Heavy oil hydroconversion process

Abstract

A method for the efficient conversion of heavy oil to distillates using sequential hydrocracking in the presence of both supported and colloidal catalyst immediately followed by a high temperature-short residence time thermal treatment. The hydrocracker reaction products or a heavy oil and hydrogen donor diluent may be advantageously heated by direct contact with high velocity combustion products.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a summary of the reaction framework to analyze the related art and to more clearly define the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a simplified process sketch for a heavy oil conversion process combining a conventional heavy oil hydrocracking process and hydrogen donor cracking process.

FIG. 3 is a graph of typical hydrogen donor cracking process operable resid conversions and required residence times as a function of operating temperature.

FIG. 4 is a graph of typical hydrogen donor cracking process operable resid conversions and hydrogen consumption requirements as a function of operating temperature.

FIG. 5 is a block flow diagram that illustrates options to selectively remove undesirable species from the heavy oil conversion process and recycle desirable species to the heavy oil conversion process.

FIG. 6 a simplified process sketch for a heavy oil conversion process combining a conventional heavy oil hydrocracking process and direct contact heating hydrogen donor cracking process.

FIG. 7 is a simplified sketch of the burner for the direct contact heating hydrogen donor cracking process.

FIG. 8 is a block flow diagram for conventional processes to produce synthetic crude oil from bitumen.

FIG. 9 is block flow diagram for a hydrogen donor cracking process for the hydroconversion of bitumen to distillates for upgrading.

Claims

1. A method for the hydroconversion of a heavy oil comprising (a) introducing a heavy oil feedstock and hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a resid hydrocracking catalyst;(b) maintaining said first reaction zone at a temperature, hydrogen partial pressure, and sufficient residence time to add between 100 and 500 standard cubic feet of hydrogen per barrel of the first reaction zone heavy oil feed;(c) separating said first reaction zone liquid product and gaseous products;(d) rapidly heating said the first reaction zone liquid product to between 500 and 800° C. in a second reaction zone with a residence time sufficient to achieve an overall resid to distillate conversion between 0.70 and 0.99; and(e) rapidly quenching said second reaction zone product to less than 400° C.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first reaction zone is an ebullated bed resid hydrocracker.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said resid hydrocracking catalyst is a particulate nickel-molybdate or cobalt-molybdate catalyst on an alumina support.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said resid hydrocracking catalyst is a particulate nickel-molybdate or cobalt-molybdate catalyst on an alumina support and a colloidal molybdenum disulfide catalyst.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the temperature of step b is between about 370° C. and 470° C.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydrogen partial pressure of step b is between about 1000 to 3000 psig.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the residence time of step b is about 5 to 60 minutes.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step c is performed in a gravity vapor liquid separator.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step c is performed in a cyclone separator.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step c is performed at a temperature of about 370° C. to 470° C. and a pressure of about 1000 to 3000 psig.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step d is performed at a pressure between 5 and 1000 psig.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the residence time in step d is between 0.01 and 100 seconds.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 where step d is performed in a fired heater.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 where step d is performed in a fired heater with a soaking drum.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein step d comprises the (a) combusting an oxidant and fuel at elevated pressure;(b) allowing the combustion products to expand to a lower pressure to form a high velocity jet;(c) rapidly heating liquid product from the first reaction zone with said high velocity jet;(d) providing sufficient residence time to convert between 70 and 99% of the resid to distillates; and(e) rapidly quenching the reaction product to less than 400° C.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the oxidant and fuel combustion occurs at a pressure between 2 and 10 times the second reaction zone pressure.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 where step e is performed using a recycle distillate quench stream.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the first reaction zone heavy oil feed comprises fresh feed and recycled heavy oil from the second reaction zone.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the first reaction zone heavy oil feed comprises fresh feed and recycled heavy gas oil from the second reaction zone

20. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising solvent treatment to separate the heavy oil product from the second reaction zone into deasphalted oil, resin and asphaltene streams.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20 to produce a resin stream for recycle to the first reaction zone.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the production of steam.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein said steam is produced by circulating quench oil through a heat exchanger.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein said steam is employed in a bitumen production facility.

25. A method for the hydroconversion of a heavy oil comprising (a) introducing a heavy oil feedstock and hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a resid hydrogenation catalyst;(b) maintaining said first reaction zone at a temperature, hydrogen partial pressure, and sufficient residence time to add between 100 and 500 standard cubic feet of hydrogen per barrel of the first reaction zone heavy oil feed;(c) separating said first reaction zone liquid product and gaseous products;(d) rapidly heating said first reaction zone liquid product to between 500 and 800° C. in a second reaction zone with a residence time sufficient to achieve an overall resid to distillate conversion between 0.70 to 0.99; and(e) rapidly quenching said second reaction zone product to less than 400° C.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein said first reaction zone is a fixed bed, down flow resid hydrotreater.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein said resid hydrogenation catalyst is a particulate nickel-molybdate or cobalt-molybdate catalyst on an alumina support.

28. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein said resid hydrogenation catalyst is a particulate nickel-molybdate or cobalt-molybdate catalyst on an alumina support and a colloidal molybdenum disulfide catalyst.

29. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the temperature of step b is between about 370° C. and 425° C.

30. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the hydrogen partial pressure of step b is between about 1000 to 3000 psig.

31. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the residence time of step b is about 5 to 60 minutes.

32. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein step c is performed in a gravity vapor liquid separator.

33. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein step c is performed in a cyclone separator.

34. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein step c is performed at a temperature of about 370° C. to 425° C. and a pressure of about 1000 to 3000 psig.

35. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein step d is performed at a pressure between 5 and 1000 psig.

36. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the residence time in step d is between 0.01 and 100 seconds.

37. The method as claimed in claim 25 where step d is performed in a fired heater.

38. The method as claimed in claim 25 where step d is performed in a fired heater with a soaking drum.

39. The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein step d comprises the (f) combusting an oxidant and fuel at elevated pressure;(g) allowing the combustion products to expand to a lower pressure to form a high velocity jet;(h) rapidly heating liquid product from the first reaction zone with said high velocity jet;(i) providing sufficient residence time to convert between 70 and 99% of the resid to distillates; and(j) rapidly quenching the reaction product to less than 400° C.

40. The method as claimed in claim 39 wherein the oxidant and fuel combustion occurs at a pressure between 2 and 10 times the second reaction zone pressure.

41. The method as claimed in claim 25 where step e is performed using a recycle distillate quench stream.

42. The method as claimed in claim 25 in which the first reaction zone heavy oil feed comprises fresh feed and recycled heavy oil from the second reaction zone.

43. The method as claimed in claim 25 in which the first reaction zone heavy oil feed comprises fresh feed and recycled heavy gas oil from the second reaction zone.

44. The method as claimed in claim 25 further comprising solvent treatment to separate the heavy oil product from the second reaction zone into deasphalted oil, resin and asphaltene streams.

45. The method as claimed in claim 44 to produce a resin stream for recycle to the first reaction zone.

46. The method as claimed in claim 25 further comprising the production of steam.

47. The method as claimed in claim 46 wherein said steam is produced by circulating quench oil through a heat exchanger.

48. The method as claimed in claim 46 wherein said steam is employed in a bitumen production facility.