Aviation fuel components

Abstract

This specification discloses an aviation fuel component mainly comprising C6-C18 n-paraffins, C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins, and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins. The aviation fuel component has a very high degree of isomerization and a relatively wide carbon number distribution. This aviation fuel component is particularly useful in aviation fuels and can be incorporated even at very high ratios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to processes for producing fuel components and their products. The present disclosure relates in particular, but not exclusively, to aviation fuel components that can be obtained from renewable feedstocks.

Background Art

[0002] This section presents useful background technical information without admitting that any of the techniques described herein represent the current state of the art.

[0003] There continues to be a need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and / or carbon footprint in transportation, particularly aviation. Accordingly, there has been and continues to be increased interest in renewable aviation fuels and aviation fuel components.

[0004] Processes for producing aviation fuel components from renewable feedstocks have been proposed. However, the yield of aviation fuel components (compared to other fuel components) has been relatively low in such processes. There is also a need to improve the quality of renewable aviation fuel components. In particular, there is interest in producing aviation fuel components that can be used in large quantities in aviation fuel or, if appropriately added, can also be used as aviation fuel.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] It is an object to solve or mitigate at least some of the problems associated with the prior art. The object is to improve the quality of aviation fuel components that can be obtained from renewable sources.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The appended claims define the scope of protection. Any examples and technical explanations of products, processes, and / or uses in the description and / or drawings not covered by the claims are presented as useful examples for understanding the present invention.

[0007] According to a first exemplary embodiment, an aviation fuel component comprising n-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins and multi-branched i-paraffins, wherein the total amount of C6-C18 n-paraffins, C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins is at least 90 wt-%, preferably at least 93 wt-%, more preferably at least 95 wt-%, even more preferably at least 96 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, the weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C18 n-paraffins is at least 10, and the aviation fuel component has a T10 temperature and a T90 temperature within the range of 120°C to 295°C, preferably within the range of 130°C to 295°C, as determined according to EN ISO3405-2019, is provided.

[0008] The inventors have found that the present aviation fuel component and its embodiments provide certain advantages compared to prior art aviation fuel components. The advantages are related to surprisingly good low-temperature properties, for example, compared to prior art aviation fuel products. It is believed that the above advantages are contributed by the chemical composition of the present aviation fuel component, at least a high degree of isomerization, especially a high content of multi-branched isoparaffins.

[0009] The production of the aviation fuel component can use a specific process including a combination of hydroisomerization and hydrocracking of a paraffinic feedstock. The present aviation fuel component can be obtained from a process for producing a renewable fuel component that further includes the recovery of gasoline and / or diesel fuel components.

[0010] According to a second exemplary embodiment, an aviation fuel composition is provided that comprises an aviation fuel component as defined herein, preferably in an amount of 1 vol-% to 99.5 vol-%, preferably 5 vol-% to 95 vol-%, more preferably 10 vol-% to 70 vol-% of the total volume of the aviation fuel composition. Surprisingly, high volume fractions, even up to 99.5 vol-% of the aviation fuel component in the aviation fuel composition, may be possible, particularly due to the exceptionally good low-temperature properties and sufficient density of this aviation fuel component.

[0011] According to a third exemplary embodiment, there is provided the use of an aviation fuel component as defined herein in an aviation fuel composition to improve one or more product properties of the aviation fuel composition.

[0012] According to a fourth exemplary embodiment, in a solvent, in a carrier, in a dispersant composition, in a demulsifier, in an extractant, in a surfactant, in a degreasing composition, in a cleaning agent, in a thinner, in a penetrating oil, in a corrosion protection composition, in a multi-purpose oil, in a metalworking fluid, particularly in a rolling oil for aluminum, in a cutting oil, in an excavation fluid, in a lubricating oil, in an extender oil, in a paint composition, in a coating liquid or paste, in an adhesive, in a resin, in a varnish, in a printing paste or ink, in a plasticized oil, in a turbine oil, in a hydrophobized composition, in agriculture, in a crop protection fluid, in construction, in a concrete release formulation, in electronic devices, in medical devices, in raw materials for industrial conversion processes, preferably in pyrolysis raw materials and / or catalytic cracking raw materials, in compositions for the automotive, electrical, textile, packaging, paper and / or pharmaceutical industries, and / or in the manufacture of intermediates therefor, there is provided the use of an aviation fuel component as defined herein. In the above uses, excellent physicochemical properties can be utilized, and at the same time, the property of being renewable can be evaluated.

[0013] Exemplary aspects and embodiments without various constraints are shown above. The foregoing embodiments are used only to illustrate selected aspects or steps that may be utilized in different embodiments. Some embodiments may be presented only with reference to specific exemplary aspects. It should be understood that the corresponding embodiments can also be applied to other exemplary aspects.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Some exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] In the following description, like reference numerals denote like elements or steps.

[0017] All standards referred to in this specification are the latest revised versions available at the filing date, unless otherwise specified.

[0018] Unless otherwise specified, for distillation characteristics such as initial boiling point (IBP), final boiling point (FBP), T10 temperature (10 vol-% recovery), T90 temperature (90 vol-% recovery), and boiling point range, EN ISO3405-2019 is referred to. The IBP is the temperature at the moment when the first droplet of condensate falls from the lower end of the condenser tube, and the FBP is the maximum thermometer measurement value obtained during the test, which usually occurs after all the liquid has evaporated from the bottom of the flask. For boiling point distribution, a GC-based method (simdis) ASTM D2887-19e1, or for gasoline-range hydrocarbons, ASTM D7096-19 can also be referred to.

[0019] 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 of aviation fuel, such as the specifications defined in ASTM D7566-21. Typically, such an aviation fuel component is determined according to EN ISO3405-2019 and boils within a range of about 100°C to about 300°C, for example within a range of about 150°C to about 300°C, that is, it has an IBP and an FBP.

[0020] 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 that meets the standard specifications of diesel fuel, such as the specifications defined in EN 590:2022 or EN 15940:2016+A1:2018+AC:2019. Typically, such a diesel fuel component is determined according to EN ISO3405-2019 and boils within a range of about 160°C to about 380°C, that is, it has an IBP and an FBP.

[0021] As used in the context of the present disclosure, a gasoline fuel component or naphtha refers to a hydrocarbon component suitable for use in a fuel composition that meets the standard specifications of gasoline fuel, such as the specifications defined in EN228-2012+A1-2017. Typically, such a gasoline fuel component is determined according to EN ISO3405-2019 and boils within a range of about 25°C to about 210°C, that is, it has an IBP and an FBP.

[0022] As used in the context of the present disclosure, a marine fuel component refers to a hydrocarbon component suitable for use in a fuel composition that meets the standard specifications of marine fuel, such as the specifications defined in ISO8217-2017. Typically, such a marine fuel component is determined according to EN ISO3405-2019 and boils within a range of about 180°C to about 600°C, such as about 180°C to about 400°C, that is, it has an IBP and an FBP.

[0023] As used herein, hydrocarbon refers to a compound consisting of carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons of particular interest in this context include paraffins, n-paraffins, i-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins, multi-branched i-paraffins, olefins, naphthenes, and aromatics. Oxygenated hydrocarbons, as used herein, refer to hydrocarbons containing covalently bonded oxygen.

[0024] As used herein, paraffin refers to an acyclic alkane, i.e., an acyclic open-chain saturated hydrocarbon that is straight-chain (normal paraffin, n-paraffin) or branched (isoparaffin, i-paraffin). In other words, paraffin, as used herein, refers to n-paraffins and / or i-paraffins.

[0025] In the context of the present disclosure, i-paraffin refers to a branched open-chain alkane, i.e., an acyclic open-chain saturated hydrocarbon having one or more alkyl side chains. As used herein, an i-paraffin having one alkyl side chain or branch is called a mono-branched i-paraffin, and an i-paraffin having two or more alkyl side chains or branches is called a multi-branched i-paraffin herein. In other words, i-paraffin, as used herein, refers to mono-branched i-paraffins and / or multi-branched i-paraffins. The alkyl side chain may be, for example, a C1-C9 alkyl side chain, preferably a methyl side chain. The amounts of mono-branched and multi-branched i-paraffins may be given separately. The term "i-paraffin" refers to the total amount of any mono-branched i-paraffins and multi-branched i-paraffins present, and indicates the total amount of any i-paraffins present regardless of the number of branches. Correspondingly, "paraffin" refers to the total amount of any n-paraffins, any mono-branched i-paraffins, and any multi-branched i-paraffins present, if any.

[0026] In the context of the present disclosure, olefin refers to an unsaturated, straight-chain, branched, or cyclic hydrocarbon excluding aromatic compounds. In other words, olefin refers to a hydrocarbon having at least one unsaturated bond except for the unsaturated bonds in the aromatic ring.

[0027] As used herein, cyclic hydrocarbons refer to all hydrocarbons containing a cyclic structure, including cyclic olefins, naphthenes, and aromatics. Naphthenes, as used herein, refer to cycloalkanes, i.e., saturated hydrocarbons containing at least one cyclic structure, with or without side chains. Since naphthenes are saturated compounds, they are compounds that do not have an aromatic ring structure. Aromatics, as used herein, refer to hydrocarbons containing at least one aromatic ring structure, i.e., a cyclic structure having alternating π bonds delocalized throughout the circumference of the above-mentioned cyclic structure.

