Separation processes for pyrolysis products of annular jet vortex chamber reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12351550-B2
Application number	US-202218548821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2022
Priority date	Mar 12, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

A process for producing ethylene comprising introducing fuel, ethane/higher hydrocarbons, oxygen, steam to annular jet vortex chamber having combustion upstream of cracking to provide swirling fluid flow pattern producing cracking product (ethylene, acetylene, ethane, methane, 10-60 wt. % water, CO 2 , CO, hydrogen, oxygenates) having first temperature; cooling cracking product with residence <2,000 milliseconds yielding first cooled product having second temperature lowered by ≥30° C.; cooling first cooled product yielding second cooled product having third temperature lowered by ≥300° C. and heated heat exchange medium; separating second cooled product into removed water (water, oxygenates), and cracked gas (ethylene, acetylene, ethane, methane, CO 2 , CO, hydrogen) introduced to continuous regeneration CO 2 removal unit producing CO 2 -lean gas having at least 10× less CO 2 ; introducing CO 2 -lean gas to once-through CO 2 removal unit producing CO 2 -depleted gas (ethylene, acetylene, ethane, methane, CO, hydrogen); separating CO 2 -depleted gas into ethylene, ethane, tail gas (methane, CO, hydrogen).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for producing ethylene comprising:
(a) introducing a fuel gas, hydrocarbons, an oxidant gas, and steam to an annular jet vortex chamber (ANJEVOC) to provide for a swirling fluid flow pattern within the ANJEVOC; wherein the ANJEVOC comprises a combustion zone and a cracking zone; wherein the combustion zone is upstream of the cracking zone; wherein the oxidant gas does not contact the fuel gas outside of the ANJEVOC; wherein the oxidant gas does not contact the hydrocarbons outside of the ANJEVOC; wherein the hydrocarbons comprise ethane and/or saturated hydrocarbons other than ethane; wherein at least a portion of the fuel gas and at least a portion of the oxidant gas contact each other in the combustion zone to produce a combustion product; wherein the combustion product comprises water and carbon dioxide; wherein the swirling fluid flow pattern provides for conveying at least a portion of the combustion product to the cracking zone; wherein the combustion product heats the hydrocarbons in the cracking zone to a temperature effective for a cracking reaction; and wherein at least a portion of the hydrocarbons undergoes a cracking reaction in the cracking zone to produce a cracking product; wherein the cracking product comprises ethylene, acetylene, ethane, methane, water, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen, and oxygenates; wherein water is present in the cracking product in an amount of from about 10 wt. % to about 60 wt. %, based on the total weight of the cracking product; and wherein the cracking product is characterized by a first cracking product temperature;
(b) cooling at least a portion of the cracking product in a first cracking product cooling zone to yield a first cooled cracking product; wherein the first cooled cracking product is characterized by a second cracking product temperature; wherein the second cracking product temperature is lower than the first cracking product temperature; wherein the difference between the first cracking product temperature and the second cracking product temperature is equal to or greater than about 30° C.; and wherein the first cracking product cooling zone is characterized by a residence time of less than about 2,000 milliseconds;
(c) cooling at least a portion of the first cooled cracking product in a cracking product heat exchanger to yield a second cooled cracking product; wherein the second cooled cracking product is characterized by a third cracking product temperature; wherein the third cracking product temperature is lower than the second cracking product temperature; wherein the difference between the second cracking product temperature and the third cracking product temperature is equal to or greater than about 300° C.; and
wherein cooling at least a portion of the first cooled cracking product comprises cooling at least a portion of the first cooled cracking product while heating a heat exchange medium in the cracking product heat exchanger to yield the second cooled cracking product and a heated heat exchange medium, respectively;
(d) separating at least a portion of the second cooled cracking product into a cracked gas and removed water; wherein the removed water comprises at least a portion of the water of the cracking product;
wherein the removed water comprises at least a portion of the oxygenates of the cracking product; and
wherein the cracked gas comprises ethylene, acetylene, ethane, methane, CO 2 , CO, and hydrogen;
(e) introducing at least a portion of the cracked gas to a continuous regeneration CO 2 removal unit to produce a CO 2 -lean cracked gas; wherein the cracked gas is characterized by a first amount of CO 2 ;
wherein the CO 2 -lean cracked gas is characterized by a second amount of CO 2 ; and wherein a weight ratio of the first amount of CO 2 to the second amount of CO 2 is equal to or greater than about 5;
(f) introducing at least a portion of the CO 2 -lean cracked gas to a once-through CO 2 removal unit to produce a CO 2 -depleted cracked gas; wherein the CO 2 -depleted cracked gas comprises ethylene, acetylene, ethane, methane, CO, and hydrogen; and
(g) separating at least a portion of the CO 2 -depleted cracked gas into ethylene, ethane, and a tail gas; wherein the tail gas comprises methane, CO, and hydrogen.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the step (b) of cooling at least a portion of the cracking product in a first cracking product cooling zone comprises direct water quench; wherein the direct water quench comprises contacting at least a portion of the cracking product with quench water to yield the first cooled cracking product; wherein the first cooled cracking product comprises ethylene, acetylene, ethane, methane, CO 2 , CO, hydrogen, oxygenates, at least a portion of the water of the cracking product, and at least a portion of the quench water.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the first cracking product temperature is from about 700° C. to about 1,300° C.; wherein the direct water quench comprises contacting at least a portion of the cracking product with quench water having a temperature of from about 30° C. to about 90° C.; and wherein the first cooled cracking product comprises the quench water in an amount of from about 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the first cooled cracking product.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange medium comprises fuel gas and/or hydrocarbons; wherein the heated heat exchange medium comprises heated fuel gas and/or heated hydrocarbons, respectively; and wherein at least a portion of the heated fuel gas and/or at least a portion of the heated hydrocarbons are introduced to the ANJEVOC in step (a).

