초록 ▼

The instant invention relates to an upflow for upgrading heavy oil feed stock and a method for upgrading heavy oil feed stock employing an upflow reactor and with a slurry catalyst. In one embodiment, the upflow reactor is a liquid recirculating reactor, which is operated in manner corresponding to

The instant invention relates to an upflow for upgrading heavy oil feed stock and a method for upgrading heavy oil feed stock employing an upflow reactor and with a slurry catalyst. In one embodiment, the upflow reactor is a liquid recirculating reactor, which is operated in manner corresponding to a dispersed bubble flow regime, which requires a high liquid to gas ratio. A dispersed bubble flow regime results in more even flow patterns, increasing the amount of liquid, i.e., heavy oil feed stock that can be upgraded in a single reactor.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A process to upgrade a heavy oil feed stock, the process comprising: providing the heavy oil feedstock, a slurry catalyst, and a hydrogen containing gas feed having a superficial gas velocity uG,providing an upflow reactor having a reactor outlet, a reactor inlet, a recirculation pump for generat

1. A process to upgrade a heavy oil feed stock, the process comprising: providing the heavy oil feedstock, a slurry catalyst, and a hydrogen containing gas feed having a superficial gas velocity uG,providing an upflow reactor having a reactor outlet, a reactor inlet, a recirculation pump for generating a liquid recirculation flow rate (uL) from the reactor outlet to the reactor inlet and at least one internal mixing device selected from the group consisting of a stirrer, internal baffles, agitators, piping, tubing, a downcomer and combinations thereof,combining the hydrogen containing gas feed, the heavy oil feedstock, and the slurry catalyst in an upflow reactor under hydrocracking conditions to convert at least a portion of the heavy oil feedstock to lower boiling hydrocarbons, wherein a sufficient uL/uG ratio is maintained for the upflow reactor to operate in a bubble flow regime,forming a multi-phase mixture comprising hydrogen admixed with volatile upgraded products, non-volatile upgraded products and the slurry catalyst, the upflow reactor is adapted for providing a liquid recirculation flow rate uL from a reactor outlet to a reactor inlet;passing the multi-phase mixture overhead to separators;recovering the upgraded products. 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen containing gas feed has a superficial gas velocity uG ranging from about 2 to about 40 cm/s. 3. The process of claim 2, wherein the hydrogen containing gas feed has a superficial gas velocity uG ranging from about 2 to about 6 cm/s. 4. The process of claim 3, wherein the ratio uL/uG exceeds about 0.2 when the superficial gas velocity uG is about 2 cm/s. 5. The process of claim 3, wherein the ratio uL/uG exceeds about 0.6 when the superficial gas velocity uG is about 6 cm/s. 6. The process of claim 2, wherein the ratio uL/uG exceeds about 1.5 when the superficial gas velocity uG is about 10 cm/s. 7. The process of claim 2, wherein the ratio uL/uG exceeds about 12 when the superficial gas velocity uG is about 30 cm/s. 8. The process of claim 1, wherein the pump recirculates liquid at a rate ranging from 5-15 times the rate of the heavy oil feed stock. 9. The process of claim 8, wherein the pump recirculates liquid at a rate ranging from 5-10 times the rate of the heavy oil feed stock. 10. The process of claim 1, wherein the pump recirculates liquid at a rate of at least 7 times the rate of the heavy oil feed stock. 11. The process of claim 1, wherein the pump recirculates liquid at a rate ranging from 2-5 times the rate of the heavy oil feed stock. 12. The process of claim 1, wherein the upflow reactor is a liquid recirculating reactor. 13. The process of claim 1, wherein a sufficient amount of hydrogen containing gas feed is provided to the upflow reactor to maintain a liquid hourly space velocity ranging from 0.025 h−1 to about 10 h−1. 14. The process of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen containing gas feed is provided to the upflow reactor at a rate of about 20,000 to 100,000 Nm3/m3. 15. The process of claim 1, wherein the heavy oil feed stock is selected from the group of atmospheric residuum, vacuum residuum, tar from a solvent deasphalting unit, atmospheric gas oils, vacuum gas oils, deasphalted oils, olefins, oils derived from tar sands or bitumen, oils derived from coal, heavy crude oils, synthetic oils from Fischer-Tropsch processes, and oils derived from recycled wastes and polymers. 16. The process of claim 1, wherein the catalyst slurry comprises catalyst particles having an average particle size in the range of 1-20 microns.