Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

James William Gleeson

Charles Lambert Baker, Jr

Benjamin S Umansky

Richard A Demmin

Edward John Blok

Scott Jeffrey Weigel

Lei Zhang

David Charles Calabro

Quanchang Li

Bal K Kaul

Paul Podsiadlo

Eric Bart Sirota

Keith K Aldous

Darryl Donald Lacy

Margaret M Wu

Wenyih Frank Lai

Simon Christopher Weston

Michael C Clark

Mobae Afeworki

Stephen A Geibel

James Thomas Carey

Xiaochun Xu

Himanshu Gupta

Kuangnan Qian

Lisa I-Ching Yeh

Michael B Whitlock

Charles L Baker

Mark F Hurwitz

Jon Edmond Randolph Stanat

Kiara M Benitez

Vera Minak-Bernero

Marc-André Poirier

Min Chang

Liezhong Gong

Teck-Mui Hoo

David Mentzer

Lisa I Yeh

Tomas R Melli

David A Griffin

John E Gallagher, Jr

Dennis A Gaal

Richard T Spissell

Helen S Wellons

Marykathryn Lee

Meghan Nines

Christine A Zielinski

Tore H Lindstrom

Norman G Cathcart

Suisheng M Dou

Jude J Eziashi

Kristen L Sullivan

Joshua J Matthews

Ilona Molotoka

Fengrong Chen

James Douglas Eagan

Dorothy Wong, Legal Representative

Chung-Lai Wong

Jon D Lachapelle

Nicholas Anthony Hilder

Kyle D Lawrence

David Killgore

Gaither M Phillips

Systems and methods are provided for performing solvent dewaxing using a dewaxing solvent that is not fully miscible with the feed being dewaxed. It has been unexpectedly discovered that by operating with a ketone solvent mixture that is beyond the miscibility limit by a small amount, the rate of solvent dewaxing can be substantially increased. Additionally, the difference between the filtration temperature during solvent dewaxing and the pour point of the resulting dewaxed product is unexpectedly reduced. The dewaxing solvent beyond the miscibility limit can correspond to, for example, a solvent mixture where the weight percent of methyl ethyl ketone is beyond the miscibility limit by 0.1 vol % to 5.0 vol %.

Solvent dewaxing with solvents near miscibility limit

Systems and methods are provided for producing upgraded raffinate and extract products from lubricant boiling range feeds and/or other feeds having a boiling range of 400&#xb0; F. (204&#xb0; C.) to 1500&#xb0; F. (816&#xb0; C.) or more. The upgraded raffinate and/or extract products can have a reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, metals, or a combination thereof. The reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, and/or metals can be achieved by hydrotreating a suitable feed under hydrotreatment conditions corresponding to relatively low levels of feed conversion. Optionally, the feed can also dewaxed, such as by catalytic dewaxing or by solvent dewaxing. Because excessive aromatic saturation is not desired, the pressure for hydrotreatment (and optional dewaxing) can be 500 psig (&#x2dc;3.4 MPa) to 1200 psig (&#x2dc;8.2 MPa).

Production of upgraded extract and raffinate

Systems and methods are provided for modifying or selecting processing conditions for bright stock formation based on compositional characterization of the feedstock and/or bright stock products. In some aspects, the compositional information can include Z-class characterization of the components of a feed and/or bright stock product, optionally in combination with carbon number and/or molecular weight for the components. The compositional information can be used to select processing conditions to allow for removal and/or modification of selected components within a bright stock in order to improve throughput and/or provide desirable cold flow properties.

Selection of bright stock processing conditions based on sample characterization

Methods of preparing organosilica materials, which are a polymer comprising of at least one independent cyclic polyurea monomer of Formula wherein each Ris a ZOZZSiZgroup, wherein each Zrepresents a hydrogen atom, a C-Calkyl group, or a bond to a silicon atom of another monomer unit; each Zand Zindependently represent a hydroxyl group, a C-Calkyl group, a C-Calkoxy group or an oxygen atom bonded to a silicon atom of another monomer unit; and each Zrepresents a C-Calkylene group bonded to a nitrogen atom of the cyclic polyurea are provided herein. Methods of preparing and processes of using the organosilica materials, e.g., for gas separation, color removal, etc., are also provided herein.

Organosilica materials and uses thereof

Methods are provided herein for separating an aromatic compound from a lube base stock by contacting a lube base stock containing an aromatic compound with an organosilica material.

Methods of separating aromatic compounds from lube base stocks

A process for producing high yields of higher quality (API Group II, Group III') lubricating oil basestock fractions which allows the production of two or more types of high quality lubes in continuous mode (no blocked operation mode) without transition times and feed or intermediate product tankage segregation. Two consecutive hydroprocessing steps are used: the first step processes a wide cut feed at a severity needed to match heavy oil lube properties. The second step hydroprocesses a light oil after fractionation of the liquid product from the first step at a severity higher than for the heavy oil fraction. The two hydroprocessing steps will normally be carried out in separate reactors but they may be combined in a single reactor which allows for the two fractions to be processed with different degrees of severity.

Hydrocracking process for high yields of high quality lube products

The present invention is a process for removing waxy haze from and improving the filterability of base stocks including heavy mineral oil base stocks, gas-to-liquids (GTL) and hydrodewaxed or hydroisomerized waxy feed basestocks by filtering the waxy haze causing particles out of the base stock employing a filter characterized by a high surface area of pores accessible to the haze wax particles which have particles dimensions of no more than about 5 microns.

Method for haze mitigation and filterability improvement for base stocks

A fluid blend suitable for use as a lube basestock comprises two major components: (A) a copolymer made from ethylene with one or more alpha olefins, the copolymer (i) containing not more than 50 wt % ethylene; (ii) having a number average molecular weight of from 400 to 10,000; and (iii) a molecular weight distribution &#x3c;3; and (B) a polyalphaolefin fluid or a hydroprocessed oil having a VI greater than 80.

Lubricant blend composition

Haze formation in heavy Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) base stock is mitigated by the addition to said GTL base stock of one or more particular additives.

Method for haze mitigation and filterability improvement for gas-to-liquid hydroisomerized base stocks

An apparatus and method for determining at least one of the temperatures at which a petroleum product will manifest delayed haze and the temperature at which haze will not exist in the product is provided. The apparatus comprises a container for holding a sample of the product, a light source, light detector, heaters and coolers combined with microprocessor means for storing and analyzing at least one of light transmitted or scattered by the sample. Measurements are useful in determining the haze properties of the product and also for controlling a dehazing process to meet target haze properties.

Onset haze measurement apparatus and procedure

Provided is a bubble generating process used to treat dewaxed lube base stocks to improve their filterability, hazy appearance or both. In one form, the process for improving at least one of haze appearance and filterability of a dewaxed lubricating oil basestock contained in a storage vessel includes contacting the lubricating oil basestock with gas bubbles passed through a gas distribution grid for a time sufficient to form a mixture of froth and gas treated basestock, allowing the mixture of froth and gas treated basestock to settle for a time sufficient to form a froth layer and a gas treated basestock layer, and separating the froth layer from the gas treated basestock layer, wherein a basestock having improved haze, improved filterability or both may be isolated from the gas treated basestock layer.

Bubble separation to remove haze and improve filterability of lube base stocks

Rapid determination of low temperature residual wax contamination in basestock oil provides a basis for real time correlation of basestock quality with the low temperature viscometric properties of fully formulated oils made using said basestock oil.

Application of test for residual wax contamination in basestocks to correlate with the low temperature viscometric properties of fully formulated oils

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Burke, VA, United States of America

James William Gleeson