[0028] In the context of the present disclosure, for compositions that boil at 36°C or higher (at standard atmospheric pressure), the contents of n-paraffin, i-paraffin, mono-branched i-paraffin, various multi-branched isoparaffins, naphthenes, and aromatics are expressed as weight % (wt-%) relative to the degassed weight of the feed, stream, effluent, product, component, or sample, or, if so defined, as weight % (wt-%) relative to the (total) weight of paraffin or the (total) weight of i-paraffin of the feed, stream, effluent, product, component, or sample. The above contents can be determined by the GC×GC-FID / GC×GC-MS method, preferably as follows: The GC×GC (2D GC) method was carried out with the following modifications as disclosed generally in UOP990-2011 and by Nousiainen M. in the experimental section of his master's thesis, Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with mass spectrometric and flame ionization detectors in petroleum chemistry (University of Helsinki, August 2017). GC×GC was first carried out using a semi-polar column (Rxi17Sil), then a non-polar column (Rxi5Sil), followed by using an FID detector with the following operating parameters: carrier gas helium 31.7 cm / sec (column flow rate 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 sec; detector 300°C with H2 40 ml / min and air 400 ml / min; makeup flow helium 30 ml / min; sampling rate 250 Hz and injection size 0.2 microliter, and was run in reverse mode. GC×GC-MS was used to identify individual compounds with the following MS parameters: ion source 230°C; interface 300°C; scan range 25 - 500 amu; event time (sec) 0.05; scan speed 20000.Commercially available tools (Shimadzu's LabSolutions, Zoex's GC images) were used for data processing including identification of the detected compounds or hydrocarbon groups, and for applying the response factor to n - heptane to the volume of the detected peaks and subsequently normalizing to 100 wt-% to determine their mass concentrations. Olefins were grouped with heteroatom species having naphthenes and aromatics unless reported separately. The quantification limit for individual compounds of this method is 0.1 wt-%.

[0029] In the context of the present disclosure, various properties of feeds, streams, effluents, products, components or samples are determined according to standard methods appropriately prepared and referenced or disclosed herein. For example, the cloud point is determined from a degassed feed, stream, effluent, product, component or sample according to ASTM D5771 - 17.

[0030] In the context of the present disclosure, feeds to the reaction section, particularly the first reaction section and / or the second reaction section, are defined such that H2 that may be supplied to each reaction section, e.g., H2 supplied to hydroisomerization and / or H2 supplied to hydrocracking, is excluded from the definition of the feed.

[0031] As used herein, the hydroisomerization (HI) effluent may, in some cases, refer to the total HI effluent, the degassed HI effluent, or the degassed and stabilized HI effluent, and the term HI effluent may encompass each of these.

[0032] In the context of the present disclosure, CX+ paraffin, CX+ n - paraffin, CX+ i - paraffin, mono - branched i - paraffin, CX+ multi - branched i - paraffin, CX+ hydrocarbon, or CX+ fatty acid each refer to a paraffin, n - paraffin, i - paraffin, mono - branched i - paraffin, multi - branched i - paraffin, hydrocarbon, or fatty acid having at least X carbon atoms, where X is any achievable integer. It is understood that not all compounds falling within the definition necessarily exist.

[0033] In the context of the present disclosure, CY-paraffin, CY-n-paraffin, CY-i-paraffin, CY-monobranched i-paraffin, CY-multibranched i-paraffin, CY-hydrocarbon, or CY-fatty acid each refers to a paraffin, n-paraffin, i-paraffin, monobranched i-paraffin, multibranched i-paraffin, hydrocarbon, or fatty acid having a maximum of Y carbon atoms, where Y is any achievable integer. It is understood that not all compounds falling within the definition necessarily exist.

[0034] In the context of the present disclosure, CX Y -CX Z (or CX Y -CX Z ) paraffin, CX Y -CX Z n-paraffin, CX Y -CX Z i-paraffin, CX Y -CX Z monobranched i-paraffin, CX Y -CX Z multibranched i-paraffin, CX Y -CX Z hydrocarbon or CX Y -CX Z fatty acid each refers to a range of paraffin, n-paraffin, i-paraffin, monobranched i-paraffin, multibranched i-paraffin, hydrocarbon or fatty acid, where X Y and X Zis an achievable end value integer, and the number of carbon atoms within such a range is indicated by the end value integer and, if present, any integer between the end values. However, in some cases, within the above range, particularly paraffins, n-paraffins, i-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins, multi-branched i-paraffins, hydrocarbons or fatty acids with all of the above carbon numbers at or around the endpoints do not necessarily exist, unless explicitly indicated as such. On the other hand, by definition, isomers may include several compounds having the same number of carbon atoms. For example, C15 isomers may include methyltetradecane (different positions of methyl branches), dimethyltridecane (different positions of two methyl branches), etc., and "C15 isomers" includes the total amount of all such variants.

[0035] Typically, it means the total amount as weight or volume of paraffins, n-paraffins, i-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins, multi-branched i-paraffins, hydrocarbons or fatty acids with each defined number of carbon atoms included. For example, C15 - C22 n-paraffins refer to any n-paraffins within the above range such as C15, C16, C17, C18, C19, C20, C21 and C22 n-paraffins, even if the content of C15 n-paraffin is 0. In other words, the total amount can be obtained by adding 0 (referring to the non-existent C15 n-paraffin) to the total weight of all other existing C15 - C22 n-paraffins.

[0036] As used herein, the total amount by weight of C6-C18 n-paraffins, C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins, and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins defines the total weight of n-paraffins and isoparaffins (mono-branched i-paraffins and multi-branched i-paraffins) having carbon numbers C6, C7, C8, C9, C10, C11, C12, C13, C14, C15, C16, C17 or C18, and the weight of any individual compound can be 0 (taking into account the detection limit). Further, the isoparaffin contains several individual compounds that depend on the position, number and stereochemistry of the branches (mono-branched i-paraffins) or branches (multi-branched i-paraffins) even within a single carbon number, and still, its total weight is added to the total amount present. In other words, when the carbon number is C6-C18 and the compound is either an n-paraffin or an isoparaffin, if the carbon number is counted and the weight of the above compound is 0, 0 is added to the above total amount. Therefore, it is understood that not all compounds falling within the definition necessarily exist. Due to the selection made with respect to the production process, for example, C18 n-paraffin may not be present in the aviation fuel component. Nevertheless, the total amount can be obtained by adding 0 (referring to the non-existent C18 n-paraffin) to the total weight of all other C6-C18 n-paraffins and isoparaffins present.

[0037] Isomerization converts at least a certain amount of n-paraffin into i-paraffin, particularly mono-branched i-paraffin. By further increasing the degree of isomerization, for example, by increasing the degree of hydroisomerization as described below, more n-paraffin can be converted into i-paraffin, and mono-branched i-paraffin can be converted into multi-branched i-paraffin, such as di-branched, tri-branched i-paraffin, and further i-paraffin containing more than three branches.

[0038] As used in the context of this specification and the second reactor section, effective resolution refers to the cracking that produces non-gas (NTP) cracking products, particularly expressed as the ratio of the C8 - C14 hydrocarbon content in the hydrocracking effluent to the C8 - C14 hydrocarbon content in the feed to the second reactor section.

[0039] As used herein, the term renewable refers to compounds or compositions that can be obtained from, derivable from, or derived from plants and / or animals, and that can be obtained from, derivable from, or derived from fungi and / or algae, either in whole or in part. As used herein, renewable compounds or compositions can include genetically engineered compounds or compositions. Renewable feeds, components, compounds, or compositions can also be referred to as biological feeds, components, compounds, or compositions, or feeds, components, compounds, or compositions of biological origin.

[0040] As used herein, the term fossil refers to compounds or compositions that can be obtained from, derivable from, or derived from naturally occurring non-renewable compositions, such as crude oil, petroleum / gas, shale oil / gas, natural gas, or coal deposits, etc., and combinations thereof, and includes any hydrocarbon-rich deposits that can be utilized from surface / subsurface sources. The term recycle typically refers to recycled materials derived from non-renewable sources. For example, the term recycle can refer to recycled materials derived from waste plastics.

[0041] The above renewable, recycled, and fossil compounds or compositions are considered to be different from each other based on their origin and impact on environmental issues. Therefore, they can be treated differently under the framework of laws and regulations. Typically, renewable, recycled, and fossil compounds or compositions are distinguished based on their origin and the information provided by their manufacturers.

[0042] Chemically, the renewable or fossil origin of any organic compound containing hydrocarbons can be determined by an appropriate method for analyzing the carbon content from renewable sources, such as DIN 51637 (2014), ASTM D6866 (2020) or EN 16640 (2017). The above methods are based on the fact that carbon atoms of renewable or biological origin contain a larger number of unstable radiocarbon ( 14 C) atoms compared to carbon atoms of fossil origin. Thus, 12 C and 14 C isotope ratios can be analyzed to distinguish carbon compounds derived from renewable or biological sources or feedstocks from those derived from non-renewable or fossil sources or feedstocks. Thus, the specific ratios of the above isotopes can be used as "tags" to identify renewable carbon compounds and distinguish them from non-renewable carbon compounds. Isotope ratios do not change during the course of a chemical reaction. Thus, isotope ratios can be used to identify renewable compounds, components and compositions and distinguish them from non-renewable fossil materials in reactor feeds, reactor effluents, separated product fractions, and various blends thereof. Numerically, the carbon content of biological origin can be expressed as the amount of carbon of biological origin in the material as a weight percentage of the total carbon (TC) in the material (in accordance with ASTM D6866 (2020) or EN 16640 (2017)). In this context, the term renewable preferably refers to a material having a carbon content of biological origin of more than 50 wt-%, in particular more than 60 wt-%, or more than 70 wt-%, preferably more than 80 wt-%, more preferably more than 90 wt-%, or more 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, herein provided is an aviation fuel component comprising n-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins, and multi-branched i-paraffins, wherein the total amount of C6-C18 n-paraffins, C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins, and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins is at least 90 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, the weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C18 n-paraffins is at least 10, and the aviation fuel component has a T10 temperature and a T90 temperature within the range of 120°C to 295°C as determined according to EN ISO3405-2019. The high paraffin content, the high degree of isomerization reflected by the very high weight ratio of multi-branched i-paraffins to n-paraffins, and the specific T10-T90 temperature range provide several advantages, as will be detailed later.

