Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Mayank Shekhar

Paul F Keusenkothen

John Scott Buchanan

Nikolaos Soultanidis

Samia Ilias

Stephen John McCarthy

Stephen Harold Brown

Michel A Daage

Jeevan Sahib Abichandani

Paul Podsiadlo

Lorenzo C DeCaul

John Slocum Coleman

Rohit Vijay

Brett Thomas Loveless

Anthony Go

Mohsen N Harandi

James Richardson Lattner

Teng Xu

Wenyih Frank Lai

Scott Jeffrey Weigel

Neeraj Sangar

Michel Molinier

Kathleen M Keville

Brian Michael Weiss

Machteld M W Mertens

Federico Barrai

Joseph E Gatt

Dhaval Ajit Bhandari

Todd E Detjen

Seth McConkie Washburn

Catherine M Dorsi

Reyyan Koc-Karabocek

Travis Sparks

Dominick A Zurlo, Iv

Jocelyn A Gilcrest

Joshua W Allen

Eric D Metzger

Processes for converting C8 aromatic hydrocarbons. In some embodiments, the process can include feeding a gaseous hydrocarbon feed that can include meta-xylene, ortho-xylene, or both into a conversion zone. The process can also include contacting the gaseous hydrocarbon feed with a catalyst that can include a ZSM-11 zeolite in the conversion zone under conversion conditions to effect isomerization of at least a portion of any meta-xylene, or at least a portion of any ortho-xylene, or both to produce a conversion product rich in para-xylene. In some embodiments, the ZSM-11 zeolite can have an alpha value of 1 to 3,000 and a molar ratio of silica to alumina of from 15 to 200.

Processes for converting C8 aromatic hydrocarbons

Methods are provided for activation of catalysts comprising low amounts of a hydrogenation metal, such as low amounts of a Group 8-10 noble metal. The amount of hydrogenation metal on the catalyst can correspond to 0.5 wt % or less (with respect to the weight of the catalyst), or 0.1 wt % or less, or 0.05 wt % or less. Prior to loading a catalyst into a reactor, the corresponding catalyst precursor can be first activated in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere containing 1.0 vppm of CO or less. The thus first-activated catalyst can be transferred to a reactor with optional exposure to oxygen during the transfer, where it can be further activated using a hydrogen-containing atmosphere containing 3.0 vppm of CO or higher, to yield a twice-activated catalyst with high performance. The catalyst can be advantageously a transalkylation catalyst or an isomerization catalyst useful for converting aromatic hydrocarbons.

Activation of low metal content catalyst

Systems and methods are provided for integration of an aromatic formation process for converting non-aromatic hydrocarbon to an aromatic product and subsequent methylating of a portion of the aromatic product to produce a methylated product, with improvements in the aromatic formation process and/or the methylation process based on integrating portions of the secondary processing trains associated with the aromatic formation process and the methylation process. The aromatic formation process and methylation process can be used, for example, for integrated production of specialty aromatics or gasoline blending components.

Integrated aromatics formation and methylation

The invention relates to catalysts and their use in processes for dehydrocyclization of light paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock to higher-value hydrocarbon, such as aromatic hydrocarbon, to dehydrocyclization catalysts useful in such processes, and to the methods of making such catalysts. One of more of the dehydrocyclization catalysts comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having a constraint index of less than or equal to about 12, at least one Group 3 to Group 13 metal of the IUPAC Periodic Table and phosphorous.

Catalyst and its use in dehydrocyclization processes

The invention relates to catalytic aromatization, e.g., for the conversion of non-aromatic hydrocarbon to higher-value aromatic hydrocarbon, to catalysts useful for such aromatization, to methods for making such catalysts, and to systems and apparatus for carrying out aromatization in the presence of the catalyst.

Catalytic aromatization

Methods of transforming a hydrocarbon feedstream into an aromatization product in a multi-stage reverse flow reactor (RFR) apparatus are disclosed. The methods include at least two reaction stages in series, at least one being a pyrolysis stage and at least another being a catalytic aromatization stage. Using a highly saturated hydrocarbon feedstream the pyrolysis stage focuses on desaturation, while the catalytic aromatization stage focuses on aromatization. The catalytic aromatization stage contains a aromatization catalyst that can include substantially no magnesium, scandium, yttrium, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, rhenium, iron, ruthenium, cobalt, rhodium, nickel, palladium, platinum, copper, silver, gold, gallium, indium, tin, lanthanides, or actinides, or, in some cases, substantially no added active metals at all. The aromatization product can contain at least 35 mol % aromatic hydrocarbons, based on a total amount of hydrogen and hydrocarbons in the aromatized hydrocarbon product.

