Methods for hydrocracking heavy and light hydrocarbons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9670426-B2
Application number	US-201414302317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2014
Priority date	Jun 11, 2014
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for processing hydrocarbons are provided. In one embodiment, a method for processing a hydrocarbon stream including lighter hydrocarbons and heavier hydrocarbons includes hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons in a hydrocracking reactor. After hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons, the method hydrocracks the heavier hydrocarbons in the hydrocracking reactor. The method includes removing from the hydrocracking reactor a hydrocracking effluent comprising a mixture of components formed by hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons and hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing a hydrocarbon stream including lighter hydrocarbons and heavier hydrocarbons, the method comprising:
hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons in a hydrocracking reactor;
after hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons, hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons in the hydrocracking reactor; and
removing from the hydrocracking reactor a hydrocracking effluent comprising a mixture of components formed by hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons and hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons in the hydrocracking reactor comprises hydrocracking hydrocarbons having boiling points below about 480° C. (about 900° F.); and
hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons in the hydrocracking reactor comprises hydrocracking hydrocarbons having boiling points above about 425° C. (about 800° F.).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons comprises hydrocracking over 50 wt % of the lighter hydrocarbons, based on the total weight of the lighter hydrocarbons, before hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons comprises hydrocracking over 60 wt % of the lighter hydrocarbons, based on the total weight of the lighter hydrocarbons, before hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons comprises hydrocracking over 70 wt % of the lighter hydrocarbons, based on the total weight of the lighter hydrocarbons, before hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein removing from the hydrocracking reactor the hydrocracking effluent comprises removing the hydrocracking effluent comprising at least about 80 wt % of hydrocarbons having boiling points of less than about 382° C. (720° F.).

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon stream further includes heaviest hydrocarbons having a higher boiling temperature than the heavier hydrocarbons, and wherein the method further comprises:
after hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons, hydrocracking the heaviest hydrocarbons in the hydrocracking reactor, wherein removing from the hydrocracking reactor a hydrocracking effluent comprises removing from the hydrocracking reactor a hydrocracking effluent formed by hydrocracking the lighter hydrocarbons, hydrocracking the heavier hydrocarbons, and hydrocracking the heaviest hydrocarbons.

8. A method for processing hydrocarbons, the method comprising the steps of:
fractionating the hydrocarbons into a stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons and a stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons;
feeding the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to an upstream location in a hydrocracking zone;
hydrocracking the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to form lighter hydrocracking products;
feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products at a downstream location in the hydrocracking zone; and
hydrocracking the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons to form heavier hydrocracking products.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein fractionating the hydrocarbons comprises fractionating the hydrocarbons into the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons having an initial boiling point of about 370° C. (about 700° F.) and into the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons having a final boiling point of from about 510° C. to about 590° C. (about 950° F. to about 1100° F.).

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising feeding hydrogen to the upstream location in the hydrocracking zone, wherein the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons quenches the lighter hydrocracking products at the downstream location in the hydrocracking zone.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein:
feeding the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to an upstream location in a hydrocracking zone comprises feeding the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to an upper bed in a hydrocracking reactor; and
feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products at the downstream location in the hydrocracking zone comprises feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons to a lower bed in the hydrocracking reactor, wherein the fraction of the total catalyst volume in the upper bed does not exceed the volume fraction of the total hydrocarbons fed to the upper bed.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein fractionating the hydrocarbons comprises fractionating the hydrocarbons into the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons, the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons, and a stream rich in heaviest hydrocarbons, the method further comprising:
feeding the stream rich in heaviest hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products and the heavier hydrocracking products at a farther downstream location in the hydrocracking zone; and
hydrocracking the stream rich in heaviest hydrocarbons to form heaviest hydrocracking products.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein fractionating the hydrocarbons comprises fractionating the hydrocarbons into the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons having boiling points of less than about 425° C. (less than about 800° F.), into the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons having boiling points of from about 425° C. to about 480° C. (about 800° F. to about 900° F.), and into the stream rich in heaviest hydrocarbons having boiling points of greater than about 480° C. (900° F.).

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:
feeding the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to an upstream location in a hydrocracking zone comprises feeding the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to a first bed in a hydrocracking reactor;
feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products at the downstream location in the hydrocracking zone comprises feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons to a second bed below the first bed in the hydrocracking reactor; and
feeding the stream rich in heaviest hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products and the heavier hydrocracking products at the farther downstream location in the hydrocracking zone comprises feeding the stream rich in heaviest hydrocarbons to a third bed below the second bed in the hydrocracking reactor; and wherein:
the fraction of the total catalyst volume in the first bed does not exceed the volume fraction of the total hydrocarbons fed to the first bed; and
the fraction of the total catalyst volume in the second bed does not exceed the volume fraction of the heavier hydrocarbons fed to the second bed.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein hydrocracking the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to form lighter hydrocracking products comprises hydrocracking over 50 wt % of the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons before feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein hydrocracking the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to form lighter hydrocracking products comprises hydrocracking over 60 wt % of the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons before feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products.

17. The method of claim 8 wherein hydrocracking the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons to form lighter hydrocracking products comprises hydrocracking over 70 wt % of the stream rich in lighter hydrocarbons before feeding the stream rich in heavier hydrocarbons into the lighter hydrocracking products.

18. The method of claim 8 further comprising recovering the lighter hydrocracking products and the heavier hydrocracking products as a hydrocra

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Roney Scott M

Classifications

• C10G2400/04

  Diesel oil · CPC title

• C10G65/12

  including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps · CPC title

• C10G2400/02

  Gasoline · CPC title

• C10G65/10

  including only cracking steps · CPC title

• C10G2400/06

  Gasoil · CPC title