US3852188A
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Hydrocarbon cracking in a regenerable molten media
Assignee: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Co
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Filing: 1972-08-14
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Granted: 1974-12-03
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Expires: 1992-08-14
Abstract
Abstract Hydrocarbon feedstocks are cracked at elevated temperatures in a regenerable molten media comprising an oxide of phosphorus, such as phosphorus pentoxide, in combination with a critically defined amount of an alkali or alkaline earth metal oxide or hydroxide including mixtures thereof, to produce high yeilds of light olefins, which olefins such as ethylene are useful in the synthesis of polymers and other valuable chemicals. The carbonaceous materials, such as coke, which are formed and suspended in the molten media during the cracking operation are gasified by contacting said carbonaceous materials with a gaseous stream containing oxygen, such as air, steam or carbon dioxide at temperatures of from about above the melting point of said medium to about 3,000*F. in order to regenerate the melt. When the mole ratio of the alkali and alakline earth metal oxide or hydroxide expressed as the oxide thereof to the glass-forming oxide in the melt is maintained in the range of at least about 1, and preferably in the range of from about 1 to about 3, the gasification rate of the carbonaceous materials which are suspended in the molten media is significantly increased while at the same time suppressing the evolution of sulfur oxides from the gasification zone when the hydrocarbon feedstock contains sulfur and when a gaseous stream containing oxygen is employed as the gasifying reagent.
Inventors
- 👤 J Dugan
- 👤 J Higgins
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 08:53
CPC Classifications
C; C09; C09K; C09K5/00; C09K5/08; C09K5/10; C09K5/12; C10; C10G; C10G9/00; C10G9/40; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S423/00; Y10S423/09; Y10S423/12; Y10S585/00; Y10S585/8995; Y10S585/901; Y10S585/909; Y10S585/911; Y10S585/912; Y10S585/949; Y10S585/95
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
71 words
A PROCESS FOR CRACKING A HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID FEEDSTOCK WITH A REGENERABLE MOLTEN MEDIA COMPRISING AN OXIDE OF PHOSPHORUS IN COMBINATION WITH AN ALKALI METAL COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL OXIDES, ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDES, ALKALINE EARTH METAL OXIDES, ALKALINE EARTH METAL HYDROXIDES AND MIXTURES THEREOF, WHEREIN THE MOLE RATIO OF THE ALKALI METAL COMPOUND EXPRESSED AS THE OXIDE THEREOF TO THE OXIDE OF PHOSPHO-
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
71 words
A PROCESS FOR CRACKING A HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID FEEDSTOCK WITH A REGENERABLE MOLTEN MEDIA COMPRISING AN OXIDE OF PHOSPHORUS IN COMBINATION WITH AN ALKALI METAL COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL OXIDES, ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDES, ALKALINE EARTH METAL OXIDES, ALKALINE EARTH METAL HYDROXIDES AND MIXTURES THEREOF, WHEREIN THE MOLE RATIO OF THE ALKALI METAL COMPOUND EXPRESSED AS THE OXIDE THEREOF TO THE OXIDE OF PHOSPHO-
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the molten media is maintained in the range of from about 1,200* to about 2, 000*F.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said molten media contains a carbonate selected from the group consisting of alkali metal carbonates, alkaline earth metal carbonates and mixtures thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said molten media contains carbonaceous materials and is regenerated by contacting said molten media with a reagent selected from the group consisting of oxygen, steam, carbon dioxide and mixtures thereof at a temperature in the range of from about the melting point of said molten media to about 3,000*F.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock contains sulfur.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
The process of claim 5 wherein the amount of sulfur present in the molten media is reduced by: a. contacting the sulfur compounds in the molten media with a reducing agent; and b. thereafter contacting the reduced sulfur compounds formed in step (a) with carbon dioxide and water to form hydrogen sulfide as a recoverable product.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
170 words
A process for cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock which comprises contacting said hydrocarbOn feedstock with a regenerable molten media comprising an oxide of phosphorus in combination with an alkali metal compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides and mixtures thereof wherein the mole ratio of the alkali metal component expressed as the oxide thereof to the oxide of phosphorus is in the range of from about 1.2 to about 2.5, at a temperature in the range of from about the melting point of said media to about 2,500*F. to form cracked hydrocarbon products and to uniformly suspend the carbonaceous materials throughout the molten media, and thereafter gasifying said carbonaceous materials formed during said cracking process by contacting said molten media containing carbonaceous materials with a reagent selected from the group consisting of oxygen, carbon dioxide, steam and mixtures thereof at a temperature in the range of from about the melting point of said medium to about 3,000*F.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
