Mobil Oil Corporation

Chevron Research Company

Chwan P Kyan

Kenneth R Graziani

Thomas R Forbus, Jr

Rene B LaPierre

James R Katzer

Stuart S Shih

David S Shihabi

Robert W Bortz

Raymond M Sowiak

Hsin-Ju J Wang

Paul J Oswald

Lubricant oils of low pour point and improved oxidation stability are produced by catalytically dewaxing a lube feedstock over a zeolite dewaxing catalyst such as ZSM-5 in the hydrogen or decationized form. The use of these catalysts enables products of excellent oxidative stability to be obtained and reduces the catalyst aging rate in the first and subsequent dewaxing cycles to values below 5&deg; F./day. The duration of the dewaxing cycles may be extended, particularly in the second and subsequent cycles after hydrogen reactivation.

Catalytic dewaxing process for producing lubricating oils

The instant invention discloses a process of upgrading a waxy hydrocarbon feed mixture containing sulfur compounds which boils in the distillate range, in order to reduce sulfur content and 85% point while preserving the high octane of naphtha by-products and maximizing distillate yield. The process employs a single, downflow reactor having at least two catalyst beds and an inter-bed redistributor between the beds. The top bed contains a hydrocracking catalyst, preferably zeolite beta, and the bottom bed contains a dewaxing catalyst, preferably ZSM-5. A desulfurization catalyst may be added to either bed depending on sulfur distribution in the feed. The feed is separated into a lighter, lower boiling stream and a heavier, higher boiling stream. The effluent of the top bed cascades without interbed separation to the inter-bed redistributor, where it is recombined with the lighter stream. The recombined stream then enters the bottom bed for dewaxing. The product comprises a distillate having an increased yield and a naphtha having an increased research octane number, as compared with a feedstock in which the entire stream was hydrocracked.

Hydrocarbon upgrading process

A process for making a lubricant oil of low pour point which comprises a) catalytically dewaxing a lube boiling range feedstock in the presence of hydrogen over a dewaxing catalyst comprising an intermediate pore size zeolite in the hydrogen or decationized form during a dewaxing cycle in which the temperature is progressively increased to maintain a substantially constant product pour point to produce a lubricant oil product of improved oxidation stability. The feedstock is sequenced during a dewaxing cycle from a heavy feed to a lighter feed in order to avoid contacting the lighter feed with the catalyst in its most active conditions.

A process for making a lubricant oil of low pour point and improved oxidation stability by catalytically hydro-dewaxing a lube chargestock containing paraffin wax in a vertical column reactor having a cascade series of fixed downflow catalyst beds over dewaxing catalyst comprising acid medium pore size zeolite. The treatment is carried out by selectively hydrodewaxing paraffinic wax contained in the liquid petroleum in a first serial catalyst bed under adiabatic cracking temperature conditions while controlling adiabatic exothermal heat of reaction within a 30.degree. C. maximum excursion from the initial reaction temperature, thereby producing lighter olefinic components, recovering partially hydrodewaxed liquid petroleum from a bottom portion of the first serial catalyst bed, and redistributing said partially hydrodewaxed liquid petroleum for contact with said catalyst in at least one downstream fixed catalyst bed. The partially hydrocracked liquid petroleum is further reacted to effect endothermic hydrodewaxing concurrently with exothermic hydrogen transfer, dewaxing, hydrogenation and cyclization in the presence of hydrogen under adiabatic temperature conditions, permitting net exothermic reaction temperature to rise not more than 30.degree. C. in said downstream catalyst bed. Temperature control is maintained by injecting hydrogen quench fluid into at least one downstream catalyst bed concurrently with partially hydrodewaxed liquid petroleum to decrease reaction temperature, thereby maintaining a maximum temperature excursion of about 30.degree. C. throughout said series of fixed catalyst beds and controlling uniform hydro-dewaxing conditions to obtain high quality petroleum lubricant product.

Catalytic dewaxing process

An improved process for catalytically dewaxing low nitrogen content hydrocarbon oils, such as distilled hydrocracker bottoms which normally form by-product naphtha of variable, but poor octane quality. The improvement is achieved by doping the low nitrogen content oil with a small amount of high nitrogen content gas oil, resulting in a by-product naphtha having a clear research octane of about 90, which octane is relatively insensitive to adjustment of pour point during processing.

Catalytic dewaxing

Process for the continuous catalytic dewaxing of lube containing feeds wherein the feed effectively moves countercurrently to the catalyst. The process is based on the discovery that in a two-stage catalytic dewaxing process the stage-two or back-end dewaxing catalyst shows a concave upward aging when it is used to produce a targeted pour point lube, but the back-end dewaxing catalyst can be used as a stage one or front-end dewaxing catalyst to produce an intermediate pour point product.

Continuous lubricating oil dewaxing process

A catalytic dewaxing process in which a hydrocarbon feed, usually a lubricant feed, is catalytically dewaxed in at least two catalytic dewaxing stages with an interstage separation of the light ends which are subjected to hydrogenation to saturate the olefins before the hydrotreated product is passed to the second dewaxing stage. The hydrotreated fraction may be the entire fraction below the lube boiling range with a lube feed or a lower boiling portion of it with separated higher boiling portions such as naphtha and distillate by-passing the second dewaxing step.

Hydrodewaxing method with interstage separation of light products

An improved multistage hydrodewaxing process for hydrodewaxing a hydrocarbon feedstock, such as a heavy or light distillate, is disclosed. A two-phase mixture of a hydrogen-rich gas stream and a liquid hydrocarbon is passed through a series of spaced catalyst beds in a single reactor, reaction vapors containing olefins, are withdrawn at each interspace between beds and replaced with hydrogen-rich saturated gas.

Lube or light distillate hydrodewaxing method and apparatus with light

An improved method and apparatus are disclosed for hydrodewaxing hydrocarbon feedstock, such as heavy distillate or residual feed. The feedstock is hydrodewaxed in a first step. The resulting first effluent is separated to form a first vapor stream containing olefinic products and a first liquid stream, with a pour point of about 30.degree. to about 100.degree. F. The first liquid stream is then introduced into a second catalytic reaction, where the first liquid stream is hydrodewaxed to a specification pour point less than about 30.degree. F. The method and apparatus may also comprise routing primary products of hydrodewaxing, which contain olefins, as they are removed from the dewaxed first effluent, through an MOGDL unit to convert the olefins to additional high quality lubes. Improvements are due to removal of primary by-products containing olefins which inhibit dewaxing and accelerate catalyst aging and may cause reactor upsets. The addition of the MOGDL unit increases lube yields.

Lube hydrodewaxing method and apparatus with light product removal and

A shaped catalyst and methods of use are provided. The catalyst has substantially the shape of a cylinder having a plurality of longitudinal channels extending radially from the circumference of the cylinder and defining protrusions therebetween, said protrusions having a maximum width greater than the maximum width of the channels.

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Mantua, NJ, United States of America

Chwan P Kyan