Production of petroleum pitch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401470-B2
Application number	US-202016877820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2020
Priority date	May 19, 2020
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A process to produce pitch, the process comprising the steps of introducing a depressurized effluent to a flash column; separating the depressurized effluent in the flash column to produce a liquid product; introducing the liquid product to a dweller; operating the dweller at a temperature between 350° C. and 500° C., a pressure between 0.1 psig and 10 psig, and a residence time between 30 minutes and 4 hours to produce a pitch stream and a reaction gas stream, wherein the dweller is a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), wherein dehydrogenative polymerization reactions occur in the dweller to produce pitch, wherein the inert gas stream is operable to remove volatile components from the liquid product; removing a pitch stream from the dweller, wherein the pitch stream comprises the pitch; and removing a reaction gas stream, wherein the reaction gas stream comprises the volatile components and nitrogen.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A process to produce pitch, the process comprising the steps of:
increasing a pressure of a petroleum feedstock in a petroleum pump to produce a pressurized feedstock, wherein the pressure of the pressurized feedstock is between 23 MP and 30 MPa;
increasing a temperature of the pressurized feedstock in a petroleum pre-heater to produce a hot feedstock, wherein the temperature of the hot feedstock is between 50° C. and 250° C.;
increasing a pressure of a water feed in a water pump to produce a pressurized water feed, wherein the pressure of the pressurized water feed is between 23 MPa and 30 MPa;
increasing a temperature of the pressurized water feed in a water pre-heater to produce a supercritical feed, wherein the temperature of the supercritical water feed is between 374° C. and 600° C.;
mixing the hot feedstock and the supercritical water feed in a mixer to produce a mixed feed, wherein the volumetric ratio of the volumetric flow rate of the supercritical water feed at standard temperature and pressure (SATP) to the volumetric flow rate of the hot feedstock at SATP is in the range between 4:1 to 1:4;
introducing the mixed feed to a supercritical reactor;
operating the supercritical reactor at a reaction temperature between 380° C. and 600° C. and a reaction pressure between 23 MPa and 28 MPa to produce an effluent;
reducing a temperature of the effluent in a cooling device to produce a cooled effluent, wherein the cooled effluent is at a temperature of less than 250° C.;
reducing a pressure of the cooled effluent in a depressurizing device to produce a depressurized effluent, wherein depressurized effluent is at a pressure in the range between 10 psig and 550 psig;
introducing the depressurized effluent to a flash column;
separating the depressurized effluent in the flash column to produce a vapor product and a liquid product;
introducing the vapor product into a phase separator;
separating the vapor product in the phase separator to produce a light oil stream, a water product, and a gas product;
separating an oil slip stream from the light oil stream;
mixing the oil slip stream with the liquid product to produce a mixed dweller feed;
introducing the mixed dweller feed to the dweller;
introducing an inert gas stream to the dweller, wherein the inert gas stream comprises nitrogen;
operating the dweller at a temperature between 350° C. and 500° C., a pressure between 0.1 psig and 10 psig, and a residence time between 30 minutes and 4 hours to produce a pitch stream and a reaction gas stream, wherein the dweller is a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), wherein dehydrogenative polymerization reactions occur in the dweller to produce pitch, wherein the inert gas stream is operable to remove volatile components from the mixed dweller feed;
removing a pitch stream from the dweller, wherein the pitch stream comprises the pitch, wherein the pitch is isotropic pitch; and
removing a reaction gas stream, wherein the reaction gas stream comprises the volatile components and nitrogen.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the volatile components comprise volatile hydrocarbons.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid product comprises less than 1 wt % water.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Choi Ki-Hyouk
• Alnasir Ali

Classifications

• C10C3/02 Primary

  by chemical means {reaction} · CPC title

• C10G50/00

  Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from lower carbon number hydrocarbons, e.g. by oligomerisation · CPC title

• B01D19/0005

  with one or more auxiliary substances · CPC title

• C10G31/06 Primary

  by heating, cooling, or pressure treatment · CPC title

• B01D3/06

  Flash distillation · CPC title