Methods for methanol-to-gasoline conversion with post-processing of heavy gasoline hydrocarbons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11603340-B2
Application number	US-202017014991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2020
Priority date	Sep 17, 2019
Publication date	Mar 14, 2023
Grant date	Mar 14, 2023

Abstract

Methanol-to-gasoline conversion may be performed using a heavy gasoline treatment, followed by a separation operation. Methanol may be converted into a first product mixture comprising dimethyl ether (DME) under DME formation conditions. In a methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) reactor, the first product mixture may be converted under MTG conversion conditions to produce a second product mixture comprising light gasoline hydrocarbons and untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons. The untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons may be separated from the light gasoline hydrocarbons and transferred to a heavy gasoline treatment (HGT) reactor. The untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons may be catalytically reacted in the HGT reactor to form a third product mixture. A heavy hydrocarbon fraction may be separated from the third product mixture. The heavy hydrocarbon fraction includes heavy gasoline hydrocarbons having a lower boiling endpoint than does the untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a feed comprising methanol to a dimethyl ether (DME) reactor;
converting at least a portion of the feed in the DME reactor under dimethyl ether formation conditions to produce a first product mixture comprising dimethyl ether;
transferring the first product mixture to a methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) reactor;
converting at least a portion of the first product mixture in the MTG reactor under methanol-to-gasoline conversion conditions to produce a second product mixture comprising light gasoline hydrocarbons and untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons;
separating the untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons from the light gasoline hydrocarbons, the untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons comprising more than 50% by weight of durene;
transferring the untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons to a heavy gasoline treatment (HGT) reactor;
catalytically reacting the untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons in the HGT reactor to form a third product mixture, the catalytically reacting comprising exposing the untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons to at least one catalyst in the presence of hydrogen; and
separating a heavy hydrocarbon fraction from the third product mixture, the heavy hydrocarbon fraction comprising heavy gasoline hydrocarbons having a lower boiling endpoint than do the untreated heavy gasoline hydrocarbons.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
blending at least a portion of the light gasoline hydrocarbons with at least a portion of the heavy hydrocarbon fraction.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
separating an extra heavy hydrocarbon fraction from the third product mixture, the extra heavy hydrocarbons comprising light diesel hydrocarbons.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
blending at least a portion of the extra heavy hydrocarbon fraction with a separate diesel source.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the extra heavy hydrocarbon fraction further comprises durene.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
separating liquid petroleum gas hydrocarbons from the second product mixture.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein heavy gasoline hydrocarbons pass through at least three separation units to obtain the heavy hydrocarbon fraction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the HGT reactor contains a plurality of catalysts.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein separating the heavy hydrocarbon fraction from the third product mixture takes place in a separation unit that is fluidly coupled to receive at least a portion of the third product mixture from the HGT reactor and configured to discharge the heavy hydrocarbon fraction separately from light diesel hydrocarbons; and wherein a blending unit is fluidly coupled to receive at least a portion of the heavy hydrocarbon fraction and blend the heavy hydrocarbon fraction with at least a portion of the light gasoline hydrocarbons.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
blending at least a portion of the light diesel hydrocarbons with a separate diesel source.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feed is provided to the DME reactor continuously as part of a flow process.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third product mixture comprises more than 10% by weight of durene.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Technology & Engineering Company

Inventors

• Harandi Mohsen N
• Hindman Mitch L
• Rajagopalan Suriyanarayanan

Classifications

• C10L2290/24

  Mixing, stirring of fuel components · CPC title

• C10G3/49

  containing crystalline aluminosilicates, e.g. molecular sieves · CPC title

• C10L2200/0423

  Gasoline · CPC title

• C10G45/58

  to change the structural skeleton of some of the hydrocarbon content without cracking the other hydrocarbons present, e.g. lowering pour point; Selective hydrocracking of normal paraffins (C10G32/00 takes precedence; improving or increasing the octane number or aromatic content of naphtha C10G35/00) · CPC title

• C10G3/42 Primary

  Catalytic treatment · CPC title