Process for treating a hydrocarbon-containing feed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016177200-A1
Application number	US-201514977178-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Dec 23, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a process for hydroprocessing a hydrocarbon feedstock. The process utilizes a horizontal bubble reactor for slurry hydroprocessing of a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock having an API Gravity of less than 20, where the reactor is fitted with one or more vapor-only outlets to provide intrinsic separation of catalyst from product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process for conversion of a hydrocarbon feedstock, the process comprising:
introducing a hydrocarbon feedstock having an API Gravity of less than 20, a solid particulate hydrotreating catalyst capable of activating molecular hydrogen, and hydrogen gas into a horizontal reactor having a length that is greater than its height, wherein the reactor is fitted with one or more separate vapor-only outlets and has one or more stages, where the hydrogen gas is introduced into the horizontal reactor as bubbles to a mixture of the hydrocarbon feedstock and the solid hydrotreating catalyst; contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock-solid hydrotreating catalyst mixture and the bubbles of hydrogen gas at a temperature of from 375° C. to 550° C. and a total pressure of at least 2 MPa to produce a vapor product and a liquid hydrocarbon-depleted residuum, optionally with formation of a coke byproduct and a metals byproduct; removing the vapor product from the horizontal reactor through the one or more separate vapor-only outlet locations downstream from a hydrocarbon feedstock inlet along the length of the horizontal reactor; and removing the liquid hydrocarbon-depleted residuum, catalyst solids, optional metals byproduct, and optional coke byproduct from the reactor in one or more purge zones positioned downstream from the hydrocarbon feedstock inlet along the length of the horizontal reactor.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock and the solid hydrotreating catalyst are pre-mixed to form a slurry prior to the introducing step.

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen gas is introduced downwards into the hydrocarbon feedstock-solid hydrotreating catalyst mixture from a plurality of locations on the reactor.

4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen gas is introduced upwards into the hydrocarbon feedstock-solid hydrotreating catalyst mixture from a plurality of locations on the reactor.

5 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock and the hydrotreating catalyst are introduced to the reactor at a flow that is counter-current to the upwardly-directed flow of the hydrogen gas.

6 . The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock and the hydrotreating catalyst are introduced to flow laterally along the length of the reactor, and the hydrogen gas is introduced to flow upwardly to thereby create a flow of the hydrocarbon feedstock and hydrocracking catalyst that is cross-current to the upward flow of the hydrogen gas.

7 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the one or more separate vapor-only outlet locations are positioned along an upper surface of the reactor.

8 . The process of claim 1 , absent the step of returning at least a portion of hydrotreating catalyst to the horizontal reactor.

9 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of returning a least a portion of the catalyst solids removed from the horizontal reactor to the reactor.

10 . The process of claim 0 , absent a separate downstream distilling step to separate additional vapor product from the removed liquid hydrocarbon-depleted residuum.

11 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of separating additional vapor product from the removed liquid hydrocarbon depleted residuum.

12 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the vapor product is removed from the one or more vapor-only outlet locations at a linear velocity of less than 15 feet per minute.

13 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising recirculating at least a portion of the hydrogen gas separated from the vapor product to the mixture of liquid hydrocarbon feedstock, catalyst, and optionally liquid hydrocarbon-depleted residuum in the reactor.

14 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the vapor product is removed from more than one vapor-outlets positioned along the length of the reactor to provide separate vapor streams, the separate vapor streams each having a different composition dependent upon their location.

15 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock and the hydrogen gas are introduced at a hydrogen-to-feedstock treat gas ratio ranging from 5,000 to 35,000 scf/bbl.

16 . The process of claim 15 , wherein the separate vapor streams are each further treated in one or more additional post-processing steps.

17 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the one or more purge zones are positioned at the lateral end of the horizontal reactor distal to the hydrocarbon feedstock inlet.

18 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the contacting step produces a coke byproduct, and the purge zone comprises a weir, whereby the hydrogen flow in the purge zone is less than the hydrogen flow in the introducing step to thereby allow gravity settling of the coke byproduct catalyst solids, and optionally metals byproduct.

19 . The process of claim 18 , wherein the hydrocarbon-depleted residuum, catalyst solids, optional coke byproduct, and optional metals byproduct located in the purge zone possesses a solids content greater than an average solids content in a mixture of hydrocarbon feedstock and hydrotreating catalyst in the reactor.

20 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock is maintained in a hydrogen environment in the presence of the catalyst over the course of the hydrotreating reaction.

21 . The process of claim 1 , effective to achieve at least about 85% conversion of the hydrocarbon feedstock to a hydrocarbon-containing product containing hydrocarbons having a boiling point of at most 538° C. as determined in accordance. with ASTM Method D5308.

22 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock, catalyst, and hydrogen are contacted at a temperature in a range of 400 to 550° C.

23 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the contacting step produces a coke byproduct and the amount of coke byproduct generated is less than 5 weight percent of a liquid hydrocarbon product condensed from the total vapor product at standard temperature and pressure conditions.

24 . The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrotreating catalyst is selected from nickel sulfide, cobalt sulfide, molybdenum sulfide, tungsten sulfide, and mixtures thereof, on an alumina or alumina-silica support.

25 . The process of claim 24 , where the hydrotreating catalyst comprises nickel-molybdenum sulfides on alumina.

26 . The process of claim 24 , wherein the hydrotreating catalyst comprises cobalt-molybdenum sulfides on alumina.

27 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen gas is at a hydrogen partial pressure ranging from 10.0 to 15.0 MPa.

Assignees

• Shell Oil Co

Inventors

• Powell Joseph Broun
• Tsai Kuochen
• Sothen Ryan Anthony
• Stephens Ryan Mark
• Bej Shyamal K
• Phalak Nihar
• Chikyala Vikramaditya
• Bos Alouisius Nicolaas Renée

Classifications

• C10G47/26

  suspended in the oil, e.g. slurries · CPC title

• C10G47/12 Primary

  Inorganic carriers · CPC title

• C10G45/06

  containing nickel or cobalt metal, or compounds thereof · CPC title

• C10G45/08

  in combination with chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten metals, or compounds thereof · CPC title

• C10G45/16

  suspended in the oil, e.g. slurries · CPC title