US1672668A - Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils - Google Patents

Description

June 5, 1928. f

n F. E. WELLMAN APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDRocARBoN oILs Filed MaICh 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l f?? fl l June 5,1926. 1,672,668

F. E. WELLMAN APPARATUS yFOR. TREATING HYDRCARBON 'OILS Filed'march 2o, 192s 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented .lune 5, 19289.

i FRANK E. WELLMAN, 0F KANSAS'CITY, KANSAS. v

'APPARATUS Fon, TREATKING HYDRooARBoN oILLs.y

Application filed March 20,

My invention relates. to apparatus for'v cracking hydrocarbon oils, the present invention being somewhat in the nature of an improvement on my co-pending. application Serial No. 565,633, filed June 3, 1922, as tol genera-l type of apparatus and the method of heating. This application has matured into 4Patent No. 1,639,622, on Aug., 16, 1927.

Among lthe objects of theinvention are to reduce the deposition of carbon on thefstill walls, to increase the amount of oil that can be treated in an apparatus of given content before it becomes necessary to shut down in order to clean out carbon deposits, and. to eifect an economical improvement in the ratio of yield and quality of product. Other objects will appear from a perusal of the following specification and drawings accompanying the same.

In the drawings, which illustrate apreferred forni of apparatus for carrying out my invention:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through ythe center of the still taken on the line l-l of Fig. 2.with the tubes back of the plane of the section omitted for the sake of clearness; Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the apparatus; and

Fig. 3 kis atransverse or horizontal section vtaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates acylindrical furnace or heating chamber in which is mounted av circular series of vertical cracking tubes 2 arranged around the inside of the furnace wall and slightly spaced therefromy as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The tubes are L-shapedj with the bottom 3 of each tube-projecting out through vand beyond the .furnace wall where it is' flanged and capped on the end as indicated at 4. The upper ends of the tubes 2 extend up through the furnace cover 5, and are capped as indicated at 6. Thus allthe capped ends ofthe tubes lare outside of the furnace. To take Vapor off from the oil while preventing the oil from foaming over into the vapor line, vaporizing drumsf7 are provided around the top ofthe furnace, each of which is connected with several of the cracking-tubes 2 and a common vapor line 8, in the present embodiment, ythe sixteen cracking tubes being portioned among the four vaporizing drums in groups of four connected to the drums through pipes 9, see Figs. l and 2. e

1.9273. v ASerial No. 626,386.

Near the outer ends of the bottom portions y f 3 ofthe cracking tubes, connection is made voutside the furnace between y,the vcracking tubes andy ak manifold 10, extending around the furnace in the formof a split circle or C with the ends 11 and 12 of the C-forrn closed or capped as indicated at 13 and 14. Outside circulating pipes 15 connect the vaporizing drums 7 below-.the liquid level, with manifold 10. f

A pair of pipes 16 and 17 connect with the ends 11 and 12, respectively', of the manifold 10, which pipes function alternately' as supply and residuum draw-olf pipes. To enable-this interchange of func-v tion to be effected both pipes are extendedk vfrom the still to the desired Vpoint of dischargevthrough block valves 18 and 19, and between these valves and the still both are connected through switching block valves 20 and 21 tothe supply pipe 22. Thus with valves 21 .and 18 closed, and 20 and 19 open, pipe 16 becomes the supply connection and pipe 17 the draw off, the'rate 'of supply and draw oli' being controlled by valves 20 and 19, respectively.V Obviously an interchange .of functionbetween pipes 16 and 17 will be effected upon a reversal of the settingk of the valves 18, 19, 20 and 21. To enable a return distillate such as the reflux from a fractionator, to be fed into the still along with the supply, a conducting pipe 23 for such return distillate is connected to both pipes'16 and 17 through suitable switching valves 24 and 25 ybetween the still and the valves 20 and 21.

Heat is imparted to the cracking tubes within thefurnace by a rotating source of heat, in the form of a rotating burner 26, similar to those of my co-pending applications Serial No. 523,062, filed December 17, 1921 (Patent No,`1,576,563, March .16, 1926) and Serial No. 532,873, filedJanuary 30,

A'1922 (Patent No. 1,581,896, April Q20, 1926).

ln the present arrangement the burner 26 is suppliedwith fuel and airthrough the fuel and air pipes 27 and 28 respectively, which together with the rotary member 29-of a swiveled coupling 30 and diaphragm 31 are rotated within the circular series of cracking tubes by means-of the bevel gears 32-and driving pulley 33 connected with a suitable source of power, not shown. The bottom stationary part 34 of the swivel coupling is supplied with fuel and air through the staa rod 4() hung from1thef furnace cover.

While for producing the required draft through the furnace a stack` 121 is provided. with which the upper portion of the furnace chamber connects through pipe A L12.

