Conocophillips Company

Jianping Zhang

Rafael Luis Espinoza

Sergio R Mohedas

Harold A Wright

Yi Jiang

Joe D Allison

Beatrice C Ortego

Keith Henry Lawson

Vincent H Melquist

James Dale Ortego, Jr

Oluwaseyi A Odueyungbo

Todd H Harkins

Kenneth M York

James D Ortega, Jr

A method for optimal production of synthetic diesel and naphtha from a hydrocracker includes hydrocracking a synthetic heavy hydrocarbon feed comprising an &#x3b1; value so as to form a diesel and a naphtha; selecting a desired diesel-to-naphtha ratio; calculating, based on the feed &#x3b1; and the desired diesel-to-naphtha ratio, a target molar ratio of hydrocarbons exiting to hydrocarbons entering the hydrocracker; and adjusting at least one hydrocracking conversion promoting condition so as to achieve said target molar ratio. The present invention further relates to a method for adjusting the overall production of a syngas-to-synthetic hydrocarbons plant in response to market conditions, comprising adjusting at least one hydrocracking conversion promoting condition and/or at least one conversion promoting condition within a Fischer-Tropsch reactor so as to maintain the overall diesel-to-naphtha ratio or to maintain a diesel production rate within a predetermined range of a desired value.

Optimization of gas-to-liquids hydrocracker

An apparatus for converting a gaseous and/or liquid feed fluid to gaseous and/or liquid products using a solid catalyst comprises a reactor, a liquid phase disposed within the reactor volume, a fixed catalyst at least partially disposed in the liquid phase, a cooling system having a cooling element in thermal contact with the liquid phase, a feed inlet positioned to feed the feed fluid into the reactor volume, and a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the liquid phase. The catalyst is contained in a catalyst container and the container may be adjacent to said cooling element, extend through said cooling element, or may surround the catalyst container. The catalyst may be a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst.

Gas agitated multiphase reactor with stationary catalyst solid phase

A method for selecting maximum and minimum catalyst particle sizes for use in a multiphase reactor that reflects optimum operating conditions of the reactor is based on a maximum Archimedes number for estimating the maximum particle size and a property of a separation system linked to the reactor to determine the minimum particle size. The maximum Archimedes number could be selected based on a maximum catalyst non-uniformity in the reactor. Additionally, a method for producing hydrocarbons from syngas in a slurry bubble column reactor comprises the use of a plurality of fresh catalyst particles with an optimum size distribution based on a range of Archimedes numbers between about 0.02 and 250 or alternatively based on an average Reynolds number less than about 0.1.

Optimized particle distribution for slurry bubble column reactors

A gas-agitated multiphase reactor system with multiple reaction zones comprising gas-liquid or gas-liquid-solid mixtures that can maximize the production rate while allowing better control of the temperature distribution and better control of the liquid and solid phases in the reactors. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a method for operating a pair of linked gas-agitated slurry reaction zones such that the hydrodynamic behavior and reactor performance of such reactor system are improved compared to that of a conventional slurry bed reactor

Conjoined reactor system

A gas-agitated multiphase reactor system that is effective for enabling maximum reactor productivity or minimizing reactor volume comprising at least two stages with or without recycle, wherein inlet gas superficial velocity is at least 20 cm/sec at Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, yielding a total syngas conversion of greater than about 90%, while syngas conversion in each reactor is less than 60%. More specifically, the total reactor volume is held to a minimum such that minimum reactor volume is less than 0.02 cubic meters total reactor volume/(kg C/hr production).

Minimizing the volume or maximizing the production rate of slurry bubble reactors by using large gas flow rates and moderate single pass conversion

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for optimizing the degree of backmixing within a gas agitated multiphase reactor at a given gas linear velocity. The embodiments of the present invention involve novel configurations of the multiphase reactor internal structures. In general, the configurations comprise creating a dense area of internal structures in the central region and/or wall regions of the multiphase reactor.

