Methods for processing liquid organic hydrogen carriers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12540284-B2
Application number	US-202318517939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2023
Priority date	Nov 22, 2023
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

One or more liquid organic hydrogen carriers may be processed by a method that includes passing one or more hydrogen-diminished liquid organic hydrogen carriers and hydrogen into a hydrogenation reactor to form a hydrogenation reactor effluent. The hydrogenation reactor effluent may include one or more hydrogen-rich liquid organic hydrogen carriers and unreacted hydrogen. the method may further include passing the hydrogenation reactor effluent from the hydrogenation reactor to a separation unit and separating at least the one or more hydrogen-rich liquid organic hydrogen carriers from the unreacted hydrogen in the separation unit. The method may further include passing at least a naphtha feed and the unreacted hydrogen to a naphtha hydrotreater to produce a hydrotreater effluent that includes a hydrotreated naphtha.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for processing one or more liquid organic hydrogen carriers, the method comprising:
passing one or more hydrogen-diminished liquid organic hydrogen carriers and hydrogen into a hydrogenation reactor to form a hydrogenation reactor effluent, wherein the hydrogenation reactor effluent comprises one or more hydrogen-rich liquid organic hydrogen carriers and excess hydrogen not used for the hydrogenation of the hydrogen-diminished liquid organic hydrogen carriers; passing the hydrogenation reactor effluent from the hydrogenation reactor to a separation unit and separating at least the one or more hydrogen-rich liquid organic hydrogen carriers from the excess hydrogen in the separation unit; and passing at least a naphtha feed and the excess hydrogen to a naphtha hydrotreater to produce a hydrotreater effluent comprising hydrotreated naphtha.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenation reactor and the naphtha hydrotreater operate with a difference in pressure of less than or equal to 10 bar.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenation reactor operates at a pressure of from 25 bar to 50 bar and the naphtha hydrotreater operates at a pressure of from 25 bar to 45 bar.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the hydrogenation reactor and the naphtha hydrotreater operate with a difference in pressure of less than or equal to 10 bar; and the hydrogenation reactor operates at a temperature of from 25 bar to 50 bar and the naphtha hydrotreater operates at a temperature of from 25 bar to 45 bar.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenation reactor and the naphtha hydrotreater operate with a difference in temperature of less than or equal to 25° C.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenation reactor operates at a temperature of from 200° C. to 260° C. and the hydrotreater operates at a temperature of from 225° C. to 275° C.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the hydrogenation reactor and the naphtha hydrotreater operate with a difference in temperature of less than or equal to 25° C.; and the hydrogenation reactor operates at a temperature of from 200° C. to 260° C. and the hydrotreater operates at a temperature of from 225° C. to 275° C.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the hydrogenation reactor and the naphtha hydrotreater operate with a difference in pressure of less than or equal to 10 bar; and the hydrogenation reactor and the naphtha hydrotreater operate with a difference in temperature of less than or equal to 25° C.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hydrogen-diminished liquid organic hydrogen carriers comprises benzyltoluene and the one or more hydrogen-rich liquid organic hydrogen carriers comprises perhydro benzyltoluene.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the naphtha feed has a minimum boiling point in a range of from 80° C. to 100° C. and a maximum boiling point in a range of from 180° C. to 220° C.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenation reactor comprises a catalyst.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising combining the naphtha and the excess hydrogen upstream of the naphtha hydrotreater.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrotreater effluent further comprises hydrogen.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising separating the hydrogen from the hydrotreated naphtha in the hydrotreater effluent to produce a recycled hydrogen stream.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
combining the recycled hydrogen stream with the excess hydrogen to form a mixed hydrogen stream; and combining the mixed hydrogen stream and the naphtha feed upstream of the hydrotreater.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrotreater effluent has a lesser amount of one or more of sulfur, metals, or nitrogen than the naphtha feed.

17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising heat-exchanging the excess hydrogen, the naphtha, or both, with the hydrotreated naphtha to form a pre-heated hydrotreater feed.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising heating the pre-heated hydrotreater feed by a furnace upstream of the naphtha hydrotreater.

19 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising heating the excess hydrogen, the naphtha, or both by a furnace upstream of the naphtha hydrotreater.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the hydrogen-rich liquid organic hydrogen carriers has a boiling point of from 260° C. to 280° C.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Zhu Guanghui
• Abudawoud Raed
• Almulla Faisal M
• Al-Aqeeli Anas S

Classifications

• C10G2300/4012

  Pressure · CPC title

• C10G2300/4006

  Temperature · CPC title

• C10G45/02

  to eliminate hetero atoms without changing the skeleton of the hydrocarbon involved and without cracking into lower boiling hydrocarbons; Hydrofinishing · CPC title

• C10G45/44 Primary

  Hydrogenation of the aromatic hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C10G45/24

  with hydrogen-generating compounds · CPC title