[0044] This aviation fuel component mainly comprises n-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins, and multi-branched i-paraffins. The total amount of C6-C18 n-paraffins, C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins, and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins is at least 90 wt-%, preferably at least 93 wt-%, more preferably at least 95 wt-%, still more preferably at least 96 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, for example 90 wt-% to 99 wt-% or 93-99 wt-%. The remaining portion, which is at most 10 wt-% of the above aviation fuel component weight, may include non-paraffins (such as aromatics, naphthenes, and / or olefins), and / or paraffins having a carbon number of C5 or less, and / or paraffins having a carbon number of C19 or more. The above paraffins having a carbon number of C5 or less or C19 or more may be n-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins, and / or multi-branched i-paraffins.

[0045] The inventors have found that this aviation fuel component, which contains a high content of paraffins within the carbon number range C6 - C18, is very beneficial for several reasons. For example, the high paraffin content leaves little room for aromatics, olefins and naphthenes, and reducing or minimizing their content can help meet safety, environmental and / or occupational health requirements and / or recommendations, as well as standards such as ASTM D7566 - 21. The high paraffin content can also provide easy biodegradability. Furthermore, this high - paraffin - based aviation fuel component can provide better performance to the end - user regarding combustion and / or emissions. Additionally, the blendability of this high - isoparaffin - based aviation fuel component with components of other typical aviation fuel ranges is very good. Moreover, this high - paraffin - based aviation fuel component is more stable or inert, for example during storage and blending, compared to components with a high content of non - paraffins, especially olefins, which can react in the component or in its blend composition to form high - molecular - weight precipitates, i.e., gums. Also, aromatics are particularly susceptible to the effects of instability, especially with increasing size and concentration of aromatics, and for example, the tendency to deposit under stress caused by oxidation and molecular growth of aromatics may be higher. Improved stability is a particularly desirable property for aviation fuel components due to the strict maximum limits of gums present in aviation fuels. Furthermore, certain ranges of paraffins, such as within the range C6 - C18, are beneficial for the final product properties when blended with components of other typical aviation fuel ranges compared to neat or pure components, for example neat C14 paraffin. Typically, the carbon number distribution of paraffins in this aviation fuel component covers at least six adjacent carbon numbers within the range C6 - C18, preferably at least seven adjacent carbon numbers, more preferably at least eight or at least nine adjacent carbon numbers.

[0046] This aviation fuel component has a high degree of isomerization. This is reflected by the high content of isoparaffins, especially multi-branched isoparaffins, and the low content of n-paraffins. Thus, according to certain preferred embodiments, in this aviation fuel component, the total amount of C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins is at least 85 wt-%, preferably at least 87 wt-%, more preferably at least 90 wt-%, and even more preferably at least 92 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component. In certain particularly preferred embodiments, the amount of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins is at least 58 wt-%, preferably at least 60 wt-%, more preferably at least 62 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component. Such i-paraffin and especially multi-branched isoparaffin contents are surprisingly high and particularly interesting because they are not limited to only a few carbon numbers, thereby allowing a fairly wide range of carbon numbers to be included in this aviation fuel component while enhancing the low-temperature properties.

[0047] In this aviation fuel composition, the weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C18 n-paraffins is at least 10, preferably at least 10.0. In certain preferred embodiments, the weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C18 n-paraffins is at least 11, preferably at least 12, more preferably at least 14, and even more preferably at least 16. Typically, the above ratio is within the range of 10-30, or 10-25, up to 30 or up to 25. Such a high weight ratio is preferred because it is considered that multi-branched i-paraffins are more effective than mono-branched i-paraffins in compensating for the poor low-temperature properties of n-paraffins. Therefore, it is preferred that this aviation fuel composition has a higher content of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins than C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins. In certain preferred embodiments, the weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins is at least 1.6, preferably at least 1.7, more preferably at least 1.8, and even more preferably at least 1.9 or at least 2.0. Typically, the above weight ratio is up to 10, or within the range of 1.6-5.0, up to 5.0. The examples in this specification show such unusually high weight ratios of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C18 n-paraffins and of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffins.

[0048] In this aviation fuel component, the degree of isomerization is particularly high among the longer C14 - C18 paraffins. In certain preferred embodiments, the weight ratio of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C14 - C18 n-paraffins is greater than 20, preferably at least 30, more preferably at least 40, even more preferably at least 50, or at least 60. Examples show that the above ratio can be very high in this aviation fuel component and can be >70 or even >100 in many cases. As the amount of n-paraffins approaches zero, it can reach a very high ratio, but in practice some n-paraffins are typically present. The low n-paraffin content contributes to the improvement of low-temperature properties such as the freezing point and / or kinematic viscosity at sub-zero temperatures. Even if a process for producing this aviation fuel component, which will be described in detail later, can be carried out to convert most of the C14 - C18 n-paraffins to isoparaffins, the process economy can actually set an upper limit, whereby the weight ratio of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C14 - C18 n-paraffins can be up to about 500, or up to 300, for example, within the range of at least 20 to about 500. Another indicator of a very high degree of isomerization is the weight ratio of C14 - C18 mono-branched i-paraffins to C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins. In this aviation fuel component, the above weight ratio of C14 - C18 mono-branched i-paraffins to C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins can be greater than 2.0, preferably at least 2.4, more preferably at least 2.6, even more preferably at least 2.8, or at least 3.0. Typically, the above weight ratio is up to 40 or up to 30, for example, within the range of 2.0 - 40. A high weight ratio can better indicate a high degree of isomerization, but the degree of isomerization can also be indicated by the content of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins. In this aviation fuel component, the content of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins can be at least 35 wt-%, preferably at least 40 wt-%, more preferably at least 45 wt-%, even more preferably at least 50 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component.In a particularly preferred embodiment of this aviation fuel component, the weight ratio of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins having at least three branches to total C14 - C18 i-paraffins can be at least 0.10, preferably at least 0.12, more preferably at least 0.15, even more preferably at least 0.17, and / or the content of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins having at least three branches can be at least 5 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, preferably at least 8 wt-%, more preferably at least 10 wt-%, even more preferably at least 12 wt-%, typically at most 55 wt-%, or at most 50 wt-%, or at most 45 wt-%. One reason for separately evaluating the longer C14 - C18 paraffins is that even a small amount of long n-paraffins can have an adverse effect on the low-temperature properties of the aviation fuel component. For example, C14 - C18 n-paraffins typically have a high melting point far exceeding 0 °C, while C6 - C13 n-paraffins have a melting point below 0 °C. Furthermore, the level of branching in the C14 - C18 range is considered to have a particularly beneficial effect on low-temperature properties, especially the freezing point, with respect to the weight ratio of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins having at least three branches to total C14 - C18 i-paraffins, and / or the content of multi-branched i-paraffins having at least three branches. When the weight ratio to total i-paraffins or the content of multi-branched i-paraffins having at least three branches in the C14 - C18 range is sufficiently high, hydrocarbons in the C14 - C18 range can be incorporated in larger amounts without spoiling the freezing point, or the freezing point can be further increased. Therefore, achieving a high degree of isomerization among C14 - C18 paraffins can be considered very advantageous. Preferably, this aviation fuel component contains at most 1.0 wt-% of C19+ hydrocarbons of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, more preferably at most 0.8 wt-%, even more preferably at most 0.5 wt-%, and even more preferably at most 0.3 wt-%.

[0049] To further improve the low-temperature properties, a high degree of isomerization may be desired also in the C6-C13 paraffin range, but the shorter chain lengths make it more difficult to achieve a good degree of isomerization here. Surprisingly, it has been found that the process disclosed herein has a generally high degree of isomerization and is capable of producing sufficiently high aviation fuel components also in the C6-C13 range. This aviation fuel component can have a surprisingly high total isoparaffin content also in the C6-C13 range, as shown by the examples. Typically, this aviation fuel component can contain at least 20 wt-% or even at least 30 wt-% of C6-C13 i-paraffins of the total weight of the aviation fuel component. Also, C6-C13 multi-branched i-paraffins can be present in surprisingly large amounts. Thus, according to certain preferred embodiments, in this aviation fuel component, the amount of C6-C13 multi-branched i-paraffins is at least 5.0 wt-%, preferably at least 7.0 wt-%, more preferably at least 8.0 wt-%, even more preferably at least 9.0 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component. Typically, the amount of C6-C13 multi-branched i-paraffins is up to 30 wt-%, or up to 25 wt-%, such as in the range of 5-30 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component. According to certain typical embodiments, in this aviation fuel component, the weight ratio of C6-C13 total i-paraffins to C6-C13 n-paraffins is at least 5.0, preferably at least 6.0, more preferably at least 7.0, and / or the weight ratio of C6-C13 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6-C13 n-paraffins is at least 2.0, preferably at least 2.5, more preferably at least 3.0. Such ratios indicate a good degree of isomerization among the paraffins in the C6-C13 range.

[0050] Generally, a higher occupancy of paraffins with shorter chain lengths can be expected to provide better low-temperature properties compared to longer paraffins. Surprisingly, the inventors have found that an aviation fuel component in which the weight ratio of C14-C18 total paraffins to C6-C13 total paraffins is in the range of 0.8-5.0, preferably 1.0-4.5, more preferably 1.1-4.0, and even more preferably 1.2-3.5 can achieve excellent low-temperature properties. Without being bound by any theory, it is considered that the particularly high degree of isomerization among C14-C18 paraffins effectively compensates for the somewhat lower degree of isomerization in the C6-C13 range. At the same time, a higher density can be achieved for the aviation fuel component. This is beneficial because even when this aviation fuel component is incorporated into an aviation fuel composition at a high ratio, the density of the final blend does not drop below the minimum value required, for example, in Table 1 of ASTM D7566-21.

[0051] Generally, isoparaffins have a lower boiling point than n-paraffins with the same number of carbon atoms. Therefore, in a specific preferred embodiment of this aviation fuel component, the weight ratio of C14-C18 total paraffins to C6-C13 total paraffins is 0.8-5.0, preferably 1.0-4.5, more preferably 1.1-4.0, and even more preferably 1.2-3.5, and the ratio (T50-T5) / (T95-T50) of the difference between the T50 temperature and the T5 temperature to the difference between the T95 temperature and the T50 temperature is in the range of 0.7-6.0, preferably 0.8-5.5, more preferably 0.8-5.0, even more preferably 0.9-4.0, or 0.9-3.0, particularly 0.9-2.5.

[0052] Some distillation characteristics of certain typical embodiments of this aviation fuel component are disclosed below.

[0053] In certain preferred embodiments, the aviation fuel component is determined in accordance with EN ISO3405-2019 and has a difference between the T90 temperature and the T10 temperature in the range of at least 70°C, preferably at least 75°C, more preferably at least 80°C, even more preferably at least 85°C, typically up to 180°C, such as in the range of 80 to 150°C, preferably 80 to 130°C. In such embodiments, the aviation fuel component can be recovered in improved yields while achieving the desired low-temperature properties, density, and flash point characteristics.

[0054] In certain typical embodiments, the aviation fuel component is determined in accordance with EN ISO3405-2019 and has a T10 temperature in the range of at least 120°C, preferably at least 130°C, typically up to 220°C, preferably up to 210°C, such as in the range of 120°C to 220°C or 130°C to 210°C.

[0055] In certain typical embodiments, the aviation fuel component is determined in accordance with EN ISO3405-2019 and has a T90 temperature in the range of at least 250°C, preferably at least 255°C, typically up to 295°C or up to 290°C, such as in the range of 250°C to 295°C or 255°C to 290°C. In certain typical embodiments, the aviation fuel component is determined in accordance with EN ISO3405-2019 and has a final boiling point (FBP) of up to 300°C, typically at least 270°C, such as in the range of 270°C to 300°C. These embodiments are desirable to meet the requirements of Annex A2 of ASTM D7566-21 for isoparaffinic kerosene obtained from hydroprocessed fatty raw materials.

[0056] In certain preferred embodiments, the aviation fuel component has an initial boiling point (IBP) in the range of at least 90°C, preferably at least 100°C, more preferably at least 110°C, even more preferably at least 120°C, typically up to 190°C or up to 180°C, such as in the range of 90°C to 190°C or 100°C to 180°C. In these embodiments, the desired flash point can be reached without unnecessarily reducing the yield.

[0057] In certain preferred embodiments, for an aviation fuel component, the ratio (T50-T5) / (T95-T50) of the difference between the T50 temperature and the T5 temperature to the difference between the T95 temperature and the T50 temperature is in the range of 0.7 to 6.0, preferably 0.8 to 5.5, more preferably 0.8 to 5.0, even more preferably 0.9 to 4.0, or 0.9 to 3.0, particularly 0.9 to 2.5. These embodiments have a more balanced boiling point distribution and can thus provide improved combustion characteristics.

[0058] This aviation fuel component showed surprisingly good viscosity at sub-zero temperatures when determined experimentally. Thus, according to certain embodiments, the aviation fuel component has a kinematic viscosity at -20 °C, determined in accordance with EN ISO3104-2020, in the range of 4.0 to 10.0 mm 2 / s, preferably 4.0 to 9.5 mm 2 / s, more preferably 4.0 to 8.5 mm 2 / s. In certain further embodiments, the aviation fuel component has a kinematic viscosity at -40 °C, determined in accordance with EN ISO3104-2020, in the range of 9.0 to 30.0 mm 2 / s, preferably 10.0 to 28.0 mm 2 / s, more preferably 10.0 to 25.0 mm 2 / s.

[0059] In certain exemplary embodiments, the aviation fuel component has a flash point of at least 38 °C, determined in accordance with IP170-2013 (Abel closed cup method).

[0060] In certain exemplary embodiments, the aviation fuel component has a freezing point of -40 °C or lower, preferably -50 °C or lower, more preferably -60 °C or lower, even more preferably -70 °C or lower, determined in accordance with IP529-2016. Surprisingly, some of the freezing points of the samples of the aviation fuel components according to the present disclosure shown in the examples were clearly below -70 °C. Such results are extremely beneficial for fuel components for use in aviation fuels.

[0061] In certain typical embodiments, the aviation fuel component is determined according to EN ISO 12185-1996 and has a density at 15 °C in the range of 750 to 780 kg / m 3 , preferably 750 to 775 kg / m 3 , more preferably 750 to 772 kg / m 3 .

[0062] In certain preferred embodiments, the aviation fuel component has a bio-based carbon content (EN16640(2017)) of at least 50 wt-%, preferably at least 70 wt-%, more preferably at least 90 wt-%, based on the total weight of carbon (TC) in the aviation fuel component.

[0063] Compared with conventional paraffinic aviation fuels or fuel components, the present aviation fuel component provides surprisingly good low-temperature properties such as pour point, kinematic viscosity at -20 °C and / or kinematic viscosity at -40 °C. In the present aviation fuel component, the degree of isomerization may be high throughout the carbon number range, especially in the C14 - C18 range, so that the carbon number does not need to be limited from the top by distillation, rather higher carbon numbers may be included in the present aviation fuel component. In some prior art processes, the final boiling point in the recovery of aviation fuel components needs to be limited to well below 300 °C in order to reduce the amount of higher n-paraffins such as C17 or even C16 n-paraffins that can destroy the low-temperature properties. In the case of the present aviation fuel component, this is not necessary due to a very high degree of isomerization, which is represented, for example, by a specific weight ratio of C6 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6 - C18 n-paraffins. Therefore, the present aviation fuel component can be recovered in a better yield while achieving the desired combination of low pour point, low kinematic viscosity at -20 °C, sufficient flash point, and sufficient density that does not limit the blend ratio by reducing the density of the final blend below the minimum required value.

[0064] The beneficial properties of this aviation fuel component, particularly the very high overall degree of isomerization and excellent low-temperature properties, can be contributed by the production process and the feedstocks thereto. Additives or enhancers may not be necessary. The aviation fuel component can be obtained directly from, or can be obtained from, the product recovery of the production process.

[0065] In certain embodiments, the aviation fuel component is preferably obtained by providing a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock which typically results from hydrodeoxygenation of an oxygenated hydrocarbon feedstock containing vegetable oil, animal fat and / or microbial oil, and optionally subsequent gas-liquid separation and / or fractionation of the paraffinic feedstock, and subjecting the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock to at least hydroisomerization, preferably to hydroisomerization and hydrocracking, followed by fractionation and recovering at least the aviation fuel component from the fractionation. The feedstocks and process steps, particularly the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock, hydroisomerization and optional hydrocracking, and fractionation are preferably as further defined herein.

[0066] According to certain preferred embodiments, this aviation fuel component provides a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock containing at least 60 wt-% paraffins of the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock, with a maximum of 30 wt-% of the paraffins in the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock being i-paraffins, subjecting the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock to hydroisomerization in a first reaction section, preferably a first reactor, in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent, subjecting a second reaction section feedstock containing at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent to hydrocracking in a second reaction section, preferably a second reactor, in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a hydrocracking effluent, subjecting the hydrocracking effluent, and optionally (at least) a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent, to fractionation and recovering at least the aviation fuel component, and optionally a gasoline fuel component and / or a diesel fuel component, from the fractionation It can be obtained by a process comprising.

[0067] Optionally, other products such as marine fuel components can also be recovered.

[0068] Preferably, the process preferably has a T5 temperature (5 vol-% recovery, EN ISO3405-2019) of 270 °C or higher and further comprises recovering a recycle stream containing C16n-paraffin from the fraction if desired. The recycle stream may be included in at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent, or may form at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent that is subjected to hydrocracking in a second reaction section, preferably a second reactor. In other words, the recycle stream is fed to hydrocracking in a second reaction section, preferably a second reactor, as part of the second reaction section feed. The recycle stream may include at least a portion of the fractionation bottoms. In embodiments where the recycle stream is separated, particularly in embodiments where the second reaction section feed to hydrocracking includes, in addition to the recycle stream, a further portion of the hydroisomerization effluent, the yield of the desired liquid fuel component can be further optimized. In embodiments where the recycle stream is separated, the diesel fuel component is conveniently recovered by separating a portion from the recycle stream.

[0069] In this process, the paraffinic hydrocarbon feed contains at least 60 wt-%, preferably at least 70 wt-%, more preferably at least 80 wt-%, even more preferably at least 90 wt-% paraffin based on the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feed. The paraffinic hydrocarbon feed of the present disclosure may even contain at least 95 wt-% paraffin based on the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feed, or may consist essentially of paraffin. The paraffinic hydrocarbon feed of the present disclosure may contain small amounts, preferably less than 5 wt-%, more preferably less than 1 wt-% olefins, as well as small amounts of aromatics and / or naphthenes based on the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feed.

[0070] The advantage of using a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock in the process of the present disclosure is that paraffins are isomerized under relatively mild conditions more readily when subjected to hydrogen isomerization, for example, compared to cyclic hydrocarbons. Also, paraffins decompose under mild conditions more readily when subjected to hydrocracking, which helps to reduce the formation of light gases.

[0071] In this process, a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock containing at least 60 wt-% paraffins of the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock, with a maximum of 30 wt-% of the paraffins being i-paraffins, can be obtained from paraffin hydroprocessing effluents such as hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) effluents, paraffinic Fischer-Tropsch (FT) effluents, or combinations thereof, after subjecting the effluent to at least gas-liquid separation, i.e., removal of compounds that are gaseous at least at NTP, and optionally also to a paraffinic feedstock fractionation. For example, paraffinic FT effluents of fossil origin are readily available (in addition to those of renewable origin), but preferably, the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock of the present disclosure is at least partially renewable, i.e., contains components of biological origin.

[0072] Preferably, the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock of the present disclosure comprises, or consists essentially of, a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) effluent or a portion thereof from the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (catalytic HDO) of an oxygenated hydrocarbon feedstock, such as a de-aerated hydrodeoxygenation effluent or a portion thereof. Preferably, the oxygenated hydrocarbon feedstock comprises at least one or more of vegetable oils, animal fats, and / or microbial oils. This type of paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock tends to have a relatively narrow carbon number distribution and, thus, may provide more benefits when subjected to the process of the present invention as compared to, for example, an FT-based feedstock that typically has a substantially Gaussian distribution of hydrocarbon chains and a wide carbon chain length distribution. Typically, providing a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock involves subjecting an oxygenated hydrocarbon feedstock to hydrodeoxygenation in the presence of a hydrodeoxygenation catalyst to obtain a hydrodeoxygenation effluent, and then subjecting the hydrodeoxygenation effluent to gas-liquid separation and, optionally, to a paraffinic feedstock fractionation to obtain a de-aerated hydrodeoxygenation effluent or a fraction thereof as the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock. Hydrodeoxygenation can be carried out as described in prior art publications, such as Finnish Patent No. 100248, European Patent Application Publication No. 1741768, European Patent No. 2155838, or Finnish Patent 129220. Typically, hydrodeoxygenation is carried out in the absence of added water, i.e., without adding water separately from the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock.

[0073] Generally, in the context of the present disclosure, the hydroisomerization (HI) of a paraffinic hydrocarbon feed in the first reaction section / reactor is operated such that the isomerization reaction is dominant while the cracking reaction is controlled or suppressed. Typically, the HI in the first reaction section / 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, an H2 partial pressure at the inlet of the first reaction section / 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 paraffinic hydrocarbon feed / kg catalyst / hour, and an H2 to paraffinic hydrocarbon feed ratio in the range of 10 to 2000, preferably 50 to 1000 normal liters H2 / liter paraffinic hydrocarbon feed. The hydroisomerization can be carried out as described in prior art publications, for example, Finnish Patent No. 100248, European Patent Application Publication No. 1741768, European Patent No. 2155838 or Finnish Patent 129220. The degree of HI can be increased by at least one or more of decreasing the WHSV, increasing the temperature, and / or increasing the pressure. When using a fresh HI catalyst, it is possible to reach a high degree of HI conditions at a lower temperature and / or pressure and / or using a higher WHSV, and towards the end of the HI catalyst life, higher temperature and / or pressure and / or a lower WHSV may be required even to reach a moderate HI.In this context, an HI that results in a liquid effluent having a total i-paraffin content of 50 to 85 wt-% and a multibranched i-paraffin content of up to 25 wt-%, or a total i-paraffin content of 85 to 95 wt-% and a multibranched i-paraffin content of 25 to 55 wt-%, or a total i-paraffin content of at least 95 wt-% and a multibranched i-paraffin content exceeding 55 wt-%, as wt-% of paraffin in the liquid effluent, is generally regarded as a low, or medium, or high HI, respectively, although these content ranges are only for indicating an index, somewhat overlapping, and may vary depending on the case.

[0074] Generally, the hydrocracking in the second reaction section / reactor is operated such that reactions that particularly enhance the degree of effective cracking not only for cracking reactions, especially C8 to C14 hydrocarbons but also for lighter non-gaseous hydrocarbons, are more abundant than the hydroisomerization in the first reaction section / reactor. Preferably, the cracking reactions, especially those that enhance the degree of effective cracking, are dominant in the hydrocracking in the second reaction section / reactor, but generally there is no excessive cracking and excessive fuel gas formation. Typically, the hydrocracking in the second reaction section / reactor is carried out at a temperature in the range of 200 °C to 450 °C, preferably 220 °C to 430 °C, more preferably 280 °C to 350 °C, a pressure in the range of 0.4 MPa to 8 MPa, preferably 1 MPa to 7 MPa, an H2 partial pressure at the inlet of the second reaction section / reactor in the range of 0.4 MPa to 8 MPa, preferably 1 MPa to 7 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, even more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 kg of the second reactor feed / kg catalyst / hour, and an H2 to second reactor feed ratio in the range of 10 to 2000, preferably 50 to 1000 normal liters H2 / liter of the second reactor feed.

[0075] Preferably, the hydrogen isomerization catalyst is a non-sulfided dual-functional hydrogen isomerization catalyst, and the hydrocracking catalyst is a non-sulfided dual-functional hydrocracking catalyst. Preferably, the non-sulfided dual-functional catalyst comprises at least one or more metals selected from noble metals of Group VIII, more preferably at least one or more metals selected from Pt and / or Pd, and at least one or more acidic porous materials. The non-sulfided dual-functional catalyst does not require sulfiding during operation to maintain activity, and thus can keep the sulfur content of various process streams and products low, and is preferred because less efficient H2S separation and recovery is required. In particular, a non-sulfided dual-functional catalyst containing noble metals can be active at a lower temperature and show higher selectivity for the isomerization reaction compared to sulfided catalysts, but is sensitive to deactivation by H2S. In particular, in the hydrocracking reaction in the second reaction section / reactor, the dual-functional HC catalyst has at least some isomerization activity in addition to the cracking activity and can be particularly efficient in effective cracking, which is beneficial. As a further advantage, a dual-functional hydrocracking catalyst containing at least one or more metals selected from Group VIII noble metals, preferably Pt and / or Pd, provides high activity at a relatively low temperature compared to HC catalysts containing non-noble metals, and thus has been found to provide better control of thermal cracking. At low temperatures, the thermodynamic equilibrium tends to shift towards dearomatization, thus reducing the formation of aromatics by side reactions. By providing a dual-functional HC catalyst in the second reaction section / reactor, it can also be achieved that the isoparaffin content (wt-% isoparaffin of total paraffin) in the hydrocracking effluent is not necessarily significantly lower than, or may be the same as or even higher than, that in the hydrogen isomerization effluent.

[0076] According to certain preferred embodiments, the aviation fuel component is Subjecting an oxygenated hydrocarbon feedstock containing at least one or more of vegetable oils, animal fats and / or microbial oils to hydrodeoxygenation followed by gas-liquid separation to provide a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock containing at least 60 wt-% of paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock, with a maximum of 30 wt-% of the paraffins in the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock being i-paraffins, In a first reaction section, preferably a first reactor, subjecting the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock to hydroisomerization in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent, Subjecting a second reaction section feedstock containing at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent and optionally a recycle stream to hydrocracking in a second reaction section, preferably a second reactor, in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a hydrocracking effluent, Subjecting the hydrocracking effluent to fractionation to recover at least an aviation fuel component, and optionally a gasoline fuel component and / or a diesel fuel component, and / or preferably a recycle stream having a T5 temperature (5 vol-% recovery, EN ISO3405-2019) of 270 °C or higher, which can be obtained by a process comprising.

[0077] The dominant component in the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock is n-paraffin. However, the presence of a certain amount of i-paraffin in the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock can still be beneficial. Compared to a similar feedstock except for not containing the i-paraffin content, a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock containing a certain amount of i-paraffin can achieve a hydroisomerization effluent having a higher content of multi-branched i-paraffins.

[0078] Preferably, the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock of the present disclosure comprises hydrocarbons having a carbon number in the range of C12 - C30, more preferably in the range of C14 - C22, at least 70 wt-%, preferably at least 80 wt-%, more preferably at least 90 wt-% of the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock. These feedstocks enable good yields of two or more fuel components of different types and are readily available from conventional hydrodeoxygenation processes of vegetable oils, animal fats and / or microbial oils, including fatty acids. The heavier paraffinic feedstocks can be obtained, for example, from the HDO of oils from energy crops such as Brassica species, algal oils, crude tall oil (CTO), tall oil fatty acids (TOFA), and / or tall oil pitch (TOP).

[0079] The presence of multi-branched i-paraffins in the hydroisomerization effluent can be considered beneficial as it can beneficially contribute to the degree of effective cracking in the hydrocracking step. In particular, when the desired degree of effective cracking for not only C8 - C14 hydrocarbons but also lighter non-gaseous hydrocarbons is achieved in the hydrocracking step under milder operating conditions, excessive cracking is avoided and the formation of gaseous hydrocarbons can be reduced. Also, an increase in the content of multi-branched i-paraffins in the hydroisomerization effluent can be considered beneficial in that it can provide improved low-temperature properties to the aviation fuel component and, optionally, the diesel fuel component recovered, and / or improved RON to the gasoline fuel component recovered, optionally. Without being bound by any theory, multi-branched i-paraffins are more likely to form two branched paraffin molecules upon cracking in the hydrocracking step instead of one branch and one n-paraffin, and thus it is considered that the i-paraffin content of the hydrocracking effluent increases relative to the n-paraffin content. The same can be seen downstream of the product recovered from the fractionation and, optionally, in the recycle stream recovered, optionally.

[0080] According to certain embodiments, the first reaction section for hydrogen isomerization and the second reaction section for hydrocracking may be disposed in one and the same reactor, for example, in separate catalyst beds equipped with suitable devices. According to certain other embodiments, the first reaction section for hydrogen isomerization is in a first reactor and the second reaction section for hydrocracking is in a second reactor. Having a hydrogen isomerization section in the first reactor and a hydrocracking section in the second reactor provides advantages in process design, process control, and maintenance.

[0081] Preferably, at least a portion of the hydrogen isomerization effluent fed to hydrocracking comprises at least 50 wt-%, more preferably at least 60 wt-%, even more preferably at least 70 wt-%, still more preferably at least 80 wt-% of isoparaffins based on the total amount of paraffins in at least a portion of the hydrogen isomerization effluent, and optionally at least 5 wt-%, preferably at least 10 wt-%, more preferably at least 15 wt-%, still more preferably at least 20 wt-%, typically up to 70 wt-% of multi-branched isoparaffins based on the total amount of paraffins in at least a portion of the hydrogen isomerization effluent. Typically, at least a portion of the hydrogen isomerization effluent has a cloud point of less than 0 °C, preferably less than -5 °C, more preferably less than -8 °C, still more preferably less than -10 °C, or less than -15 °C (ASTM D5771-17).