Reactor apparatus for non-oxidative hydrocarbon conversion to aromatics, methods of using same, and products made using same

The invention relates to catalysts and their use in processes for conversion of hydrocarbon feedstock to a product comprising single-ring aromatic hydrocarbons having six or more carbon atoms, to the methods of making such catalysts, to processes for using such catalysts, and to apparatus and systems for carrying out such processes. One of more of the catalysts comprise a crystalline aluminosilicate having a Constraint Index in the range of 1 to 12, a first metal and/or a second metal, and at least one selectivating agent, such as, for example, an organo-silicate.

Catalyst and its use in hydrocarbon conversion process

The present invention relates to a multistage process and catalyst system therefor to convert syngas to aromatics. In a first stage, syngas is converted to a C-Calcohol mixture by contacting syngas with a first catalyst comprising rhodium or copper at moderate temperature. In a second stage, the C-Calcohol mixture is converted into an aromatic product by contact with a second catalyst comprising a molecular sieve and at least one Group 8-14 element, the molecular sieve having a Constraint Index about 1 to 12 and a silica to alumina ratio of about 10 to 100 at effective conversion conditions. The final aromatic product is rich in benzene, toluene, and xylenes (e.g. greater than 50% aromatics on a hydrocarbon basis).

Process for converting syngas to aromatics and catalyst system suitable therefor

The invention relates to the production of aromatic hydrocarbon by the conversion of a feed comprising Cnon-aromatic hydrocarbon, e.g., natural gas. The invention is particularly useful in converting natural gas to liquid-phase aromatic hydrocarbon, which can be more easily transported away from remote natural gas production facilities. The conversion is carried out in the presence of a dehydrocyclization catalyst comprising dehydrogenation and molecular sieve components. The dehydrocyclization catalyst has an average residence time of 90 seconds or less.

Hydrocarbon dehydrocyclization

Processes are provided for conversion of oxygenated hydrocarbon, such as methanol and/or dimethyl ether, to aromatics, such as a para-xylene, and olefins, such as ethylene and propylene. The processes entail using a reactor having multiple reaction zones where each zone is prepared to promote desired reactions.

Oxygenated hydrocarbon conversion zoned method

The invention relates to the hydrocarbon upgrading to produce aromatic hydrocarbon, to equipment and materials useful in such upgrading, and to the use of such upgrading for, e.g., producing aromatic hydrocarbon natural gas. The upgrading can be carried out in the presence of a dehydrocyclization catalyst comprising at least one dehydrogenation component and at least one molecular sieve.

Hydrocarbon conversion

A catalyst system and processes for combined aromatization and selective hydrogen combustion of oxygenated hydrocarbons are disclosed. The catalyst system contains at least one aromatization component and at least one selective hydrogen combustion component. The process is such that the yield of hydrogen is less than the yield of hydrogen when contacting the hydrocarbons with the aromatization component alone.

Production of aromatics from methanol using selective hydrogen combustion

The invention relates to the conversion of light hydrocarbon to higher-value hydrocarbon, such as aromatic hydrocarbon, to equipment and materials useful in such conversion, and to the use of such conversion for, e.g., natural gas upgrading. The conversion can be carried out in two stages, with each stage containing a dehydrocyclization catalyst comprising at least one dehydrogenation component and at least one molecular sieve.

The invention relates to the production of aromatic hydrocarbon by the conversion of a feed comprising saturated hydrocarbon. At least a portion of the saturated hydrocarbon is converted to olefinic hydrocarbon. Aromatic hydrocarbon is produced from at least a portion of the olefinic hydrocarbon using at least one dehydrocyclization catalyst comprising dehydrogenation and molecular sieve components.

Methods are provided for improving the yield of aromatics during conversion of oxygenate feeds. An oxygenate feed can contain a mixture of oxygenate compounds, including one or more compounds with a hydrogen index of less than 2, so that an effective hydrogen index of the mixture of oxygenates is between about 1.4 and 1.9. Methods are also provided for converting a mixture of oxygenates with an effective hydrogen index greater than about 1 with a pyrolysis oil co-feed. The difficulties in co-processing a pyrolysis oil can be reduced or minimized by staging the introduction of pyrolysis oil into a reaction system. This can allow varying mixtures of pyrolysis oil and methanol, or another oxygenate feed, to be introduced into a reaction system at various feed entry points.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Mayank Shekhar