Hydroprocessing Crude Oil to Steam-Crackable Paraffins
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in the petrochemical industry is to increase the yield of olefins and aromatic compounds from steam cracking processes when using crude oil or heavy oils as feedstocks, as these feeds often contain impurities that lead to coke formation and catalyst deactivation, reducing the efficiency and lifespan of hydrocracking catalysts.
Innovation Solution
A process involving hydrotreating and hydrocracking of crude oil or heavy oils to convert impurities like sulfur, nitrogen, and asphaltenes into paraffinic compounds, followed by adsorption to remove coke precursors, resulting in an upgraded lesser-boiling effluent that can be efficiently steam-cracked to produce more olefins and aromatic compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If crude oil or heavy oils are used as feedstocks for steam cracking, then the supply of feedstock is increased, but coke formation and catalyst deactivation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing hydrotreating and hydrocracking processes before steam cracking to remove impurities (sulfur, nitrogen, metals) and convert asphaltenes and polyaromatic compounds into lighter hydrocarbons. This pre-treatment prevents coke formation during the subsequent steam cracking process, enabling the use of crude oil and heavy oils as feedstocks without the harmful coke buildup that would otherwise occur.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If constituents with boiling point greater than 540°C are removed from crude oil, then coke formation is reduced, but the yield of olefins and aromatic compounds decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by using hydrocracking to fundamentally alter the boiling point distribution of crude oil constituents. Instead of simply removing high-boiling components, the hydrocracking process converts constituents with boiling points greater than 540°C into lighter hydrocarbons with boiling points below 540°C. This transformation changes the parameter of boiling point from a static property to a dynamic one that can be modified through catalytic cracking, thereby eliminating the need to reject these constituents while still preventing coke formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful high-boiling constituents (which would normally cause coke formation and be rejected) into beneficial light olefins and aromatic compounds through hydrocracking followed by steam cracking. What was previously a harmful factor (high-boiling constituents) becomes a valuable feedstock for producing desired petrochemical products, turning the problem into an opportunity for increased yield.
3Productivity
If hydrocracking is used to convert high-boiling constituents to paraffins, then the yield of steam-crackable constituents increases, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a integrated hydroprocessing system where the hydrocracking unit serves multiple functions: it removes impurities (sulfur, nitrogen, metals), converts asphaltenes and polyaromatic compounds, and transforms high-boiling constituents into steam-crackable paraffins. This multi-functional approach consolidates several processing objectives into a single operational unit, managing the inherent complexity through functional integration rather than separate sequential operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A process for upgrading a hydrocarbon feed, such as crude oil or other heavy oils, may include hydrotreating a hydrocarbon feed in a hydrotreating unit to produce a hydrotreated effluent that includes asphaltenes, coke precursors, or both. The process further includes hydrocracking the hydrotreated effluent in a hydrocracking unit to produce a hydrocracked effluent, adsorbing at least a portion of the asphaltenes, coke precursors, or both, from the hydrotreated effluent, the hydrocracked effluent, or both, separating the hydrocracked effluent into at least an upgraded lesser-boiling effluent and a greater-boiling effluent in a hydrocracked effluent separation system, and steam cracking the upgraded lesser-boiling effluent to produce olefins, aromatic compounds, or combinations of these. The process may further include recycling the greater boiling effluent back to the hydrotreating unit and hydrocracking a middle distillate effluent from the hydrocracked effluent separation system. Systems for conducting the processes are also disclosed.