Method for Monitoring Performance of Process Catalysts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016187271-A1
Application number	US-201615062965-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 7, 2016
Priority date	May 20, 2010
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for determining when to replace a guard bed material used to remove one or more catalyst poisons from a feed based on a parameter change in a process A guard bed having a guard bed material is in fluid communication with a catalyst bed having a catalyst. At least three monitors are positioned in said guard bed or said catalyst bed and at least one parameter of the guard bed or catalyst bed is monitored. A feed component comprising one or more catalyst poisons is supplied to said guard bed or said catalyst bed. The feed is contacted with said guard bed material or said catalyst to remove at least a portion of a catalyst poison and to form a product which produces an increase or a decrease in said parameter. The monitored parameters are compared to determine when to replace the guard bed material.

First claim

1 . A method for determining when to replace a guard bed material used to remove a catalyst poison from a feed based on a parameter change in a process, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a guard bed comprising a guard bed material, said guard bed having an inlet and a downstream outlet; (b) placing at least three guard bed monitors proximate said guard bed, wherein a first guard bed monitor is located proximate said inlet to said guard bed, a third guard bed monitor is located downstream of said outlet of said guard bed, and one or more second guard bed monitors is located downstream of said inlet of said guard bed and upstream of said outlet of said guard bed; (c) monitoring at least one guard bed parameter of said guard bed with each of said at least three guard bed monitors; (d) at least intermittently supplying a feed to said guard bed, wherein said feed comprises a catalyst poison; (e) contacting said feed with said guard bed material under suitable guard bed treatment conditions to remove at least a portion of said catalyst poison from said feed and to form a treated feed; Wherein said contacting produces an increase or a decrease in said guard bed parameter; (f) determining a first guard bed delta as the absolute value of the difference between said guard bed parameter at said first guard bed monitor and said guard bed parameter at said third guard bed monitor; (g) determining a second guard bed delta as the absolute value of the difference between said guard bed parameter at said first guard bed monitor and said guard bed parameter at said second guard bed monitor; and (h) replacing said guard bed material when the ratio of said second guard bed delta to said first guard bed delta is less than 1.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
(i) providing a catalyst bed comprising a catalyst, wherein said catalyst bed is located downstream of and in fluid communication with said guard bed; and (j) contacting said treated feed with said catalyst under suitable conversion conditions to form a product.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said guard bed material extends from said inlet to said outlet of said guard bed.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of said second guard bed monitors is placed upstream of and proximate to said outlet of said guard bed.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of said second guard bed monitors is placed at 70%, 80% or 90% of the distance measured from said inlet to said outlet of said guard bed.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein said ratio of said second guard bed delta to said first guard bed delta is selected from the group consisting of 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, and 0.5.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein said guard bed material is a solid acid.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said solid acid is selected from the group consisting of acidic aluminas, acidic silicas, acidic silica-aluminas, acidic clays, acidic zeolites, and acidic mesoporous aluminosilicates.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said solid acid comprises a molecular sieve selected from the group consisting of: ZSM-5, ZSM-11, ZSM-35, clinoptilolite, ferrierite, stilbite, EU-1, NU-87, mordenite, omega, beta, faujasite, gmelinite, ZSM-12, cancrinite, zeolite L.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said guard bed parameter is temperature and said guard bed monitor is a temperature measuring device, or said guard bed parameter is pressure and said guard bed monitor is a pressure measuring device.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said process is an aromatic alkylation process, said catalyst is an alkylation catalyst, said feed further comprises an alkylatable aromatic component and an alkylating agent component, said catalyst poison comprises an impurity having at least one of the following elements: nitrogen, halogens, oxygen, sulfur, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, and Group 1 through Group 12 metals, said treated feed comprises an alkylated aromatic component, and said guard bed parameter is temperature and said guard bed monitor is a temperature measuring device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said alkylatable aromatic component comprises benzene.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said alkylating agent component comprises ethylene and said alkylated aromatic component comprises ethylbenzene, or said alkylating agent component comprises propylene and said alkylated aromatic component comprises cumene, or said alkylating agent component comprises butene and said alkylated aromatic component comprises sec-butyl benzene.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said alkylation catalyst comprises a molecular sieve having unit cells of MWW framework topology and characterized by an X-ray diffraction pattern including d-spacing maxima at 12.4±0.25, 3.57±0.07, and 3.42±007 Angstroms.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein said alkylation catalyst is selected from the group consisting of ERB-1, ITQ-2, 1TQ-30, PSH-3, SSZ-25, MCM-22, MCM-36, MCM-49, MCM-56, UZM-8, EMM-10, EMM-10P, EMM-12, EMM-13, and mixtures thereof.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said alkylation catalyst is selected from the group consisting of MCM-22 family material, zeolite beta, faujasite, zeolite Y, Ultrastable Y (USY), Dealuminized Y (Deal Y), Rare Earth Y (REY), Ultrahydrophobic Y (UHP-Y), mordenite, TEA-mordenite, ZSM-3, ZSM-4, ZSM-14, ZSM-18, ZSM-20, and combinations thereof.

17 . A method for determining when to replace a guard bed material used to remove a catalyst poison from a feed based on a parameter change in a process, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a guard bed comprising a guard bed material; (b) providing a catalyst bed located downstream of and in fluid communication with said guard bed, wherein said catalyst bed comprising a catalyst and having an inlet, and a downstream outlet; (c) loading said catalyst in said catalyst bed such that said catalyst extends from said inlet to said outlet of said catalyst bed; (d) placing at least three catalyst bed monitors proximate said catalyst bed, wherein a first catalyst bed monitor is located upstream of said inlet to said catalyst bed, a second catalyst bed monitor is located downstream of and proximate to said inlet and upstream of said outlet of said catalyst bed, and a third catalyst bed monitor is located downstream of said second catalyst bed monitor; (e) monitoring at least one catalyst bed parameter of said catalyst bed with each of said catalyst bed monitors; (f) at least intermittently supplying a feed to said guard bed and said catalyst bed, wherein said feed comprises a catalyst poison; (g) contacting said feed with said guard bed material under suitable guard bed treatment conditions to remove at least a portion of said catalyst poison from said feed and to form a treated feed; (h) contacting said treated teed with said catalyst under suitable conversion conditions to form a product, wherein said contacting produces an increase or a decrease in said catalyst bed parameter; (i) determining a first catalyst bed delta as the absolute value of the difference between said catalyst bed parameter at said first catalyst bed monitor and said catalyst bed parameter at said third catalyst bed monitor; (j) determining a second catalyst bed delta as the absolute value of the difference between said catalyst bed parameter at said first catalyst bed monitor and said catalyst bed parameter at said second catalyst bed monitor; and (k) replacing said guard bed material when the ratio of said second catalyst bed delta to said fir

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Chem Patents Inc

Inventors

• Vincent Matthew J
• Fletcher David L
• Nanda Vijay

Classifications

• C10G2400/30

  Aromatics · CPC title

• C10G2300/205

  Metal content · CPC title

• C10G2300/202

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

• C10G2300/1096

  Aromatics or polyaromatics · CPC title

• C10G2300/1092

  C2-C4 olefins · CPC title