Production of carbon artifact precursors

Claim 2

A process for preparing a pitch suitable for carbon artifact manufacture comprising: providing a cat cracker bottom which boils in the range from about 200° C. to about 550° C.; heating said cat cracker bottom to obtain a middle fractions distillate generally boiling in the range of from approximately 450° C. to 510° C.; heat soaking said distillate at elevated temperatures to provide a pitch; and, vacuum stripping said heat soaked distillate to remove at least a portion of the heat soaked distillate which boils below about 400° C., thereby obtaining a pitch suitable for carbon artifact manufacture.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein said distillate is heat soaked at a temperature in the range of about 350° to about 500° C., for times ranging up to about 20 hours at 760 mm of mercury.

Claim 4

The process of claim 2 wherein from about 20% to about 60% of the heat soaked distillate boiling below 400° C. is removed.

Claim 5

The process of claim 3 wherein said heat soaking is conducted at temperatures in the range of from about 410° C. to about 440° C. at 760 mm of mercury.

Claim 6

The process of claim 4 wherein said heat soaking is conducted for about 2 to about 5 hours.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 wherein said heat soaking is done in an inert atmosphere.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein said heat soaking is done in a hydrogen atmosphere.

Claim 9

The process for preparing a pitch suitable for carbon artifact manufacture comprising: providing cat cracker bottom fractions boiling in the range from about 200° C. to about 550° C. at 760 mm of mercury; heating said cat cracker bottom to temperatures in the range of about 200° C. to about 300° C. at pressures ranging from about 250 to 500 microns of mercury to obtain a middle fractions distillate; heat soaking said distillate at temperatures in the range from about 390° C. to about 450° C. for times ranging from about 1 minute to about 20 hours to provide an oil-containing pitch; and, thereafter, vacuum stripping the heat soaked distillate at temperatures below about 400° C. and at pressures ranging from about 1 to 100 mm of mercury for time sufficient to remove at least a portion of the oil present in the oil-containing pitch whereby a pitch suitable for carbon artifact manufacture is obtained.

Claim 10

The process for preparing a pitch suitable for carbon artifact manufacture comprising: providing cat cracker bottom fractions boiling in the range from about 200° C. to about 550° C. at 760 mm of mercury; heating said cat cracker bottom to temperatures in the range of about 200° C. to about 300° C. at pressures ranging from about 250 to 500 microns of mercury to obtain a middle fractions distillate; heat soaking said distillate at temperatures in the range from about 390° C. to about 450° C. for times ranging from about 1 minute to about 20 hours to provide an oil-containing pitch; and, thereafter, vacuum stripping the heat soaked distillate at temperatures below about 400° C. and at pressures ranging from about 1 to 100 mm of mercury for time sufficient to remove at least a portion of the oil present in the oil-containing pitch whereby a pitch suitable for carbon artifact manufacture is obtained.

Claim 11

The process of claim 8 wherein from about 20% to about 60% of the oil present in the oil-containing pitch is removed.

Claim 12

A process for preparing a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production comprising: treating a cat cracker bottom which boils in the range from about 200° C. to about 550° C. to obtain a middle fractions distillate boiling in the approximate range from about 450° C. to about 510° C. at 760 mm of mercury; heat soaking the distillate at temperatures in the range from about 390° C. to about 450° C. for times ranging from about 1 minute to about 20 hours; and then, vacuum stripping said heat treated distillate at temperatures in the range of from about 320° C. to about 380° C. and at pressures ranging from about 1 to about 100 mm of mercury to remove from about 20% to about 60% of the oil present in said pitch; treating said so-treated pitch with an organic solvent system having a solubility parameter at 25° C. of between about 8.0 and about 9.5, said treating being at a temperature and with an amount of organic solvent system sufficient to provide a solvent insoluble fraction which is thermally convertible into a deformable pitch containing greater than 75% of an optically anisotropic phase; and separating said solvent insoluble fraction whereby a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production is obtained.

Claim 13

A process for preparing a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production comprising: treating a cat cracker bottom which boils in the range from about 200° C. to about 550° C. to obtain a middle fractions distillate boiling in the approximate range from about 450° C. to about 510° C. at 760 mm of mercury; heat soaking the distillate at temperatures in the range from about 390° C. to about 450° C. for times ranging from about 1 minute to about 20 hours; and then, vacuum stripping said heat treated distillate at temperatures in the range of from about 320° C. to about 380° C. and at pressures ranging from about 1 to about 100 mm of mercury to remove from about 20% to about 60% of the oil present in said pitch; treating said so-treated pitch with an organic solvent system having a solubility parameter at 25° C. of between about 8.0 and about 9.5, said treating being at a temperature and with an amount of organic solvent system sufficient to provide a solvent insoluble fraction which is thermally convertible into a deformable pitch containing greater than 75% of an optically anisotropic phase; and separating said solvent insoluble fraction whereby a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production is obtained.

Claim 14

A process for preparing a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production comprising: treating a cat cracker bottom which boils in the range from about 200° C. to about 550° C. to obtain a middle fractions distillate boiling in the range from about 450° C. to about 510° C. at 760 mm of mercury; heat soaking the distillate at temperatures in the range from about 390° C. to about 450° C. for times ranging from about 1 minute to about 20 hours; and then, vacuum stripping said heat treated distillate at temperatures in the range of from about 320° C. to about 380° C. and at pressures ranging from about 1 to about 100 mm of mercury to remove from about 20% to about 60% of the oil present in said pitch; adding an organic fluxing liquid to said vacuum stripped pitch to provide a fluid pitch containing insoluble solids suspended therein, said organic fluxing liquid being employed in the range from about 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of liquid per part of pitch; filtering said pitch to separate said solids; treating said pitch with said separated fluid pitch with an organic solvent system having a solubility parameter at 25° C. between about 8.0 and about 9.5, said treating being at a temperature with an amount of organic solvent system sufficient to provide a solvent insoluble fraction which is thermally convertible into a deformable pitch containing greater than 75% of an optically anisotropic phase; and separating said solvent insoluble fraction whereby a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production is obtained.

Claim 15

A process for preparing a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production comprising: treating a cat cracker bottom which boils in the range from about 200° C. to about 550° C. to obtain a middle fractions distillate boiling in the range from about 450° C. to about 510° C. at 760 mm of mercury; heat soaking the distillate at temperatures in the range from about 390° C. to about 450° C. for times ranging from about 1 minute to about 20 hours; and then, vacuum stripping said heat treated distillate at temperatures in the range of from about 320° C. to about 380° C. and at pressures ranging from about 1 to about 100 mm of mercury to remove from about 20% to about 60% of the oil present in said pitch; adding an organic fluxing liquid to said vacuum stripped pitch to provide a fluid pitch containing insoluble solids suspended therein, said organic fluxing liquid being employed in the range from about 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of liquid per part of pitch; filtering said pitch to separate said solids; treating said pitch with said separated fluid pitch with an organic solvent system having a solubility parameter at 25° C. between about 8.0 and about 9.5, said treating being at a temperature with an amount of organic solvent system sufficient to provide a solvent insoluble fraction which is thermally convertible into a deformable pitch containing greater than 75% of an optically anisotropic phase; and separating said solvent insoluble fraction whereby a pitch suitable for carbon fiber production is obtained.