In the operation; of the stillto carryout the preferred' cracking process, it is iiV charged, through oney oftheI pair of pipes` 16-17, for example, pipeltlby Way; of supply'` pipe 22, valve 20, pipe 16 and mani-- fold 10,to the Woi'li-ingflevel as indicated at 43, Which oill may ormay not'be warmed or preheated. The'buriiei'-'261istlienl put in opT eration and the oil in thev craclriiig tubes brought up to the desiredcracking tempera` ture.` Vapore liberated from the oil inthe vaporizing drums 7 are conducted olf? through the vaporfline 3 to suitable frac tionatiiig, condensingand receiving devices, not shown, but which may be` of any lniown orA other suitable type, While enough inalrcupisrpumped in by'vvay ofthe manifold l() andpipe 16, to maintain the Woi'king'level 43. After the make-up amounts to the original. charge-.the-inethodof operation is changed. Residuuinisnovv drawn oli' and theinake up. ispuinped in.` fast enough to replace the-oil dravvnzoitf inl vapor form and as residuum. By governing these three fac, tors that` is, vaporl drawn-off, residuum drawn. off, and make' up', We controleur percentage.. 'The vapor. is continuously conducted of through the vapor line 8; While the level `is. maintained by drawing: off the residuum froinv-the end 12; ofi tliemanifold 10 byv Way of pipe l?, the amount drawn oiiA being controlled by valve 19. intermediate distillates such as, there/flux from al f f tionator, areiretuinedto the-still along Wit the oii supply byrWay` of they return distillate pipei23, valvexe, pipezltland manifold 10. vWhen@ the run is` halfipoverl the flowI of supply and residuuin dravv-ott` isv reversed bya'reversingi the-.setting of the valves, that is by closing valvesQO, 24, and 19, and opening. valves217 25. and.: 18.

The carbondeposit istl'iiclest. at the end Where the residuum is drawn off.' and grad-- uates down tonothing at the point Where charging isstarted..r lThus by reversing the` flow in thef manner described va fairly even deposition of carbon` on the different tubes is brought'about. resultinginza delayof the necessityfor u. shutfdown for cleaning.

In one reductionrgtopractice ofthe present invention, inf Wliiohl theV outtf comprised eight-zthree inchgtubes and eighti four inch tubes with ten feet in: vthefurnace, l have runzsiXty gallons` aiiihogur W-ith". very.'4 good results. In running this outfit, fifty barrels ie'zaeea drawing oif residuuin both the'latter means'v being at different points near thebottonr of the retort, and means for reversing said-V points of supplyand Withdrawal.'

2. Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils comprising a retort andxmeans forheat' ing the same, a drummember connected-With the upper end of said retort', a. circulating conduit extending from the drumto av'point near the bottoni of said retortbeyondftheinfluence of the lieatingnneans, vmeans fordrawing oil vapors from a point above ther upper junction of the drum: andncirculatingf conduit, and reversible meansV for feeding oily to the retort and fori'emoving; the residuumif therefrom at. separated; pointslneaniftlie' lower i junction of the retort and circulating conduit..

3. Apparatus for crackingr hydrocarbon oils comprising ai furnace; alpluralityrof Averi tical cracking tubes arranged inta-circlel therein havingtheir upperfends extending outside the furnace and their lower ends.L

extending;v radially outside I' the furnace, a manifold extending4 aroundtheyoutsidef-of the furnace in the'for'mY ofia split circle;l mart ifold connections between said manifold andiM the lower outside ends ofrthezcrackingtubes, and means for feeding-oil.throughlsaid'y mane ifold to thecra'cliing tubes .vvherebyithedirection of oivmay be reversed.' at different-o times.

4i. Apparatus for. crackinghydrocarbon:

oil comprising a furnace, a plurality ofver tical cracking tubes arrangedI invv a circle'. therein and` terminating outs-idesthe furnace,

a manifold connectingV With the lovverfendsfA of said cracking tubes outside i the i furnacegl means for interchangeably feedingoill tothe.L

several tubes through yone-.end-of'tlie inani-` fold and for drawing` offiresiduuinfrom.the.;

tubes throughthe otherarend ofrlthe manifold;`

circulating conduits arrangedk to conduct oilifroin the upperends ofthe cracking 'tubes to: tlic manifold, and means fortaking.oifva-V poi's at point near the upperjunction ofi? the cracking tubesvvith the circulating cone duits.

Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbonzw oils` as claimed inclaiinthaving vaporizingf vdrums connectedk between groups. ofi'saidly cracking tubes and lsaid circulating conduits-,zl and i'iicaiis tor Vdrawingoffvaporsifromisaidf drums.

. Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils as claimed in claim 3, in which vthe said feeding means are adapted to draw off f residuum from the manifold from eitherend thereof.

7. Apparatus fork treatin oils comprising a vertical sha t furnace open at the bottom for the influx of air and closed at the top with a flue vent thereat for products of Combustion, combustion heating means in the lower partof said shaft furnace,and a retort extending therethrough from the bottom to top, comprising a vertically arranged L-shaped cracking tube vwith its top end projecting through the top of the furnace and its bottoni projecting laterallyl through the side wall of the furnace, a Vapor` residuum from said retort and other means hydrocarbon 4kfor drawing off vapor from Asaid vapor drum. v y

8,. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 with the additionalfeatures of means for directing the heat of combustionl from the heating means in the lower part of the furnace shaft against the Vertical Walls of the enclosed retort, as the products of combustion lrise in the shaft.

9. The apparatus claimed in claim 7 with the additional features of a plurality of retort tubes arrangedas described, Combustion heating means arranged'toldirect heatedv i products of combustion against all of said tubes, and balin means in said furnace above the said com ustion apparatus, shaped and arranged to direct the products of combustion and'heat currents laterally against ythe vertical walls of the' retorttubes as said currents rise in the furnace.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affixmy signature. f 1

yFRANK E. WELLMAN. e

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