Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Jesus A Ramos

Robert G Tinger

Paul Podsiadlo

Todd E Detjen

Larry Lee Iaccino

Kathleen M Keville

Jeffrey L Andrews

Glenn C Wood

Travis Sparks

Lane L McMorris

Processes for activating precious metal-containing catalysts. The processes can decrease the amount of high purity hydrogen required for starting up a catalytic conversion process such as transalkylation of heavy aromatics, without detrimental impact to the metal activity. The processes can include a low temperature treatment step with a high purity first gas, such as hydrogen generated by electrolysis and/or reformer hydrogen diluted with high purity inert gas, and a high temperature treatment step with a low purity second gas such as the reformer hydrogen. Also, the processes can include mixing a hydrogen gas of high or low purity with a high purity inert gas to form a gas mixture with a proportion of hydrogen no less than 2% and a reduced carbon monoxide concentration relative to the low purity hydrogen, and contacting the catalyst with the gas mixture.

Transalkylation start-up processes for supported precious metal catalyst

Co-feeding sulfolane into a transalkylation reactor along with the aromatic hydrocarbon feed(s) can improve benzene purity of the benzene product stream produced from the transalkylation product mixture, especially at the beginning phase of a catalyst cycle.

Transalkyation processes in the presence of sulfolane

A hydrocarbon upgrading process is described in which a hydrocarbon feed is treated in at least one of a steam cracker, catalytic cracker, coker, hydrocracker, and reformer under suitable conditions to produce a first stream comprising aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. A second stream comprising C-Caliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons is recovered from the first stream and aliphatic hydrocarbons are removed from at least part of the second stream to produce an aliphatic hydrocarbon-depleted stream. The aliphatic hydrocarbon-depleted stream is then dealkylated and/or transalkylated and/or cracked (D/T/C) by contact with a catalyst under suitable reaction conditions to produce a third stream having an increased benzene and/or toluene content compared with said aliphatic hydrocarbon-depleted stream and a light paraffin by-product. Benzene and/or toluene from the third stream is then methylated with a methylating agent to produce a xylene-enriched stream.

Process for the production of xylenes

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Jesus A Ramos