Amoco Corporation

Larry W Kruse

John M Forgac

George P Quinn

Thomas J Gebhard

A catalytic cracking process is provided for cost effectively separating and stripping hydrocarbon from catalyst while limiting the occurrence of undesired catalytic overcracking and thermal cracking reactions. The process includes the steps of contacting feed with catalyst, grossly separating the larger coked catalyst particles from the hydrocarbon, disengaging the smaller coked catalyst fines from the hydrocarbon, removing volatile hydrocarbon from the grossly separated and disengaged catalyst, and recycling the volatile hydrocarbon back to the gross separating step. The disengager step includes the steps of dampening the flow of grossly separated hydrocarbon and internally cyclone separating the smaller catalyst fines from the hydrocarbon product.

FCU catalyst separation and stripping process

A catalytic cracking apparatus is provided for cost-effectively separating and stripping hydrocarbon from catalyst while limiting the occurrence of undesired catalytic overcracking and thermal cracking reactions. The apparatus includes a reactor, a combined gross separator and catalyst stripping vessel, and a disengaging vessel. The combined vessel is positioned to quickly separate catalyst from reactor products, reduce catalytic overcracking and strip volatile hydrocarbon from coked catalyst in one unitary vessel. The disengager is designed to dampen the flow of grossly separated hydrocarbon, substantially separate catalyst fines from the grossly separated hydrocarbon, and convey the catalyst fines to the combined gross separation and catalyst stripping vessel.

Catalytic cracking unit with combined catalyst separator and stripper

Effective quenching is provided in a catalytic cracking unit to increase product yield and decrease thermal cracking. Advantageously, the quench is injected at special locations. In the illustrated embodiment, the quench is injected into the oil product immediately downstream of the oil product exit of an internal gross cut separator in a disengaging vessel.

Catalytic cracking unit with internal gross cut separator and quench

A paraffin isomerization zone is described wherein an improvement to the process comprises using a preflash tower in connection with stabilizer and de-isohexanizer towers to efficiently separate the isomerization zone effluent into valuable components having higher octane values and a recycle material which can be reintroduced along with a fresh feed into the isomerization zone reactor.

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Crete, IL, United States of America

Larry W Kruse