Hydrocarbon conversion process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9260361-B2
Application number	US-201213650642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2012
Priority date	Nov 22, 2011
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to processes for converting hydrocarbons to olefins products such as ethylene and propylene. The invention also relates to polymerizing the olefins, and to equipment useful for these processes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrocarbon conversion process, comprising:
(a) providing a first mixture comprising ≧10.0 wt. % hydrocarbon based on the weight of the first mixture;
(b) conducting a pyrolysis by exposing the first mixture in a first region to a temperature ≧1200° C. under pyrolysis conditions to produce a second mixture, the second mixture comprising ≧1.0 wt. % acetylene, based on the weight of the second mixture;
(c) conducting a hydrogen transfer in the presence of a hydrogen transfer catalyst under process conditions from a hydrogen donor comprising propane to at least 10.0 wt. % of the second mixture's acetylene to produce (i) ethylene from at least a portion of acetylene and (ii) propylene from at least a portion of the propane, the weight percent being based on the weight of the second mixture's acetylene,
wherein the hydrogen transfer is exothermic and at least a portion of the heat released during the hydrogen transfer is utilized for heating at least a portion of the first mixture upstream of the pyrolysis;
(d) separating a third mixture comprising at least a portion of the second mixture's acetylene from the second mixture;
(e) providing first and second reactants, the first reactant comprising fuel and the second reactant comprising oxidant; and
(f) combining at least a portion of the first reactant comprising fuel and at least a portion of the second reactant comprising oxidant in a second region to produce a fourth mixture by conducting an oxidation, the second region being at least partially coextensive with the first region, and at least partially oxidizing the fourth mixture's fuel component in the second region to produce heat and a fifth mixture comprising water and/or carbon dioxide; wherein the pyrolysis and the oxidation occur at different times.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein (i) the hydrogen donor comprises ≧90.0 wt. % of C 2+ alkane based on the weight of the hydrogen donor and (ii) ≧50.0 wt. % of the second mixture's acetylene is converted to ethylene by the hydrogen transfer of step (c).

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first mixture's hydrocarbon comprises ≧10.0 wt. % carbon atoms included in aromatic rings based on the weight of the first mixture's hydrocarbon.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen donor comprises ≧90.0 wt. % propane based on the weight of the hydrogen donor; the process further comprising utilizing the hydrogen transfer of step (c) to produce (i) ethylene from at least a portion of the acetylene and (ii) propylene from at least a portion of the propane.

5. The process of claim 1 , further comprising polymerizing at least a portion of the ethylene and/or at least a portion of the propylene.

6. The process of claim 1 , further comprising (i) providing a source material, the source material comprising ≧10.0 wt. % methane and ≧1.0 wt. % ethane based on the weight of the source material and (ii) deriving the first mixture from the source material by separating at least a portion of the source material's ethane, the first mixture's hydrocarbon comprising ≧10.0 wt. % methane based on the weight of the first mixture's hydrocarbon; wherein the hydrogen donor further comprises ≧10.0 wt. % separated ethane based on the weight of the hydrogen donor.

7. The process of claim 6 , further comprising utilizing the hydrogen transfer of step (c) to produce ethylene from at least a portion of each of (i) the acetylene and (ii) the separated ethane.

8. The process of claim 7 , further comprising polymerizing at least a portion of the ethylene.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second mixture has an acetylene:ethylene molar ratio ≧2.0.

10. The process of claim 1 , further comprising utilizing at least a portion of the third mixture's acetylene for the hydrogen transfer.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the pyrolysis is conducted under high severity conditions including a total pressure ≧0.1 bar (absolute), a residence time ≦0.05 seconds, and the temperature ≧1.40×10 3 ° C.

12. The process of claim 1 , further comprising repeating steps (a)-(f) in sequence, wherein (i) at least a portion of the fifth mixture is conducted away from the second region before step (a) and (ii) the at least a portion of the heat is utilized in the first region for the pyrolysis.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen transfer catalyst comprises (i) one or more metals selected from Group VIb of the Periodic Table, including oxides and sulfides thereof and/or (ii) one or more metals selected from Group VIII of the Periodic Table, including oxides and sulfides thereof.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen transfer is conducted under process conditions include a total pressure in the range of from 0.3 to 20.0 bar absolute, a partial pressure of hydrogen donor plus acetylene in the range of from 0.1 to 10.0 bar absolute, and a temperature in the range of from 200° C. to 500° C.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second mixture further comprises ≧1.0 wt. % of molecular hydrogen.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the hydrogen transfer is conducted in the presence of at least a portion of the second mixture's molecular hydrogen.

17. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first mixture's hydrocarbon comprises ≧50.0 wt. % of methane and/or carbon atoms included in aromatic rings based on the weight of the first mixture's hydrocarbon.

Assignees

• Keusenkothen Paul F
• Hershkowitz Frank
• Davis S M
• Exxonmobil Chem Patents Inc

Inventors

• Keusenkothen Paul F
• Hershkowitz Frank
• Davis S M

Classifications

• C10G2400/20

  C2-C4 olefins · CPC title

• C10G2300/1025

  Natural gas · CPC title

• C10G9/14

  in pipes or coils with or without auxiliary means, e.g. digesters, soaking drums, expansion means · CPC title

• C07C7/167

  for removal of compounds containing a triple carbon-to-carbon bond · CPC title

• C07C5/333 Primary

  Catalytic processes · CPC title