Fluidized Bed Coking With Weak Acid Heat Carrier

The patent replaces the conventional delayed coking mechanical batch process with a fluidized bed reactor system that uses fluid dynamics and heat carrier particles to achieve continuous processing. The feedstock is contacted with hot particles in a fluidized bed, enabling continuous operation rather than batch processing, thus reducing batch time while maximizing liquid yield through optimized residence time and heat transfer.

The patent introduces heat carrier particles as an intermediary medium between the heat source and the hydrocarbon feedstock. These particles absorb and store thermal energy, then transfer it efficiently to the feedstock during fluidized bed contact. This intermediary heat transfer mechanism significantly improves heat transfer efficiency compared to direct thermal cracking, reducing energy loss and optimizing cracking efficiency while controlling coke yield.

The patent changes the acidity parameter of the catalyst from strong acid sites to weak acid sites. This parameter change reduces the catalyst's susceptibility to deactivation by metals and asphaltenes while maintaining adequate cracking activity. The weak acid sites provide sufficient catalytic function for cracking heavy hydrocarbons into liquid products without the rapid deactivation problems that plague strong acid catalysts when processing contaminated feedstocks.

The patent combines multiple functions into a single fluidized bed reactor: thermal cracking, catalytic cracking, and coke formation all occur simultaneously in one unit. The heat carrier particles serve multiple purposes - providing heat, acting as a catalyst support, and enabling continuous operation. This multi-functional approach achieves improved coke quality through continuous processing and optimized residence time without requiring the complex multi-stage configuration of conventional fluid coking processes.