Conversion of heavy hydrocarbons to a methane rich gas product

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A METHANE-RICH VAPOROUS PRODUCT BY CONVERTING A HYDROCARBON FEED CONTAINING AT LEAST 10 WEIGHT PERCENT HYDROCARBONS HAVING A BOILING POINT ABOVE 900*F. AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID FEED WITH STEAM AND AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN A REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A PARTICULATE CATALYST BED COMPRISING AN ALKALI METAL COMPONENT, A SOLID PARTICULATE SUPPORT AND AN IN-SITU FORMED CARBONACEOUS DEPOSIT ON SAID SUPPORT, WHEREIN SAID ALKALI METAL COMPONENT (CALCULATED AS THE METAL) COMPRISES AT LEAST 1.0 WEIGHT PERCENT OF THE TOTAL SOLIDS INVENTORY OF SAID BED, SAID REED BEING INTRODUCED INTO SAID REACTION ZONE AT A RATE OF AT LEAST 0.02 WEIGHT PART OF FEED PER WEIGHT PART OF BED SOLIDS INVENTORY PER HOUR AND SAID REACTION ZONE BEING MAINTAINED AT A PRESSURE ABOVE 200 PSIG AND AT AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 1,000* AND 1,500*F

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein the weight of said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) is between 1.0 and 35 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 wherein the weight of said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) is between 3 and 30 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 wherein the weight of said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) is between 4 and 25 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed.

Claim 6

The process of claim 1, wherein said alkali metal component is an alkali metal compound which is at least partially reducible to the free metal.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 wherein said hydrocarbon feed is introduced into said reaction zone at a rate between 0.02 and 1.00 weight part feed per weight part of total bed solids inventory per hour.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein said solid support is a non-gasifiable material.

Claim 9

The process of claim 1 wherein said solid support is a refractory inorganic oxide.

Claim 10

The process of claim 1 wherein said solid support is an inorganic oxide selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, silica-alumina, magnesia, crude or partially purified bauxite or mixtures thereof.

Claim 11

The process of claim 1 wherein said solid support is activated carbon.

Claim 12

The process of claim 1 wherein said solid support is petroleum coke.

Claim 13

The process of claim 1 wherein said catalyst comprises K2CO3 or Cs2CO3 deposited on or mixed with said solid support.

Claim 14

The process of claim 1 wherein said methane-rich vaporous product is treated to remove unreacted steam and at least a portion of the remaining stream is recycled to the reaction zone.

Claim 15

The process of claim 1 wherein said methane-rich vaporous product is treated to remove unreacted steam and CO2 and at least a portion of the remaining product is recycled to said reaction zone.

Claim 16

The process of claim 14 wherein the CO2-removed product is further treated to separate normally gaseous products from normally liquid hydrocarbon products and wherein at least a portion of said liquid products is recycled to said reaction zone.

Claim 17

The process of claim 14 wherein the CO2-removed product is further treated to remove methane and at least a portion of the remaining methane-removed product is recycled to said reaction zone.

Claim 18

The process of claim 1 wherein said reaction zone is maintained at a pressure between about 250 and 1,500 psig.

Claim 19

The process of claim 1 wherein said reaction zone is maintained at a pressure between about 400 and 1,000 psig.

Claim 20

The process of claim 1 wherein a portion of said particulate catalyst bed is withdrawn from said reaction zone and passed to a separate heating zone to heat said portion and wherein the resulting heated portion is recycled to the reaction zone to provide a portion of the heat required therein.

Claim 21

The process of claim 1 wherein said hydrocarbon feed comprises a petroleum residuum.

Claim 22

The process of claim 1 wherein said catalyst bed is a fluidized bed.

Claim 23

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 900*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises contacting said feed with steam and an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction zone containing a particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a Solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) comprises between 4 and 25 weight percent of the total solids inventory in said bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate between 0.02 and 1 weight part feed per weight part bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure between about 400 and 1,000 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,250* and 1,425*F.

Claim 24

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 900*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises contacting said feed with steam and an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction zone containing a particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a Solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) comprises between 4 and 25 weight percent of the total solids inventory in said bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate between 0.02 and 1 weight part feed per weight part bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure between about 400 and 1,000 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,250* and 1,425*F.

Claim 25

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent of hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 900*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises contacting said feed with steam and an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction zone containing a particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a non-gasifiable solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component comprises at least 1.0 weight percent of the total solids inventory of the bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of feed per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure of at least 50 psig and an average temperature in the range between about 1,250* and 1, 425*F.

Claim 26

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent of hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 900*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises contacting said feed with steam and an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction zone containing a particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a non-gasifiable solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component comprises at least 1.0 weight percent of the total solids inventory of the bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of feed per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure of at least 50 psig and an average temperature in the range between about 1,250* and 1, 425*F.

Claim 27

The process of claim 23 wherein the weight of alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) is between 4 and 25 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed.

Claim 28

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent of hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 900*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises: a. contacting said feed with steam in a reaction zone containing a particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component comprises at least 1.0 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of feed per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure above 200 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,000* and 1,500*F.; b. withdrawing a portion of said catalyst bed from said reaction zone; c. passing said portion of catalyst bed to a separate heating zone to heat said portion, and d. recycling the resulting heated catalyst portion to the reaction zone to provide at least a portion of the heat required in that zone.

Claim 29

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent of hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 900*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises: a. contacting said feed with steam in a reaction zone containing a particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component comprises at least 1.0 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of feed per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure above 200 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,000* and 1,500*F.; b. withdrawing a portion of said catalyst bed from said reaction zone; c. passing said portion of catalyst bed to a separate heating zone to heat said portion, and d. recycling the resulting heated catalyst portion to the reaction zone to provide at least a portion of the heat required in that zone.

Claim 30

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a petroleum residuum with steam and an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction zone containing a fluidized particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) comprises between 1.0 and 35 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed, said residuum being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of residuum per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure between about 250 and 1,500 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,000* and 1,500*F.

Claim 31

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a petroleum residuum with steam and an oxygen-containing gas in a reaction zone containing a fluidized particulate catalyst bed comprising an alkali metal component, a solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) comprises between 1.0 and 35 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed, said residuum being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of residuum per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure between about 250 and 1,500 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,000* and 1,500*F.

Claim 32

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 600*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises contacting said feed in a reaction zone containing a bed of solids comprising a particulate catalyst consisting essentially of an alkali metal component, a solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) comprises at least 1.0 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of feed per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure above 200 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,000* and 1,500*F.

Claim 33

A process for producing a methane rich vaporous product by converting a hydrocarbon feed containing at least 10 weight percent hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 600*F. at atmospheric pressure, which comprises contacting said feed in a reaction zone containing a bed of solids comprising a particulate catalyst consisting essentially of an alkali metal component, a solid particulate support and an in-situ formed carbonaceous deposit on said support, wherein said alkali metal component (calculated as the metal) comprises at least 1.0 weight percent of the total solids inventory of said bed, said feed being introduced into said reaction zone at a rate of at least 0.02 weight part of feed per weight part of bed solids inventory per hour and said reaction zone being maintained at a pressure above 200 psig and at an average temperature between about 1,000* and 1,500*F.