Texaco Inc.

Texaco Chemical Company

Robert M Steinberg

John C Strickland

Charles W Harrison

Vijay Anant Deshpande

Bruce R Bond

Arthur G Gorneau

William A Smith

Robert A Meyer

Kenneth P Keating

Ting Y Chan

Lalit S Shah

George K Perry

Jacquelyn Gayle Niccum

Clements A Helbling, Jr

In an ebullated bed process for hydrotreating a distillate hydrocarbon feedstock it has been found that a catalyst addition slurry is made up with catalyst and feedstock. A control system provides for a constant distillate feedstock rate during intermittent catalyst addition.

Process and system for catalyst addition to an ebullated bed reactor

A used lubricating oil comprising lube oil additives, including zinc dithiophosphate is reconstituted. Zinc dithiophosphate is thermally decomposed at a temperature of 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) to 1000.degree. F. (538.degree. C.) for a residence time of 10 to 120 minutes. The resulting oil is subjected to vacuum distillation. A zinc-free (i.e. ash free by ASTM D-482) oil is stabilized by catalytic hydrogenation or clay treating to produce a lubricating oil blending stock. About 5 to 25 vol % is recovered as a metal containing bottoms product, useful as asphalt extender. The process is carried out in the absence of chemical demetallizing.

Reconstituting lubricating oil

Internal components for a vertical downflow reactor include a closed-ended conduit having an internal baffle and longitudinal exit slots proximate its closed end for the symmetrical introduction of quench fluid into a quench zone. An interzone mixing configuration is in vertical communication with the bottom of the quench zone. An inwardly sloping collector tray has an opening concentric with the vertical axis of the reactor vessel. A mixing device is provided for mixing the liquid and vapor components entering from above the collector tray and conveying the mixed vapor and liquid downwardly through the opening. Flow deflectors are positioned immediately below the collector tray opening for directing liquid flow towards the axial centerline of the reactor. A collection pan is positioned below and in axial alignment with the collector tray to capture and retain the liquid. A radially outwardly flared downwardly extending skirt is provided to disperse the liquid flowing from the collector pan toward the reactor walls. A continuous vertical spiral weir is provided on the surface of the collector tray to add residence time to the liquid on the tray for mixing of the liquid thereon.

Fluids mixing and distributing apparatus

A used lubricating oil comprising lube oil additives, including zinc dithiophosphate is subjected to reclaiming. Zinc dithiophosphate is thermally decomposed at a temperature of 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) to 1000.degree. F. (538.degree. C.) for a residence time of 10 to 120 minutes. The resulting oil is subjected to vacuum distillation. A zinc-free (i.e. ash free by ASTM D-482) distillate oil is useful as marine diesel fuel. About 5 to 25 vol % is recovered as a metal containing bottoms product, useful as asphalt extender. The process is carried out in the absence of chemical demetallizing.

Used lubricating oil reclaiming

In ebullated bed hydroprocessing of a distillate hydrocarbon feedstock, it has been found that high pressure and low pressure heat exchange can be separated. Both the high pressure heat exchange and the fired heater fuel consumption are reduced. A control system provides for a constant distillate feedstock temperature in cooperation with heat integration.

Ebullated bed hydroprocessing of petroleum distillates

A vortex breaker has been invented for a liquid draw off tray with horizontal liquid draw off. Liquid is removed from the sump of the tray horizontally through a port. A first vertically oriented baffle has a top edge above the port, a bottom edge below the port and a side edge adjacent the port. A second vertically oriented baffle is perpendicular to the first baffle. The second baffle has a top edge above the port and a bottom edge spaced from the sump bottom a distance to about one-half port diameter, allowing for the flow of liquid thereunder. The vortex breaker is useful for a liquid spare horizontal liquid draw off tray.

Vortex breaker for horizontal liquid draw off tray sump

A heat integrated hydrotreating process has been invented. The feedstock is a cracked hydrocarbon stock which is mixed with hydrogen to suppress coking before heating in a multiple tube furnace to reactor inlet temperature. A minor portion of the feedstock is mixed with hydrogen and heated to reactor inlet temperature by quenching the hot reactor effluent. The minor portion is fed directly to the hydrogenation reactor, bypassing the furnace. By the process, high level heat is recovered.

Hydrotreater feed/effluent heat exchange

An impure propylene oxide feedstock contaminated with from about 50 to about 1000 ppm of methanol and from about 0 to about 1 wt. % of acetone is charged to the lower half of an extractive distillation column containing at least about 25 theoretical plates and an extractive distillation agent consisting essentially of a blend of acetone and water (acetone/water blend) containing about 20 to about 30 wt. % of acetone and, correspondingly, about 80 to about 70 wt. % of water is charged to the tower at a point 4 to 7 theoretical stages above the impure propylene oxide feed point; the extractive distillation agent being introduced into the extractive distillation column in the ratio of said feedstock to said extractive distillation agent of from about 5:1 to about 20:1, whereby an overhead distillate fraction is obtained consisting essentially of propylene oxide contaminated with not more than about 60 ppm of methanol, not more than about 0.02 wt. % of acetone and not more than about 0.3 wt. % of water.

Purification of propylene oxide using an aqueous acetone extractive

Uniform flow distributor for trickle bed flow through a bed of solid catalyst particles. The reactants include constituents of a liquid and vapor mixture. A corrugated distributor acts to form pools of the liquid at normal minimum rate of flow and the vapor flows past the liquid pools to form a uniform mixture in the bed of catalyst particles.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Robert M Steinberg