Emerging Fuels Technology, Inc.

Syntroleum Corporation

Kenneth L Agee

Mark A Agee

Kym Brian Arcuri

Rafael Luis Espinoza

Larry J Weick

Paul F Schubert

Elliot L Trepper

Jui-Hsin R Huang

Jennifer Parker

J Mark Landrum

Branch J Russell

Stephen LeViness

Steven Leviness

A method to produce a fuel product such as jet fuel, diesel or single battlefield fuel from a Fischer Tropsch syncrude comprising the steps of: 1) Separating the HFTL product from the reactor effluent gasses at reactor temperature and partially cooling the reactor effluent gas before transferring it to the enhanced hot separator; 2) enhancing the hot separator downstream of the Fischer Tropsch reactor with trays or packing and also adding reflux of the LFTL product, to improve separation efficiency and substantially reduce the C16+ portion of the hydrocarbons in the LFTL product; 3) combining the HFTL and MFTL product to from a combined HFTL product and further processing the combined HFTL in a hydroprocessing reactor that has a stacked bed with a layer of hydrocracking catalyst to crack the waxy C20+ hydrocarbons and a layer of hydroisomerization catalyst to isomerize the light fraction to increase the iso to n-paraffin ratio of the hydroprocessed product; 4) the LFTL product that is not recycled to the hot separator as reflux, bypasses the hydroprocessing reactor and is blended with the hydroprocessed product before distillation; and 5) the combined raw LFTL product and the hydroprocessed product is distilled to make naphtha, a fuel product, and a baseoil product. The method may be modified to make a single fuel product, preferably a jet fuel product.

Method for the production of synthetic jet fuel

A method for enhancing the heat transfer performance of a vertical tubular reactor by adding heat transfer elements inside the reactor tubes. Such heat transfer elements have two or more substantially curved legs of equal length with no cross fins, each with a foot that engages the inside wall of the tube, and can optionally have two or more substantially curved sub-legs that do not engage the wall of the tube.

Heat transfer elements

An integrated process for converting light hydrocarbon gases into products. Pre-packaged equipment such as a gas turbine and process compressors may be used to efficiently integrate the process. The gas turbine may provide all or a portion of the oxygen required in the process as compressed air. The turbine may be configured with a gradual oxidizer that can oxidize the process tail gas and drive the turbine, providing power for the process.

Integrated GTL process

An integrated process for converting light hydrocarbon gases into products. Pre-packaged equipment such as a gas turbine and process compressors may be used to efficiently integrate the process. The gas turbine may provide a portion of the oxygen required in the process as compressed air. An additional oxygen rich stream may be provided by a separate air separation process so that the combined air and oxygen rich streams have an oxygen content of 25% to 50%. The gas turbine may also provide thermal energy to pre-heat the oxygen rich stream and feed gas stream and power to run compressors, air separation, and auxiliaries in the process.

A process for conducting an exothermic reaction in a vertical tubular reactor comprising; providing a reactor with two or more reaction zones each containing multiple tubes attached to common tube sheets at top and bottom, each zone separated by segmented baffles in the top head and the bottom head.

Multi pass vertical tubular reactor

A process to convert paraffinic feedstocks into renewable poly-alpha-olefins (PAO) basestocks. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, renewable feed comprising triglycerides and/or free fatty acids are hydrotreated producing an intermediate paraffin feedstock. This paraffin feedstock is thermally cracked into a mixture of olefins and paraffins comprising linear alpha olefins. The olefins are separated and the un-reacted paraffins are recycled to the thermal cracker. Light olefins preferably are oligomerized with a surface deactivated zeolite producing a mixture of slightly branched oligomers comprising internal olefins. The heavier olefins (C8-C14) are oligomerized, preferably with a BF3 catalyst and co-catalyst to produce PAO products. The oligomerized products can be hydrotreated and distilled together or separate to produce finished products that include naphtha, distillate, solvents, drilling fluid, and PAO lube basestocks.

