Uop Lcc

David A Hamm

Gregory F Maher

Stanley Joseph Frey

Paul R Cottrell

Charles P Luebke

Christopher D Gosling

Edward C Haun

Lawrence E Sullivan

John R Mowry

Jacqueline A Harris

Enabling a transalkylation process to handle both Calkylaromatics and unextracted toluene permits the following improvements to be realized. No longer extracting toluene allows a reformate-splitter column to be eliminated. The extraction unit can be moved to the overhead of a benzene column that is also closely integrated with the transalkylation unit. No longer requiring a rigorous split between Cand Calkylaromatics allows a heavy aromatics column to be eliminated. Such an enabled transalkylation process requires stabilization of a transalkylation catalyst through the introduction of a metal function. These improvements result in an aromatics complex apparatus with savings on inside battery limits curve costs and an improvement on the return on investment in such a complex.

Integrated apparatus for aromatics production

Enabling a transalkylation process to handle both Calkylaromatics and unextracted toluene permits the following improvements to be realized. No longer extracting toluene allows a reformate-splitter column to be eliminated. The extraction unit can be moved to the overhead of a benzene column and integrated together with the transalkylation unit to reduce costs. No longer requiring a rigorous split between Cand Calkylaromatics allows a heavy aromatics column to be eliminated. Such an enabled transalkylation process requires stabilization of a transalkylation catalyst through the introduction of a metal function. These improvements result in an aromatics complex apparatus with savings on inside battery limits curve costs and an improvement on the return on investment in such a complex.

Enabling a transalkylation process to handle both C alkylaromatics and unextracted toluene permits the following improvements to be realized. No longer extracting toluene allows a reformate-splitter column to be eliminated. The extraction unit can be moved to the overhead of a benzene column. No longer requiring a rigorous split between C and C alkylaromatics allows a heavy aromatics column to be eliminated. Such an enabled transalkylation process requires stabilization of a transalkylation catalyst through the introduction of a metal function. A further enhancement to the flow scheme is accomplished through the elimination of clay treaters in favor of selective olefin saturation at the exits of a reforming unit and an isomerization unit. These improvements result in an aromatics complex with savings on inside battery limits curve costs and an improvement on the return on investment in such a complex.

Integrated process for aromatics production

Construction and operational costs of recovering the extract or raffinate product of a simulated moving bed adsorptive separation process units are reduced by employing a dividing wall column to perform the separation. The raffinate or extract stream is passed into the column at an intermediate point on the first side of the dividing wall, with the column delivering the adsorptive separation product as a sidedraw from the opposite side of the dividing wall. A stream of co-adsorbed impurity is removed as an overhead stream and desorbent is recovered as a net bottoms stream.

Adsorptive separation product recovery by fractional distillation

A process is disclosed for improving catalyst performance and yields in the manufacture of motor gasoline components. More particularly the process is directed to the removal of trace amounts of acetonitrile or acetone or propionitrile from a hydrocarbon feedstock such as a C.sub.4 -C.sub.6 product fraction from a fluid catalytic cracking unit, which may be used subsequently in an etherification process for the production of ethers such as MTBE and TAME. The hydrocarbon feedstock is passed to a water wash zone for the removal of the trace amounts of acetonitrile or acetone or propionitrile and the spent water comprising the nitriles is contacted with a nitrile-lean stream to regenerate the wash water. A portion of the spent water stream is withdrawn to reduce the nitrile level in the nitrile-lean water stream. The combined water wash, regeneration, and water recycle steps provide protection for the etherification zone catalyst with a significantly reduced requirement for wash water and spent wash water disposal.

Process for removal of nitriles from etherification feedstocks

A process for the production of R.sub.2 -isoolefins by decomposition of R.sub.1 --O-tertiary-R.sub.2 is disclosed. R.sub.1 --O-secondary-R.sub.2 that are normally present in the feed stream are selectively removed. Removal of these R.sub.1 --O-secondary-R.sub.2 lowers the R.sub.2 -normal olefin impurity and increases the yield of the product R.sub.2 -isoolefins.

High purity tertiary olefin process using removal of secondary ethers

A process is disclosed for the conversion of light aliphatic hydrocarbons such as propane into aromatic hydrocarbons and especially high purity benzene. The feed hydrocarbon is converted to aromatic hydrocarbons in a dehydrocyclodimerization zone. The product stream from the dehydrocyclodimerization zone which contains benzene, toluene, xylenes and C.sub.6 -C.sub.10 non-aromatics are separated into an overhead stream which contains the non-aromatic hydrocarbons and a small fraction of the benzene and a bottoms stream which contains the remainder of the benzene and other aromatic components. The overhead stream is then flowed to a conversion zone where the C.sub.6 -C.sub.7 non-aromatic hydrocarbons are cracked and the benzene is combined with the bottoms stream and further separated to give a high purity benzene product stream and a toluene, xylenes and C.sub.9 + product stream. The toluene, xylenes and C.sub.9 + product stream may further be separated into a toluene and xylenes product and a C.sub.9 + product stream.

Process for the production of benzene from light hydrocarbons

A process flow for hydrogen-producing processes such as reforming or dehydrocyclodimerization is disclosed. A portion of a C.sub.3 or C.sub.4 feed stream is flashed to provide reflux cooling for a product recovery fractionation column. The cool overhead of this column and a second portion of the feed stream are used to cool the still uncondensed portion of the partially condensed reaction zone effluent stream prior to passage of this uncondensed material into a final low temperature separation stage. A second feature is the reboiling of a fractionation column with hot compressed gas to perform interstage cooling in the product recovery compression section.

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Hinsdale, IL, United States of America

David A Hamm