Hydrocarbon conversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682899-B2
Application number	US-201414543243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2014
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

This invention relates to the conversion of substantially-saturated hydrocarbon to higher-value hydrocarbon products such as aromatics and/or oligomers, to equipment and materials useful in such conversion, and to the use of such conversion for, e.g., natural gas upgrading.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing aromatics, the process comprising:
(a) providing a feed comprising acetylene and at least 9 mole % of a first substantially-saturated hydrocarbon, based on per mole of feed, wherein the feed has a molar ratio of substantially-saturated hydrocarbon to acetylene in the range of from 0.6:1 to 20:1, and wherein the first substantially-saturated hydrocarbon comprises methane;
(b) contacting the feed with a catalyst comprising at least one molecular sieve and at least one dehydrogenation component under conditions, including a temperature in the range of from 300° C. to 390° C., effective to convert at least a portion of the methane and at least a portion of the acetylene in the feed, to produce a product comprising at least 5 wt. % of aromatics, based on the weight of the product; and
(c) separating at least part of the aromatics from the product, wherein the dehydrogenation component comprises a metal selected from Ga, In and mixtures thereof.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first substantially-saturated hydrocarbon comprises ≧90.0 wt. % of methane, and wherein the feed has a methane to acetylene molar ratio in the range of from 5:1 to 15:1.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the feed further comprises greater than 10 mole % of a second substantially-saturated hydrocarbon comprising one or more C 2 to C 5 alkanes.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein (i) the second substantially-saturated hydrocarbon comprises ≧90.0 wt. % of the one or more C 2 to C 5 alkanes, based on the weight of the second substantially-saturated hydrocarbon, and (ii) at least a portion of the methane and at least a portion of the one or more C 2 to C 5 alkanes are derived from natural gas.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the molecular sieve comprises an aluminosilicate or a substituted aluminosilicate.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the molecular sieve has a Constraint Index in the range of from 2 to 12.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the molecular sieve comprises ZSM-5 or ZSM-11.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the metal is present in a crystalline framework of the molecular sieve.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein (i) wherein the feed further comprises at least 9 mole % of a second substantially-saturated hydrocarbon, (ii) the second substantially-saturated hydrocarbon comprises ≧90.0 wt. % of one or more C 2 to C 5 alkanes, and (iii) conditions in the contacting (b) include a temperature in the range of from 300° C. to 350° C. and a pressure in the range of from 110 kPa to 450 kPa (absolute).

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc

Inventors

• Henao Juan D
• Keusenkothen Paul F
• Patil Abhimanyu O

Classifications

• C07C2529/44

  Noble metals · CPC title

• C07C2529/46

  Iron group metals or copper · CPC title

• C07C2/84 Primary

  catalytic · CPC title

• C07C15/00

  Cyclic hydrocarbons containing only six-membered aromatic rings as cyclic parts · CPC title

• C07C2529/48

  containing arsenic, antimony, bismuth, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, polonium, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, technetium or rhenium · CPC title