170 words
A process for cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock which comprises contacting said hydrocarbOn feedstock with a regenerable molten media comprising an oxide of phosphorus in combination with an alkali metal compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides and mixtures thereof wherein the mole ratio of the alkali metal component expressed as the oxide thereof to the oxide of phosphorus is in the range of from about 1.2 to about 2.5, at a temperature in the range of from about the melting point of said media to about 2,500*F. to form cracked hydrocarbon products and to uniformly suspend the carbonaceous materials throughout the molten media, and thereafter gasifying said carbonaceous materials formed during said cracking process by contacting said molten media containing carbonaceous materials with a reagent selected from the group consisting of oxygen, carbon dioxide, steam and mixtures thereof at a temperature in the range of from about the melting point of said medium to about 3,000*F.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 7 wherein the temperature of the molten media is maintained in the range of from about 1,200* to about 2, 000*F.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said molten media contains a carbonate selected from the group consisting of alkali metal carbonates, alkaline earth metal carbonates and mixtures thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 9 wherein the gasifying reagent is an oxygen containing gas stream.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 10 wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock is a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock containing sulfur.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
210 words
A process for cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock containing sulfur which comprises: a. contacting said feedstock with a regenerable molten media comprising an oxide of phosphorus in combination with an alkali metal compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides and mixtures thereof wherein the mole ratio of the alkali metal component expressed as the oxide thereof to the oxide of phosphorus is in the range of from about 1.2 to about 2.5, at a temperature in the range of from about the melting point of said media to about 2500* F. to form cracked hydrocarbon products and to uniformly suspend the carbonaceous materials throughout the molten media; b. contacting the molten media containing said carbonaceous materials with a gaseous stream containing oxygen at a temperature in the range of from about above the melting point of said media to about 3000* F. in order to gasify said carbonaceous products and to form sulfur compounds; c. contacting the sulfur compounds formed in step (b) in the molten medium with a reducing agent; and d. thereafter contacting the reduced sulfur compounds formed in step (c) with carbon dioxide and water to form hydrogen sulfide as a recoverable product.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
210 words
A process for cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock containing sulfur which comprises: a. contacting said feedstock with a regenerable molten media comprising an oxide of phosphorus in combination with an alkali metal compound selected from the group consisting of alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides and mixtures thereof wherein the mole ratio of the alkali metal component expressed as the oxide thereof to the oxide of phosphorus is in the range of from about 1.2 to about 2.5, at a temperature in the range of from about the melting point of said media to about 2500* F. to form cracked hydrocarbon products and to uniformly suspend the carbonaceous materials throughout the molten media; b. contacting the molten media containing said carbonaceous materials with a gaseous stream containing oxygen at a temperature in the range of from about above the melting point of said media to about 3000* F. in order to gasify said carbonaceous products and to form sulfur compounds; c. contacting the sulfur compounds formed in step (b) in the molten medium with a reducing agent; and d. thereafter contacting the reduced sulfur compounds formed in step (c) with carbon dioxide and water to form hydrogen sulfide as a recoverable product.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 12 wherein said reducing agent is carbon.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process of claim 13 wherein the reduced sulfur compounds formed in step (a) are selected from the group consisting of alkali metal sulfides, alkaline earth metal sulfides and mixtures thereof.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 14 wherein said oxide of phosphorus is phosphorus pentoxide.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 15 wherein said molten media contains a carbonate selected from the group consisting of alkali metal carbonates, alkaline earth metal carbonates and mixtures thereof.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 16 wherein the alkali metal compounds are selected from the group consisting of sodium oxide, potassium oxide, lithium oxide and mixtures thereof.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-02 | 1978-06-03 | 1978-12-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-02 | 1982-06-03 | 1982-12-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-02 | 1986-06-03 | 1986-12-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |