Abstract:
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.
Abstract:
Methods are provided for improving the yield of distillate products from hydroprocessing of gas oil feedstocks, such as vacuum gas oils. It has been unexpectedly found that stripping of gases or fractionation to separate out a distillate fraction during initial hydrotreatment of a feed can provide a substantial increase in distillate yield at a desired amount of feedstock conversion. The improvement in yield of distillate products can allow a desired level of conversion to be performed on a feedstock for generating lubricating base oil products while reducing or minimizing the amount of naphtha (or lower) boiling range products. Alternatively, the improvement in yield of distillate products can correspond to an improved yield during a single pass through a reaction system, so that distillate yield is increased even though a lubricant boiling range product is not generated.
Abstract:
Systems and methods are provided for performing field enhanced separations on a feed, such as a petroleum feed, a refinery feed, or another type of hydrocarbonaceous feed. The system can allow for increased throughput of feed per volume of the separation device or system while performing a desired amount of field enhanced separation. The field enhanced separation can include separation by thermal diffusion, optionally enhanced by the presence of an electric field in the channel for performing the separation by thermal diffusion.
Abstract:
Methods and systems are provided for improving liquid product quality or yield from atmospheric or vacuum distillation unit by subjecting fractionated streams from such distillation units to hydrodynamic cavitation.
Abstract:
Sweet and sour lubricant feeds are block and continuous processed to produce lubricant basestocks. Total liquid product yields at a desired pour point are maintained for catalytic dewaxing of both sweet and sour conditions. The desired pour point is achieved for both the sweet and sour feeds by varying the catalytic dewaxing reaction temperature as a function of sulfur content entering the reactor.
Abstract:
Integrated hydroprocessing methods using high activity, low density catalysts are provided. The high activity catalysts allow for blocked operation when processing lube range feedstocks of widely varying characteristics, such as wax content, without having to substantially change the configuration or operating conditions of the process train. Instead, the different feedstocks can be accommodated by varying the reaction temperature in the process train.
Abstract:
Systems and methods are provided for processing a feed derived from a biomass source that contains nitrogen in the form of fatty amides, e.g., derived from hydrothermal processing of a biomass source feed, while reducing/minimizing the amount of heteroatom removal performed during subsequent/concurrent hydroprocessing. Optionally, the feed can also contain free fatty acids. This is accomplished in part by first exposing the feed to a catalyst comprising a rare earth oxide, alkali oxide, and/or alkaline earth oxide, which can remove the nitrogen heteroatoms from the compounds within the feed or can convert the nitrogen to a form readily removed in subsequent hydroprocessing. The catalyst may also suitable for catalyzing coupling (such as condensation) or conversion reactions of amides, carboxylic acids, carboxylic acid derivatives, and/or other molecules in the feed suitable for participating in the coupling reaction.
Abstract:
Biomass based feeds are processed under hydrothermal treatment conditions to produce a hydrocarbon liquid product and a solids portion. The hydrothermal treatment is performed in the presence of catalyst particles. The presence of the heterogeneous catalyst can modify the nature of the hydrocarbon products produced from the hydrothermal treatment. After the hydrothermal treatment, the catalyst particles can be separated from the algae-based solids, to allow for recycle of the catalyst particles.
Abstract:
A suitable feedstock for forming lubricant base oils is separated into at least a lower boiling portion and a higher boiling portion. The lower boiling portion is combined with a feed suitable for use as a fuels hydrocracking feed. The combined feed is hydrocracked and catalytically dewaxed in order to form fuels and Group II, Group II+, or Group III light neutral basestocks. The higher boiling portion of the feedstock is solvent processed in order to form Group I heavy neutral base oils and/or Group I brightstock base oils. The higher boiling portion of the feedstock can correspond to both a bottoms fraction and one or more additional fractions boiling above a fractionation cut point.
Abstract:
This invention relates to a process involving hydrocracking and dewaxing of a feedstream in which a converted fraction can correspond to a majority of the product from the reaction system, while an unconverted fraction can exhibit improved properties. In this hydrocracking process, it can be advantageous for the yield of unconverted fraction for gasoline fuel application to be controlled to maintain desirable cold flow properties for the unconverted fraction. Catalysts and conditions can be chosen to assist in attaining, or to optimize, desirable product yields and/or properties.