[0082] Hydrocracking of at least a portion of the hydrogen isomerization effluent increases the yield of non-gaseous decomposition products, particularly C8 - C14, but also increases the yield of lighter non-gaseous hydrocarbons that contribute to the yield of components in the gasoline and / or jet fuel range. Since the feed to hydrocracking can contain a high i-paraffin content and a high multi-branched i-paraffin content, the inventors have found that hydrocracking can produce additional i-paraffins without excessive cracking to lower value light C1 - C3 hydrocarbons and instead reduce their amount.

[0083] The advantageous hydrocarbon composition of this aviation fuel component has been demonstrated to enhance its physicochemical properties, particularly with respect to a relatively broad carbon number distribution mainly in the range of C6 to C18, a very high content of i-paraffins, especially multi-branched i-paraffins, and a very low content of n-paraffins, and also desirable properties for use in aviation fuel compositions. When studied under laboratory conditions, the properties that correlate with the desirable properties of the fuel are, for example, the shape of the distillation curve and the distillation characteristics.

[0084] According to a second exemplary aspect, an aviation fuel composition is provided that comprises the aviation fuel component as defined herein in an amount of preferably 1 vol-% to 99.5 vol-%, preferably 5 vol-% to 95 vol-%, more preferably 10 vol-% to 70 vol-% of the total volume of the aviation fuel composition, such as at least 10 vol-%, at least 15 vol-%, at least 20 vol-%, at least 25 vol-%, at least 30 vol-%, at least 35 vol-%, at least 40 vol-%, at least 45 vol-%, at least 50 vol-%, at least 55 vol-%, at least 60 vol-%, or at least 65 vol-%. The aviation fuel component can be incorporated into the aviation fuel composition at a surprisingly high volume fraction, particularly due to its exceptionally good low-temperature properties compared to conventional paraffinic aviation fuel components. This aviation fuel component can have a very high degree of isomerization and a relatively broad carbon number distribution, and is particularly useful in aviation fuel compositions and can be incorporated even at very high ratios.

[0085] The remainder of the aviation fuel composition can consist of the aviation fuel component and, optionally, additives, particularly additives typical of the prior art. Currently, the most common aviation fuel component is a fossil aviation fuel component. An exemplary aviation fuel composition of the present disclosure may include, for example, this aviation fuel component, a conventional fossil aviation fuel component, and an antioxidant. In certain preferred embodiments, the aviation fuel composition meets the requirements for aviation fuel as defined in Table 1 of ASTM D7566-21.

[0086] According to a third exemplary aspect, in order to improve one or more product characteristics of an aviation fuel composition, an aviation fuel component as defined herein may be used in the aviation fuel composition. The one or more product characteristics of the aviation fuel composition may include at least one or more of kinematic viscosity at -20 °C, kinematic viscosity at -40 °C, freezing point, density, and / or carbon content of biological origin.

[0087] In certain embodiments, the use of the present aviation fuel component is provided to provide an aviation fuel composition that meets the requirements of aviation fuel defined in Table 1 of ASTM D7566-21.

[0088] In certain embodiments, the aviation fuel component may be used in the aviation fuel composition in an amount of 1 vol-% to 99.5 vol-%, preferably 5 vol-% to 95 vol-%, more preferably 10 vol-% to 70 vol-% of the total volume of the aviation fuel composition, such as 10 vol-%, 15 vol-%, 20 vol-%, 25 vol-%, 30 vol-%, 35 vol-%, 40 vol-%, 45 vol-%, 50 vol-%, 55 vol-%, 60 vol-%, or 65 vol-%. Such use can also improve at least the low-temperature characteristics of the aviation fuel composition, preferably the carbon content of biological origin.

[0089] In addition to its usefulness in aviation fuel compositions, this aviation fuel component is suitable for a wide variety of other applications, for example in solvents, carriers, dispersant compositions, demulsifiers, extractants, surfactants, degreasing compositions, detergents, thinners, penetration oils, corrosion protection compositions, multi-purpose oils, metalworking fluids, particularly rolling oils for aluminum, cutting oils, drilling fluids, lubricating oils, extender oils, paint compositions, coating liquids or pastes, adhesives, resins, varnishes, printing pastes or inks, plasticized oils, turbine oils, hydrophobizing compositions, in agriculture in crop protection fluids, in construction in concrete release formulations, in electronic devices, in medical devices, as raw materials for industrial conversion processes, preferably in pyrolysis raw materials and / or catalytic cracking raw materials, in compositions for the automotive, electrical, textile, packaging, paper and / or pharmaceutical industries, and / or in the manufacture of intermediates therefor. Not only the specific T10 - T90 temperature range of this aviation fuel composition, but also the high content of isoparaffins and also multi-branched isoparaffins can improve fluidity, pumping and mixing characteristics, as well as blendability, which are generally desired and beneficial properties for a wide range of applications, particularly those involving spraying, injection, and / or mixing with other components.

[0090] Depending on the intended application, for example, at least one or more of antioxidants, conductivity additives, stabilizers, surfactants, corrosion inhibitors, friction modifiers, metal deactivators, lubricating additives, defoamers, and / or fuel dyes can be appropriately added to the aviation fuel component or aviation fuel composition. Typically, the aviation fuel component may contain 17 mg to 24 mg of active ingredient of antioxidant per liter of aviation fuel component (by volume). The antioxidant can be added to the bulk product in such a way as to ensure sufficient mixing before significant exposure of the product to air during movement or operation. This is preferably done as soon as possible after hydroprocessing or fractionation, for example using in-line injection or a tank blender, to prevent post-production peroxidation and gum formation.

[0091] Schematic presentation of the process Figure 1 schematically shows a process according to an exemplary embodiment for producing the present aviation fuel component. In Figure 1, an oxygenated hydrocarbon feed 110 is fed to an HDO reactor 120, where it is subjected to hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) in the presence of an HDO catalyst 130 to obtain a hydrodeoxygenated effluent (HDO effluent) 140. The obtained HDO effluent 140 is subjected to gas-liquid separation 150 to separate a compound 160 that is gaseous at least at NTP from the HDO effluent, obtaining a de-aerated HDO effluent 170, which in this exemplary embodiment is a paraffinic hydrocarbon feed as defined herein. The de-aerated HDO effluent 170 is then fed in Figure 1 to a first reactor 180, where the de-aerated HDO effluent 170 is subjected to hydroisomerization in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst 190 to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent (HI effluent) 200. The obtained HI effluent 200 is subjected to gas-liquid separation 210 to separate a compound 220 that is gaseous at least at NTP from the HI effluent 200, obtaining a de-aerated HI effluent 230. In Figure 1, the de-aerated HI effluent 230 is fed to a distillation unit 240 that may include a single column or a pre-fractionation and a main distillation column, from which several streams or cuts are obtained. From the distillation in Figure 1, an aviation fuel component 260, as well as a diesel fuel component 270 and / or a gasoline fuel component 250 are recovered. A recycle stream 280 having a T5 boiling point of 270 °C or higher is also separated, and a part of the diesel fuel component 270 may be separated therefrom. A second reaction section feed including the recycle stream 280 as at least a part of the HI effluent is fed in Figure 1 to a second reactor 290, where it is subjected to hydrocracking in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst 300 to obtain a hydrocracked effluent 310. In Figure 1, the hydrocracked effluent 310 is subjected to gas-liquid separation 320 to separate a compound 330 that is gaseous at least at NTP from the hydrocracked effluent 310, obtaining a de-aerated hydrocracked effluent 340. Then, the de-aerated hydrocracked effluent 340 is fed to the distillation unit 240 for fractionation as a co-feed with the de-aerated HI effluent 230.In certain embodiments, yet another portion of the HI effluents 200, 230 may be fed as a co-feed 500 with the recycle stream 280, i.e., as part of the second reactor feed, to hydrocracking in the second reactor 290.

[0092] Figure 2 schematically shows a process according to another exemplary embodiment for producing the present aviation fuel component. In Figure 2, the oxygenated hydrocarbon feed 110 is fed to an HDO reactor 120, where it is subjected to hydrodeoxygenation in the presence of an HDO catalyst 130 to obtain a hydrodeoxygenation effluent (HDO effluent) 140. The obtained HDO effluent 140 is subjected to gas-liquid separation 150, and a compound 160 that is gaseous at least at NTP is separated from the HDO effluent to obtain a degassed HDO effluent 170, which, in this exemplary embodiment, is a paraffinic hydrocarbon feed as defined herein. The degassed HDO effluent 170 is then fed in Figure 2 to a first reactor 180, where the degassed HDO effluent 170 is subjected to hydroisomerization in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst 190 to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent (HI effluent) 200. The obtained HI effluent 200 is subjected to gas-liquid separation 210, and a compound 220 that is gaseous at least at NTP is separated from the HI effluent 200 to obtain a degassed HI effluent 230. In Figure 2, a second reaction section feed containing the degassed HI effluent 230 is fed to a second reactor 290, where it is subjected to hydrocracking in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst 300 to obtain a hydrocracking effluent 350. The hydrocracking effluent 350 is subjected to gas-liquid separation 360, and a compound 370 that is gaseous at least at NTP is separated from the hydrocracking effluent 350 to obtain a degassed hydrocracking effluent 380. In Figure 2, the degassed hydrocracking effluent 380 is fed to a distillation unit 240 that may include a single column or a prefractionation and a main distillation column, where it is fractionated into several streams or cuts. From the distillation in Figure 2, an aviation fuel component 400, as well as a diesel fuel component 410 and / or a gasoline fuel component 390 are recovered. If a recycle stream 420 having a T5 boiling point of 270 °C or higher is separated, the diesel fuel component 410 may be partially separated therefrom. In Figure 2, the recycle stream 420 can be fed to the second reactor 290 for hydrocracking as a co-feed with the degassed HI effluent 230, i.e., as part of the second reaction section feed.In certain embodiments, a portion of the HI effluents 200, 230 may be fed to the fractionation as a co-feed 500 with the hydrocracked effluents 350, 380.

Example

[0093] Example 1 - Production of this aviation fuel component The aviation fuel components studied herein were recovered from a pilot run. Here, two different types of fatty feedstocks were subjected to hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and gas-liquid separation to obtain a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock containing >95 wt-% paraffins based on the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock, and the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock was further subjected to different degrees of hydroisomerization (HI) to obtain four different hydrocracked (HC) feedstocks (feedstocks A, B, C, and D). Fractions of the hydroisomerization effluent obtained by degassing the hydroisomerization effluent or by recovering only the bottom fraction were hydrocracked, and subsequently the effluent from the hydrocracking was degassed or degassed and stabilized. From the (liquid) hydrocracked effluent thus obtained, at least the aviation fuel components of particular interest herein were recovered as the main product, and gasoline and diesel fuel components could be obtained as additional products. The aviation fuel components thus obtained were renewable due to the starting materials of renewable origin (two different types of fatty feedstocks). For one of the hydrocracked effluents (pilot run 8), a second fraction was carried out in an optimized manner to increase the aviation fuel component yield (pilot run 8 using the optimized fraction, TR8o). The details of the hydrocracked feedstocks are shown in Table 1, and Table 2 shows the details of the hydrocracking process and the approximate boiling range and yield of the renewable aviation fuel components. The physicochemical properties and chemical composition of the aviation fuel components are reported in Examples 2 and 3.

[0094]

Table 1

[0095]

Table 2

[0096] The hydrocracking catalyst was a non-sulfided binary functional hydrocracking catalyst containing Pt on a zeolite / zeolite type material in all test runs. 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.

[0097] The aviation fuel components were recovered in good yields in the test runs.

[0098] Example 2 - Physicochemical Properties of This Aviation Fuel Component Except for AC_TR3’ obtained from a similar test run using WHSV 0.6 1 / h which was the same as AC_TR3, the physicochemical properties of six aviation fuel components obtained from the test runs reported in Example 1, Table 2 were studied. Renewable paraffinic jet fuel components obtained by conventional HDO and advanced HI processes of fatty raw materials, i.e., without subjecting to hydrocracking, were used as reference (RRJF). The distillation characteristics are reported in Table 3, and the analytical values for density, flash point, viscosity at sub-zero temperatures and freezing point are reported in Table 4.

[0099] [Table 3]

[0100] [Table 4]

[0101] From Table 3, it can be seen that the distillation characteristics of the recovered aviation fuel components meet the requirements of Appendix A2 of ASTM D7566-21 for isoparaffinic kerosene obtained from hydroprocessed fatty raw materials: each sample reported in Table 3 has a T10 of less than 205 °C maximum, an FBP of less than 300 °C maximum, and a T90-T10 well in excess of 22 °C. From the distillation characteristics in Table 3, it can also be seen that this aviation fuel component has a relatively linear distillation behavior, which is beneficial for combustion characteristics, for example.

[0102] From Table 4, it can be seen that, except for the AC-TR3’ component, the flash points were those required by Appendix A2 of ASTM D7566-21 (exceeding a minimum of 38 °C), which could be easily improved by minor adjustments to the fractionation procedure. Furthermore, since the flash points of the other samples clearly exceeded the ASTM D7566-21 minimum requirement of 38 °C, by slightly adjusting their fractionation processes, more light (light compounds) could be incorporated into the aviation fuel component, thereby further increasing the component yield.

[0103] Table 4 also shows that the density of each of this aviation fuel component at 15 °C complies with Appendix A2 of ASTM D7566-21, approaching the upper limit, a maximum of 772 kg / m 3 Particularly notable in the results reported in Table 4 are the extremely good low-temperature characteristics of the aviation fuel components according to the present disclosure. Each of the aviation fuel components reported in Table 4 has a very low freezing point, at least 10 °C lower than the freezing point of the reference renewable paraffinic jet fuel component (RRJF). Furthermore, although Appendix A2 of ASTM D7566-21 for isoparaffinic kerosene obtained from hydroprocessed fatty raw materials does not set requirements for viscosity at sub-zero temperatures, each of the aviation fuel components reported in Table 4 has a very low viscosity at -20 °C, and some even further meet the ASTM D7566-21 basic requirements for jet A1 aviation fuel composition, a maximum of 8.0 mm 2 / s was satisfied. One of the samples, AC_TR3’, had a very low viscosity even at -40 °C and met the ASTM D7566-21 extended requirement for jet A1 aviation fuel compositions, a maximum of 12.0 mm 2 / s was satisfied.

[0104] The above results clearly show that this aviation fuel component can be incorporated into aviation fuel compositions at a much higher rate than conventional isoparaffinic jet fuel components, such as those represented by reference renewable paraffinic jet fuel components (RRJF). This aviation fuel component can be incorporated into aviation fuel compositions in amounts exceeding even 50 vol-% of the total aviation fuel composition volume. In line with the development of jet fuel specifications, it can also be speculated that in the future, a properly added version of this aviation fuel component can be used as a 100 vol-% aviation fuel composition.

[0105] Due to the improved properties of this aviation fuel component, it is also advantageous for other applications where excellent performance in low-temperature environments is required.

[0106] Example 3 - Composition of the Aviation Fuel Component The three aviation fuel components obtained in Example 1 were analyzed for their composition by GC×GC-FID / MS. The results of wt-% n-paraffins, mono-branched i-paraffins, and multi-branched i-paraffins per carbon number in each sample, as well as the aromatic and naphthene contents, are reported in Table 5. Based on the analysis results reported in Table 5, several composition-related properties were calculated and reported in Table 6 for the total carbon number range C6 - C18, as well as for the carbon number ranges C6 - C13 and C14 - C18, to better identify factors that may contribute to the excellent low-temperature properties discussed in Example 2. The carbon number sub-ranges C6 - C13 and C14 - C18 were selected for separate evaluation based on the estimated freezing point: the n-paraffins of the subgroup C6 - C13 are expected to have a freezing point below 0 °C, and the n-paraffins of the subgroup C14 - C18 are expected to have a freezing point above 0 °C.

[0107]

Table 5

[0108]

Table 6

[0109] In Tables 5 and 6, P refers to paraffin, iP refers to i - paraffin, nP refers to n - paraffin, multi - branched iP refers to multi - branched i - paraffin, mono - branched iP refers to mono - branched i - paraffin, total indicates the total, and w ratio indicates the weight ratio.

[0110] From Table 5, it can be seen that each of the three samples is highly paraffinic, having only very low contents of naphthenes and aromatics. Table 5 also shows that the most abundant carbon number is C18 for AC_TR8o, C16 for AC_TR1, and C17 for AC_TR2. None of the carbon numbers (within the detection limit) contained only n - paraffins, but for each carbon number, at least mono - branched i - paraffins, and for most carbon numbers, multi - branched i - paraffins were also detected (or even dominant). This demonstrates a high degree of isomerization across the C6 - C18 range.

[0111] Generally, a higher isoparaffin content tends to improve the low-temperature properties of a paraffinic hydrocarbon composition, while n-paraffins generally have the opposite effect, and in particular, longer n-paraffins can even solidify as the temperature decreases. From Table 6, it can be seen that each of the three samples had a very high C6-C18 i-paraffin content, above 93.1 wt-%. At the same time, each sample had a very low C6-C18 n-paraffin content, at most 4.1 wt-%. Nevertheless, the pour point of AC_TR8o was < -80 °C, i.e., below the measurement range of the method used, while samples AC_TR1 and AC_TR2 had a pour point of about -60 °C (pour point reported in Table 2). Compared with samples AC_TR1 and AC_TR2, AC_TR8o had a slightly lower content of longer C14-C18 paraffins, which could contribute to its better low-temperature properties, but all three samples contained more C14-C18 paraffins than C6-C13 paraffins, and the weight ratio of C14-C18 to C6-C13 varied from about 1.5 to about 3.0. Interestingly, AC_TR8o had a very high content of multi-branched C6-C18 i-paraffins (about 71 wt-%), higher than the other samples AC_TR1 and AC_TR2, which is thought to have a more significant effect on the low-temperature properties. In particular, the high content of C6-C18 multi-branched isoparaffins having at least three branches, most of which were in the C14-C18 range, is considered to contribute to the excellent pour point value of this aviation fuel component.

[0112] Moreover, AC_TR8o had a very high degree of isomerization, especially among the longer C14 - C18 paraffins, as evident from a very high weight ratio of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C14 - C18 n-paraffins of approximately 140, which is almost twice that compared to samples AC_TR1 and AC_TR2; a very high weight ratio of C14 - C18 multi-branched i-paraffins to C14 - C18 mono-branched i-paraffins of approximately 17, which is about five times higher than that of samples AC_TR1 and AC_TR2; and a very high content of C14 - C18 multi-branched isoparaffins having at least three branches, which is about three times higher than that of samples AC_TR1 and AC_TR2.

[0113] As evident from the significant content of C6 - C13 i-paraffins (21.7 - 34.9 wt-%), the degree of isomerization among the shorter C6 - C13 paraffins was also high. Here, the content of mono-branched i-paraffins was somewhat higher than that of multi-branched i-paraffins. This can be explained by the shorter chains having less space for side chains. Nevertheless, each of the samples studied in Tables 5 and 6 had a high content of C6 - C13 multi-branched i-paraffins (7.8 - 16.0 wt-%), a high weight ratio of total C6 - C13 i-paraffins to C6 - C13 n-paraffins (7.2 - 10.0), and an even higher weight ratio of C6 - C13 multi-branched i-paraffins to C6 - C13 n-paraffins (2.6 - 4.6).

