Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Exxonmobil Technology and Engineering Company

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

International Business Machines Corporation

Sumathy Raman

David C Dankworth

Michael J Lawson

Robert J Pottorf

Steven R May

Amelia C Robinson

Sebastien L Dreyfus

Michael Lawson

Ramesh Gupta

Aaron B Regberg

A Lucie N'Guessan

Hugo S Caram

William G Powell

A Lucie N'guessan

Mark Alan Greaney

Walter Weissman

Anjaneya Sarma Kovvali

Mehmet Deniz Ertas

Leonard J Srnka

William P Meurer

Daniel Patrick Cherney

William E Bond

Kurt W Rudolph

Jihad Mohammed Dakka

Michael Siskin

Teng Xu

Terry Eugene Helton

Allen Wayne Burton

Scott Jeffrey Weigel

Guang Cao

Chuansheng Bai

Christine Nicole Elia

Steven Lawrence Suib

David T Ferrughelli

Patrick Loring Hanks

Randall David Partridge

Neeraj Sangar

Peter I Ravikovitch

Bryan A Patel

Kapil Kandel

Michael Salciccioli

Lorenzo C DeCaul

John Slocum Coleman

Don Greenberg

Michael P Lanci

Changyub Paek

Partha Nandi

Cara L Davis

Reyyan Koc-Karabocek

Emiel De Smit

Steven Pyl

Ranjita Ghose

Dimitar Vasilev Trenev

Tanvi Pradeep Gujarati

Spencer Troy Stober

Subramanya V Nayak

August W Bosse

James R Bielenberg

Christoper J Vandewater

Cyrus J Rachal

Christopher J Vandewater

Amrit Jalan

Sarah Mostame

Stuart Maxwell Harwood

Christopher Vandewater

Sebastien Dreyfus

Lucie A N'GUESSAN

Davis Cara

Sébastien L Dreyfus

William G Powel

Methods are provided for upgrading of pyrolysis carbon in order to allow for conversion of the pyrolysis carbon into higher value products. Instead of attempting to convert methane into a high value carbon product (such as carbon nanotubes) and Hin a single reaction step, pyrolysis conditions can be used to form Hand pyrolysis carbon. The pyrolysis carbon can then be treated in order to convert the pyrolysis carbon (H to C atomic ratio of less than 0.20) into a product with a higher hydrogen content (H to C atomic ratio of 0.25-0.9 or 2.0-7.0 wt % H). The treatment can correspond to exposing the pyrolysis carbon with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst, exposing the pyrolysis carbon to conditions for alkylation, or a sequential combination thereof. This can convert the pyrolysis carbon into heavy hydrocarbon products that are resin-like solids at room temperature.

Upgrading pyrolysis carbon

Systems and methods are provided for conversion of methane and/or other hydrocarbons to hydrogen by pyrolysis while reducing or minimizing production of carbon oxides. The conversion of hydrocarbons to hydrogen is performed in one or more pyrolysis or conversion reactors that contain a plurality of sequential fluidized beds. The fluidized beds are arranged so that the coke particles forming the fluidized bed move in a counter-current direction relative to the gas phase flow of feed (e.g., methane) and/or product (H) in the fluidized beds. By using a plurality of sequential fluidized beds, the heat transfer and management benefits of fluidized beds can be realized while also at least partially achieving the improved reaction rates that are associated with a plug flow or moving bed reactor.

Methane pyrolysis using stacked fluidized beds

Techniques regarding determining thermodynamic observables of a chemical system are provided. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can include a system, which can comprise a memory that can store computer executable components. The system can also include a processor, operably coupled to the memory, and that can execute the computer executable components stored in the memory. The computer executable components can include a potential energy component that can fit a potential energy function to a computed potential energy surface of a molecule. The computer executable components can also include a vibrational mode component that can compute an intramolecular vibrational mode of the molecule based on the potential energy surface fitted with the potential energy function. Also, the computer executable components can include a partition component that can compute a partition function based on the intramolecular vibrational mode.

Quantum computing thermodynamic observables of a chemical system

Systems and methods are provided for production of carbon nanotubes and Husing a reaction system configuration that is suitable for large scale production. In the reaction system, a substantial portion of the heat for the reaction can be provided by using a heated gas stream. Optionally, the heated gas stream can correspond to a heated Hgas stream. By using a heated gas stream, when the catalyst precursors for the floating catalyst-chemical vapor deposition (FC-CVD) type catalyst are added to the gas stream, the gas stream can be at a temperature of 1000&#xb0; C. or more. This can reduce or minimize loss of catalyst precursor material and/or deposition of coke on sidewalls of the reactor. Additionally, a downstream portion of the reactor can include a plurality of flow channels of reduced size that are passed through a heat exchanger environment, such as a shell and tube heat exchanger. This can provide cooling of the gas flow after catalyst formation to allow for carbon nanotube formation, while also reducing the Reynolds number of the flow sufficiently to provide laminar flow within the region where carbon nanotubes are formed.

Reactor for carbon nanotube and nanofiber production

Systems and methods for molten media pyrolysis for the conversion of methane into hydrogen and carbon-containing particles are disclosed. The systems and methods include the introduction of seed particles into the molten media to facilitate the growth of larger, more manageable carbon-containing particles. Additionally or alternatively, the systems and methods can include increasing the residence time of carbon-containing particles within the molten media to facilitate the growth of larger carbon-containing particles.

Systems and processes for molten media pyrolysis

A multi-stage process for upgrading tars is provided. A predominantly hydrotreating stage can be applied before a cracking stage, which can be a hydrocracking or a thermal cracking stage. Alternatively, a predominantly cracking stage, which can be a hydrocracking or a thermal cracking stage, can be applied before a hydrotreating stage. Apparatus suitable for performing the method is also provided.

Multistage upgrading hydrocarbon pyrolysis tar

An electrochemical conversion method for converting at least a portion of a first mixture comprising hydrocarbon to Cunsaturates by repeatedly applying an electric potential difference, V(&#x3c4;), to a first electrode of an electrochemical cell during a first time interval &#x3c4;; and reducing the electric potential difference, V(&#x3c4;), to a second electric potential difference, V(&#x3c4;), for a second time interval &#x3c4;, wherein &#x3c4;&#x2264;&#x3c4;. The method is beneficial, among other things, for reducing coke formation in the electrochemical production of Cunsaturates in an electrochemical cell. Accordingly, a method of reducing coke formation in the electrochemical conversion of such mixtures and a method for electrochemically converting carbon to Cunsaturates as well as an apparatus for such methods are also provided.

Electrochemical conversion of hydrocarbons

Systems and methods are provided for direct methane conversion to methanol. The methods can include exposing methane to an oxidant, such as O, in a solvent at conditions that are substantially supercritical for the solvent while having a temperature of about 310&#xb0; C. or less, or about 300&#xb0; C. or less, or about 290&#xb0; C. or less. The solvent can correspond to an electron donor solvent that, when in a supercritical state, can complex with O. By forming a complex with the O, the supercritical electron donor solvent can facilitate conversion of methane to methanol at short residence times while reducing or minimizing further oxidation of the methanol to other products.

Catalytic partial oxidation of methane

Systems and methods are provided for solvent deasphalting of steam cracker tar. The resulting deasphalted oil produced from the steam cracker tar can then be hydroprocessed, such as hydrotreated and/or hydrocracked in a fixed bed reactor. The solvent deasphalting can correspond to a mild or trim deasphalting or can correspond to solvent deasphalting at higher solvent to oil ratios. Performing a trim deasphalting can reduce or minimize the amount of deasphalting residue that is formed as a product from the deasphalting process.

Deasphalting and hydroprocessing of steam cracker tar

A method is disclosed for determining a presence, type, quality and/or volume of a subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation from a sample related thereto. The method may include obtaining sample data associated with a subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation, wherein the sample data includes a noble gas signature, a clumped isotope signature and/or a ecology signature. From the signatures, relationships between the noble gas signature; the clumped isotope signature and the ecology signature are identified and stored in memory.

Method for determining the location, size, and fluid composition of a subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation

A method is disclosed for determining for determining a presence, type, quality and/or volume of a subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation from a sample related thereto. The method may include determining a noble gas signature of a sample and at least one or more of determining a clumped isotope signature of the sample and characterizing the ecology signature of the sample. Then, the method integrates signatures to determine information about the subsurface accumulation, such as the location, fluid type and quality, and volume of a subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation.

A method is disclosed for producing hydrocarbons with the use of reservoir surveillance. The method includes interpreting a sample to determine noble gas signatures and clumped isotope signatures for the region of interest. Then, using the region of interest fingerprint to perform reservoir surveillance on produced fluids from the subsurface regions.

Method and system for reservoir surveillance utilizing a clumped isotope and/or noble gas data

In a process for separating one or more 3,3'-, 3,4&#x2032;- and 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl isomers, a feed comprising the isomers is contacted with an adsorbent containing a zeolite having a largest diffuse along dimension of at least 4 Angstroms. The adsorbents provide selective adsorption of 4,4&#x2032;-dimethyl biphenyl.

Processes for separating dimethyl biphenyl isomers using zeolite adsorbents

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Annandale, NJ, United States of America

Sumathy Raman