Mobil Oil Corporation

Chung H Hsia

Hartley Owen

Bernard S Wright

An integrated process is provided for converting methanol, dimethylether or the like to heavy hydrocarbon products, especially distillate range hydrocarbons. In a first stage catalytic process oxygenate feedstock is converted to lower olefins. C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins are selectively sorbed in an interstage sorption fractionator and passed along with gasoline sorbent to a second stage oligomerization reactor. Distillate range hydrocarbons are useful as diesel fuel or the like.

Multistage process for converting oxygenates to distillate hydrocarbons

An improved catalytic process for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product comprising the steps of:

Olefin fractionation and catalytic conversion system

A continuous catalytic system for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product comprising apparatus for

A heat balanced system for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product in a catalytic exothermic process. Means are provided for prefractionating the olefinic feedstock to obtain a gaseous stream rich in ethylene and a liquid stream containing C.sub.3.sup.+ olefin, and a reactor for contacting an olefinic feedstock stream from the prefractionating step with ZSM-5 type oligomerization catalyst in a series of exothermic catalytic reactors to provide a heavier hydrocarbon effluent stream comprising distillate, gasoline and lighter hydrocarbons. In a preferred embodiment a catalytic system is provided for making gasoline or diesel fuel from an olefinic feedstock containing ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ lower olefins comprising a prefractionation system for separating and recovering ethylene and a liquid stream rich in C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins; a multi-stage adiabatic downflow reactor system operatively connected for serially contacting olefinic feedstock with a plurality of fixed shape selective oligomerization catalyst beds; means for thermally exchanging hot reactor effluent from at least one catalyst bed with at least a portion of a prefractionation liquid stream for reboiling the liquid stream; and means for recovering gasoline and diesel product from the catalytic system.

Olefin fractionation and catalytic conversion system with heat exchange

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for the recovery and/or recycling of dimethylether (DME) during a methanol-to-chemical (MTC) conversion reaction. The hydrocarbon output is divided into liquid, vaporous and aqueous products. The liquid hydrocarbon products are reboiled to liberate dissolved DME and then provided as a liquid hydrocarbon product output. Vapor products resulting from the reboiling are combined with the vapor hydrocarbon stream and DME is removed therefrom in a DME absorber. The resultant vaporous hydrocarbons are passed out of the system as a product and the DME absorber materials recycled. In one embodiment, the DME absorber materials are methanol and water and these are combined with the aqueous liquid stream, stripped to reduce the water content, and resubmitted to the MTC reaction section for conversion. In another embodiment, water is the only DME absorber material and it is passed to a fractionator, separating and removing the DME product from the water which is subsequently combined with the aqueous liquid stream, stripped to increase methanol, DME concentration and provided as an input to the MTC reaction section.

Dimethylether recovery and/or recycle in an MTC conversion plant

A multistage technique for converting olefins to heavier hydrocarbons including a sorption prefractionation unit for separating olefinic feedstock into a sorbate stream rich in liquified olefins and a vapor stream rich in light olefins; a first stage catalytic reactor unit for oligomerizing olefins from the sorbate stream including means for maintaining the first stage at elevated pressure and predetermined temperature for producing substantially linear aliphatic hydrocarbons; a second stage catalytic reactor unit for oligomerizing light olefin including means for maintaining the second stage under high severity conditions at substantially higher temperature than the first stage; and a product fractionation unit for separating effluent from the first and second stages to separate and recover heavy hydrocarbon product and a sorbent recycle fraction. The sorbent fraction is recycled to the sorption prefractionation unit for contacting olefinic feedstock with the recycled sorbent. Unconverted second stage olefins may be also sorbed by the recycled fraction for further reaction.

Multistage system for producing hydrocarbons

In the conversion of light olefins to heavier hydrocarbons, an improved recovery technique is provided for selectively removing unreacted light olefins from a catalytic reactor effluent. This system is useful in converting ethene-rich feedstocks to gasoline and/or distillate products, particularly in oligomerization processes employing shape selective siliceous catalysts such as ZSM-5 type zeolites. By recycling gasoline-range hydrocarbons as a sorbent liquid, unreacted C.sub.2.sup.+ components may be absorbed from reactor effluent vapor and returned for further contact with the catalyst.

Light olefin conversion to heavier hydrocarbons with sorption recovery

Multistage process for converting olefins or oxygenates to heavier

A continuous fractionation technique is provided for recovering ethylene from an olefinic feedstock comprising C.sub.3.sup.+ higher olefins. This technique provides methods and means for contacting the olefinic feedstock in a counter current sorption tower with a liquid sorbent stream comprising C.sub.6.sup.+ gasoline range hydrocarbons under process conditions to selectively sorb substantially the entire C.sub.3.sup.+ olefin components from the feedstock, withdrawing an ethylene-rich vapor stream from the sorption tower and further contacting the ethylene-rich stream with a distillate range liquid hydrocarbon stream in a sponge absorber to purify the ethylene stream. Typically, the olefinic feedstock consists essentially of volatile hydrocarbons, and preferably comprises about 10 to 50 mole % ethylene and 10 to 50 mole % propene. Purified ethylene product may be recovered having an average molecular weight not greater than 28.5 under non-cryogenic conditions.

Sorption fractionation system for olefin separation

A continuous catalytic process for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product comprising the steps of

A heat balanced technique for converting an olefinic feedstock comprising ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins to heavier liquid hydrocarbon product in a catalytic exothermic process. Methods and means are provided for prefractionating the olefinic feedstock to obtain a gaseous stream rich in ethylene and a liquid stream containing C.sub.3.sup.+ olefin, and contacting an olefinic feedstock stream from the prefractionating step with ZSM-5 type oligomerization catalyst in a series of exothermic catalytic reactors to provide a heavier hydrocarbon effluent stream comprising distillate, gasoline and lighter hydrocarbons. In a preferred embodiment a catalytic system is provided for making gasoline or diesel fuel from an olefinic feestock containing ethylene and C.sub.3.sup.+ lower olefins comprising a prefractionation system for separating and recovering ethylene and a liquid stream rich in C.sub.3.sup.+ olefins; a multi-stage adiabatic downflow reactor system operatively connected for serially contacting olefinic feedstock with a plurality of fixed shape selective oligomerization catalyst beds; means for thermally exchanging hot reactor effluent from at least one catalyst bed with at least a portion of a prefractionation liquid stream for reboiling the liquid stream; and means for recovering gasoline and diesel product from the catalytic system.

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Matawan, NJ, United States of America

Chung H Hsia