Apparatus and process for upgrading heavy hydrocarbons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12384976-B2
Application number	US-202017639840-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2020
Priority date	Sep 5, 2019
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport. In still other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for reduced incorporation of external streams into the final product for transport while still satisfying one or more target properties.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for upgrading a heavy hydrocarbon feed, comprising:
splitting an initial feedstock to form at least a first feedstock portion and a second feedstock portion, the first feedstock portion comprising 15 wt % to 95 wt % of the initial feedstock, the initial feedstock comprising a heavy hydrocarbon feed and 10 wt % or more of a first diluent, the first diluent comprising a 177° C.− portion;
separating the first feedstock portion to form a first fraction comprising a 566° C.+ portion, a diluent fraction comprising at least a portion of the first diluent, and one or more additional fractions comprising a 177° C.+ portion, the heavy hydrocarbon feed comprising an API gravity of 15° or less;
exposing at least a portion of the first fraction to hydroconversion conditions in a hydroconversion stage to form a hydroconverted effluent, the hydroconversion conditions comprising a net conversion of less than 90 wt % relative to 524° C.;
separating at least a pitch fraction comprising a 566° C.+ portion and an olefin-containing fraction from the hydroconverted effluent;
hydrotreating the olefin-containing fraction to form a hydrotreated product; and
blending the second feedstock portion, the one or more additional fractions, and at least a portion of the hydrotreated product to form a processed heavy hydrocarbon product having a kinematic viscosity at 7.5° C. of 350 cSt or less, an API gravity of 19° or more, the processed heavy hydrocarbon product comprising 20 wt % or less of a 177° C.− fraction relative to a weight of the processed heavy hydrocarbon product,
wherein the exposing at least a portion of the first fraction to hydroconversion conditions comprises exposing at least a portion of the first fraction and a recycle portion of the pitch fraction to the hydroconversion conditions, the hydroconversion conditions further comprising a per-pass conversion of 50 wt % or less relative to 524° C.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein separating the first feedstock portion further comprises forming a bypass fraction comprising a 566° C.+ portion, and wherein the blending comprises blending the second feedstock portion, the bypass fraction, the one or more additional fractions, and at least a portion of the hydrotreated product to form the processed heavy hydrocarbon product, the processed heavy hydrocarbon product comprising 5 wt % to 15 wt % of the bypass fraction, relative to a weight of the processed heavy hydrocarbon product.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein separating at least a pitch fraction and an olefin-containing fraction from the hydroconverted effluent further comprises separating a remaining fraction from the hydroconverted effluent, and wherein the blending comprises blending the remaining fraction, the second feedstock portion, the bypass fraction, the one or more additional fractions, and the at least a portion of the hydrotreated product to form the processed heavy hydrocarbon product.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein separating the initial feedstock comprises:
separating the initial feedstock under atmospheric separation conditions to form at least an atmospheric bottoms fraction, a distillate fraction, and the diluent fraction, the atmospheric bottoms fraction comprising the bypass fraction; and
separating at least a portion of the atmospheric bottoms fraction under vacuum separation conditions to form at least a vacuum bottoms fraction and one or more vacuum gas oil fractions, wherein exposing at least a portion of the first fraction to hydroconversion conditions comprises exposing at least a portion of the vacuum bottoms fraction to the hydroconversion conditions.

5. The method of claim 2 , i) wherein the bypass fraction comprises 10 wt % or less of the first diluent relative to a weight of the bypass fraction; ii) wherein a weight of the first fraction is 40% or less of a weight of the heavy hydrocarbon feed; iii) wherein the first fraction comprises 60 wt % or more of 566° C.+ components relative to a weight of the first fraction; or iv) a combination of two or more of i)-iii).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processed heavy hydrocarbon product comprises 40 wt % or more of a 343° C.-566° C. fraction relative to a weight of the processed heavy hydrocarbon product, or wherein the one or more additional fractions comprise 5.0 wt % or less of the first diluent relative to a weight of the one or more additional fractions, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydroconverted effluent further comprises a hydroconverted naphtha fraction, a hydroconverted distillate fraction, and a hydroconverted vacuum gas oil fraction, a weight of the hydroconverted vacuum gas oil fraction in the hydroconverted effluent being greater than a weight of the hydroconverted distillate fraction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein separating the first feedstock portion comprises performing solvent deasphalting on at least a portion of the first feedstock portion, and wherein the first fraction comprises deasphalter rock.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recycle portion of the pitch fraction comprises more than 50 wt % of 566° C.+ components, and wherein the at least a portion of the first fraction and the recycle portion of the pitch optionally comprise a combined feed ratio of 1.5 to 3.5.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising exposing a product portion of the pitch fraction to partial oxidation conditions to generate at least a hydrogen stream, wherein the hydroconversion conditions comprising exposing the at least a portion of the first fraction to hydrogen from the hydrogen stream.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first fraction comprises a first nitrogen content, and wherein the hydroconverted effluent comprises an effluent 177° C.+ portion, the effluent 177° C.+ portion comprising a nitrogen content that is at least 75 wt % of the first nitrogen content.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Technology & Engineering Company

Inventors

• Shen Eric B
• Kovvali Anjaneya S
• Ramkrishnan Aruna
• Sharma Arun K
• Cady Samuel J
• Brown Stephen H
• Billimoria Rustom M
• Raich Brenda A
• Patel Bryan A
• Schoch Phillip K
• Della Mora John

Classifications

• C10G2300/42

  Hydrogen of special source or of special composition · CPC title

• C10G2300/308

  Gravity, density, e.g. API · CPC title

• C10G2300/302

  Viscosity · CPC title

• C10G2300/301

  Boiling range · CPC title

• C10G2300/202

  Heteroatoms content, i.e. S, N, O, P · CPC title