Gasoline fuel component

Abstract

The invention discloses a gasoline fuel component. The gasoline fuel component mainly comprises C4-C9 normal paraffin, C4-C9 single branched isoparaffin and C4-C9 multi-branched isoparaffin. The weight ratio of at least certain isoparaffins to certain n-paraffins in the gasoline fuel component is higher than the weight ratio in prior art gasoline components. The gasoline fuel components of the present invention can provide improved miscibility, octane number, and combustion performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to gasoline fuels and, more particularly, to gasoline fuels comprising a blend of gasoline components. The present disclosure relates particularly, but not exclusively, to new gasoline fuel components obtainable from renewable feeds. Background Art

[0002] This section sets forth useful background information, but does not constitute an admission that any of the techniques described herein represent the state of the art.

[0003] In transportation, there is a continuing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and / or carbon footprint. As a result, interest in renewable transportation fuels has been growing.

[0004] Methods for producing gasoline fuel components from renewable raw materials have been proposed. However, the octane number for such gasoline fuel components (compared to other prior art gasoline fuel components) has been relatively low. There is a need to improve the quality of renewable gasoline fuel components. In particular, there is an interest in producing a renewable gasoline fuel component that can be used in an increased amount with another gasoline component in a gasoline fuel composition. Summary of the invention

[0005] An object is to solve or alleviate at least some of the problems associated with the prior art.An object is to improve the quality of gasoline fuel components obtainable from renewable sources.

[0006] The attached claims define the scope of protection. Any examples and technical descriptions of products, methods and / or uses not covered by the claims in the specification and / or drawings are not presented as embodiments of the present invention, but as examples to help understand the present invention.

[0007] According to a first exemplary aspect, there is provided a gasoline fuel component comprising normal paraffins (n-paraffin), monobranched i-paraffins (monobranched i-paraffin), and multiple-branched i-paraffins (multiple-branched i-paraffin), wherein:

[0008] The total amount of C4-C9 normal paraffins, C4-C9 mono-branched iso-paraffins, and C4-C9 multi-branched iso-paraffins is greater than 90 wt-% of the total gasoline fuel component weight, and wherein:

[0009] The weight ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins is at least 4.0, preferably at least 4.5, further preferably at least 5.0, more preferably at least 5.5, even more preferably at least 6.0, and optionally, the total amount of C8 normal paraffins and C8 isoparaffins is at least 1.0 wt-%, preferably at least 2.5 wt-%, further preferably at least 5.0 wt-%, more preferably at least 5.5 wt-%, even more preferably at least 6.0 wt-%, most preferably at least 7.0 wt-%, based on the weight of the total gasoline fuel component.

[0010] The inventors have found that the gasoline fuel component and embodiments thereof provide advantages over prior art gasoline components. These advantages are related to, for example, better miscibility, higher octane rating, and better combustion properties, discussed in detail later.

[0011] The production of the gasoline fuel component may employ a specific process comprising a combination of hydroisomerization and hydrocracking of a paraffinic feed. The gasoline fuel component of the present invention may be obtained from a process for producing a renewable fuel component, the process also comprising recovering an aviation fuel component.

[0012] According to a second exemplary aspect, there is provided use of a gasoline fuel component of the present invention in a gasoline fuel composition.

[0013] According to a third exemplary aspect, a gasoline fuel composition comprising the gasoline fuel component of the present invention is provided. The use and gasoline fuel composition provide a commercial liquid transportation fuel product, wherein the gasoline fuel component of the present invention can contribute to biocontent and provide better miscibility, combustion performance and higher octane number.

[0014] According to a fourth exemplary aspect, there is provided the use of the gasoline fuel component of the present invention in: feedstock for industrial conversion processes, preferably thermal cracking feedstock and / or catalytic cracking feedstock; solvent; carrier; dispersant composition; demulsifier; extractant; detergent; degreasing composition; cleaning agent; diluent; penetrating oil; anticorrosive composition; multi-purpose oil; metal processing; agriculture; construction; electronics; medical devices; compositions for the automotive, electrical, textile, packaging, paper and / or pharmaceutical industries; and / or for the manufacture of intermediates thereof.

[0015] The foregoing has set forth various non-binding exemplary aspects and implementations. The foregoing implementations are intended only to explain selected aspects or steps that may be utilized in different implementations. Some implementations may be presented with reference only to certain exemplary aspects. It should be understood that the corresponding implementations may also be applicable to other exemplary aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a process for producing a gasoline fuel component of the present invention is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a process for producing a gasoline fuel component of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In the following description, the same reference numerals denote the same elements or steps.

[0020] Unless otherwise stated, all standards referred to herein are the latest revised editions available on the filing date.

[0021] Unless otherwise stated, reference is made to EN ISO 3405-2019 for distillation characteristics such as initial boiling point (IBP), final boiling point (FBP), T5 temperature (5 vol-% recovered), T10 temperature (10 vol-% recovered), T95 temperature (95 vol-% recovered) and boiling range. IBP is the temperature at the moment the first drop of condensate falls from the lower end of the condenser tube, and FBP is the maximum thermometer reading obtained during the test, usually after all liquid has evaporated from the bottom of the flask. For boiling point distribution, reference may also be made to the GC-based method (simulated distillation (simdis)) ASTM D2887-19e1, or to ASTM D7096-19 for gasoline range hydrocarbons.

[0022] As used in the context of the present disclosure, "gasoline fuel component" is the subject of the present invention and is mainly formed by paraffinic hydrocarbons (paraffinic hydrocarbons) defined in more detail later. It is preferably obtained as a fraction or fraction from one or more processes of refining feed materials through several steps and fractionating the product into fractions. Typically, the boiling point of this gasoline fuel component, i.e., IBP and FBP in the range of about 25°C to about 210°C, is determined according to EN ISO 3405-2019. It means providing a component that is used at least with at least one other gasoline component to form a "gasoline fuel composition". The gasoline fuel composition refers to a commercially salable product that can be used as gasoline, gasoline fuel, motor gasoline (petrol, gasoline, petroleum), and can be used as a fuel in a spark-ignition engine, and the gasoline fuel composition meets one or more standard specifications for gasoline fuel, such as the specifications specified in EN 228-2012+A1-2017. Typically, a gasoline fuel composition is a blend of two or more gasoline fuel components.

[0023] As used in the context of the present disclosure, an aviation fuel component refers to a hydrocarbon composition suitable for use in a fuel composition that meets the standard specifications for aviation fuel, such as the specifications specified in ASTM D7566-21. Typically, such aviation fuel components have a boiling point, i.e., an IBP and FBP, in the range of about 100°C to about 300°C, such as in the range of about 150°C to about 300°C, as determined according to EN ISO 3405-2019.

[0024] As used in the context of the present disclosure, a diesel fuel component refers to a hydrocarbon composition suitable for use in a fuel composition conforming to a diesel fuel standard specification, such as the specifications specified in EN 15940:2016+A1:2018+AC:2019 or EN 590:2022. Typically, such a diesel fuel component has a boiling point, i.e., an IBP and a FBP, in the range of about 160°C to about 380°C, as determined according to EN ISO 3405-2019.

[0025] As used herein, hydrocarbons refer to compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons of particular interest in the context of the present invention include paraffins, normal paraffins, isoparaffins, monobranched isoparaffins, multibranched isoparaffins, olefins, cycloparaffins, and aromatic hydrocarbons. In this article, oxygenated hydrocarbons refer to hydrocarbons that contain covalently bound oxygen.

[0026] As used herein, paraffin refers to non-cyclic alkanes, i.e., linear (normal paraffin, n-paraffin) or branched (isoparaffin, i-paraffin) non-cyclic, open-chain saturated hydrocarbons. In other words, paraffin herein refers to normal paraffins, and / or isoparaffins.

[0027] In the context of the present disclosure, isoparaffin refers to branched open chain alkanes, that is, non-cyclic, open chain saturated hydrocarbons with one or more alkyl side chains. Here, isoparaffins with one alkyl side chain or branch refer to monobranched isoparaffins, and isoparaffins with two or more alkyl side chains or branches refer to multi-branched isoparaffins. In other words, isoparaffins refer to monobranched isoparaffins and / or multi-branched isoparaffins in this article. The alkyl side chain of isoparaffins can be, for example, C1-C6 alkyl side chains, preferably methyl side chains. The amount of monobranched and multi-branched isoparaffins can be given respectively. The term "isoparaffin" refers to the total amount of any monobranched isoparaffins and any multi-branched isoparaffins (if present), representing the total amount of any isoparaffins present, regardless of the number of branches. Accordingly, "paraffins" refers to the total amount of any normal paraffins, any monobranched isoparaffins and multi-branched isoparaffins (if present).

[0028] In the context of the present disclosure, olefin refers to unsaturated, linear, branched or cyclic hydrocarbons, excluding aromatic compounds. In other words, olefin refers to hydrocarbons having at least one unsaturated bond, excluding unsaturated bonds in aromatic rings.

[0029] As used herein, cyclic hydrocarbons refer to all hydrocarbons containing a cyclic structure, including cycloolefins, cycloalkanes, and aromatic hydrocarbons. Cycloalkanes herein refer to cycloalkanes, i.e., saturated hydrocarbons containing at least one cyclic structure with or without side chains. Since cycloalkanes are saturated compounds, they are compounds without the presence of aromatic ring structures. Aromatic hydrocarbons herein refer to hydrocarbons containing at least one aromatic ring structure, i.e., a ring structure with completely delocalized, alternating π bonds around the ring structure.

[0030] In the context of the present disclosure, for compositions with a boiling point < 250°C (at standard atmospheric pressure), the content of n-paraffins, iso-paraffins, mono-branched iso-paraffins, various multi-branched iso-paraffins, olefins, cycloparaffins, and aromatic hydrocarbons is expressed as weight-% (wt-%) relative to the weight of the mentioned feed, stream, effluent, product, component or sample, or, when so defined, as weight-% (wt-%) of the (total) paraffin weight or (total) iso-paraffin weight of the mentioned feed, stream, effluent, product, component or sample. The content can be determined by GC-FID / GC-MS method, preferably as follows: GC-FID disclosed in ASTM D6839 is operated using the following parameters: column ZB-1 60m, ID0.25mm, df 1.0 micron, or similar; oven 0°C (2min)-1.5°C / min, 300°C (5min); injector and detector 300°C; carrier gas helium, 1.0ml / min; detector gas H2 35ml / min and air 350ml / min; make-up gas helium 30ml / min; split 165:1 (165ml / min). GC-MS is used to identify each compound (operating parameters: ion source 230°C; interface 280°C; scan 25-280m / z; scan speed 303; scan event time 0.88). Commercial tools (Shimadzu Lab Solutions / GCMS Solutions and Agilent OpenLab) were used to identify the detected compounds or hydrocarbon groups and their mass concentrations were determined by applying the response factor relative to n-heptane to the detected peak area and then normalizing to 100 wt-% (for liquid volume concentrations: by applying the density factor to calculate the mass concentration of the detected peak and then normalizing to 100 vol-%). Cycloolefins were lumped with cycloalkanes. The method had a quantification limit of 0.1 wt-% for each compound.

[0031] In the context of the present disclosure, for hydrocracking feeds and other compositions with a similar boiling range, the content of n-paraffins, iso-paraffins, mono-branched iso-paraffins, various multi-branched iso-paraffins, cyclo-paraffins and aromatics is expressed as weight % (wt-%) relative to the degassed weight of the mentioned feed stream, effluent, product, component or sample, or, when so defined, as weight % (wt-%) relative to the (total) paraffin weight or (total) iso-paraffin weight of the mentioned feed, stream, effluent, product, component or sample. The content can be determined by GCxGC-FID / GCxGC-MS method, preferably as follows: Run GCxGC (2D) according to UOP 990-2011 and Nousiainen M. in his master's thesis Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with mass spectrometric and flame ionization detectors in petroleum chemistry, University of Helsinki, August 2017, generally disclosed in the experimental part The GC) method was adapted from that of the GCxGC with the following modifications: GCxGC was run in reverse mode, first using a semipolar column (Rxi17Sil) and then a nonpolar column (Rxi5Sil), followed by an FID detector, using the following operating parameters: carrier gas helium 31.7 cm / s (column flow 1.60 ml / min at 40 °C); split ratio 1:350; injector 280 °C; column T program 40 °C (0 min) -5 °C / min -250 °C (0 min) 10 °C / min -300 °C (5 min), run time 52 min; modulation period 10 s; detector 300 °C with H2 40 ml / min and air 400 ml / min; make-up gas helium 30 ml / min; sampling rate 250 Hz and injection size 0.2 μl. GCxGC-MS was used to identify each compound, MS-parameters: ion source 230 ° C; interface 300 ° C; scan range 25-500 amu; event time (s) 0.05; scan speed 20000. Commercial tools (Shimadzu's Lab Solutions, Zoex's GC Image) were used for data processing, including identification of detected compounds or hydrocarbon groups, and their mass concentrations were determined by applying the response factor relative to n-heptane to the detected peak volume and then normalizing to 100 wt-%. Unless reported separately, olefins are merged with cycloalkanes, and heteroatom species are merged with aromatics. The quantitative limit of this method for each compound is 0.1 wt-%.

[0032] In the context of the present disclosure, various characteristics of a feed, stream, effluent, product, component, or sample are determined according to standard methods mentioned or disclosed herein, after appropriate preparation. For example, cloud point is determined according to ASTM D 5771-17 from a degassed feed, stream, effluent, product, component, or sample.

[0033] In the context of the present disclosure, the feed to a reaction stage, in particular to the first reaction stage and / or the second reaction stage, is defined such that H2 that may be fed to the respective reaction stage, for example H2 fed to hydroisomerization and / or H2 fed to hydrocracking, is excluded from the definition of the feed.

[0034] As used herein, hydroisomerization (HI) effluent refers to total HI effluent, degassed HI effluent, or degassed and stabilized HI effluent, as the case may be, and the term HI effluent may encompass each of these.

[0035] In the context of the present disclosure, CX+ paraffin, CX+ normal paraffin, CX+ isoparaffin, CX+ monobranched isoparaffin, CX+ multi-branched isoparaffin, CX+ hydrocarbon, or CX+ fatty acid refers to a paraffin, normal paraffin, isoparaffin, monobranched isoparaffin, multi-branched isoparaffin, hydrocarbon, or fatty acid having a carbon number of at least X, wherein X is any feasible integer. It should be understood that not every compound meeting the definition necessarily exists.

[0036] In the context of the present disclosure, CY-alkane, CY-normal alkane, CY-isoalkane, CY-monobranched isoalkane, CY-multi-branched isoalkane, CY-hydrocarbon or CY-fatty acid refers to an alkane, normal alkane, isoalkane, mono-branched isoalkane, multi-branched isoalkane, hydrocarbon or fatty acid having a carbon number of up to Y, respectively, wherein Y is any feasible integer. In the context of the present disclosure, CX Y -CX Z (or CX Y To CX Z ) Alkanes, CX Y -CX Z Normal paraffin, CX Y -CX Z Isoparaffin, CX Y -CX Z Monobranched isoparaffin, CX Y -CX Z Multi-branched isoparaffins, CX Y -CX Z Hydrocarbon or CX Y -CX ZFatty acids refer to a series of paraffins, normal paraffins, isoparaffins, monobranched isoparaffins, multi-branched isoparaffins, hydrocarbons or fatty acids, wherein X Y and X Z It is a feasible endpoint value integer, wherein, the carbon number in this scope is indicated by any integer (if present) between the endpoint value integer and the described endpoint value. However, the paraffin, normal paraffin, isoparaffin, mono-branched isoparaffin, multi-branched isoparaffin, hydrocarbon or lipid acid of all described carbon numbers in the described scope, depending on the specific circumstances, especially at the endpoint or near the endpoint, may not necessarily exist (unless clearly so indicated). On the other hand, according to definition, isomer can include several compounds with the same carbon number, such as C9 isomer can include methyl octane (different positions of methyl side chain), dimethyl heptane (different positions of two methyl side chains) etc., wherein " C9 isomer " includes the total amount of all such variants. Usually, refer to the weight or volume total amount of paraffin, normal paraffin, isoparaffin, mono-branched isoparaffin, multi-branched isoparaffin, hydrocarbon or lipid acid that each definition includes all carbon numbers. For example, C4-C9 normal paraffins refer to any normal paraffins within the stated range, such as C4, C5, C6, C7, C8 and C9 normal paraffins, even if the content of C9 normal paraffins is zero. In other words, the total amount is obtained by adding 0 (referring to the absence of C9 normal paraffins) to the total weight of all other C4 to C9 normal paraffins present.

[0037] Isomerization converts at least a certain amount of normal paraffins into isoparaffins, especially into mono-branched isoparaffins. By (further) increasing the degree of isomerization, for example by increasing the severity of hydroisomerization as described below, more normal paraffins can be converted into isoparaffins, and mono-branched isoparaffins can be converted into multi-branched isoparaffins, such as di-branched, tri-branched isoparaffins, and even isoparaffins including more than three branches.

[0038] As used herein and in the context of the second reactor stage, effective degree of cracking refers to cracking that produces non-gaseous (NTP) cracked products, particularly expressed as the ratio of the C8 to C14 hydrocarbon content in the hydrocracking effluent to the C8 to C14 hydrocarbon content in the second reactor stage feed.

[0039] As used herein, the term renewable refers to compounds or compositions that are obtainable, derivable or originate from plants and / or animals, including compounds or compositions that are obtainable, derivable or originate from fungi and / or algae in whole or in part. As used herein, renewable compounds or compositions may include genetically manipulated compounds or compositions. Renewable feeds, components, compounds or compositions may also be referred to as biofeeds, components, compounds or compositions, or as biogenic feeds, components, compounds or compositions.

[0040] As used herein, the term fossil refers to a compound or composition obtainable, derivable or originating from a naturally occurring non-renewable composition, such as crude oil, oil / gas, shale oil / gas, natural gas or coal deposits, etc., and combinations thereof, including any hydrocarbon-rich deposits that can be utilized from surface / underground sources. The term recycled refers to recycled materials that are generally derived from non-renewable sources. For example, the term recycled can refer to recycled materials derived from discarded plastics.

[0041] The renewable, recycled and fossil compounds or compositions are considered different from each other based on their sources and impact on environmental issues. Therefore, they can be treated differently under legislative and regulatory frameworks. Typically, renewable, recycled and fossil compounds or compositions are distinguished based on their sources and information provided by the producers.

[0042] Chemically, any organic compound of renewable or fossil origin, including hydrocarbons, can be determined by a suitable method for analyzing the carbon content of renewable origin, for example, DIN 51637 (2014), ASTM D6866 (2020) or EN 16640 (2017). The method is based on the fact that carbon atoms of renewable or biological origin contain a higher number of unstable radiocarbons ( 14 C) atoms. Therefore, by analyzing 12 C and 14 The ratio of C isotopes can distinguish carbon compounds derived from renewable or biological sources or raw materials from carbon compounds derived from non-renewable or fossil sources or raw materials. Therefore, the specific ratio of the isotope can be used as a "label" to identify renewable carbon compounds and distinguish them from non-renewable carbon compounds. The isotope ratio does not change during the chemical reaction. Therefore, the isotope ratio can be used to identify renewable compounds, components, and compositions in reactor feeds, reactor effluents, separated product fractions, and their various blends, and distinguish them from non-renewable fossil materials. Numerically, biogenic carbon content (biogenic carbon content, biogenic carbon content) can be expressed as the weight percentage of the amount of biogenic carbon in the material in the total carbon (TC) in the material (according to ASTM D6866 (2020) or EN 16640 (2017)). In the context of the present invention, the term renewable preferably refers to a material having a biogenic carbon content of greater than 50 wt-%, in particular greater than 60 wt-% or greater than 70 wt-%, preferably greater than 80 wt-%, more preferably greater than 90 wt-% or greater than 95 wt-%, even more preferably about 100 wt-%, based on the total weight of carbon in the material (EN 16640 (2017)).

[0043] According to a first aspect, provided herein is a gasoline fuel component comprising normal paraffins, monobranched isoparaffins and multi-branched isoparaffins, wherein the total amount of C4-C9 normal paraffins, C4-C9 monobranched isoparaffins and C4-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins is greater than 90 wt-% of the total gasoline fuel component weight, and wherein the weight ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins is at least 4.0.

[0044] Gasoline fuel components are highly paraffinic, mainly comprising normal paraffins, mono-branched iso-paraffins, and multi-branched iso-paraffins. The carbon number distribution can be relatively wide, but is generally limited by the boiling points of the hydrocarbons therein, because the gasoline fuel component is preferably recovered as a distillation fraction. In any case, the carbon number distribution of the paraffins in the gasoline fuel component generally covers at least three adjacent carbon numbers in the range of C4-C9, preferably at least four adjacent carbon numbers, and more preferably at least five adjacent carbon numbers.

[0045] The gasoline fuel component is characterized by the total amount of C4-C9 normal paraffins, C4-C9 monobranched isoparaffins, and C4-C9 multibranched isoparaffins, the total amount of which is greater than 90 wt-% of the total gasoline fuel component weight. However, it should be noted that the total amount is defined by adding the amount of any paraffin with the relevant carbon number (i.e., falling within the carbon number range, including the endpoints) found in the analysis. On the other hand, it should not be understood to necessarily mean that all paraffins with carbon numbers falling within the range are present.

[0046] C8 paraffin can be used for gasoline fuel, and can exist with different amounts in the gasoline component of high paraffin, especially depends on the distillation end point used in the recovery gasoline fraction.Yet, the RON of n-C8 is as low as-20, so its existence may be unfavorable to the octane number of gasoline fuel component.For example, by reducing the FBP of gasoline fuel component, from the gasoline fuel component of recovery, eliminate all C8 paraffins, can cause described component to occur unacceptable output reduction.Surprisingly, find that by controlling the weight ratio of C8 isoparaffins and C8 normal paraffins is at least 4.0, preferably at least 4.5, further preferably at least 5.0, more preferably at least 5.5, even more preferably at least 6.0 and preferably at the most 70, further preferably at the most 60, more preferably at the most 50, even more preferably at the most 40, usually at the most 30 or at the most 25 or at the most 20, can obtain the component with good octane number, without eliminating C8 paraffin content. In contrast, C8 paraffins may be incorporated in large amounts, typically at least 1.0 wt-%, preferably at least 2.5 wt-%, further preferably at least 5.0 wt-%, more preferably at least 5.5 wt-%, even more preferably at least 6.0 wt-%, or most preferably at least 7.0 wt-%, typically up to 50 wt-%, or up to 40 wt-%, or up to 30 wt-%, or up to 25 wt-%, such as 4.0 to 50 wt-%, or 4.5 to 50 wt-%, or 5.0 to 40 wt-%, based on the weight of the total gasoline fuel component, without destroying the octane rating of the component, provided that the ratio of C8 iso-paraffins to C8 normal-paraffins as defined above is met. C8 normal paraffins can be included in the gasoline fuel component of the present invention in a non-negligible amount, typically at least 0.1wt-%, more preferably at least 0.3wt-%, more preferably at least 0.5wt-%, even more preferably at least 0.6wt-% of C8 normal paraffins, while still having a good or sufficient octane number, provided that the ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins is as defined above. In fact, compared with conventional paraffinic gasoline components, even significant improvements can be seen. In the case where the ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins is as defined above, the content of C8 normal paraffins can even be 1.0wt-% or more, 1.5wt-% or more, 2.0wt-% or more, 2.5wt-% or more, or even 3.0wt-% or more, while still providing an acceptable octane number, as shown in the Examples.

[0047] In general, C7 paraffins are abundant in high paraffin gasoline components due to the distillation process for recovering gasoline fractions. The embodiment defining gasoline fuel components of the present invention by its C7 paraffin content has highlighted the quality of interest. In some embodiments, the amount of C7 paraffins in the total gasoline fuel component weight is at least 15wt-%, preferably at least 20wt-%, such as in the scope of 15wt-% to 40wt-%, or in the scope of 15wt-% to 35wt-%, or in the scope of 15wt-% to 30wt-%. C7 paraffins refers to the total amount of C7 normal paraffins, C7 monobranched isoparaffins and C7 multi-branched isoparaffins. However, normal heptane, C7 normal paraffins, has an octane number of 0, which can reduce RON and the MON value of gasoline fuel components and final gasoline fuel composition.

[0048] Therefore, a ratio of i-C7 / n-C7 as high as possible is beneficial to improving the RON of the gasoline fuel component. In certain embodiments, the weight ratio of C7 isoparaffins to C7 normal paraffins (i-C7 / n-C7 ratio) is at least 2.7, preferably at least 2.8, preferably at least 2.9, preferably at least 3.0, preferably at least 3.1, preferably at least 3.2, preferably at least 3.4. It has been found that in a composition of high paraffins, this i-C7 / n-C7 ratio can be an indication of a particularly high-quality gasoline component, as shown in the examples. In practice, the upper limit of the ratio is derived from a reasonable degree of isomerization, so the ratio can be at most 5.0 or at most 10. Therefore, the ratio can vary within 2.7 to 10, such as 3.4 to 5.0. Conventional paraffin gasoline fuel components, such as those derived from hydrodeoxygenation of vegetable oils, tend to have a lower isoparaffin content, especially for lower carbon numbers, such as C7.

[0049] Another single carbon number of interest is C6, and also herein, in order to improve RON, and also because of its suspected health and / or environmental concerns, it is beneficial to keep the C6 normal paraffin, n-hexane, low. Thus, in certain embodiments, the C6 normal paraffin content in the gasoline fuel component is at most 11 wt-%, at most 9 wt-%, at most 8 wt-%, such as 0.5 wt-% to 11 wt-% or 0.5 wt-% to 8 wt-% of the total gasoline fuel component weight. The total amount of C6 paraffins in the gasoline fuel component is typically at least 10 wt-%, and at most 40 wt-%, of the total gasoline fuel component weight. As the total C6 paraffin content increases, the absolute content of C6 normal paraffins tends to increase as well, but in any case, in the gasoline fuel component of the present invention, the weight ratio of C6 isoparaffins to C6 normal paraffins is preferably greater than 1.0.

[0050] Although C6 represents a typical carbon number for any hydrocarbon-based gasoline, the gasoline component of the present invention can have a particular advantage due to a relatively high isoparaffin content, which can also be applied to C6 paraffins. In this embodiment, although C6 paraffins are abundant, the content of normal hexane is not worryingly high due to the composition of high isoparaffinity. For paraffins with a carbon number of 6, the isoparaffin content is relatively high relative to the normal paraffin content, which can be given by the weight ratio of C6 isoparaffins to C6 normal paraffins. Therefore, in certain embodiments, the gasoline fuel component of the present invention can be characterized by a weight ratio of C6 isoparaffins to C6 normal paraffins of at least 1.5, preferably at least 1.7 and more preferably at least 2.0.

[0051] Preferably, the gasoline fuel component of the present invention contains C4 normal paraffins, based on the total weight of the gasoline fuel component, which is at least 0.5wt-%, further preferably at least 1.0wt-%, more preferably 1.5wt-%, even more preferably at least 3.0wt-%, most preferably at least 5.0wt-%, usually up to 10.0wt-%. Typically, based on the total weight of the gasoline fuel component, the total content of C4 paraffins in the gasoline fuel component of the present invention is at least 1.0wt-%, even at least 5.0wt-% or at least 7.0wt-%, usually up to 15wt-%. The gasoline fuel component of the present invention can contain a non-negligible amount of C4 normal paraffins and / or C4 total paraffins without compromising vapor pressure and / or other properties. A higher share of C4 paraffins can increase the yield of the gasoline fuel component, especially when the gasoline fuel component is recovered from fractionation.

[0052] Typical embodiments of gasoline fuel components of the present invention may include at least C6, C7 and C8 paraffins. Considering the isoparaffin content of carbon numbers 6-8 relative to the normal paraffin content, the characteristics of these embodiments may be that the weight ratio of C6-C8 isoparaffins to C6-C8 normal paraffins is at least 2.7, preferably at least 2.8 and more preferably at least 3.0. As shown in the examples, in certain embodiments, C6, C7 and C8 may be the most abundant carbon numbers in gasoline fuel components. Therefore, the weight ratio of C6-C8 isoparaffins to C6-C8 normal paraffins well represents this embodiment of gasoline fuel components of the present invention. Within the carbon number range of C6-C8, there is such a high degree of isomerization, which is not typical for gasoline fractions in the prior art. In addition, since the RON of n-C6 paraffins is 25, the RON of n-C7 paraffins is 0, and the RON of n-C8 paraffins is -20, their presence may be unfavorable to the octane number of gasoline fuel components. For example, by reducing the FBP of the component, all C8 paraffins are eliminated, not to mention all C7 and C8 paraffins and even C6 paraffins, which can cause the unacceptable reduction of the output of this component. Surprisingly, it has been found that by controlling the weight ratio of C6-C8 isoparaffins and C6-C8 normal paraffins, as pointed out, a component with a good octane number is provided without eliminating or even without actually minimizing the content of C7 and C8 paraffins. On the contrary, the amount that can be raised incorporates C6-C8 paraffins without destroying the octane number of the gasoline fuel component. Preferably, the total amount of C6-C8 normal paraffins and C6-C8 isoparaffins is at least 50wt-%, more preferably at least 55wt-%, even more preferably at least 58wt-% of total gasoline fuel component weight, typically 95wt-% or 90wt-% or 85wt-% at the most of total gasoline fuel component weight. This total amount of C6-C8 normal paraffins and C6-C8 iso-paraffins in the gasoline fuel component can provide a significant improvement over traditional paraffinic gasoline components.

[0053] Another feature related to the desired properties of gasoline fuel components is the weight ratio of the total amount of C6-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins to the total amount of C6-C9 normal paraffins. According to certain preferred embodiments, the weight ratio of the C6-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins to the C6-C9 normal paraffins is at least 0.2, preferably at least 0.3, more preferably at least 0.4, and even more preferably at least 0.5. The ratio can be up to 1.5 or even up to 2.0. The increased weight ratio of C6-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins to C6-C9 normal paraffins significantly improves the RON of the gasoline fuel component of high paraffins. Compared with monobranched isoparaffins, multi-branched isoparaffins are more effective in compensating for the low RON of normal paraffins. Traditional gasoline components derived from hydrodeoxygenation of vegetable oils have a lower multi-branched isoparaffin content. Although the octane number of n-heptane is zero, the RON and MON of n-C8 and n-C9 (i.e., n-octane and n-nonane) are even lower, below zero.

[0054] It has been found that highly isomerized gasoline fuel components provide advantages associated with octane numbers compared to normal paraffin compositions. Therefore, according to certain preferred embodiments, the gasoline fuel component comprises at least 50wt-%, preferably at least 55wt-%, more preferably at least 60wt-%, even more preferably at least 65wt-% of the C4-C9 isoparaffins of the total gasoline fuel component weight, and / or at least 5wt-%, preferably at least 6wt-%, more preferably at least 7wt-%, even more preferably at least 10wt-%, or at least 11wt-% of the C6-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins of the total gasoline fuel component gross weight. Therefore, in this embodiment, the gasoline fuel component is mainly isoparaffinic, and the significant part in the isoparaffins can contain more than one branch. A gasoline fuel component having such a C4-C9 isoparaffin and / or C6-C9 multi-branched isoparaffin content significantly improves the RON of a (highly paraffinic) gasoline fuel component compared to conventional gasoline components derived from hydrodeoxygenation of vegetable oils which may have an elevated isoparaffin content but a lower multi-branched isoparaffin content, especially for the lower carbon numbers.

[0055] For pure gasoline components, or for gasoline components blended with another gasoline component with a known octane number, the research octane number and the motor octane number can be measured, RON and MON, respectively, and then given as bRON and bMON, respectively. The abbreviations RON, bRON, MON and bMON used throughout this article refer to the RON, bRON, MON and bMON measured after correction, that is, they are the correction values ​​obtained by subtracting 0.2 from the measured values ​​(according to Section 5.6 of EN228:2012 revised in 2017). Throughout this article, it refers to clean research and motor octane numbers, that is, the octane number obtained without using octane-enhancing additives. The standard method for measuring RON and MON is, for example, given in ASTM D2699 / D2700. Measuring and calculating bRON is known in the art and has been disclosed, for example, in US4244704A. In the experimental part of the present disclosure, blends of gasoline fuel components according to the present disclosure and typical gasoline components are studied. Surprisingly, the bRON and bMON results of the gasoline fuel component according to the present disclosure are significantly better than another renewable paraffin gasoline component used as a reference in the experiment. The poor octane number of the reference gasoline component limits its use in blends, because too high an amount of the reference gasoline component in the gasoline composition will result in an octane number that cannot reach the target value. Therefore, a larger portion of the gasoline fuel component of the present invention can be incorporated into the gasoline fuel composition without compromising the target octane number compared to the reference renewable gasoline component. Therefore, according to certain embodiments, the gasoline fuel component has a bRON of at least 51, preferably at least 55. According to certain embodiments, the gasoline fuel component has a bMON of at least 48, preferably at least 50, or even at least 55.

[0056] The inventor also finds that, due to various reasons, compared with the gasoline component of the prior art, the gasoline fuel component of the present invention containing paraffins in the high-content C4-C9 carbon number range can be very beneficial.For example, the gasoline fuel component of the high paraffin of the present disclosure has the total content of other compounds that are naturally low compared with paraffins.For example, the total content of aromatic hydrocarbons, olefins and cycloalkanes is usually less than 5.0wt-%, such as less than 4.0wt-%, usually at most 3.0wt-%.Wherein, the total content of aromatic hydrocarbons is usually less than 3.0wt-%, usually less than 2.0wt-% of the total gasoline fuel component weight.Low aromatic hydrocarbon content helps to form deposits such as reducing engines and injectors.In a word, the gasoline fuel component of high paraffin is incorporated into the blend to support meeting standards, such as EN 228, especially considering the restriction for aromatic hydrocarbons and benzene.High paraffin content can also provide fast (ready) biodegradability.In addition, the gasoline fuel component of high paraffin can provide better performance about combustion and / or emission to end users. In addition, the miscibility of gasoline fuel component of the present invention and other typical gasoline components is very good. In addition, the gasoline fuel component of highly paraffinic hydrocarbons is more stable or has more inertness, for example, during storage and in blend, compared with the component of the compound (particularly olefin) with higher content non-paraffinic hydrocarbons, the component of the compound (particularly olefin) with higher content non-paraffinic hydrocarbons or in its gasoline fuel composition can react and form high molecular weight precipitate, that is, glue. Usually, the total content of olefin is less than 1000vol-ppm of total gasoline fuel component weight. In addition, aromatic hydrocarbons can be easily unstable, especially along with the increase of aromatic hydrocarbon size and concentration, when being subjected to the pressure caused by the oxidation and molecular growth of aromatic hydrocarbons, causing higher deposition tendency. For example, using another main power source, such as electricity or natural gas, and only using gasoline as the hybrid vehicle of secondary fuel (it is retained for a long time in the fuel system), improving stability is a particularly desired characteristic. In addition, when blending with other typical gasoline components, a series of paraffinic hydrocarbons, such as in the C4-C9 range, compared to pure or pure components, such as pure normal heptane, are more favorable to the final product performance.

[0057] Therefore, according to certain preferred embodiments, in the gasoline fuel component of the present invention, the total amount of C4-C9 normal paraffins, C4-C9 monobranched isoparaffins and C4-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins is greater than 93 wt-%, preferably greater than 95 wt-%, and more preferably 95 to 99 wt-%, based on the weight of the total gasoline fuel component.

[0058] When the paraffin content in the C4-C9 carbon number range is high, the total amount of any hydrocarbons having 3 carbon atoms or less (C3-hydrocarbons) (i.e., C1-C3 hydrocarbons) is low, typically at most 4.0 wt-%, or at most 3.5 wt-%, or at most 3.0 wt-%, of the total gasoline fuel component weight. Limiting the presence of light hydrocarbons (i.e., hydrocarbons having 3 carbon atoms or less) improves the handling of the component and any product thereof, such as a gasoline fuel composition.

[0059] By further studying the paraffins in the C4-C9 carbon number range in the gasoline fuel component of the present invention, the inventors have also defined the average carbon number of normal paraffins and isoparaffins in the carbon number range. According to some embodiments of the gasoline fuel component, the average carbon number of the C4-C9 normal paraffins is at most 6.0, preferably at most 5.6. Preferably, the average carbon number falls between 5.0 and 6.0 or in the range of 5.0 to 6.0. Compared with the average carbon number of the C4-C9 isoparaffins in the gasoline fuel component, the average carbon number of the C4-C9 normal paraffins is at least 0.5 unit lower than the average carbon number of the corresponding C4-C9 isoparaffins, preferably at least 0.6 unit lower. It has been found that this will contribute to octane number, so that the average carbon number of the C4-C9 normal paraffins is lower, and the RON of the gasoline fuel component is higher. It has been found that the average carbon number of isoparaffins is relatively high, and therefore, according to certain embodiments, the average carbon number of C4-C9 isoparaffins is greater than 6.0, preferably at least 6.2, and more preferably in the range of 6.2 to 8.0. The RON of normal paraffins tends to increase with decreasing carbon number. For example, the RON of n-C8 and n-C9 is -20 or less, the RON of n-C7 is 0, the RON of n-C6 is 25, the RON of n-C5 is 62, and the RON of n-C4 is 94. In addition, the RON of paraffins tends to increase with increasing branching, and the octane number of monobranched isoparaffins is slightly higher than that of normal paraffins of the same carbon number, and the octane number of multi-branched isoparaffins is significantly higher. For example, reducing the average carbon number of C4-C9 range paraffins in a component by reducing the FBP of the component will result in an unacceptable reduction in yield. In addition, maximizing the degree of branching is uneconomical and unnecessary. Surprisingly, it has been found that by controlling the average carbon number of the C4-C9 normal paraffins and / or C4-C9 isoparaffins as described above, a gasoline fuel component having a good octane rating can be provided without excessively reducing FBP or maximizing the degree of branching.

[0060] The gasoline fuel component of the present invention is obtainable from a renewable raw material by a method defined in detail later, and the renewable raw material provides a high biocontent for its product. The biogenic carbon content can be defined according to EN 16640 (2017) for any feasible composition. According to certain embodiments, based on the total carbon (TC) weight in the gasoline fuel component, the biogenic carbon content of the gasoline fuel component is at least 50wt-%, preferably at least 70wt-%, more preferably at least 90wt-%, or at least 95wt-%, or even about 100wt-%. The gasoline fuel component of the present invention contributes to the biocontent of the total gasoline fuel composition, advantageously increasing its biocontent.

[0061] Gasoline fuel component of the present invention can be obtained as the fraction recovered from the method developed for producing high-quality liquid traffic fuel component, and this method is particularly optimized for producing renewable and / or sustainable aviation fuel, as shown in the examples. In some preferred embodiments, from fractionation, in addition to the gasoline fuel component, the aviation fuel component is also recovered, and both can be used as liquid traffic fuel component. The combined recovery of gasoline fuel component and aviation fuel component provides the effective utilization of feed for this method, and obtains the product of higher value from refining. Usually, gasoline fuel and aviation fuel can have relatively small overlap in boiling point and hydrocarbon distribution. Therefore, gasoline fuel component of the present invention and (renewable) aviation fuel component can be recovered as subsequent fraction by fractionation, for example, by distillation. In addition, the process selection that improves the quality of aviation fuel component, for example, isomerized paraffin stream is carried out hydrocracking, also improves the quality of gasoline fuel component, particularly in miscibility, octane number and combustion performance.

[0062] The beneficial properties of the gasoline fuel component of the present invention, especially the elevated isoparaffin / normal paraffin ratio in the lower carbon number paraffins, can be contributed by the production process and its feed.The gasoline fuel component can be obtained directly or recovered from the product of the production process.

[0063] In certain embodiments, the gasoline fuel component is obtainable or obtained by a method comprising: providing a paraffinic feed, preferably obtained by hydrodeoxygenating an oxygenated hydrocarbon feed typically comprising vegetable oil, animal fat and / or microbial oil, and optionally followed by gas-liquid separation and / or fractionation of the paraffinic feed; and subjecting the paraffinic feed to at least hydroisomerization, preferably hydroisomerization and hydrocracking, followed by fractionation, and recovering at least the gasoline fuel component from the fractionation. The feed and method steps, in particular the paraffinic feed, hydroisomerization and optional hydrocracking and fractionation, are preferably as further defined herein. According to certain preferred embodiments, the gasoline fuel component of the present invention is obtainable or obtained by a method comprising:

[0064] providing a paraffin feed comprising at least 60 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffin feed, wherein at most 30 wt-% of the paraffins are isoparaffins;

[0065] subjecting a paraffinic feed to hydroisomerization in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst in a first reaction stage, preferably in a first reactor, to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent;

[0066] hydrocracking a second reaction stage feed comprising at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent in a second reaction stage, preferably in a second reactor, in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a hydrocracked effluent;

[0067] The hydrocracking effluent and optionally (at least) a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent are subjected to fractionation and at least a gasoline fuel component and optionally an aviation fuel component are recovered from the fractionation.

[0068] Optionally, other products, such as diesel fuel components, may also be recovered.

[0069] Preferably, the method further comprises recovering a recycle stream from the fractionation, the recycle stream preferably having a T5 temperature of 270°C or higher (5 vol-% recovered, EN ISO 3405-2019), and optionally comprising C16 normal paraffins. The recycle stream may be contained in at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent, or form at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent, at least a portion of which is hydrocracking in the second reaction section, preferably in the second reactor. In other words, the recycle stream may be used as part of the feed to the second reaction section, and hydrocracking is preferably performed in the second reaction section, preferably in the second reactor. The recycle stream may comprise at least a portion of the fractionation bottoms. In an embodiment in which the recycle stream is separated, the yield of the desired liquid fuel component may be further optimized, particularly in an embodiment in which the second reaction section feed to the hydrocracking further comprises another portion of the hydroisomerization effluent in addition to the recycle stream. In an embodiment in which the recycle stream is separated, the diesel fuel component may be conveniently recovered by separating a portion from the recycle stream.

[0070] In the process of the present invention, the paraffin feed comprises at least 60 wt-%, preferably at least 70 wt-%, more preferably at least 80 wt-%, and even more preferably at least 90 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffin feed. The paraffin feed of the present disclosure may even comprise at least 95 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffin feed, or may consist essentially of paraffins. The paraffin feed of the present disclosure may comprise a small amount of olefins, preferably less than 5 wt-%, more preferably less than 1 wt-%, based on the total weight of the paraffin feed; and a small amount of aromatic hydrocarbons and / or cycloalkanes.

[0071] An advantage of using a highly paraffinic feed in the process of the present disclosure is that paraffins are relatively easy to isomerize and under milder conditions when subjected to hydroisomerization than, for example, cyclic hydrocarbons. In addition, when paraffins are subjected to hydrocracking, they are relatively easy to crack and under milder conditions, which helps to reduce the formation of light gases.

[0072] In the process of the present invention, the paraffinic feed comprises at least 60 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffinic feed, of which at most 30 wt-% of the paraffins are isoparaffins, obtainable from a paraffin hydroprocessing effluent, such as a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) effluent, a paraffin Fischer-Tropsch (FT) effluent, or a combination thereof, after subjecting the effluent to at least gas-liquid separation, i.e., removal of at least compounds that are gaseous at NTP, and optionally also fractionation of the paraffinic feed. Although paraffinic FT effluents of, for example, fossil origin are readily available (in addition to FT effluents of renewable origin), preferably, the paraffinic feed of the present disclosure is at least partially renewable, i.e., comprises biogenic components.

[0073] Preferably, the paraffin feed of the present disclosure comprises a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) effluent or a portion thereof from a catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (catalytic HDO) of an oxygenated hydrocarbon feed, such as a degassed hydrodeoxygenation effluent or a portion thereof or consists essentially of it. Preferably, the oxygenated hydrocarbon feed comprises at least one or more of vegetable oil, animal fat and / or microbial oil. Such paraffin feeds tend to have a relatively narrow carbon number distribution compared to, for example, FT-based feeds that typically have a substantially Gaussian distribution of hydrocarbon chains and a wider carbon chain length distribution, and therefore benefit more from performing the method of the present invention. Typically, providing the paraffin feed comprises hydrodeoxygenating the oxygenated hydrocarbon feed in the presence of a hydrodeoxygenation catalyst to obtain a hydrodeoxygenation effluent, followed by gas-liquid separation of the hydrodeoxygenation effluent, and optional paraffin feed fractionation to obtain a degassed hydrodeoxygenation effluent or a portion thereof as the paraffin feed. The hydrodeoxygenation can be carried out as described in prior art publications, such as FI100248B, EP1741768A1, EP2155838B1 or FI129220B1.

[0074] Generally, in the context of the present disclosure, the paraffin feed is hydroisomerized (HI) in a first reaction stage / reactor such that the isomerization reaction predominates while the cracking reactions are controlled or suppressed. Typically, HI in the first reaction stage / reactor is carried out at a temperature in the range of 200° C. to 500° C., preferably 230° C. to 500° C., more preferably 250° C. to 450° C., even more preferably 280° C. to 400° C.; a pressure in the range of 1 MPa to 10 MPa, preferably 2 MPa to 8 MPa or 3 MPa to 10 MPa; a H partial pressure at the inlet of the first reaction stage / reactor in the range of 1 MPa to 10 MPa, preferably 2 MPa to 8 MPa; a weight hourly space velocity in the range of 0.1 to 10, preferably 0.2 to 8, more preferably 0.4 to 6 kg of paraffin feed per kg of catalyst per hour; a ratio of H to paraffin feed in the range of 10 to 2000, preferably 50 to 1000 normal liters of H per liter of paraffin feed. Hydroisomerization may be performed as described in prior art publications, such as FI100248B, EP1741768A1, EP2155838B1 or FI129220B1. The severity of HI may be increased by at least one or more of: reducing WHSV, increasing temperature, and / or increasing pressure. When using a fresh HI catalyst, high severity HI conditions may be achieved at lower temperatures and / or pressures, and / or using higher WHSVs, whereas at the end of the HI catalyst life, higher temperatures and / or pressures, and / or lower WHSVs may be required to achieve even moderate severity HI. In the context of the present invention, HI producing a liquid effluent having a total isoparaffin content of 50-85 wt-% and a multi-branched isoparaffin content of up to 25 wt-%, or a total isoparaffin content of 85-95 wt-% and a multi-branched isoparaffin content of 25-55 wt-%, or a total isoparaffin content of at least 95 wt-% and a multi-branched isoparaffin content of more than 55 wt-%, based on the wt-% of paraffins in the liquid effluent, is generally regarded as a low severity, medium severity or high severity HI, respectively, although these content ranges are only used to illustrate the order of magnitude and may overlap to a certain extent and vary from case to case.

[0075] Typically, the hydrocracking is carried out in the second reaction stage / reactor so that the cracking reactions, especially those cracking reactions that increase the degree of effective cracking, especially to C8-C14 hydrocarbons, but also to lighter non-gaseous hydrocarbons, are more abundant than in the hydroisomerization in the first reaction stage / reactor. Preferably, in the hydrocracking in the second reaction stage / reactor, the cracking reactions, especially those cracking reactions that increase the degree of effective cracking, predominate, but generally without excessive cracking and excessive fuel gas formation. Typically, the hydrocracking in the second reaction section / reactor is carried out as follows: the temperature is in the range of 200°C to 450°C, preferably 220°C to 430°C, more preferably 280°C to 350°C; the pressure is in the range of 0.4MPa to 8MPa, preferably 1MPa to 7MPa; the H2 partial pressure at the inlet of the second reaction section / reactor is in the range of 0.4MPa to 8MPa, preferably 1MPa to 7MPa; the weight hourly space velocity is in the range of 0.1 to 10, preferably 0.2 to 8, more preferably 0.4 to 6, even more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 kg of second reactor feed per kilogram of catalyst per hour; and the ratio of H2 to the second reactor feed is in the range of 10 to 2000, preferably 50 to 1000 standard liters of H2 per liter of second reactor feed.

[0076] Preferably, the hydroisomerization catalyst is a non-sulfided bifunctional hydroisomerization catalyst, and the hydrocracking catalyst is a non-sulfided bifunctional hydrocracking catalyst, preferably the non-sulfided bifunctional catalyst comprises at least one or more metals selected from Group VIII noble metals, more preferably at least one or more metals selected from Pt and / or Pd, and at least one or more acidic porous materials. Non-sulfided bifunctional catalysts are preferred because they do not require sulfidation to maintain their activity during operation, so the sulfur content of various process streams and products can be kept low, and the required H2S separation and recovery efficiency is low. In particular, non-sulfided bifunctional catalysts containing noble metals can be active at lower temperatures and show higher selectivity for isomerization reactions compared to sulfided catalysts, but are sensitive to deactivation caused by H2S. In particular, for the hydrocracking reaction in the second reaction stage / reactor, bifunctional HC catalysts are beneficial because they have at least some isomerization activity in addition to cracking activity and can be particularly effective in effective cracking. As a further advantage, bifunctional hydrocracking catalysts comprising at least one or more metals selected from Group VIII noble metals, preferably Pt and / or Pd, have been found to provide high activity at relatively low temperatures and thus better control of thermal cracking compared to HC catalysts comprising non-noble metals. At low temperatures, the thermodynamic equilibrium tends to shift towards dearomatization, thereby reducing the formation of aromatics by side reactions. Providing the second reaction stage / reactor with a bifunctional HC catalyst also allows to achieve an isoparaffin content (wt-% of isoparaffins on the total weight of paraffins) in the hydrocracking effluent which is not necessarily significantly lower than the isoparaffin content in the hydroisomerization effluent, or can be the same or even higher.

[0077] According to certain preferred embodiments, the gasoline fuel component of the present invention can be obtained by a process comprising: subjecting an oxygenated hydrocarbon feed containing at least one or more of vegetable oil, animal fat and / or microbial oil to hydrodeoxygenation, followed by gas-liquid separation, to provide a paraffin feed containing at least 60 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffin feed, wherein at most 30 wt-% of the paraffins are isoparaffins;

[0078] in a first reaction stage, preferably in a first reactor, subjecting a paraffin feed to hydroisomerization in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent;

[0079] hydrocracking a second reaction stage feed comprising at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent (optionally comprising a recycle stream) in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst in a second reaction stage, preferably in a second reactor, to obtain a hydrocracked effluent;

[0080] The hydrocracking effluent is fractionated and at least a gasoline fuel component is recovered from the fractionation, and optionally an aviation fuel component and / or a recycle stream, the recycle stream preferably having a T5 temperature of 270° C. or higher (5 vol-% recovered, EN ISO 3405-2019).

[0081] The major component in the paraffinic feed is normal paraffins. However, the presence of a certain amount of isoparaffins in the paraffinic feed may still be beneficial. A paraffinic feed containing a certain amount of isoparaffins may yield a hydroisomerization effluent having a higher content of multi-branched isoparaffins than an otherwise similar feed without the isoparaffin content.

[0082] Preferably, the paraffinic feed of the present disclosure comprises hydrocarbons with carbon numbers ranging from C12 to C30, and even more preferably hydrocarbons ranging from C14 to C22, of at least 70 wt-%, preferably at least 80 wt-%, and more preferably at least 90 wt-% of the total weight of the paraffinic feed. These feeds allow good yields of two or more different types of fuel components and are readily available, for example, from conventional hydrodeoxygenation processes of vegetable oils, animal fats, and / or microbial oils (comprising fatty acids). Heavier paraffinic feeds are available, for example, from HDO of oils in energy crops such as Brassica species, algae oils, crude tall oil (CTO), tall oil fatty acids (TOFA), and / or tall oil pitch (TOP).

[0083] The presence of multi-branched isoparaffins in the hydroisomerization effluent can be considered to be beneficial because it can be beneficial to the effective cracking degree in the hydrocracking step. When the desired effective cracking degree is achieved with milder operating conditions in the hydrocracking step, particularly cracking to C8-C14 hydrocarbons, and cracking to lighter non-gaseous hydrocarbons, overcracking can be avoided and the formation of gaseous hydrocarbons can be reduced. In addition, the increase in the multi-branched isoparaffin content in the hydroisomerization effluent can also be considered to be beneficial because it can provide improved RON for the gasoline fuel component and provide improved cold performance for at least one or more other fuel components, such as aviation fuel components and / or diesel fuel components, which are optionally recovered. Without being bound by any theory, it is believed that when cracking in the hydrocracking step, multi-branched isoparaffins are more likely to form two branched paraffin molecules, rather than one branched paraffin and one normal paraffin, so relative to the normal paraffin content, the isoparaffin content in the hydrocracking effluent increases. The same is seen downstream of the product recovered from the fractionation and the optional recovered recycle stream.

[0084] According to certain embodiments, the first reaction stage for hydroisomerization and the second reaction stage for hydrocracking may be located in the same reactor, for example, in separate catalyst beds with appropriate equipment therefor. According to certain other embodiments, the first reaction stage for hydroisomerization is located in a first reactor and the second reaction stage for hydrocracking is located in a second reactor. Having the hydroisomerization stage in the first reactor and the hydrocracking stage in the second reactor provides advantages, namely in process design, process control and maintenance.

[0085] Preferably, at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent subjected to hydrocracking comprises isoparaffins of at least 50 wt-%, further preferably at least 60 wt-%, more preferably at least 70 wt-%, even more preferably at least 80 wt-%, of the total amount of paraffins in at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent, and optionally, multi-branched isoparaffins of at least 5 wt-%, preferably at least 10 wt-%, more preferably at least 15 wt-%, even more preferably at least 20 wt-%, and typically up to 70 wt-% of the total amount of paraffins in at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent. Typically, at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent has a cloud point below 0°C, preferably below -5°C, more preferably below -8°C, even more preferably below -10°C, or below -15°C (ASTM D 5771-17).

[0086] Hydrocracking at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent increases the yield of non-gaseous cracking products, particularly C8-C14 and lighter non-gaseous hydrocarbons, contributing to the yield of gasoline fuel components. Since the feed to the hydrocracking may contain an elevated isoparaffin content and an elevated multi-branched isoparaffin content, the inventors have discovered that additional isoparaffins can be produced by hydrocracking without reducing their amount and without over-cracking to less valuable light C1-C3 hydrocarbons.

[0087] The advantageous hydrocarbon composition of the gasoline fuel component of the present invention, particularly with respect to the carbon number distribution and content of iso- and normal-paraffins, is also demonstrated in the end use as a beneficial combustion in engines. When studied under laboratory conditions, the properties related to the desired performance of the fuel are, for example, the shape of the distillation curve and the distillation characteristics. The T10 and T90 temperatures reported in the examples and the difference between them immediately reveal to the skilled person the suitability of the gasoline for spark ignition engines and its expected performance. Therefore, according to certain embodiments, a gasoline fuel component is provided herein, wherein the difference between the T90 temperature (90 vol-% recovered, ASTM D7096-19) and the T10 temperature (10 vol-% recovered, ASTM D7096-19) is at least 60°C, more preferably at least 70°C, even more preferably at least 80°C or at least 100°C, for example, in the range of 60 to 140°C. Preferably, the gasoline fuel component has a T90 temperature (90 vol-% recovered, ASTM D7096-19) in the range of 95 to 150°C, preferably in the range of 95 to 140°C, more preferably in the range of 95 to 130°C, in order to make a positive contribution to the octane number of the gasoline fuel component and allow high yield recovery of the aviation fuel component from the same production process.

[0088] The high weight ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins in the gasoline fuel component of the present invention can be contributed to and / or further increased by fractionation such that the C8 isoparaffins are recovered in the gasoline fuel component, while the C8 normal paraffins having a higher boiling point are mainly recovered in the aviation fuel component. By carefully selecting the cut point in the fractionation, the recovery of C8 normal paraffins in the gasoline fuel component can be reduced, still without significantly reducing the yield of the gasoline component. In this way, a gasoline fuel component having an even very high weight ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins can be obtained without excessively increasing or limiting the degree of branching. Other relevant properties of gasoline components relate to volatility, vapor pressure and flash point. Typical measurements reflecting the properties include E70 and E150 values. For gasoline compositions, the E70 value defines the percentage (vol-%) that evaporates at 70°C at standard atmospheric pressure. Standardized methods for determining the E70 as well as the E100 and E150 values ​​of gasoline compositions are defined in EN ISO 3405:2011. Due to the carbon number distribution and the iso- and normal-paraffin contents of the gasoline fuel components of the present invention, mixing is not limited by vapor pressure.

[0089] According to another aspect, gasoline fuel component can be used in gasoline fuel composition.Higher isoparaffin content and the isoparaffin distribution of raising help to improve RON, and this allows gasoline fuel component of the present invention to be incorporated in gasoline fuel with higher amount, and by contrast, for example, the traffic fuel derived from biomass that can be used for spark ignition engine currently commercially available, the RON of this currently commercially available fuel is lower.Compared with the blending component containing aromatic hydrocarbons, the emission that gasoline fuel component of the present invention produces is less.In addition, gasoline fuel component of the present invention can help to improve the biocontent of gasoline fuel composition.In addition, each in the increase of isoparaffin content, the raising of isoparaffin and normal paraffin weight ratio and the raising of multi-branched isoparaffin and normal paraffin weight ratio can help to reduce the viscosity of gasoline fuel component, thereby improve the mixing and miscibility of other components to be included in gasoline fuel composition.

[0090] Compared with the biocomponent ethanol currently commonly used for blending into gasoline compositions, the gasoline component of the present invention has lower hygroscopicity. In addition, in the distillation of gasoline blends, ethanol as a blending component causes the slope to turn steeper at about 70°C, thereby causing a significant angle in the distillation curve, which brings challenges to meeting the requirements of gasoline compositions, such as the requirements specified in EN228:2012 revised in 2017, while the gasoline fuel component of the present invention can provide a nearly linear distillation curve in a blend. Unlike ethanol and other oxygenates, there are no regulatory blending restrictions for paraffin blending components such as the gasoline fuel component of the present invention. Therefore, the gasoline fuel component of the present invention is a highly desirable alternative blending component for gasoline fuel, and is expected to benefit both the producers and end users of gasoline fuel compositions.

[0091] The beneficial vapor pressure properties of the gasoline fuel components of the present invention enable the use of less expensive and lighter blending components, such as butane, in gasoline fuel compositions, which would not be an option if other components with higher vapor pressures, such as ethanol, were used as the biocomponent.

[0092] When being used for gasoline fuel composition, gasoline fuel component of the present invention can be blended with at least one or more other components.These other components can be derived from for example various sources and / or hydrocarbon refining process, usually reclaim therefrom by distillation.The example of this technology comprises FCC, reforming, alkylation, pyrolysis, steam cracking, hydrodeoxygenation, hydrodesulfurization, isomerization or their combination.Therefore, except gasoline fuel component of the present invention, gasoline fuel composition can also comprise at least one or more in alcohol, ether and / or hydrocarbon fraction, preferably at least one or more in methanol, ethanol, propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, butanols, isobutyl alcohol, the tert-butyl alcohol, amyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, MTBE, ETBE, DIPE, TAME, TAEE, butane, alkylated gasoline, isomerized product, raffinate, FCC gasoline, reformate, pyrolysis gasoline and / or light straight run (LSR) gasoline. For high octane and biogenic carbon content, particularly good gasoline fuel compositions can be obtained by blending the maximum amount of biogenic oxygenated gasoline fuel components, preferably biogenic ethanol, as allowed by the required maximum oxygen content, and the maximum amount of renewable gasoline fuel components allowed by the required minimum octane number with fossil hydrocarbon fractions. The gasoline fuel composition may also include at least one or more additives, preferably at least one or more of antioxidants, stabilizers, detergents, corrosion inhibitors, friction modifiers, metal deactivators and / or fuel dyes. Blends of more than two other components are usually included. Exemplary gasoline fuel compositions may include: gasoline fuel components of the present invention, ethanol, alkylated gasoline, antioxidants and stabilizers; or gasoline fuel components of the present invention, ethanol, LSR gasoline, antioxidants, stabilizers and detergents; or gasoline fuel components of the present invention, MTBE, pyrolysis gasoline, FCC gasoline, antioxidants, stabilizers, friction modifiers and detergents, just to name a few exemplary gasoline fuel compositions.

[0093] According to certain embodiments, blending the gasoline fuel components provides a gasoline fuel composition that meets the gasoline fuel requirements set out in Directive 2009 / 30 / EC and optionally the 2017 revision of EN 228:2012.

[0094] According to certain embodiments, the amount of the gasoline fuel component of the present invention included in the gasoline fuel composition is 1 to 25 vol-%, preferably 1 to 20 vol-% of the total gasoline fuel composition volume. When the gasoline fuel component of the present invention has a high biocontent, only the gasoline fuel component can provide a significant biocontent for the gasoline fuel composition. When the amount of the gasoline fuel component of the present invention included in the gasoline fuel composition is 1 vol-% to 25 vol-%, preferably 1 vol-% to 20 vol-%, and the ethanol of the total gasoline fuel composition volume at most 20 vol-% or at most 10 vol-%, preferably bioethanol, the biocontent can be further improved. For this gasoline fuel composition, even up to 45 vol-% of the component can be renewable, based on the total carbon (TC) weight in the gasoline fuel component, its biogenic carbon content (EN16640 (2017)) exceeds 40 wt-%. Particularly promising gasoline fuel compositions include about 10 vol-% of the gasoline fuel component of the present invention and about 10 vol-% of bioethanol of the total gasoline fuel composition volume.

[0095] In addition to being used in gasoline fuel compositions, the gasoline fuel components of the present invention are also suitable for a wide variety of other uses, such as in feedstocks for industrial conversion processes, preferably thermal cracking feedstocks and / or catalytic cracking feedstocks; in solvents; in carriers; in dispersant compositions; in demulsifiers; in extractants; in detergents; in degreasing compositions; in cleaning agents; in diluents; in penetrating oils; in corrosion protection compositions; in multipurpose oils; in metalworking; in agriculture; in construction; in electronics; in medical devices; in compositions for the automotive, electrical, textile, packaging, paper and / or pharmaceutical industries; and / or in the manufacture of intermediates thereof. The elevated ratio of isoparaffins to normal paraffins in the gasoline fuel compositions of the present invention reduces viscosity and improves pumping and mixing characteristics and miscibility, which are generally desirable and beneficial characteristics for a variety of uses, particularly those involving spraying, injection and / or mixing with other ingredients. Since the most important specifications of light naphtha and / or gasoline commonly used for large-volume industrial feedstocks are generally met, the gasoline fuel compositions of the present invention can be used in the same applications without changing existing equipment or facilities. The gasoline fuel components of the present invention are particularly preferred for use in thermally and / or catalytically cracked feedstocks for the production of olefinic monomers, particularly ethylene and / or propylene, because the very low cyclic hydrocarbon content helps to reduce the formation of coking aromatics, the very high paraffin content helps to increase the conversion to light olefins even under less severe cracking conditions, and the high isoparaffin content is expected to facilitate the production of favorable propylene to ethylene product ratios in these processes.

[0096] Schematic representation of the process

[0097] Figure 1A process for producing a gasoline fuel component of the present invention according to an exemplary embodiment is schematically illustrated. Figure 1 In the process, an oxygenated hydrocarbon feed 110 is fed to an HDO reactor 120, wherein the feed is hydrodeoxygenated in the presence of an HDO catalyst 130 to obtain a hydrodeoxygenated effluent (HDO effluent) 140. The obtained HDO effluent 140 is subjected to a gas-liquid separation 150 to separate a compound 160 that is gaseous at least at NTP from the HDO effluent, thereby obtaining a degassed HDO effluent 170. In the present exemplary embodiment, the degassed HDO effluent 170 is a paraffin feed as defined herein. Figure 1 In the process, the degassed HDO effluent 170 is then fed to a first reactor 180, wherein the degassed HDO effluent 170 is hydroisomerized in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst 190 to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent (HI effluent) 200, and the obtained HI effluent 200 is subjected to a gas-liquid separation 210 to separate a compound 220 that is gaseous at least at NTP from the HI effluent 200, thereby obtaining a degassed HI effluent 230. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the degassed HI effluent 230 is fed to a distillation unit 240, which may comprise a single column, or a pre-fractionation and a main distillation column, from which several streams or fractions are obtained. Figure 1 In the distillation of Figure 1 A recycle stream 280 having a T5 boiling point of 270°C or higher is also separated. Figure 1 In the second reaction stage feed comprising the recycle stream 280 as at least a portion of the HI effluent is fed to the second reactor 290, where it is hydrocracking in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst 300 to obtain a recycle effluent (hydrocracking effluent) 310. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the recycle effluent 310 is subjected to a gas-liquid separation 320 to separate the compound 330 which is gaseous at least at NTP from the recycle effluent 310, thereby obtaining a degassed recycle effluent 340. Then, Figure 1 In the embodiment, the degassed recycle effluent 340 is fed to the distillation unit 240 for fractionation as a co-feed with the degassed HI effluent 230. In certain embodiments, another portion of the HI effluent 200 or 230 may be fed to the second reactor 290 for hydrocracking as a co-feed 500 with the recycle stream 280, i.e., as a part of the second reaction stage feed.

[0098] Figure 2 A process for producing a gasoline fuel component of the present invention according to another exemplary embodiment is schematically illustrated. Figure 2 In the process, an oxygenated hydrocarbon feed 110 is fed to an HDO reactor 120, wherein the feed is hydrodeoxygenated in the presence of an HDO catalyst 130 to obtain a hydrodeoxygenated effluent (HDO effluent) 140. The obtained HDO effluent 140 is subjected to a gas-liquid separation 150 to separate a compound 160 that is gaseous at least at NTP from the HDO effluent, thereby obtaining a degassed HDO effluent 170, which in this exemplary embodiment is a paraffin feed as defined herein. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the degassed HDO effluent 170 is then fed to the first reactor 180, wherein the degassed HDO effluent 170 is hydroisomerized in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst 190 to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent (HI effluent) 200. The obtained HI effluent 200 is Figure 2 A gas-liquid separation 210 is performed to separate compounds 220 that are gaseous at least at NTP from the HI effluent 200, thereby obtaining a degassed HI effluent 230. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the degassed HI effluent 230 is fed to the second reactor 290, wherein the hydrocracking is performed in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst 300 to obtain a hydrocracking effluent 350. Figure 2 In the process, the hydrocracking effluent 350 is subjected to gas-liquid separation 360 to separate the compound 370 which is gaseous at least at NTP from the hydrocracking effluent 350, thereby obtaining the degassed hydrocracking effluent 380. Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, the second reaction stage feed comprising the degassed hydrocracking effluent 380 is fed to a distillation unit 240 which may comprise a single column, or a pre-fractionation and a main distillation column from which several streams or fractions may be obtained. Figure 2 In the distillation of the gasoline fuel component 390, the aviation fuel component 400 and / or the diesel fuel component 410 are recovered. In addition, a recycle stream 420 can be separated, preferably having a T5 boiling point of 270° C. or higher. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the recycle stream 420 can be fed to the second reactor 290 for hydrocracking as a co-feed with at least a portion of the degassed HI effluent 230, i.e., as a portion of the second reaction stage feed. In certain embodiments, another portion of the HI effluent 200 or 230 can be fed to the fractionation as a co-feed 500 with the hydrocracking effluent 350 or 380.

[0099] Example

[0100] Example 1 - Production of Gasoline Fuel Components of the Invention

[0101] The gasoline fuel components studied herein were recovered from test runs in which three different hydrocracking (HC) feeds (feeds A, B and C) were obtained by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and gas-liquid separation of two different types of fatty raw materials to obtain paraffinic feeds containing >95 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffinic feeds, which were further subjected to hydroisomerization (HI) of different severity. A portion of the hydroisomerization effluent obtained by degassing the hydroisomerization effluent or by recovering only the bottom fraction of the hydroisomerization effluent was hydrocracking and then degassing the hydrocracking effluent. A renewable aviation fuel component was recovered from the hydrocracking effluent thus obtained as the main product and at least a gasoline fuel component as another product of particular interest herein. For one of the hydrocracking effluents (test run 8), a secondary fractionation was performed in an optimized manner to increase the yield of aviation fuel components (test run 8 with optimized fractionation, TR8o). The details of the hydrocracking feed are given in Table 1, and Table 2 shows the process details of the hydrocracking as well as the approximate boiling point range and yield of gasoline fuel components.

[0102] Table 1. Details of hydrocracking feeds.

[0103]

[0104] In Table 1, nP represents normal paraffin, iP represents isoparaffin, and poly-iP represents multi-branched isoparaffin.

[0105] Table 2. Process details of the hydrocracking test run conditions, cloud point of the degassed hydrocracking effluent, approximate boiling point range of gasoline fuel components (G) and yield (in wt-% of the degassed HC effluent).

[0106]

[0107] In all test runs, the hydrocracking catalyst was a non-sulfided bifunctional hydrocracking catalyst comprising Pt on a zeolite / zeolite-type material. When the feed reported in Table 1 was subjected to the hydrocracking conditions reported in Table 2, the catalyst had not only cracking activity but also isomerization activity.

[0108] Good yields of gasoline fuel components are produced, generally with higher yields at higher hydrocracking temperatures, lower WHSVs and / or higher endpoints, such as expressed by T95 or FBP.

[0109] Example 2 - Chemical Composition and Distillation Characteristics of Gasoline Fuel Components of the Invention

[0110] The gasoline fuel components G1-G7 recovered in Example 1 were evaluated based on hydrocarbon composition (Tables 3 and 4) and distillation characteristics (Table 5). Comparison was made with a conventional paraffinic gasoline component (reference gasoline, RG), which was obtained by subjecting a fat feed to HDO, moderately severe HI, degassing and fractionation, i.e., without hydrocracking. The hydrocarbon composition analysis was performed using a detailed hydrocarbon analysis, including the identification of the individual components (with respect to hydrocarbon groups [isoparaffins, normal paraffins, cycloparaffins, aromatics, olefins] and carbon number [C#]). Tables 3 and 4 give examples of the volume fractions analyzed. The method used was an in-house method adapted from standard methods ASTM D6729 and EN ISO 22854.

[0111] In addition to the volume fractions of iso-paraffins, normal-paraffins and multi-branched iso-paraffins, other properties were calculated, such as the ratio of iso-paraffins to normal-paraffins and the average carbon number of iso- and normal-paraffins in the C4-C9 range (Tables 3 and 4). 平均 ) is calculated by multiplying the volume fraction vol of each carbon number C# and then distinguishing according to the hydrocarbon group (isoparaffins, normal paraffins). Based on this, the average carbon number of isoparaffins and normal paraffins in the C4-C9 range is calculated using the following formula.

[0112]

[0113] As an example of such calculation, the average carbon number of 5.8 for C4-C9 normal paraffins and the average carbon number of 7.0 for C4-C9 isoparaffins in sample G7 are calculated as follows:

[0114]

[0115] The average carbon numbers of other samples were also calculated accordingly.

[0116] Table 3. Compositional properties of test run gasoline fuel components G1-G3 (derived from HC feed A or B) and paraffinic reference gasoline component RG determined by GC-FID / GC-MS.

[0117]

[0118]

[0119] na = not analyzed

[0120] In Table 3, the NOA column indicates the total amount of cycloalkanes, olefins, and aromatics, C# indicates the carbon number, C6-9 m-iP indicates the amount of multi-branched isoparaffins in the C6-C9 range, and Avg. C#C4-9 indicates the average carbon number calculated for n-paraffins and isoparaffins in the C4-C9 range.

[0121] Table 4. Compositional properties of test run gasoline fuel components G4-G7 (derived from HC feed C) determined by GC-FID / GC-MS.

[0122]

[0123]

[0124] In Table 4, the NOA column indicates the total amount of cycloalkanes, olefins, and aromatics, C# indicates the carbon number, C6-9 m-iP indicates the amount of multi-branched iso-alkanes in the C6-C9 range, and Avg. C# C4-9 indicates the average carbon number calculated for n- and iso-alkanes in the C4-C9 range.

[0125] Table 5. Distillation characteristics of gasoline fuel components G1-G7 (given in °C at which a specific vol-% is recovered according to ASTM D7096-19), and boiling ranges expressed as FBP minus IBP, and T90 minus T10.

[0126]

[0127]

[0128] As can be seen from Tables 3 and 4, the ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins in gasoline fuel components G1-G7 is significantly higher, from almost two times to seven times, compared to the paraffin reference gasoline RG, while containing a large amount of C8 paraffins. Similarly, the ratio of C6-C8 isoparaffins to C6-C8 normal paraffins in gasoline fuel components G1-G7 is significantly higher, at least two times, compared to the paraffin reference gasoline RG, while containing mainly C6-C8 paraffins. Gasoline fuel components G1-G7 also have isoparaffins in the C4-C9 range of moderate average carbon numbers, greater than 6.0 units; and normal paraffins in the C4-C9 range of low average carbon numbers, less than 6.0 units; and at least 0.7 units less than the C4-C9 isoparaffins of the corresponding average carbon numbers. The measured samples of the gasoline fuel components according to the present disclosure have a higher content of multi-branched C6-C9 isoparaffins, >6.0%, even >10%, compared to <5.0% of the reference gasoline RG, while mainly containing C4-C9 isoparaffins. In addition, the amount of n-hexane in the gasoline fuel components according to the present disclosure is much lower compared to the reference gasoline RG. As can be seen in Table 5, the gasoline fuel components G1-G7 have a relatively linear distillation behavior, which is beneficial for example for combustion characteristics. The boiling ranges reported in Table 5 indicate that the gasoline fuel components do not represent narrow fractions, but rather that the vast majority of the components by volume boil in a fairly wide temperature range. Therefore, the gasoline fuel components can be recovered in higher yields.

[0129] Example 3 - Octane Number of Gasoline Fuel Components of the Invention

[0130] The properties listed in Tables 3 and 4 are closely related to the octane number of the gasoline fuel component. More specifically, it is observed that among the paraffins in the C4-C9 range, a higher degree of isomerization, a higher isoparaffin content, and a lower average carbon number result in a higher octane number. For gasoline fuel compositions to be used as liquid transportation fuels, a higher octane number is desired.

[0131] The blended RON (EN ISO 5164-2014 corresponds to ASTM D2699-18) and blended MON (EN ISO 5163-2014 corresponds to ASTM D2700-19) were determined from the paraffinic reference gasoline component RG and three test runs G3, G5, G7 produced under similar conditions, the main difference of the test runs being the end distillation point (about 100°C, 120°C and 150°C) (Table 6).

[0132] It is noted that the quality of gasoline fuel components is at least affected by process parameters. Higher temperatures and lower WHSV in hydrocracking promote higher isoparaffin content and slightly lower average carbon number in paraffins in the C4-C9 range compared to samples with similar distillation ranges. By measuring the set quality parameters, better gasoline fuel components are obtained at higher hydrocracking temperatures and lower WHSVs. Due to the small sample volume, the octane number is determined by blending it with a commercial gasoline component (called "second component") containing a high isoparaffin content. The blended octane number of the bRON sample is calculated using the following formula:

[0133]

[0134] The blended RON and MON of sample G5 (120°C fraction) of the gasoline fuel component are 66.7 and 55.5, respectively. The corresponding values ​​for sample G7 (150°C fraction) are 59.1 and 56.7. Sample G7 has a higher isoparaffin content and isoparaffin to normal paraffin ratio, but the average carbon number of both isoparaffins and normal paraffins is higher. The average carbon number in the paraffins in the C4-C9 range (especially the C4-C9 normal paraffins) seems to have a greater impact on RON than the isoparaffin content. The reference gasoline RG performance describing product quality is inferior to the test run gasoline fuel component. Using the same method, the blended octane numbers of the measured test run gasoline fuel components (samples G3, G5 and G7) are significantly higher than the reference gasoline RG (bRON=46.8 and bMON=45.3) determined from similar blends.

[0135] Comparison of the bRON and bMON results for samples from hydrocracking feeds B and C reveals the impact of the hydrocracking feed characteristics (reported in Table 1) and the chemical composition of the gasoline fuel component (reported in Tables 3 and 4) on the quality of the gasoline fuel component in terms of octane number (reported in Table 6). The gasoline fuel component derived from the most promising hydrocracking feed B (G3) was compared with two gasoline fuel components derived from hydrocracking feed C (G5 and G7), and the gasoline fuel component samples were obtained under similar process conditions (with slight changes in hydrocracking temperature). Despite the different final distillation points of the gasoline fuel components, the paraffin content between the samples was very similar. The C4-C9 isoparaffin content ranged from 68 to 71 vol-%, and the normal paraffin content ranged from 26 to 29 vol-%. As the final distillation point of the gasoline fuel component samples increased, the relative multi-branched isoparaffin content increased, indicating that the longer paraffins underwent a higher degree of isomerization in the process. Again compared with the same paraffinic reference gasoline RG, it has a lower C4-C9 isoparaffin content of about 49 vol-%, and a higher n-paraffin content of about 42 vol-%.

[0136] Table 6. Octane numbers and distillation ranges of gasoline fuel components G3, G5, G7 and reference gasoline RG.

[0137]

[0138]

[0139] The bRON differences can be partially explained by evaluating the carbon number distribution (Tables 3 and 4). However, the analyzed samples G3, G5 and G7 have similar lower C4-C9 n-paraffin average carbon numbers (5.7-5.9), while more variations can be seen in the C4-C9 isoparaffin average carbon number (6.6-7.0). The reference gasoline fuel component RG has a similar C4-C9 isoparaffin average carbon number as G3, G5 and G7, but the average carbon number of n-paraffins in the C4-C9 range (6.3) is much higher. As described above, the RON rating increases with the degree of isomerization and lower carbon number (shorter carbon chain length). Therefore, an important distinguishing factor in the octane number of the gasoline fuel component according to the present disclosure and the reference gasoline fuel component is the average carbon number of n-paraffins in the C4-C9 range. The G3 gasoline fuel component and the G7 gasoline fuel component have similar blended octane numbers, despite the lower average carbon number of iso-paraffins in the C4-C9 range in the G3 gasoline fuel component, which is balanced by the lower average carbon number of normal paraffins in the C4-C9 range in the G7 gasoline fuel component. The G5 and G7 gasoline fuel components have a relatively high C4 content, which contributes significantly to the average carbon number of normal paraffins in the C4-C9 range and the measured octane number. Based on the available information, the amount of C4 compounds cannot be attributed to the hydrocracking feed used, as this difference may originate from the selected IBP, for example, affected by different degassing and / or distillation procedures used to obtain the products.

[0140] Based on the hydrocracking test run that adopts different feeds to carry out, it can be said that feed has some influence on the quality of gasoline fuel component.Gasoline fuel component obtained by the process of hydrocracking of paraffin stream with high isomerization degree, especially has much better octane number than paraffin reference gasoline component.In general, the test run shows that lower WHSV and / or higher temperature improve the output of gasoline fuel component in hydrocracking, and can also improve the performance used for gasoline fuel application, and less affected by hydrocracking feed, yet lower distillation final boiling point (for example, T90, T95 and / or FBP) and lower paraffin in the C4-C9 scope, especially the average carbon number of normal paraffin in the C4-C9 scope can improve octane number.

[0141] A variety of implementations have been presented. It should be understood that in this document, the words include, include and contain are used as open-ended expressions and are not exclusive.

[0142] The above description provides a comprehensive and informative description of the best mode for implementing the present invention currently contemplated by the inventors by way of non-limiting examples of specific implementations and embodiments. However, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the embodiments presented hereinabove, but can be implemented in other embodiments using equivalent means, or in different combinations of embodiments, without departing from the characteristics of the present invention. In addition, some of the features in the exemplary embodiments disclosed hereinabove can be used to gain advantages without the need for corresponding use of other features. Therefore, the above description should be regarded as merely illustrating the principles of the present invention, without being limited thereto. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is limited only by the claims of the attached patents.

Claims

1. A gasoline fuel component comprising normal paraffins, mono-branched iso-paraffins and multi-branched iso-paraffins, wherein: The total amount of C4-C9 normal paraffins, C4-C9 mono-branched isoparaffins and C4-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins is greater than 90 wt-% of the total gasoline fuel component weight, and wherein, The weight ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins is at least 4.0, preferably at least 4.5, further preferably at least 5.0, more preferably at least 5.5, even more preferably at least 6.0, and optionally, the total amount of C8 normal paraffins and C8 isoparaffins is at least 1.0 wt-%, preferably at least 2.5 wt-%, further preferably at least 5.0 wt-%, more preferably at least 5.5 wt-%, even more preferably at least 6.0 wt-%, and most preferably at least 7.0 wt-%, based on the weight of the total gasoline fuel component.

2. The gasoline fuel component according to claim 1, wherein The gasoline fuel component comprises at least 0.1 wt-%, preferably at least 0.3 wt-%, more preferably at least 0.5 wt-%, even more preferably at least 0.6 wt-% of C8 normal paraffins, and / or a ratio of C8 isoparaffins to C8 normal paraffins of at most 70, preferably at most 60, further preferably at most 50, more preferably at most 40, even more preferably at most 30.

3. The gasoline fuel component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The gasoline fuel component comprises at least C6, C7 and C8 paraffins, and the weight ratio of C6-C8 isoparaffins to C6-C8 normal paraffins is at least 2.7, preferably at least 2.8, more preferably at least 3.0, and optionally, the total amount of C6-C8 normal paraffins and C6-C8 isoparaffins is at least 50 wt-%, preferably at least 55 wt-%, more preferably at least 58 wt-%, of the total gasoline fuel component weight.

4. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The weight ratio of C6-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins to C6-C9 normal paraffins is at least 0.2, preferably at least 0.3, more preferably at least 0.4, even more preferably at least 0.

5.

5. The gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: at least 50 wt-%, preferably at least 55 wt-%, more preferably at least 60 wt-%, even more preferably at least 65 wt-% of C4-C9 isoparaffins by weight of the total gasoline fuel component; and / or at least 5 wt-%, preferably at least 6 wt-%, more preferably at least 7 wt-%, even more preferably at least 10 wt-%, or at least 11 wt-% of C6-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins by weight of the total gasoline fuel component.

6. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The total amount of C4-C9 normal paraffins, C4-C9 monobranched isoparaffins and C4-C9 multi-branched isoparaffins is greater than 93wt-% of the weight of the total gasoline fuel component, preferably greater than 95wt-% of the weight of the total gasoline fuel component, and more preferably in the range of 95 to 99wt-% of the weight of the total gasoline fuel component.

7. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The gasoline fuel component has a bRON of at least 51, preferably at least 55, as measured according to ASTM D2699-18; and / or a bMON of at least 48, preferably at least 50, more preferably at least 55, as measured according to ASTM D2700-19.

8. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The average carbon number of the C4-C9 isoparaffins is greater than 6.0, preferably at least 6.2, more preferably in the range of 6.2 to 8.0, and / or wherein, The average carbon number of the C4-C9 normal paraffins is at most 6.0, preferably at most 5.6, and is preferably at least 0.5 units lower than the average carbon number of the C4-C9 isoparaffins, more preferably at least 0.6 units lower than the average carbon number of the C4-C9 isoparaffins.

9. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The C6 normal paraffin content is at most 11 wt-%, preferably at most 8 wt-%, based on the weight of the total gasoline fuel component, and / or the weight ratio of C6 isoparaffins to C6 normal paraffins is at least 1.5, preferably at least 1.

7.

10. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The biogenic carbon content of the gasoline fuel component, determined according to EN 16640 (2017), is at least 50 wt-%, preferably at least 70 wt-%, further preferably at least 90 wt-%, more preferably at least 95 wt-%, even more preferably about 100 wt-%, based on the total carbon (TC) weight in the gasoline fuel component.

11. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The difference between the T90 temperature (90 vol-% recovered, measured according to ASTM D7096-19) and the T10 temperature (10 vol-% recovered, measured according to ASTM D7096-19) is at least 60°C, more preferably at least 70°C, even more preferably at least 80°C or at least 100°C, such as in the range of 60 to 140°C.

12. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, obtainable by a process comprising: A paraffinic feed is provided, which is preferably obtained by hydrodeoxygenating an oxygenated hydrocarbon feed, typically comprising vegetable oil, animal fat, and / or microbial oil, and optionally followed by gas-liquid separation and / or fractionation of the paraffinic feed, and subjecting the paraffinic feed to at least hydroisomerization, preferably hydroisomerization and hydrocracking, followed by fractionation, and recovering at least the gasoline fuel component from the fractionation.

13. A gasoline fuel component according to any one of the preceding claims, obtainable by a process comprising: A paraffin feed is provided, the paraffin feed comprising at least 60 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffin feed, wherein: Up to 30 wt-% of the paraffins are isoparaffins; in a first reaction stage, preferably in a first reactor, subjecting the paraffinic feed to hydroisomerization in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent; hydrocracking a second reaction stage feed comprising at least a portion of said hydroisomerization effluent in a second reaction stage, preferably in a second reactor, in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a hydrocracked effluent; A portion of the hydrocracking effluent and optionally the hydroisomerization effluent is fractionated and at least the gasoline fuel component and optionally the aviation fuel component are recovered from the fractionation.

14. Use of a gasoline fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 13 in a gasoline fuel composition.

15. A gasoline fuel composition comprising the gasoline fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. The use according to claim 14 or the gasoline fuel composition according to claim 15, wherein The gasoline fuel composition comprises at least one or more oxygenated gasoline fuel components and / or hydrocarbon fractions, preferably comprises at least one or more of ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, amyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, MTBE, ETBE, TAME, TAEE, butane, alkylate, isomerate, raffinate, FCC gasoline, reformate, pyrolysis gasoline and / or light straight run (LSR) gasoline.

17. The use according to claim 14 or 16 or the gasoline fuel composition according to claim 15 or 16, wherein The gasoline fuel composition meets the requirements for gasoline fuels set out in Directive 2009 / 30 / EC and the optional 2017 amendment EN 228:2012.

18. The use according to any one of claims 14, 16 or 17 or the gasoline fuel composition according to any one of claims 15, 16 or 17, wherein The gasoline fuel composition comprises the gasoline fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 13 in an amount of 1 to 25%-vol, preferably 1 to 20%-vol, based on the volume of the total gasoline fuel composition.

19. Use of a gasoline fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 13 in: feedstocks for industrial conversion processes, preferably thermal cracking feedstocks and / or catalytic cracking feedstocks; solvents; carriers; dispersant compositions; demulsifiers; extractants; detergents; degreasing compositions; cleaning agents; diluents; penetrating oils; corrosion protection compositions; multi-purpose oils; metalworking; agriculture; construction; electronics; medical devices; compositions for the automotive, electrical, textile, packaging, paper and / or pharmaceutical industries; and / or for the manufacture of intermediates thereof.

20. The use according to any one of claims 14, 16, 17, 18 or 19, or the gasoline fuel composition according to any one of claims 15 to 18, or the gasoline fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The gasoline fuel component or the gasoline fuel composition is added with at least one or more of the following: an antioxidant, a stabilizer, a detergent, a corrosion inhibitor, a friction modifier, a metal deactivator and / or a fuel dye.

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