Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Teck-Mui Hoo

Eric D Joseck

Gary Paul Schleicher

Michael B Carroll

Michel A Daage

Stuart S Shih

Stephen John McCarthy

Michael C Clark

Ajit Bhaskar Dandekar

Timothy Lee Hilbert

Paul Podsiadlo

Benjamin S Umansky

William Joseph Novak

Richard A Demmin

James William Gleeson

David Mentzer

Nicole D Vaughn

Tomas R Melli

Fengrong Chen

Suisheng M Dou

Systems and methods are provided for activation of noble metal catalysts that are supported on siliceous supports. The activation method can include limiting the amount of water vapor pressure and/or the time of exposure to the water vapor pressure during heating of the catalyst at temperatures of 50&#xb0; C. or less. This can be achieved by introducing heated gas into multiple reactors of a multi-reactor system at the same time. A suitable system for introducing heated gas into multiple reactors can correspond to a system with multiple heated hydrogen lines for delivery of heated hydrogen to a plurality of reactors within a multi-reactor system.

Activation of noble metal catalysts on siliceous supports

Methods are provided for producing Group II/III lubricant base oil products where at least a portion of the feedstock for forming the lubricant base oil product is a solvent extract fraction from a Group I lubricant production facility. This can increase the overall volume of feedstock available for production of Group II/III lubricant base oils by using a lower value stream (Group I solvent extract) as a portion of the feedstock. The solvent extract fraction can be added to a full range lubricant feedstock or to a portion of a lubricant feedstock, such as adding an extract fraction to a higher viscosity portion (such as a heavy neutral portion) of a feedstock for lubricant production, while a lower viscosity portion (such as a light neutral portion) is processed without addition of an extract fraction.

Basestock production from feeds containing solvent extracts

A process for producing high yields of higher quality (API Group II, Group III') lubricating oil basestock fractions which allows the production of two or more types of high quality lubes in continuous mode (no blocked operation mode) without transition times and feed or intermediate product tankage segregation. Two consecutive hydroprocessing steps are used: the first step processes a wide cut feed at a severity needed to match heavy oil lube properties. The second step hydroprocesses a light oil after fractionation of the liquid product from the first step at a severity higher than for the heavy oil fraction. The two hydroprocessing steps will normally be carried out in separate reactors but they may be combined in a single reactor which allows for the two fractions to be processed with different degrees of severity.

Hydrocracking process for high yields of high quality lube products

Systems and methods are provided for hydroprocessing a petroleum fraction, such as a bottoms fraction from a fuels hydrocracking process, to generate a lubricant base oil. The aromatic content of such a petroleum fraction can be reduced using a aromatic saturation stage with multiple catalyst beds, or alternatively using a reactor (or reactors) with multiple aromatic saturation stages. The catalysts in the various beds or stages can be selected to provide different types of aromatic saturation activity. An initial bed or stage can provide activity for saturation of 1-ring aromatics in the petroleum fraction. One or more subsequent beds or stages, operating at successively lower temperature, can then be used to reduce the multiple-ring aromatic content of the petroleum fraction.

Saturation process for making lubricant base oils

Methods are provided for producing multiple lubricating oil basestocks from a feedstock. Prior to dewaxing, various fractions of the feedstock are exposed to hydrocracking conditions of different severity to produce a higher overall yield of basestocks. The hydrocracking conditions of different severity can represent exposing fractions of a feedstock to different processing conditions, exposing fractions of a feedstock to different amounts of hydrocracking catalyst, or a combination thereof.

Production of lubricating oil basestocks

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Centreville, VA, United States of America

Teck-Mui Hoo