Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Oxford University Innovation Limited

The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford

Farhan M Al-Shahrani

Abdennour Bourane

Omer Refa Koseoglu

Gary Dean Martinie

Bashir Osama Dabbousi

Tiancun Xiao

Emad Al-Shafi

Malcolm L H Green

Wei Xu

Stephan Ralf Vogel

Huahong Shi

Gary M Martinie

Emad Al-shafi

Malcolm LH Green

Mixed butenes from a cracking process, or raffmates of MTBE or tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), are simultaneously hydrated using water in the presence of a catalyst to produce sec-butyl alcohol (SBA) and tert-butyl alcohol as the principal products, the mixed butanols having utility as fuel additives, e.g., as oxygenates and octane enhancers to replace MTBE, and as a neat fuel.

Process for the hydration of mixed butenes to produce mixed alcohols

The invention relates to a process for removing sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream. The hydrocarbon stream is contacted with water, at supercritical conditions and also subjects an effluent hydrocarbon stream to separation techniques. The resulting hydrocarbon stream is substantially free of sulfur oxides, sulfoxides, and sulfones.

Sulfone cracking using supercritical water

The process for the desulfurization of a sulfur-containing hydrocarbon mixture, such as a full-range, hydrotreated diesel oil, is accomplished with an aqueous oxidizing agent in the presence of a catalyst and a co-catalyst, and thereafter selectively removing the oxidized compounds by solvent extraction. Optionally, the foregoing steps are followed by solvent stripping and recovery, and a final polishing step.

Process for oxidative conversion of organosulfur compounds in liquid hydrocarbon mixtures

A process for employing supercritical water, optionally in the presence of a catalyst, for the cracking of sulfones sulfoxides and mixtures thereof, which have been recovered and separated after the oxidative desulfurization of a stream of crude oil or distilled fractions thereof.

An oxidative treatment process, e.g., oxidative desulfurization or denitrification, is provided in which the oxidant is produced in-situ using an aromatic-rich portion of the original liquid hydrocarbon feedstock. The process reduces or replaces the need for the separate introduction of liquid oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxide and organic hydroperoxide in an oxidative treatment process.

Integrated process for in-situ organic peroxide production and oxidative heteroatom conversion

Reduction of sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing compounds from hydrocarbon feeds is achieved by first contacting the entire feed with a hydrotreating catalyst in a hydrotreating reaction zone operating under mild conditions to convert the labile organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds. An extraction zone downstream of the hydrotreating reaction zone separates an aromatic-rich fraction that contains a substantial amount of the remaining refractory organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds. The aromatic-lean fraction is substantially free of organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds, since the non-aromatic organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds were the labile organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds which were initially removed by mild hydrotreating. The aromatic-rich fraction is oxidized to convert the refractory organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds to oxidized sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon compounds. These oxidized organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds are subsequently removed.

Integrated desulfurization and denitrification process including mild hydrotreating and oxidation of aromatic-rich hydrotreated products

Deep desulfurization of hydrocarbon feeds containing undesired organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds to produce a hydrocarbon product having low levels of sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing compounds, is achieved by first subjecting the entire feed to an extraction zone to separate an aromatic-rich fraction containing a substantial amount of the refractory organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds and an aromatic-lean fraction containing a substantial amount of the labile organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds. The aromatic-lean fraction is contacted with a hydrotreating catalyst in a hydrotreating reaction zone operating under mild conditions to convert the labile organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds. The aromatic-rich fraction is oxidized to convert the refractory organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds to oxidized organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds. These oxidized organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds are subsequently removed, producing a stream containing reduced levels of organosulfur and organonitrogen compounds.

Integrated desulfurization and denitrification process including mild hydrotreating of aromatic-lean fraction and oxidation of aromatic-rich fraction

Sulfur-containing compounds, including specifically thiophenic compounds, in a liquid hydrocarbon feedstream are catalytically oxidized by combining the hydrocarbon feedstream with a catalytic reaction mixture that includes a peroxide that is soluble in water or in a polar organic acid, at least one carboxylic acid, and a catalyst that is a transition metal salt selected from the group consisting of (NH)WO, (NH)WO.HO, NaWO, LiWO, KWO, MgWO, (NH)MoO, (NH)MoO.4HO, MnOand NaVO; the mixture is vigorously agitated for a time that is sufficient to oxidize the sulfur-containing compounds to form sulfoxides and sulfones; the reaction mixture is allowed to stand and separate into a lower aqueous layer containing the catalyst and an upper hydrocarbon layer that is recovered and from which the oxidized sulfur compounds are removed, as by solvent extraction, distillation or selective adsorption. The process can be used to reduce the sulfur content of liquid transportation fuels to 10 ppm, or less.

Catalytic process for deep oxidative desulfurization of liquid transportation fuels

The process provided herein is concerned with recovery of hydrocarbons from sulfones using an individual alkali and alkaline-earthy base and a mixture of thereof. As the starting materials are sulfones generated by ODS and commercially inexpensive alkali and alkaline-earth bases, the cost and ecological impact of solid waste disposal is minimized.

Hydrocarbon recovery from sulfones formed by oxidative desulfurization process

A process to substantially reduce the sulfur content of a liquid hydrocarbon stream by contacting the hydrocarbon stream with an aqueous stream containing a mixture of one or more extraction agents selected from hypochlorites, cyanurates and alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides, optionally in the presence of a catalyst, to remove sulfur compounds.

Reactive extraction of sulfur compounds from hydrocarbon streams

The reduction in the sulfur-containing content of diesel fuel is achieved by oxidation in the presence of a catalyst followed by a liquid-liquid countercurrent extraction.

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Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Farhan M Al-Shahrani