and
the second catalyst regenerator unit is configured to receive an input stream that includes the partially regenerated spent catalyst from the first catalyst regenerator unit and the cathode exhaust stream from the cathode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly, and to complete regeneration of the partially regenerated spent catalyst by reacting the partially regenerated spent catalyst with air.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a fractionation assembly, wherein the anode input stream comprises a mixture of a light end stream produced by the fractionation assembly and steam.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the fractionation assembly is configured to receive a cracked hydrocarbon stream from the cracking unit of the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cathode exhaust stream from the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly comprises oxygen in a range of 25 to 40 mole % and carbon dioxide in a range of 60 to 75 mole %.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the anode section is configured to produce an anode exhaust stream comprising primarily water and hydrogen.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a cooling and condensation system configured to cool and condense the anode exhaust stream, to remove the water contained in the anode exhaust stream, and to produce a hydrogen stream.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the hydrogen stream comprises at least 95 mole % hydrogen.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell is a molten carbonate electrolysis cell.

14. A fluidized catalytic cracking unit system comprising:
a fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly comprising a cracking unit and a first catalyst regenerator unit, the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly being configured to output a cracked hydrocarbon stream;
a fractionation assembly configured to receive the cracked hydrocarbon stream from the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly, to separate the cracked hydrocarbon stream into hydrocarbon products, and to output a light end stream; and
a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly comprising a reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell, the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier cell comprising an anode section and a cathode section;
wherein the anode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to receive an anode input stream that includes only the light end stream output by the fractionation assembly and steam;
wherein the cathode section of the reformer-electrolyzer-purifier assembly is configured to produce a cathode exhaust stream comprising oxygen and carbon dioxide;
wherein the fluidized catalytic cracking unit assembly is configured to receive the cathode exhaust stream.

Assignees

• Fuelcell Energy Inc

Inventors

• Jahnke Fred C

Classifications

• C01B3/34

  by reaction of hydrocarbons with gasifying agents · CPC title

• Y02P30/40

  Ethylene production · CPC title

• C25B1/04

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title

• C25B9/19

  with diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B1/00

  Electrolytic production of inorganic compounds or non-metals · CPC title