FCC-CFE CAT FINE EXTRACTION: METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EXTRACTING CATALYST FINES FROM SLURRY OIL CAT FINE BOTTOMS (SOCFBs) INTO AN AQUEOUS LAYER

Abstract

A method for separating hydrocarbons from Slurry Oil Cat' Fine Bottoms (SOCFBs) comprising the steps of removing SOCFBs from a slurry oil storage tank and combining the SOCFBs with diluent and water in a Feed Preparation Vessel (FPV) and transferring the SOCFB and water emulsion to a Feed Processing Unit (FPU) in which the SCDM settles into a hydrocarbon layer, an emulsion layer and a water layer containing catalyst particles.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a system and method for the resolution of Slurry Oil Cat' Fine Bottoms (SOCFBs) into organic and inorganic components by the extraction of the catalyst fines from a prepared Slurry Oil / Catalyst Fines / Diluent Mixture (SCDM) into an aqueous layer. The invention is not restricted to SOCFB feed. The feed may be a diluted SOCFB feed, Cat Fine Cake resulting from centrifuge processing, a slurry oil run down stream, a SCDM or any hydrocarbon sludge.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSlurry Oil / Catalyst Fines Tank Bottoms Recovery & Processing[0002]The problems presented by catalyst attrition from fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCU) have plagued the refining industry since the advent of fluid catalytic cracking in the first half of the 20th century. Over time, FCCU catalyst deteriorates in size. The size deteriorated catalyst is commonly referred to as catalyst fines.[0003]In the FCCU process, cracked product stream vapor and some catal...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The problems presented by catalyst attrition from fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCU) have plagued the refining industry since the advent of fluid catalytic cracking in the first half of the 20th century.

Over time, FCCU catalyst deteriorates in size.

The existence of catalyst fines in the slurry tank presents a variety of problems to the refiner.

The immediate and obvious problem has to do with product contamination.

Even when the slurry oil product is utilized as a fuel source, a “price penalty” is effectively borne as ash content, in the form of the inorganic catalyst fines, increases.

As the accumulation of catalyst fines continues in the storage tank, a time comes when no amount of settling enhancement will permit the stored product to “meet specification” of carbon black manufacturers or even fuel products.

The presence of SOCFB's interferes with that exercise.

The low API / high density of the slurry oil, coupled with the entrained catalyst fines, contributes to recovery and handling problems that are reputed to be some of the toughest in the tank cleaning industry.

Pursuant to current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, the filter cake is considered a hazardous waste.

The cost of disposal of this cat fine cake has risen by ten fold since the mid 1990's and is expected to continue rising.

However, despite the absence of free-flowing oil within the filter cake, a substantial amount of hydrocarbon content remains within the filter cake and, thus, goes unutilized while it remains to impact the environment.

However, “CFD” does not address the recovery and economic disposition of the catalyst component of SOCFB's.

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