Process to maintain high solvency of recycle solvent during upgrading of steam cracked tar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401473-B2
Application number	US-201916545976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2019
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

Processes for improving hydrocarbon feedstock compatibility are provided. More specifically, a process for preparing a liquid hydrocarbon product includes heat soaking a tar stream to produce a reduced reactivity tar and blending the reduced reactivity tar with a utility fluid comprising recycle solvent to produce a lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar. The process also includes hydroprocessing the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar at a temperature of greater than 350° C. to produce a total liquids product containing the liquid hydrocarbon product and the recycle solvent. The process further includes separating the recycle solvent from the total liquids product, where the recycle solvent has the S BN of greater than 110, and flowing the recycle solvent to the reduced reactivity tar for blending to produce the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for preparing a liquid hydrocarbon product comprising:
providing a reduced reactivity tar having a bromine number of no greater than 28;
blending the reduced reactivity tar with a utility fluid to produce a lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar;
hydroprocessing the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar at a temperature of greater than 350° C. to produce a total liquids product (TLP) comprising the liquid hydrocarbon product and a recycle solvent;
separating the recycle solvent from the TLP, wherein the recycle solvent has a solubility blending number (S BN ) of greater than 110; and
flowing the recycle solvent to the reduced reactivity tar for blending to produce the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising increasing the temperature of the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar during the hydroprocessing if the S BN of the recycle solvent is less than 115.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar is hydroprocessed at a temperature of greater than 350° C. to about 500° C.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the temperature is about 400° C. to about 450° C.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the utility fluid comprises the recycle solvent, and wherein the S BN of the recycle solvent is greater than 110 to about 160.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the S BN of the recycle solvent is greater than 120 to about 150.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the S BN of the recycle solvent is about 130 to about 150.

8. The process of claim 1 , further comprising centrifuging the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar to remove solids therefrom prior to hydroprocessing.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein after centrifuging, the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar is free of solids having a size of greater than 25 μm.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the utility fluid comprises two-ring aromatics, three-ring aromatic, four-ring aromatics, or any combination thereof.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the utility fluid comprises a solvent selected from the group consisting of benzene, ethylbenzene, trimethylbenzene, xylenes, toluene, naphthalenes, alkylnaphthalenes, tetralins, alkyltetralins, and any combination thereof.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydroprocessing of the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar further comprises:
heating the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar to a temperature of about 260° C. to about 300° C. in a pretreater containing hydrogen; then
heating the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar to a temperature of about 325° C. to about 375° C. in a first reactor containing hydrogen; then
heating the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar to a temperature of about 360° C. to about 450° C. in a second reactor containing hydrogen.

13. A process for preparing a liquid hydrocarbon product comprising:
heat soaking a tar stream to produce a reduced reactivity tar having a bromine number of no greater than 28;
blending the reduced reactivity tar with a utility fluid to produce a lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar;
centrifuging the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar to remove solids therefrom; then
hydroprocessing the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar at a temperature of greater than 350° C. to produce a total liquids product (TLP) comprising the liquid hydrocarbon product and a recycle solvent;
separating the recycle solvent from the TLP, wherein the recycle solvent has a solubility blending number (S BN ) of greater than 115; and
flowing the recycle solvent to the reduced reactivity tar for blending to produce the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar.

14. The process of claim 13 , further comprising increasing the temperature of the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar during the hydroprocessing if the S BN of the recycle solvent is less than 120.

15. The process of claim 13 , wherein the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar is hydroprocessed at a temperature of greater than 350° C. to about 500° C.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the temperature is about 400° C. to about 450° C.

17. The process of claim 13 , wherein the utility fluid comprises the recycle solvent, and wherein the S BN of the recycle solvent is greater than 120 to about 150.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein the S BN of the recycle solvent is about 130 to about 150.

19. The process of claim 13 , wherein after centrifuging, the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar is free of solids having a size of greater than 25 μm.

20. The process of claim 13 , wherein the utility fluid comprises two-ring aromatics, three-ring aromatic, four-ring aromatics, or any combination thereof.

21. The process of claim 13 , wherein the utility fluid comprises a solvent selected from the group consisting of benzene, ethylbenzene, trimethylbenzene, xylenes, toluene, naphthalenes, alkylnaphthalenes, tetralins, alkyltetralins, and any combination thereof.

22. A process for preparing a liquid hydrocarbon product comprising:
heat soaking a tar stream to produce a reduced reactivity tar having a bromine number of no greater than 28;
blending the reduced reactivity tar with a utility fluid to produce a lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar;
hydroprocessing the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar at a temperature of greater than 350° C. to produce a total liquids product (TLP) comprising the liquid hydrocarbon product and a recycle solvent;
separating the recycle solvent from the TLP;
measuring a solubility blending number (S BN ) of the recycle solvent;
increasing the temperature of the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar during the hydroprocessing if the S BN of the recycle solvent is less than 115; and
flowing the recycle solvent to the reduced reactivity tar for blending to produce the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar.

23. The process of claim 22 , wherein the temperature of the lower viscosity, reduced reactivity tar is about 400° C. to about 450° C.

24. The process of claim 22 , wherein the utility fluid comprises the recycle solvent, and wherein the S BN of the recycle solvent is about 130 to about 150.

25. A process for preparing a liquid hydrocarbon product comprising:
heat soaking a tar stream to produce a first process stream comprising a reduced reactivity tar having a bromine number of no greater than 28;
blending the first process stream with a utility fluid to reduce viscosity of the first process stream and produce a second process stream comprising solids and a reduced reactivity, lower viscosity tar;
centrifuging the second process stream to produce a third process stream comprising the reduced reactivity, lower viscosity tar and having a concentration of solids less than the second process stream;
hydroprocessing the third process stream at a temperature of greater than 350° C. to about 450° C. to produce a fourth stream comprising the liquid hydrocarbon product and a recycle solvent;
separating the recycle solvent from the fourth stream, wherein the recycle solvent has a solubility blending number (S BN ) of about 130 to about 150; and
flowing the recycle solvent to the first process stream for blending to produce the second process stream.

26. A process for producing a hydroprocessed tar, the process comprising:
(a) providing a process stream comprising a reduced reactivity tar havin

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc

Inventors

• Kandel Kapil
• Xu Teng
• Heeter Glenn A
• Wang Frank Cheng-Yu
• Mennito Anthony S
• Ferrughelli David T
• Emanuele Krystle J

Classifications

• C10G47/02

  characterised by the catalyst used · CPC title

• C10G47/24 Primary

  with moving solid particles · CPC title

• C10G2300/807

  Steam · CPC title

• C10G2300/107

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

• C10G2300/4081

  Recycling aspects · CPC title