Sulfone cracking using supercritical water

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9353318-B2
Application number	US-201214383944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2012
Priority date	Apr 27, 2011
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A process for employing supercritical water, optionally in the presence of a catalyst, for the cracking of sulfones sulfoxides and mixtures thereof, which have been recovered and separated after the oxidative desulfurization of a stream of crude oil or distilled fractions thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process to convert and separate from a hydrocarbon stream containing oxides of sulphur, sulfones and sulfoxides into their salt derivatives and SO x , wherein x is 2 or 3, the hydrocarbon stream obtained from oxidative desulfurization, which comprises the steps of:
a) contacting the hydrocarbon stream with water in a reaction zone of a reactor wherein the temperature and pressure of the reaction zone are at or above the critical point of water in the presence of a water-soluble catalyst selected from the group consisting of Group IVB, Group V and Group VI metals of the Periodic Table;
b) subjecting an effluent hydrocarbon stream to a vapor/liquid separation whereby a hydrocarbon fraction substantially free of oxides of sulphur, sulfoxides, sulfones and water containing salts and derivatives of oxides of sulfur are obtained.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein a molybdenum catalyst is employed.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reaction is conducted in a basic medium.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the reaction is conducted in the presence of fluoride ions.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the fluoride ions are obtained from alkali metal compounds in Group IA of the Periodic Table.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out in an acidic medium.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the process is carried out in a liquid or solid acidic medium.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein the process is carried out in the presence of formic acid.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the sulfones, sulfoxides, and oxides of sulfur, have a boiling point in the range of about 180° C. to about 1500° C.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the residence time is about 1 minute to about 600 minutes.

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the residence time is about 5 minutes to about 120 minutes.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the residence time is about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the oil/water volume ratio is 1:5.

14. The process of claim 13 , wherein the oil/water volume ratio is 1:2.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein the oil/water volume ratio is 1:1.

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein the process is carried-out in a reactor selected from the group consisting of a batch, fixed-bed, ebullated-bed, moving-bed and slurry-bed reactors.

17. The process of claim 1 , wherein the sulfones and sulfoxides are obtained from whole crude oils, synthetic crude oils, bitumen, oil shale, coal liquids or their refined intermediates and/or final products including coker, FCC and hydroprocessed fractions.

18. The process of claim 16 , wherein when more than one reactor is employed, the reactors are arranged in series or parallel and the reactors contain different types of catalysts.

Assignees

• Koseoglu Omer Refa
• Al-Shahrani Farhan M
• Bourane Abdennour
• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Koseoglu Omer Refa
• Al-Shahrani Farhan M
• Bourane Abdennour

Classifications

• C10G53/12 Primary

  including at least one alkaline treatment step · CPC title

• C10G53/10

  including at least one acid-treatment step · CPC title

• C10G31/08 Primary

  by treating with water · CPC title

• C10G19/02

  with aqueous alkaline solutions · CPC title

• C10G17/02

  with acids or acid-containing liquids, e.g. acid sludge · CPC title