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange medium comprises water; wherein the heated heat exchange medium comprises steam; and wherein at least a portion of the steam is optionally introduced to the ANJEVOC in step (a).

6. The process of claim 1 , further comprising recycling a first portion of the removed water as steam to the ANJEVOC in step (a).

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein (1) oxygenates are present in the cracking product in an amount of from about 0.07 wt. % to about 1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the cracking product; (2) CO 2 is present in the cracking product in an amount of from about 0.5 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the cracking product; (3) CO is present in the cracking product in an amount of from about 0.5 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the cracking product; or (4) any combination of (1)-(3).

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein a second portion of the removed water is introduced to a waste water treatment unit to yield treated water; wherein the removed water is characterized by a first amount of oxygenates; wherein the treated water is characterized by a second amount of oxygenates; and wherein a weight ratio of the first amount of oxygenates to the second amount of oxygenates is equal to or greater than about 10.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the CO 2 -depleted cracked gas comprises CO 2 in an amount of less than about 10 ppmw, based on the total weight of the CO 2 -depleted cracked gas.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein acetylene is present in the cracking product in an amount of from about 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. %, based on the total weight of the cracking product.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the CO 2 -depleted cracked gas further comprises C 3+ hydrocarbons; and wherein at least a portion of acetylene in the CO 2 -depleted cracked gas is converted to ethylene.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the step (g) of separating at least a portion of the CO 2 -deple

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Liu Zheng
• Gopalakrishnan Murali
• Turner Stephen Keith
• Pannala Sreekanth

Classifications

• C10K1/005

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C10G2300/4043

  Limiting CO2 emissions · CPC title

• C10G2400/20

  C2-C4 olefins · CPC title

• C10G9/002

  Cooling of cracked gases · CPC title

• C07C4/025 Primary

  Oxidative cracking, autothermal cracking or cracking by partial combustion · CPC title