Systems for ethanol to fuels in a catalytic cracking unit stripper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016340594-A1
Application number	US-201514955961-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems relating to the conversion of ethanol in a stripper unit of a fluidized catalytic cracking system. An ethanol stream mixes with a catalyst in the stripper unit under conditions of temperature that favor conversion of the ethanol to hydrocarbons, thereby increasing incorporation of ethanol into liquid transportation fuels without exceeding regulatory limits on fuel vapor pressure. Certain embodiments combine the ethanol stream with a hydrocarbon stream and react in the presence of a catalyst in the stripper to produce hydrocarbons that may have an increased boiling point, increased octane rating, decreased vapor pressure, decreased benzene content, or combinations thereof.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A system for converting ethanol to liquid transportation fuels, comprising:
a catalyst; an ethanol stream; a fluidized catalytic cracking unit comprising: a riser comprising a reaction zone and adapted for mixing the catalyst with a petroleum-derived feedstock and further adapted for cracking the petroleum derived feedstock to cracked hydrocarbon vapors; a reactor main body adapted for separating cracked hydrocarbon vapors and the catalyst; a stripper unit that is operable at a temperature between about 260° C. and about 550° C. and comprises at least one first inlet operable to receive the catalyst, and at least one second inlet operable to receive the ethanol stream,
wherein the arrangement of the at least one first inlet and the at least one second inlet are operable to facilitate rapid mixing of the catalyst with the ethanol stream, and operable to convert the water to steam,
wherein the stripper unit is operable to facilitate mixing of the catalyst with the steam, thereby stripping hydrocarbons from the catalyst,
wherein the stripper unit is operable to receive and facilitate contact of the ethanol stream with the catalyst, thereby allowing conversion of at least a portion of the ethanol stream to a mixed product stream comprising hydrocarbons.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the steam is at least partly-derived from the water in the ethanol stream.

3 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of the at least one first inlet and the at least one second inlet of the stripper unit is operable to convert the water to steam prior to contacting the catalyst.

4 . The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a first outlet operable to discharge a mixed product stream comprising hydrocarbons and stripped catalyst to the main body of the reactor.

5 . The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a heater operable to heat the ethanol stream and operatively connected to convey the ethanol stream to the stripper unit, the heater adapted for heating the ethanol stream to a temperature that vaporizes the ethanol stream upon entry to the stripper unit and prevents condensation of the water in the stripper unit.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the heater is also a mixer that is operable to receive and mix the ethanol stream with a stream of hot steam.

7 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the stripper unit comprises at least two inlets operable to receive catalyst, wherein at least a first inlet is configured to receive spent catalyst and at least a second inlet is configured to receive fresh catalyst, wherein the stripper unit is configured to contact the fresh catalyst with the spent catalyst and the ethanol stream.

8 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the ethanol stream is derived from biomass and comprises at least 4 weight percent of water

9 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the ethanol stream is derived from biomass comprises at least 20 weight percent water.

10 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the ethanol stream is derived from biomass comprises at least 40 weight percent water.

11 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the stripper unit additionally comprises a third inlet for a stream of cracked hydrocarbons transported from a location proximate the upper portion of the riser, wherein the arrangement of the first, second and third inlets is operable to facilitate mixing of the catalyst, the ethanol stream and the stream of cracked hydrocarbons.

12 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the stripper unit additionally comprises a third inlet that is operable to receive a stream of hydrocarbons from a fractionator located immediately downstream from the reactor of the fluidized catalytic cracking unit, wherein the arrangement of the first, second and third inlets is operable to facilitate mixing of the catalyst, the ethanol stream and the stream of cracked hydrocarbons.

Assignees

• Phillips 66 Co

Inventors

• Henning William D
• Alvarez Walter E
• Yao Jianhua

Classifications

• B01J2208/00256

  in a heat exchanger for the heat exchange medium separate from the reactor · CPC title

• B01J8/005

  Separating solid material from the gas/liquid stream (separation processes per se B01D) · CPC title

• C10G2300/202

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

• C10G3/42 Primary

  Catalytic treatment · CPC title

• B01J2208/00823

  Mixing elements · CPC title