Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Rutton D Patel

Roby Bearden, Jr

Jeffrey William Frederick

Robert M Koros

John G Matragrano

Jose M Peruyero

John T Wyatt

Phiroz M Bhagat

Yiu Wah Wong

Marty G Bienstock

TAN containing oils, e.g., crudes, are treated by flashing to remove substantially all of the water therefrom, thermally treating the recovered liquid to reduce the naphthenic acid content thereof, and re-combining light gases recovered from the flashing step with the treated liquid.

Thermal process for reducing total acid number of crude oil

According to the present invention, there is provided a radial flow distributor comprising a cylindrical body portion having a vertical side wall, a top and a bottom. The cylindrical body portion has a horizontal baffle plate disposed within it, thereby dividing the body portion into a first compartment and a second compartment. The horizontally disposed baffle plate preferably is circular in shape and sufficiently large that it meets the side walls of the cylindrical body portion. The baffle also has a central opening in it. Conduit means, operably connected to the first compartment, are provided for introducing fluid to that compartment. A plurality of apertures are evenly spaced around the periphery of the side wall of the second compartment for distributing fluid from the distributor radially outwardly.

Compact radial flow distributor

According to this invention, a quench assembly having improved mixing efficiency comprises a series of mixing zones: quench fluid inlet zone; quench mixing zone; a jet stirred mixing zone; and a distributor zone. In the quench fluid inlet zone, quench fluid is introduced to fluid from the catalytic bed above. The quench fluid is introduced through holes in a quench pipe, creating jets of quench fluid which entrain and mix the reactant fluid, typically partially reacted, from the bed above. This mixing zone is separated from the quench mixing zone by means of a horizontally disposed plate having a central opening therein. The reaction fluid and quench fluid enter the quench mixing zone through the central opening in the plate separating the two zones and impinge on a bottom quench mixing zone plate, where the gases are turned radially outward and passed over and around a series of mixing baffles. A plurality of pipes is located in an annular ring near the periphery of the bottom plate of the quench mixing zone for introduction of the quench gas and process fluid into a jet stirred mixing zone. Thus, the flow of fluids coming out of the quench mixing zone is introduced in a swirling direction into the jet stirred annular mixing zone, where the fluids are further mixed by mutual entrainment. Next, the fluid is turned downwardly through a central opening in a plate separating the jet stirred zone from the distributor zone. The distributor zone is provided with a distributor tray for distributing the fluid to the catalyst bed below.

Quench assembly design

Growing community of inventors

Berkeley Heights, NJ, United States of America

Rutton D Patel