US1638116A - Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbons - Google Patents

Description

y1920 zu@ Au 9 l1927.

g G EGLOFF ErAL APPARATUS FOR CRACKING HYDROCARBONS Original Filed Dec. 23.

Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

- UNITED STATESv 1,638,116 PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV EGLOFF AND JOSEPH G. ALTHER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS T0 UNI- VERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

APPARATUS-FOR CRACKING HYDROCARBONS.

' Application led December 23, 1920, Serial No. 432,847. Renewed March 24, 1927.

This invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus for cracking hydrocarbons and refers more particularly to anapparatus in which the heat generated is economically used to heat the raw oil and the raw oil used to dephlegmate and condense the generated vapors. f

Among the salient objects'of the invention are to provide an apparatus, different por-- tions of Which are maintained under differential pressures and one in which subsequent to the cracking or releasing of thc generated vapors, they are dephlegmated by being passed -in'close relation to the incoming raw oil and thereby fractionally condensed; Ato provide an apparatus in which the vapors, after being fractionally condensed, are finally condensed in a multi-Whirl condenser in which the cool raw oil is circulatcd'about the uncondensed vapors, ytaking up their heat and causing them to be liqueiedinto a distillate: to provide an apparatus whereby the heat ot the residuum is transferred to a portion of the incoming raw oil by circulating the latter about tubes in which the residuum is contained, and to provide an apparatus in which regulated quantities of' the raw Voil, and the reliuX condensate are charged to the heating tubes for treatment.

4The figure is a side4 levation, partly m section, of the apparatus.-

Referring in detail to the' drawings-heating tubes 1 are mounted in a. furnace 2, preferably heated by means of gas burner 3. At

' 4 is.- an expansion chamber connected to the 5in which,l

cracking tubesby means of aline is interposed'the yvalve 6. At 7 1s a reflux condenser of' -the 4 multi-Whirl ltype connected y to the expansion chamber bythe vapor line8 controlled by a valve 9.. A vapor line 1() from the top of the reflux condenser directs the uncondensed vapors to a condenser 11 similarly constructed on, the multi-whirl principle, Which is connected to` av receiver A12 by means of the: pipe 13. A- raw o1l prethe raw oil by means of the hot residuum drawn from the expansion chamber through lthe line l5 controlled by a valve- 16 is likewise built on the multi-whirl principle. In operating this apparatus, the raw oilis introduced from any convenient source (not shown) through the pump 17, charging pipe 18 controlled by a. valve 19 to the multi-Whirl the top of the condenser the raw oil passes through a line 22 to the top of the vreflux condenser 7 where it circulates about the vertical tubes 23 arranged therein, subjectmg the generated vapors to a fractional -condensing action due tothe fact that the raw oil is at a lower temperature than the vapors contained in the vertical tubes. In'the reflux condenser 7 the course of the raw oil is identical to that in the condenser 11 except that the oil flows from the top to thel bottom of the reflux'condenser as contrasted With its lopposed direction of flow in the'condenser.l

On reaching the bottom of the reflux condenser, the preheated raw oil charge is drawn ofi' through the pipe 24 controlled by a valve 25, which communicates with the reflux line .'26. leading back to the cracking tubes 1. In 'this line is interposed a valve 27. After be- -ing heated to a cracking temperature in the heating tubes, the oil charge, comprising raw oil and whatever reflux 1s added from the reflux llnes, passes over to the expansion chamber Where it is vaporized under a. substantial pressure of the generated vapor. The released vapors pass off through the vapor line 8, any condensate forming 1n the vapor line io'wing with the reflux back to the heatin tubes. The oil vapors, on the other han rise through the lvertical tubes 23 in the r'ellux condenser and, after being cooled by the cooler raw oil circulated about the vertical tubes on the spiral baille 28, pass ofi' through the vapor line 10 to the condenser 11. -There lheater 14 adapted to preheat a. portion of( the vapors pass through the vertical tubes 'pressure gauge 29 and liquid level gauge 30,

besides having a pressure relief pipe 31 controlled b a valve 32 and liquid draw-off 33 regulate by a Valve 34.

It is obvious, of course, that the raw oil and the vapors are kept out of contact in both the reflux condenser and the final condenser and the heat transfer taking place slowly through radiation. At both ends of the reflux condenser and the final condenser are enlarged chambers into which the' vertical pipes lead.

Returning now to utilizing the heat from the residuum drawn 0H from the expansion chamber, a multi- Whirl preheater or 'residuum cooler 14' o f similar construction to both the reflux condenser and final condenser `is connected to the residuum draw-ofi' in the expansion chamber. By introducing raw oil from t-he same, 'or a like source, as that from which the raw oil lthrough the pump 17 is obtained and charging it to the lower portionof the resi-duum cooler` through a pump 35 and line 36 controlled by a valve 37 and causing it to circulate upward in' a spiral course about the vertical tubes 38 in which the hot residuum is caused to flow, this portion of the raw oil absorbs considerable heat from the hot residuum. The preheated oil, after its forced circulation about the hot residual oil, is drawn off through the pipe 39 regulated by a valve 40 and introduced. into the combination reflux and charging line 26 in y regulated quantities.

In efficiently operating this apparatus, the heating coil may be maintained at a temperature of 850 F.'and under a pressure of approximately 250 pounds or thereabouts.

,The temperature in the expansion chamber.

would approximate 745 F while that in the reflux condenser would range from 700 to 400 Rand, after being introduced to the final condenser, the temperature wouldl be reduced substantially lower than" the'end point ofthe .distillate collected i in the receiver. vThe raw oil being introducedat from 60475" F., according to at- Inospheric conditions, is subjected to the temperatures previously mentioned inthe condenser and reflux condenserand is flux after receiving an additional quantity of preheated raw oil from the residuum cooler. The apparatus affords an opporthe apparatus. for

tunity for utilizing a greater amount of the heatgenerated in the cracking or heating zone, the greater part of which has heretofore been permitted to be dissipated into the atmosphere. Further, by use of' circulating mediums, such las raw oil, about the condensing and refluxing stages of the apparatus, a more accurate regulation and a more direct control of the temperatures may be obtained. i

We claim as our invention:-

1. In an apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils, the combination with a furnace, of a cracking coil therein, an expansion chamber adjacent said coil into which oil is delivered, a reflux condenser, means for passing generated vapors to said refiux condenser, means for feeding charging stock to the reflux condenser to condense the heavier insufficiently cracked vapors, means for discharging residual oil from saidn expansion chamber, a preheater receiving said oil, means for feeding an independent supply of charging stock to said preheater, and means for introducing "the heated charging stock from the preheater and the reflux condensate and charging stock from the reflux condenser to said cracking coil.

2. In an apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oil, the combination with a furnace, a cracking coil therein, an enlarged expansion chamber adjacent said'coil, means for introducing4 heated oil to said chamber where -a substantial portion 'of the oil va denser, means for feeding charging stock to the reflux condenser, means forv returning condensate and preheated charging stock to the cracklng coil, means for withdrawing residual oil from the expansion chamber, a

preheater receiving said oil, separate means for feeding an independent supply of raw` oil to said preheater, and means for admitting said independent supp1y,of preheated raw oil to the cracking coil with the reflux condensate and charging stock passing from the reflux condenser.

'crusfrav7 EGLoFF. JOSEPH e. ALTHER.

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