Methods and systems for hydrodeoxygenating bio-derived feedstocks and generating renewable power

1. A method for hydrodeoxygenating a bio-derived feedstock and generating renewable power, comprising:

providing a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) catalyst within either a shell side or a tube side of an isothermal HDO reactor comprising a shell-and-tube configuration;

exposing a bio-derived feedstock to the HDO catalyst within the isothermal HDO reactor to form an HDO reactor effluent;

flowing a water stream through an opposite one of the shell side or the tube side of the isothermal HDO reactor as compared to the HDO catalyst to remove a heat of reaction between the bio-derived feedstock and the HDO catalyst, wherein the removal of the heat of reaction using the water stream forms steam; and

flowing the steam through a steam turbine to provide for the generation of renewable power.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

passing the steam through a steam drum and a steam superheater upstream of the steam turbine; and

recycling water separated from the steam within the steam drum back into the isothermal HDO reactor as at least a portion of the water stream.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising performing at least one of:

utilizing at least a portion of the generated renewable power as a baseload power supply for a reaction system comprising the isothermal HDO reactor; or

exporting at least a portion of the generated renewable power.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising condensing an exhaust from the steam turbine within a condenser, forming a condensed stream.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising:

increasing a pressure and a temperature of the condensed stream within a pump and a preheater, respectively, forming a high-pressure, high-temperature stream; and

recombining the high-pressure, high-temperature stream with the steam upstream of the steam turbine.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising operating the isothermal HDO reactor with an operating temperature that is in a range between 500 degrees Fahrenheit (° F.) and 1,000° F. and an operating pressure that is in a range between 300 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) and 1,200 psig.

7. The method of claim 6 , comprising forming the steam with a pressure that is in a range between 50 psig and 1,500 psig.

8. The method of claim 6 , comprising forming the steam with a pressure that is higher than the operating pressure of the isothermal HDO reactor.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising utilizing a plurality of isothermal HDO reactors arranged in series or in parallel, or in some combination thereof, to perform the method.

10. A hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) unit, comprising:

at least one isothermal HDO reactor comprising a shell-and-tube configuration, wherein the at least one isothermal HDO reactor is configured to produce an HDO reactor effluent via reaction between a bio-derived feedstock and an HDO catalyst residing on either a shell side or a tube side of the at least one isothermal HDO reactor, wherein a water stream flows through an opposite one of the shell side or the tube side of the isothermal HDO reactor as compared to the HDO catalyst to remove a heat of reaction between the bio-derived feedstock and the HDO catalyst, and wherein the removal of the heat of reaction via the water stream generates steam; and

a steam turbine configured to generate renewable power using the steam.

11. The HDO unit of claim 10 , comprising a steam superheater configured to increase a temperature of the steam upstream of the steam turbine.

12. The HDO unit of claim 10 , comprising:

a steam drum configured to separate water from the steam upstream of the steam turbine; and

a flowline configured to recycle the separated water back into the at least one isothermal HDO reactor as at least a portion of the water stream.

13. The HDO unit of claim 10 , wherein the HDO unit is configured to perform at least one of:

utilizing at least a portion of the generated renewable power as a baseload power supply for the HDO unit; or

exporting at least a portion of the generated renewable power.

14. The HDO unit of claim 10 , comprising a condenser to cool an exhaust from the steam turbine, forming a condensed stream.

15. The HDO unit of claim 14 , comprising:

a pump and a preheater configured to increase a pressure and a temperature, respectively, of the condensed stream, forming a high-pressure, high-temperature stream; and

a flowline configured to recombine the high-pressure, high-temperature stream with the steam upstream of the steam turbine.

16. The HDO unit of claim 10 , wherein the HDO unit is configured to:

extract a portion of the generated steam; and

utilize the extracted steam as at least one of a stripping steam, a reboiler heat source, or a steam source for meeting site steam balance demands.

17. The HDO unit of claim 10 , wherein the at least one isothermal HDO reactor is configured to operate with an operating temperature that is in a range between 500 degrees Fahrenheit (° F.) and 1,000° F. and an operating pressure that is in a range between 700 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) and 1,000 psig.

18. The HDO unit of claim 17 , wherein the at least one isothermal HDO reactor is configured to form the steam with a pressure that is in a range between 50 psig and 1,500 psig.

19. The HDO unit of claim 10 , wherein the at least one isothermal HDO reactor is configured to form the steam with a pressure that is higher than the operating pressure of the at least one isothermal HDO reactor.

20. The HDO unit of claim 10 , wherein the at least one isothermal HDO reactor comprises at least one of:

a plurality of isothermal HDO reactors arranged in series; or

a plurality of isothermal HDO reactors arranged in parallel.