Process for hydroprocessing of non-petroleum feedstocks
A method of hydroprocessing is performed wherein non-petroleum feedstocks, such as those containing from about 10% or more olefinic compounds or heteroatom contaminants by weight, are treated in a first reaction zone to provide reaction products. The process involves introducing the feedstock along with diluents or a recycle and hydrogen in a first reaction zone and allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the first reaction zone to produce reaction products. The reaction products are cooled and/or water is removed from the reaction products. At least a portion of the cooled and/or separated reaction product are introduced as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst. The feed and hydrogen are allowed to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce a second-reaction-zone reaction product.
1. A method of hydroproces sing comprising:
(a) introducing a non-petroleum feed to be treated along with a diluent and hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst, the amount of diluent combined with the non-petroleum feed being selected to at least one of (A) dissolve a preselected amount of hydrogen in the combined non-petroleum/diluent feed; (B) maintain the temperature within the reactor below a preselected temperature; and (C) adjust the capacity of the liquid phase to dissolve or carry water hydrogen;
(b) allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the first reaction zone to produce reaction products, at least one of the reaction products being water;
(c) removing the reaction products from the first reaction zone;
(d) separating water from the removed reaction products as an aqueous phase to provide a separated reaction product that is free from the separated water; and
(e) introducing at least a portion of the separated reaction product as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst; and
(f) allowing the separated reaction product feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce a second-reaction-zone reaction product.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the diluent is provided by at least one of (1) a further portion of the separated reaction product of step (d) and (2) at least a portion of the second-reaction-zone reaction product of step (f).
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the separated reaction product is substantially water-free.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
water makes up at least 10% by weight of the total reaction products.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is comprised of pyrolysis oils.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the pyrolysis oils are derived from at least one of cellulosic biomass materials and coal.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is at least one of vegetable oil and animal oil.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is introduced in the first reaction zone under conditions so that substantially all the feed and hydrogen are in a continuous liquid phase within the first reaction zone.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the removed reaction products of step (c) are cooled prior to separating water according to (d).
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first and second reaction zones are reactors and wherein each reactor contains greater than 10% hydrogen gas by total volume of the reactor.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
no excess hydrogen gas is vented from the first and second reaction zones to facilitate controlling quantities of liquids within the reaction zones.
12. A method of hydroproces sing comprising:
(a) introducing a non-petroleum feed to be treated along with a diluent and hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst, the amount of diluent combined with the non-petroleum feed being selected to at least one of (A) dissolve a preselected amount of hydrogen in the combined non-petroleum/diluent feed; (B) maintain the temperature within the reactor below a preselected temperature; and (C) adjust the capacity of the liquid phase to dissolve or carry water;
(b) allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the first reaction zone to produce reaction products, at least one of the reaction products being water;
(c) removing the reaction products from the first reaction zone;
(d) cooling the removed reaction products;
(e) separating water from the removed reaction products to provide a separated reaction product that is free from the separated water;
(f) introducing at least a portion of the separated reaction product as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst;
(g) allowing the separated reaction products and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce reaction products;
(h) removing the reaction products produced in (g) from the second reaction zone;
(i) cooling the removed reaction products from (h); and
(j) separating any gas phase and any liquid water phase from the cooled reaction products from (i) to form a separated reaction product that is free from any separated liquid water to provided a separated liquid reaction product.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the diluent is provided by at least one of (1) a further portion of the separated reaction product of step (e) and (2) at least a portion of the separated liquid reaction product of step (j).
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the separated reaction products of steps (e) and (j) are substantially water-free.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
water makes up at least 10% by weight of the total reaction products.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is comprised of pyrolysis oils.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the pyrolysis oils are derived from at least one of cellulosic biomass materials and coal.
18. A method of hydroprocessing comprising:
(a) introducing a non-petroleum feed to be treated containing at least one of olefinic compounds and heteroatom contaminants along with a diluent and hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst, the amount of diluent combined with the non-petroleum feed being selected to at least one of (A) dissolve a preselected amount of hydrogen in the combined non-petroleum/diluent feed; (B) maintain the temperature within the reactor below a preselected temperature; and (C) adjust the capacity of the liquid phase to dissolve or carry water;
(b) allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the first reaction zone to produce reaction products;
(c) removing the reaction products from the first reaction zone;
(d) cooling the removed reaction product;
(e) introducing at least a portion of the cooled reaction product as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst; and
(f) allowing the cooled reaction product and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce a second-reaction-zone reaction product.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein:
the diluent is provided by at least one of (1) a further portion of the cooled reaction product of step (d) and (2) at least a portion of the second-reaction-zone reaction product of step (f).
20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
separating any water from the cooled reaction products of steps (d) and (f) as an aqueous phase to provide separated reaction products that are free from the separated water; and wherein
the diluent is provided by at least a portion of one of the separated reaction products from steps (d) and (f).