US1767695A - Process and apparatus for cracking petroleum oil - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1930.- J. c. MORRELL ET AL A 1,767,695

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CRACKING PETROLEUM OIL Original Filed Feb. 1. 1923 Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE J'ACQUE C. MORRELL AND HARRY P. BENNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CRACKING PETROLEUM OIL Application filed February 1, 1923, Serial No. 616,371. Renewed June 4, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in a process and apparatus for cracking petroleum oil and refers more particularly to the production of distillates having the characteristics of gasoline.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus whereby the carbon deposited in 'the reaction or evaporating chamber is kept in a .turbulent condition with the 'unvaporized liquids, preventing the accumulation of a solid carbon formation.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational View of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a detail of a modified form of construction. Referring to the drawings, the oil to be treated in this apparatus is introduced through the line .1 and may be charged directly through the pipes 2 and 3 to the heating coil 4 positioned in the furnace 5, or by manipulation of the valves '6 and 'l the oil may be. directed through the line 6 and introduced into the top of the dephlegmator.

When-charged in the latter manner, the cool oil is utilized as a dephlegmating medium and serves to separate out the higher boiling point fractions from the oil vapors. These higher boiling point oils or. reflux condensate collect with the charging stock in the lower leg of the dephlegmator 9 and may be drawn off through the line 10 com trolled by the valve 11 which communicates with the pipe 3 connected to the heating coil 4. The oil charged to the heating coil is raised to a conversion temperature and passes therefrom through the transfer line 12 controlled by the valve 13, and is intro-- cluced to the vaporizing chamber 14.

Centrally in the chamber is positioned a rotatable shaft 15 whichis supported by.

- upper and lower bearings, and has mounted thereon agitating paddles 16 and scrapers 17 which rotate near the inside walls of the chamber and serve to scrape off any carbon which may accumulate. They also serve with the paddle blades 16 to keep the oil in the chamber in constant agitation.

Positioned in the upper part of the chamber on supports 18 is a vapor turbine 19,

which has prior connection with the shaft her. The vapors evolved in the expansion or.

vaporizing chamber pass off through the line '22 controlled by the valve 23 to the dephlegmator 9 where after being refluxed they pass over through the pipe 24 to the condenser coil 25, and arefinally collected as liquid distillate in the receiver 26. Condenser coil 25 is connected to the receiver by the pipe 27 regulated by the valve 28.

The distillate from the receiver may be drawn off through the line 29 regulated by the valve 30, vor may be recycled by the pump 31 and pipe 32 controlledsby the valve 33 to be introduced into the top of the dephlegmator 9 where it may be used to assist in controlling the temperature of the vapors permitted to pass over to the condenser and distillate receiver.

The receiver is further equipped with pressure relief pipe 34 controlled by, pipe 35.

Returning to the operation of the vapor turbine for agitating the oil in the expansion chamber, there is connected into the vapor line 22 a pipe 36 in which is interposed a valve 37. Through this pipe may be diverted vapors which are directed into the nozzle of'the turbine, and which drive the turbine to rotate the agitating paddles and scrapers. The details of the vapor turbine have been purposely omitted, as the particular type of turbine utilized forms no part of this invention.

An auxiliary relief pipe 4:0,is conneqted into the discharge pipe 38, and by control of the valve 41 in the pipe 40 and the valve 42 in thepipe 38, the discharged vapors may be diverted from the condenser if desired.

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 2, in place of using the vapor turbine the transfer line 12 may be extended as shown at 12 into the chamber and fitted with a nozzle to play upon the buckets of the liquid power wheel 43 mounted upon'the shaft 44 similarly positioned as the shaft lfi'shown in Fig. 1. The turbulator or agitating propeller 16 and scra er 17 are similarly mounted upon the sha t, the only difference being in the power used to rotate the shaft.

As explained in Fig. 1 the vapors evolved in the chamber are recycled and utilized in the vapor turbine while the fluid oil constituents traveling at high velocity from the heating coil are played directly upon the power wheel 43 to rotate the agitating members and keep the deposited carbon in suspension in the unvaporized reflux.

It has been observed that the carbon is deposited in the vaporizing chamber in the form of dispersed coke or hydrocarbon material, This dispersed hydrocarbon substance agglomerates and forms coke in bulk, or in what amounts to a solid body.

It is the purpose of this invention to keep the liquidoil constituents in the vaporizing chamber in constant agitation, and this free carbon in suspension, preventing the agglomeration dueto settling and heat treatment, i

In connection with the agitation of the oil in the chamber, it is also essential that the residuum be continuously or intermittently drawn off in order to keep the unvaporized products at a proper fluidity, for if the carbon is permitted-to collect in excess of the liquid present, it will agglomerateand solidify in spite of the agitation produced by the rotating members.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a tube and drum oil cracking apparatus, of mechanical agitating means positioned in said drum, means for utilizing the expansive force of the vapors evolved from the oil in said drum for posi tively driving said mechanical agitating means to maintain the liquid oil in the ex pansion chamber in a turbulent condition and prevent substantial deposition of carbon therein and means for removing the vapors used to drive said agitating means from said drum. 1

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with an enlarged chamber for containing hydrocarbon oil under cracking conditions of heat and pressure, ofmechanical agitating means positioned in said chamber, means for utilizing the expansive force of vapors evolved from the oil in said chamber for positively actuating said mechanical agitating means and means for removing vapors from said chamber.

3. In a device of theclass described, the

memes combination with an enlarged chamber adapted to contain hydrocarbon oil under cracking conditions of temperature and pressure, a vapor outlet from said chamber, mechanical agitating means positioned in said chamber, adapted to maintain hydro carbon oil therein in a turbulent condition, a turbine for actuating said mechanical agitating means, positioned within said chamher, a conduit for leading vapors from said vapor outlet into operative relation with respect to said turbine, whereby the expansive force of the vapors evolved from the oil in said chamber is utilized for positively actuatingsaid mechanical agitating means and means for discharging the vapors passed to said turbine from said chamber.

a, In a process of hydrocarbon oil conversion for producing from higher boiling point mineral hydrocarbon oils lower boiling point hydrocarbon distillates, amenable to refining for use as a motor fuel, which consists in heating the oil to a conversion temperature under a superatmospheric pressure, by passing it in an elongated restricted serpentine stream through a heating zone,

discharging the heated oil into an enlargedzone of accumulation where vapors are evolved from the oil, and subjecting the products in. said zone of accumulation to mechanical. agitation, the improvement which consists in utilizing the expansive force of the vapors evolved from the oil in the zone of accumulation to supply power for such mechanical agitation.

JACQUE C. MOERELL. HARRY, P. BENNER.

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