Gas agitated multiphase catalytic reactor with reduced backmixing

Methods for reducing the average molecular weight of liquid hydrocarbons in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor are disclosed. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are characterized by feeding a hydrocarbon stream, which lowers the average molecular weight of the hydrocarbon liquids inside the reactor, and more preferably by recycling a portion of low-molecular weight hydrocarbon products back into the reactor. Lowering the molecular weight of the hydrocarbon liquids inside the reactor increases the mass transfer and solubility, and diffusivity of the reactants in the hydrocarbons present in the slurry.

Recycle of low boiling point products to a Fischer-Tropsch reactor

A process for producing hydrocarbons comprises providing a multi-tubular reactor having at least 100 tubes units containing a catalyst, each tube being between 2 and 5 meters tall and in thermal contact with a cooling fluid; feeding hydrogen and carbon monoxide to each tube at a linear gas superficial velocity less than about 60 cm/s; and converting the gas feedstream to hydrocarbons on the catalyst, wherein the yield of hydrocarbons in each tube is greater than 100 (kg hydrocarbons)/hr/(mreaction zone). Each tube may have an internal diameter greater than 2 centimeters. The catalyst may be active for Fischer Tropsch synthesis and may comprise cobalt or iron. The maximum difference in the radially-averaged temperature between two points that are axially spaced along the reactor is less than 15&#xb0; C., preferably less than 10&#xb0; C. The catalyst loading or intrinsic activity may vary along the length of the reactor.

Commercial fischer-tropsch reactor

A method for water removal in hydrocarbon product reactors operating at Fischer-Tropsch conditions. The water removal decreases the concentration of water in the reactor. In one embodiment, a method of reducing the concentration of water in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor containing a water-rich hydrocarbon product includes removing water from the water-rich hydrocarbon product of the reactor by a water removal means so as to form a water-reduced hydrocarbon product and returning that product to the reactor.

Water removal in Fischer-Tropsch processes

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for water removal in multi-phase reactors operating at Fischer-Tropsch conditions. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of reducing the concentration of water in a multi-phase reactor for Fisher-Tropsch synthesis containing an expanded slurry bed and a water-rich slurry region includes removing a portion of water from the water-rich slurry from a predetermined region in the reactor, removing the water from the water-rich slurry to form a water-reduced slurry, and returning the water-reduced slurry back to the reactor. Preferably the water-rich slurry region is located between &#xbd; H to H and &#xbd; R to R, where H is the height of the expanded slurry bed and R is the radius of the expanded slurry bed.

Method for reducing water concentration in a multi-phase column reactor

A gas-agitated multiphase reactor system for the synthesis of hydrocarbons gives high catalyst productivity and reactor capacity. The system includes operating a multi-phase reactor in the well-mixed gas flow regime, with a Peclet number less than 0.175 and a single pass conversion ranging from 35% to 75%, wherein the inlet superficial gas velocity decreases with the decreasing of the reactor aspect ratio, and is preferably at least 20 cm/sec.

Slurry bubble reactor operated in well-mixed gas flow regime

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reducing the maximum water concentration in multi-phase reactors operating at Fischer-Tropsch conditions. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of reducing the maximum concentration of water in a multi-phase reactor containing an expanded slurry bed and a water-rich slurry region for Fisher-Tropsch synthesis includes changing the flow structure of a predetermined region in the reactor. The flow structure may be changed by introducing a mixing enhancing fluid into the predetermined region, installing baffles into the predetermined region, or by other methods known in the art. Preferably the predetermined region is located between &frac12; H and H and between &frac12; R and R, where H is the height of the expanded slurry bed and R is the radius of the reactor.

Method for reducing the maximum water concentration in a multi-phase column reactor

A gas-agitated multiphase reactor system with multiple reaction zones comprising gas-liquid or gas-liquid-solid mixtures that can maximize the production rate while allowing better control of the temperature distribution and better control of the liquid and solid phases in the reactors. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a method for operating a pair of linked gas-agitated slurry reaction zones such that the hydrodynamic behavior and reactor performance of such reactor system are improved compared to that of a conventional slurry bed reactor.

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Ponca City, OK, United States of America

Jianping Zhang