Amos A. Avidan

Gasoline and Distillate Fuels From Methanol

Abstract Gasoline and distillate fuels can be produced from methanol by combining two Mobil processes: Methanol to olefins (MTO) and Mobil olefins to gasoline and distillate (MOGD). Both processes use the medium pore zeolite ZSM-5 catalyst. The combined process offers gasoline and distillate in various proportions, as well as light olefinic byproducts if needed. Liquid fuel yields of up to 95 weight percent of hydrocarbons can be obtained. Flexibility, high yields and excellent product quality make this combined process an attractive alternative for producing a wide range of hydrocarbon products from natural gas or coal. The MTO process was successfully demonstrated in a 100 B/D fluid-bed semi-works unit in Germany. The MOGD process was demonstrated in fixed-bed reactors in a Mobil refinery.

Chapter 1 Origin, Development and Scope of Fcc Catalysis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the origin, development, and scope of Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) catalysis. The cracking catalyst is only one of the many components in a modern FCC catalyst system. Other main ingredients catalyze reactions such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide oxidation in the regenerator, contaminant metals passivation, and further cracking and isomerization over a smaller pore zeolite. The place and role of the FCC unit (FCCU) in the petroleum refinery has evolved over the past fifty years. Originally, in the 1940s, the catalytic cracking unit, a Houdry fixed-bed, a moving-bed Thermofor Catalytic Cracking (TCC), or one of the early FCC designs was meant to complement the thermal cracker. Feed was mostly vaporized light gas oil. When mixed with alkylate and tetraethyl lead, light FCC naphtha could produce aviation gasoline of 100 research octane. After the war, demand for octane slackened, and the units were operated at lower severity for some time. By the 1970s, FCCs replaced fixed- and moving-bed crackers. The introduction of zeolites (first commercialized in TCC) has had a major effect on FCC design. The dense-bed reactor was replaced by a short-contact-time riser. Platinum reforming was now well established, and some refineries began hydrocracking light cycle oil to increase gasoline production. Environmental regulations, lead-phaseout, and oil supply shocks had a profound effect on the refining industry and on FCCs.

OPERATION OF A CIRCULATING FLUID-BED COLD FLOW MODEL OF THE 100 B/D MTG DEMONSTRATION PLANT

ABSTRACT A full-scale, cold flow model (CFM) of the reactor section (reactor, catalyst cooler, regenerator) of the 100 B/D fluid-bed Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG) demonstration plant was constructed at the Paulsboro Research Laboratory. CFM studies confirmed the design basis for the demonstration plant, and evaluated the effect of internal baffles on reactor efficiency. Horizontal tube baffles improved efficiency over vertical baffles and the unbaffled bed. Adsorptive and non-adsorptive gas tracers were used to predict reactor efficiency. Capacitance probes and visual observations were used to evaluate reactor hydrodynamics. The effect of increased fines level was to reduce bed density and bubble size. The CFM yielded mechanical design information about catalyst flow between the vessels, line sizes, aeration, cyclones and distributors.