Mobil Oil Corporation

Saverio G Greco

Costandi A Audeh

Paul W Snyder

Brian A Cunningham

Ronald D McGihon

Zay K Risinger

Robert B Callen

A sulfuric acid-catalyzed alkylation reactor system is provided for alkylating isoparaffins with olefins to produce hydrocarbon alkylates. The reactor vessel has a vertical cylindrical wall, a top, an inverted conical bottom portion, internal perforated baffles and multiple emulsion injection inlet pipes, disposed tangentially to and communicating with the interior of the reactor vessel. The emulsion injection inlet pipes have static mixers incorporated therein and tangential injection of the emulsion imparts a circular motion to the contents of the reactor vessel, resulting in partial phase separation of the reacted products. The reactor vessel communicates with a settling vessel through a transfer pipe having a vertical portion suspended within the central portion of the reactor vessel and a horizontal portion sealably extending through the cylindrical wall of the reactor vessel. The transfer pipe has a first end near the conical bottom portion of the reactor vessel and a second end at a top portion of the settling vessel. The reactor system enables a sulfuric-acid catalyzed reaction of olefins with isoparaffins utilizing static mixing of the reactants, and minimizing leakage of the reactants to the environment.

Sulfuric acid alkylation reactor system with static mixers

The surface properties of hydrofluoric acid are modified by the addition of a perfluoro compound in order to reduce the tendency of the HF to form an aerosol upon any release of HF alkylation acid from an HF alkylation unit. The perfluoro compounds which are used are the perfluorosulfonic acid fluorides and perfluorocarboxylic acid fluorides.

Modification of surface properties of hydrogen fluoride

An HF alkylation unit incorporates a source of a proton acceptor additive which may be added to the HF alkylation acid in the event of a release of acid from the unit. The addition of the proton acceptor to the acid alters the character of HF droplets in an HF cloud to make them more easily treated by a simple water drench. The proton acceptor is maintained in a pressurized container in the unit and is connected to the reaction section of the unit by way of additive release valves under the control of an emergency controller which opens the valves and permits the additive to enter the reaction section of the unit and mix with the acid to modify its characteristics. The container may be connected to the major acid-containing process vessels in the unit, specifically the acid settler and the acid cooler (in a gravity flow unit) or the acid settler and the reactor (in a pump-around unit).

HF alkylation unit with additive dispenser

An HF alkylation unit with improved safety features including an acid storage and evacuation receiver which maintains a large proportion of the acid inventory of the unit at a remote, safe location. The unit also has an acid evacuation system which is capable of transferring the acid from the reactor section of the unit to the receiver within a very short period of time in the event of an uncontrolled release from the unit. The acid receiving drum is connected to the remainder of the unit by means of acid transfer lines for rapidly evacuating the acid and is desirably maintained at a pressure lower than the reactor section of the unit to enable the acid to be pressured into the receiver. The pressure in the receiver is suitably maintained by a pressure balancing line to the fractionation system at a lower pressure than the alkylation reaction itself. Unit acid inventory may be reduced by the use of an acid settler provided with an acid boot and coalescing baffles which promote a phase separation.

HF alkylation unit with acid evacuation system

A method of containing a hydrofluoric acid spill which includes the steps of detecting the spill, drenching the hydrofluoric acid spill area with an aqueous drench, drenching the hydrofluoric acid area with an aqueous solution composed of at least one foam generating surfactant, a foam stabilizer and a phase transfer agent. The drenching steps may be performed in sequence or concurrently.

Hydrogen fluoride vapor containment

The incorporation of a proton acceptor to an HF alkylation composition. The addition alters the character of HF droplets in an HF cloud rendering a forming HF cloud more easily treated by a simple water drench.

Alteration of the character of hydrogen fluoride droplets rendering them

An integrated method for refining a hydrocarbon distillate fraction such as kerosene which has sulfur-containing compounds by washing the fraction with an alkaline solution and then sweetening the resulting distillate by treating it with a phthalocyanine catalyst in the presence of a second alkaline solution and oxygen while simultaneously disposing of the spent caustic from the washing by incinerating same in the presence of a sulfur-containing fuel and oxygen to yield harmless sulfates.

Integrated refining process

The present invention is a method for treating alkaline effluents resulting from petroleum processing by incinerating the effluents in the presence of oxygen and a sufficient amount of hydrogen sulfide fuel to convert the alkaline material to the corresponding sulfate.

Method for treating alkaline effluents resulting from petroleum

The present invention is a method for disposal of noxious waste products generated in petroleum refining including spent caustic solution and concentrated sulfur effluent from treating of petroleum fractions to remove sulfur therefrom. Essentially the spent caustic solution and the concentrated sulfur effluent is incinerated in the presence of air in order to form the oxides of sulfur which react with the incinerated caustic to form alkali metal sulfides.

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Princeton Junction, NJ, United States of America

Saverio G Greco