Production of basestocks from paraffinic hydrocarbons

A method is disclosed for activating or regenerating a Fischer Tropsch catalyst used in a gas-to-liquids process operating in recycle mode. The method permits the use of specific inert gases to adjust the mole weight of the gas so that the recycle compressor designed for normal steady state operation can also be used in the ROR method. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are specifically excluded for the reduction steps of the ROR method as they have been demonstrated to have a negative effect on the method. Nitrogen is used in the oxidation step with small amounts of oxygen containing gas, preferably air, and may be modified with the addition of argon, helium, or carbon dioxide if the mole weight of the oxidation gas needs to be modified to satisfy the requirements of the compressor.

Method for activation or regeneration of a catalyst

A stacked zone vertical tubular reactor for conducting an exothermic reaction. The reactor may comprise two or more stacked catalyst zones in each reactor tube. Each reactor tube may contain internal feed and discharge tubes, transition zones comprising a catalyst support plate and a zone separator plate, and a heat transfer element located in each catalyst zone.

Stacked zone vertical tubular reactor

A process to safely shutdown a Fischer Tropsch reactor is provided. The process can be used for a routine shutdown but is specifically designed for emergency shutdowns such as during a thermal excursion or power failure or equipment failure.

Safe shutdown for a Fischer Tropsch reactor

A gas to liquids process with a reduced COfootprint to convert both natural gas and a renewable feedstock material into fuels or chemicals. In one embodiment of the invention, a natural gas feed is converted into synthesis gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. A minor portion of the hydrogen is thereafter extracted from the synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is converted to hydrocarbons in a Fischer Tropsch reaction. The Fischer Tropsch hydrocarbon product and a renewable feedstock are hydroprocessed with the extracted hydrogen in order to produce fuels and/or chemicals. Waste products from the renewable feed are recycled to produce additional synthesis gas for the Fischer Tropsch reaction.

Integrated fuel processing with biomass oil

A gas to liquids process with a reduced COfootprint to convert natural gas and a renewable feed stock material into fuels or chemicals. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a natural gas feed is converted into synthesis gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. A minor portion of the hydrogen is thereafter extracted from the synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is converted to hydrocarbons in a Fischer Tropsch reaction. The Fischer Tropsch hydrocarbon product and a renewable feedstock are hydro processed with the extracted hydrogen in order to produce fuels and/or chemicals. Waste products from the renewable feed are recycled to produce additional synthesis gas for the Fischer Tropsch reaction.

Renewable fuels co-processing

A cobalt containing catalyst supported on a metal oxide suitable for performing a Fischer-Tropsch reaction. A pore volume of a metal oxide support, before loading of cobalt thereon, is within the range of 0.35 to 0.85 cc/g. The support has an average pore diameter before the cobalt loading and reduction such that the effective average pore diameter after cobalt loading and reduction is 14 nanometers or higher. A cobalt loading of 11 weight % or higher is also provided. An alpha value higher than 0.89 in a diesel to wax weight ratio below 1.07 is provided.

Optimized fischer-tropsch catalyst

A process to convert light hydrocarbons such as natural gas to a liquid or liquids. Vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) is used to produce a stream of relatively high purity oxygen. The relatively high purity oxygen is reacted with light hydrocarbons and steam in a partial oxidation reactor in order to produce synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is thereafter converted to a hydrocarbon liquid or liquids via a Fischer Tropsch or related reaction.

Process to convert natural gas into liquid fuels and chemicals

A cobalt containing catalyst supported on a metal oxide suitable for performing a Fischer-Tropsch reaction. A pore volume of a metal oxide support, before loading of cobalt thereon, is within the range of 0.35 to 0.6 cc/g. The support has an average pore diameter before the cobalt loading and reduction such that the effective average pore diameter after cobalt loading and reduction is 14 nanometers or higher. A cobalt loading of 11 weight % or higher is also provided. An alpha value higher than 0.89 in a diesel to wax weight ratio below 1.07 is provided.

Growing community of inventors

Tulsa, OK, United States of America

Kenneth L Agee