Mobil Oil Corporation

Byung C Choi

Jonathan E Child

Francis P Ragonese

Madhava Malladi

Benjamin Gross

Grant G Karsner

Lawrence J Altman

Donald Milstein

Kenneth R Graziani

Chang-Kuei Lee

Grant C Karsner

A reactor system and process for conducting exothermic or endothermic chemical reactions achieves greater kinetic efficiency through transfer of heat between adjacent feed temperature modification and reaction zones.

Reactor system for conducting a chemical conversion

A process for production of alcohol or ether by hydration of olefinic feedstock containing at least one lower alkene by contacting the olefinic feedstock and water in a hydration zone with porous solid metal oxide acidic olefin hydration catalyst under olefins hydration conditions. The process is characterized by the step of pretreating porous solid catalyst, such as acid zeolite, prior to contacting with the olefinic feedstock with a wetting agent containing at least one polar aliphatic oxygenated hydrocarbon to substantially wet said solid catalyst and sorb said wetting agent into pores of said solid catalyst. After initiating hydration reaction by feeding the olefinic feedstock and water, increased catalytic activity is obtained. The process is particularly useful for making isopropanol and DIPE from propene and water.

Catalyst pretreatment for olefin hydration

Light olefins are catalytically converted to ethers, e.g., propylene is converted to diisopropyl ether, in a dual stage process in which product ether is recycled to a first stage reaction zone to significantly reduce the operating temperature of the olefin hydration/etherification reactions taking place in that zone. Alcohol produced in the first stage reaction zone undergoes conversion in the second stage reaction zone, e.g., by etherification with light olefin or by catalytic distillation, to provide additional product ether. The process contemplates the use of zeolites as olefin hydration/etherification catalysts.

Dual stage process for the production of ethers

A method for assaying incompatible sediment in a blended heavy fuel oil is provided. The method is based on measuring total light absorption at 1600 nanometers wavelength, for example, of two or more samples blended to different viscosities, at least one such sample being at specification viscosity. The method may be used to control visbreaker severity so as to reduce the large ERT safety margin commonly used by refiners.

Method for control of visbreaker severity

A process and apparatus are provided for the substantially uniform distribution of a two-phase feed in a chemical reaction zone. As applied, for example, to the hydration/etherification of light olefin to alcohol(s) and/or ether(s), the invention results in greater process control and in particular cases, to improved reaction product selectivities.

Process and apparatus for the uniform distribution of a two-phase feed

A solvent extract obtained from a conventional hydrocarbon oil solvent extraction process, e.g., one employing furfural as the extraction solvent, is cooled to a temperature providing, following a secondary decantation of the cooled extract, a pseudo raffinate containing most of the non-aromatics and a pseudo extract possessing a hydro-aromatic content of H.sub.alpha hydrogen of at least 20 percent of the total hydrogen content. The pseudo extract is ideally suited as a hydrogen-donor for a variety of refinery operations such as visbreaking. The pseudo raffinate is suitable as a co-feed for such catalytic cracking operations as fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) and thermofor catalytic cracking (TCC) and can be recycled to the extraction unit to produce more lube oil.

Upgrading solvent extracts by double decantation and use of pseudo

Heavy petroleum oils such as resids are subjected to visbreaking in the presence of a hydroaromatic hydrogen donor solvent having an aromatic and alpha-to-aromatic proton content each of at least 20 percent of the total solvent hydrogen. The amount of donor solvent is from 0.1 to 50, preferably 0.1 to 20, weight percent of the heavy oil feed. The visbreaking may be carried out at relatively high severities as the use of the donor solvent reduces coke formation as well as producing a product of reduced viscosity, pour point and sedimentation characteristics. Reaction severity is usually in the range of 250 to 1500 seconds ERT at 800.degree. F. (427.degree. C.) but may range up to 15000 seconds ERT. Suitable solvents may be obtained from catalytic cracking process, for example, FCC cycle oils, slurry oils and main column bottoms.

Visbreaking process

A process is described for visbreaking a deasphalted hydrocarbon oil and subsequently reblending the recovered asphaltene fraction to produce a product of low viscosity and pour point and requiring less cutter stock oil as compared to conventional visbreaking processes.

Process for visbreaking resid deasphaltenes

A reformate richer in BTX content than the reformate obtained from the conventional catalytic reformation of a wide cut naphtha is obtained by splitting the naphtha into two fractions, catalytically reforming the heavy fraction sequentially through a series of at least three catalyst beds and introducing the light fraction into the feed to the last or the penultimate reactor.

Growing community of inventors

Cherry Hill, NJ, United States of America

Byung C Choi