[0114] Based on their low-temperature properties, distillation properties, high paraffinicity, and very high degree of isomerization, this aviation fuel component is suitable for a wide range of other applications besides aviation fuel, such as in solvents, carriers, dispersant compositions, demulsifiers, extractants, surfactants, degreasing compositions, detergents, thinners, penetration oils, corrosion protection compositions, multi-purpose oils, metalworking fluids, especially rolling oils for aluminum, cutting oils, drilling fluids, lubricating oils, extender oils, paint compositions, coating liquids or pastes, adhesives, resins, varnishes, printing pastes or inks, plasticized oils, turbine oils, hydrophobized compositions, in agriculture, in crop protection fluids, in construction, in concrete release formulations, in electronic devices, in medical devices, as raw materials for industrial conversion processes, preferably in pyrolysis raw materials and / or catalytic cracking raw materials, in compositions for the automotive, electrical, textile, packaging, paper and / or pharmaceutical industries, and / or in the production of intermediates therefor, and is considered to have desirable properties.

[0115] Various embodiments are presented. It should be understood that in this specification, the terms comprising, including, and containing are each used as open-ended expressions without intended exclusivity.

[0116] The foregoing description has provided a complete and useful explanation of the best mode currently contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention, as a specific embodiment and a non-limiting example of embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the embodiments presented above, and that it can be implemented in other embodiments or in different combinations of embodiments using equivalent means without departing from the features of the invention.

[0117] Furthermore, some of the features of the exemplary embodiments disclosed above can be advantageously used without correspondingly using other features. Therefore, the foregoing description should be considered to be merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and not limiting thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

**Claim 1** An aviation fuel component comprising n-paraffin, mono-branched i-paraffin and multi-branched i-paraffin, wherein the total amount of C6-C18 n-paraffin, C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffin and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin is at least 90 wt-%, preferably at least 93 wt-%, more preferably at least 95 wt-%, even more preferably at least 96 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, the weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin to C6-C18 n-paraffin is at least 10, and the aviation fuel component has a T10 temperature and a T90 temperature within the range of 120 °C to 295 °C, preferably within the range of 130 °C to 295 °C, as determined according to EN ISO 3405-2019. **Claim 2** The total amount of C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffin and C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin is at least 85 wt-%, preferably at least 87 wt-%, more preferably at least 90 wt-%, even more preferably at least 92 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, and / or the amount of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin is at least 58 wt-%, preferably at least 60 wt-%, more preferably at least 62 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, the aviation fuel component according to claim 1. **Claim 3** The weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin to C6-C18 n-paraffin is at least 11, preferably at least 12, more preferably at least 14, even more preferably at least 16, and / or the weight ratio of C6-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin to C6-C18 mono-branched i-paraffin is at least 1.6, preferably at least 1.7, more preferably at least 1.8, even more preferably at least 1.9, the aviation fuel component according to claim 1 or 2. **Claim 4** The weight ratio of C14-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin to C14-C18 n-paraffin is greater than 20, preferably at least 30, more preferably at least 40, even more preferably at least 50, and / or the weight ratio of C14-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin to C14-C18 mono-branched i-paraffin is greater than 2.0, preferably at least 2.4, more preferably at least 2.6, even more preferably at least 2.8, and / or the weight ratio of C14-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin having at least three branches to the total C14-C18 i-paraffin is at least 0.10, preferably at least 0.12, more preferably at least 0.15, even more preferably at least 0.17, and / or the amount of C14-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin is at least 35 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, preferably at least 40 wt-%, more preferably at least 45 wt-%, even more preferably at least 50 wt-%, and / or the amount of C14-C18 multi-branched i-paraffin having at least three branches is at least 5 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, preferably at least 8 wt-%, more preferably at least 10 wt-%, even more preferably at least 12 wt-%, the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The amount of C6-C13 multi-branched i-paraffin is at least 5.0 wt-% of the total weight of the aviation fuel component, preferably at least 7.0 wt-%, more preferably at least 8.0 wt-%, even more preferably at least 9.0 wt-%, the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The weight ratio of C14-C18 total paraffin to C6-C13 total paraffin is in the range of 0.8 to 5.0, preferably 1.0 to 4.5, more preferably 1.1 to 4.0, even more preferably 1.2 to 3.5, the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The carbon number distribution of the paraffin in the aviation fuel component covers at least 6 adjacent carbon numbers in the range of C6 - C18, preferably at least 7 adjacent carbon numbers, more preferably at least 8 or at least 9 adjacent carbon numbers. The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 - 6.

8. The difference between the T90 temperature and the T10 temperature is determined according to EN ISO 3405 - 2019 and is at least 70 °C, preferably at least 75 °C, more preferably at least 80 °C, even more preferably at least 85 °C. The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 - 7.

9. It has a T90 temperature determined according to EN ISO 3405 - 2019 and is at least 250 °C, preferably at least 255 °C, optionally up to a maximum of 295 °C, more preferably in the range of 250 °C - 295 °C, and has a final boiling point (FBP) determined according to EN ISO 3405 - 2019 and is optionally up to a maximum of 300 °C, preferably at least 270 °C, more preferably in the range of 270 °C - 300 °C. The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 - 8.

10. The ratio (T50 - T5) / (T95 - T50) of the difference between the T50 temperature and the T5 temperature to the difference between the T95 temperature and the T50 temperature is in the range of 0.7 - 6.0, preferably 0.8 - 5.

5. The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 - 9.

11. Determined in accordance with EN ISO 3104-2020, 4.0 mm 2 / s to 10.0 mm 2 / s, preferably 4.0 mm 2 / s to 9.5 mm 2 / s, more preferably 4.0 mm 2 / s to 8.5 mm 2 Has a kinematic viscosity at -20 °C within the range of / s and / or determined in accordance with EN ISO 3104-2020, 9.0 mm 2 / s to 30.0 mm 2 / s, preferably 10.0 mm 2 / s to 28.0 mm 2 / s, more preferably 10.0 mm 2 / s to 25.0 mm 2 / s and has a kinematic viscosity at -40 °C within the range of / s, the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. It has a flash point of at least 38 °C determined according to IP 170 - 2013 (Abel closed cup method). The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 - 11.

13. It has a freezing point of -40 °C or lower, preferably -50 °C or lower, more preferably -60 °C or lower determined according to IP 529 - 2016. The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 - 12.

14. Determined in accordance with EN ISO 12185-1996, 750 kg / m 3 to 780 kg / m 3 , preferably 750 kg / m 3 to 775 kg / m 3 , more preferably 750 kg / m 3 to 772 kg / m 3 The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 13, having a density at 15 °C within the range of

15. Based on the total weight of carbon (TC) in the aviation fuel component, it has a carbon content of biological origin of at least 50 wt-% preferably at least 70 wt-%, more preferably at least 90 wt-% determined according to EN 16640 (2017). The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 - 14.

16. Hydrodeoxygenation of an oxygenated hydrocarbon feedstock typically containing vegetable oil, animal fat, and / or microbial oil, and, optionally, subsequently providing a paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock preferably obtained by gas-liquid separation and / or a paraffinic feedstock fraction. Subjecting the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock to at least hydroisomerization, preferably to hydroisomerization and hydrocracking, subsequently subjecting it to fractionation, and recovering at least the aviation fuel component from the fractionation. The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which can be obtained by a process comprising the above steps.

17. Providing the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock containing at least 60 wt-% of paraffin based on the total weight of the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock, with a maximum of 30 wt-% of the paraffin in the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock being i-paraffin. In a first reaction section, preferably a first reactor, subjecting the paraffinic hydrocarbon feedstock to hydroisomerization in the presence of a hydroisomerization catalyst to obtain a hydroisomerization effluent. Subjecting a second reaction section feedstock containing at least a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent to hydrocracking in a second reaction section, preferably a second reactor, in the presence of a hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a hydrocracking effluent. Subjecting the hydrocracking effluent and, optionally, a portion of the hydroisomerization effluent to fractionation and recovering at least the aviation fuel component, and optionally a gasoline fuel component and / or a diesel fuel component from the fractionation. The aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 16, which can be obtained by a process comprising the above steps.

18. An aviation fuel composition comprising the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. Use of the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 16 in an aviation fuel composition to improve one or more product characteristics of the aviation fuel composition, wherein the one or more product characteristics of the aviation fuel composition preferably include at least one or more of kinematic viscosity at -20°C, kinematic viscosity at -40°C, freezing point, density, and / or carbon content of biological origin.

20. The use according to claim 18 or 19, or the aviation fuel composition according to claim 17, wherein the aviation fuel composition meets the requirements of the aviation fuel defined in Table 1 of ASTM D7566-21.

21. The use according to any one of claims 18 to 20, or the aviation fuel composition according to claim 17 or 20, wherein the aviation fuel composition contains the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 16 in an amount of 1 to 99.5 vol-% of the total volume of the aviation fuel composition, preferably 5 to 95 vol-%, more preferably 10 to 70 vol-%.

22. Use of the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 16 in a solvent, in a carrier, in a dispersant composition, in a demulsifier, in an extractant, in a surfactant, in a degreasing composition, in a cleaning agent, in a thinner, in a penetrant oil, in a corrosion prevention composition, in a multipurpose oil, in a metalworking fluid, particularly in a rolling oil for aluminum, in a cutting oil, in an excavation fluid, in a lubricating oil, in an extender oil, in a paint composition, in a coating liquid or paste, in an adhesive, in a resin, in a varnish, in a printing paste or ink, in a plasticized oil, in a turbine oil, in a hydrophobizing composition, in agriculture, in a crop protection fluid, in construction, in a concrete release formulation, in electronic equipment, in medical devices, in raw materials for industrial conversion processes, preferably in pyrolysis raw materials and / or catalytic cracking raw materials, in compositions for the automotive, electrical, textile, packaging, paper and / or pharmaceutical industries, and / or in the manufacture of intermediates therefor.

23. The use according to any one of claims 18 to 22, the aviation fuel composition according to any one of claims 17, 20 or 21, or the aviation fuel component according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein at least one or more of an antioxidant, a conductivity additive, a stabilizer, a surfactant, a corrosion inhibitor, a friction modifier, a metal deactivator, a lubricity additive, an antifoaming agent, and / or a fuel dye are added to the aviation fuel component or the aviation fuel composition.

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