US2011109A - Hydrogenation process of oil refining - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 13, 1935. N. J. LocKHAR-r HYDROGENATION PROCESS OF'OIL REFINING Filed July 2, 1952 IN VEN TOR. THA/V JL ack/1A e 7` BY v i f ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. `13, 1935 UNITED STATESv PTENT OFFICE HYDROGENATION PROCESS F OIL- 4 REFINING i Nathan JlLockhart, Redondo, Calif., assigner to Lathrop" Investment Corporation, Los Angeles,

Calif., a corporation of California application July 2, 14932, serial No. 620,669

This invention relates to a; method and apparatus for treating hydrocarbonV oils byy a process o'fhydrogenationp, .I

n I In the treatmentgof hydrocarbon oils `bythe is hydrogen process it is :usually necessary at some stage of theprocessto raisey the ,temperature of thehydrocarbons which may then be in liquid or vapor phase, to amrelatively' high ldegree of tem- ,.1 i, peraturaandat.,` such times the `apparatus-may l0" develop Weaknesses `which cause disaster This is due to the ldevelopment of leaks or the accumulation of iree carbon in the system which may cause highlyexplosiveand combustible combinations of elements vto be created, resulting in firesy and often endangering life and considerable propertyy H It is the principal object oi the present inventionto provide an apparatus and a method of r using the same, which eliminates the possibility` of `undue internal pressure in the system and prevents the` excessive heat from .corroding, cracking; or 'otherwise causing the conduits to become weakened-andruptured. I

The present invention contemplates the use o'i apparatus throughA which .hydrocarbon oilsin liquid or Vaporphase may be conducted, and durling which time they may be treatedby apparatus including a separate vaporizing chamber in which theihydrocarbon oils are mechanically atomized,

3b?? andthe apparatus further including heat treating? units,` in which the conduits areyjacketed by insulation layers of molten metal which are liquid at the operating temperatureof `that `particular piece of apparatus. v 1 I I `Theinvention is illustrated by way of example.

inthe accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure lis aviewlin diagram showingaA flow plan of the preferred form of my apparatus.:`

Fig 2'is a fragmentary view in section and elei vation showing,` one of theV atomizing nozzles usedapparatus operates with very desirable and-efecient results when treating oil` ranging from that whichv is known commercially as from I2 to I6 gravity A draw-off pipe Il is connected with the 'reservoirl I0 and communicateswiththe bot- 5 tom of a still l2. This still is heatedto the temperature of approximately 500 F., byany suitable means, such as the gas or oil burner I3, dur-A ing which time the oil passes from the pipe I I into.- a coil IllV and then flows upwardly through the coil to an outlet pipe I5 communicating with a 5l nozzle structure I3. This nozzle is shown in de` tail in Fig; 2 of the drawing, where it will be seenv tocomprise a tubular feed pipe Il extending horizontally through the end wall I8 of an expansion I chamber I9. I This feedpipe is externally thread- 10 ed'at its outer end to receive rthethreadedshanli 200i aY nozzle 2|. The outerend ofthe nozzle member is formed with a central opening 22' through which liquid may be ejected. Mounted w in fixed relation tothe endof the feed tube Il fis 16' a metal valve'stem 23 which is tapered at its outer municates with the 'top of this expansion chainber and draws thehydrocarbons awayin vapor phase through a pipe 26. This conduit is of rela- 39g tively large diameter and conducts the hydrocarbon vapors into a heat treating unit 21. Suit,-

able heat generators, such as the burners 28 are provided to raisethe temperature of the 'vapors Vto approximately 1120 F. The conduit 26 is led 3.5:;

into vthe `heat unit and communicates withan uppercoil 291whic`h is formed with convolutions extending horizontally.V The length of` this coil maybe as desired, while the outer end of the coil extends fromthe heat compartment into a hydro- 4.9 gen mixing box 3l). Disposed within the heat chamber V28 and beneath the c'oil 29 is a coil 3l through which steam is conducted from a boiler 32. `It will thus be evident that the steam in the coi1'3 I" willbe superheated .to the temperature of 45:i 1120" F.which will be the=same temperatureas that `attained by the hydrocarbon vapors inthe coil 29. The outer end 'of the steam coil 3| is formed with a go'oscneck 33, the eduction end of which extends vertically into an accumulated bath 50.' of molten metal 34` carried in the bottom compartment 35 of the hydrogen mixing box. The steam from the coil is thus emptied into thebath of molten metal and its hydrogen content will pass off through a pipe 36 into the mixing com- 55.

partment 3T of the hydrogen mixing box 30. Here the hydrogen will mix with the hydrocarbon vapors.

A vapor pipe 38 conducts the mixed hydro- Carbon and hydrogen to the condenser 39 where these vapors will be cooled in the presence of a cooling meter, such for example, of water atk the ordinary temperature of 65. The condensate is then drawn ofi from the condenser through a pipe and is delivered as gasoline to a suitable storage reservoir.

'Ihe manner in which the vapor and steam coils 29 and 36 are protected from the excess heat in the heat treating unit 27 is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, where it will be seen that these elements include an outer pipe 4i separated from an inner pipe Q2, the outer pipe communicating with the end wall of the compartment 35 of the hydrogen mixing box and the inner pipe 42 terminating in a gooseneck 33 previously described. The openings of the pipes Vare below the levelof the molten metal 3G and make it possible to fill the space between the outer pipes @I and the inner pipe 33 with this molten metal which will act as a protecting and insulating jacket for the inner pipe 42, and will at the same time accumulate within the compartment 35 to form a trap for the steam ejected from the coil 3i and to permit the hydrogen to pass to the upper compartment of the mixing box.

' Attention is also directed to the fact that this arrangement will permit expansion `and contraction of the molten metal without placing any undue strain on the parts of the apparatus.

In operation lead has been used as the molten metal, but in actual practice any desired metal might be used just so long as it becomes molten at the operating temperature of. that particular element of the device. In the particular application of the use of molten metal as an insulating device in the present instance, the drawing shows the use of concentric pipes betweenv the spaced walls of which the molten metal is maintained. It will be understood thatother forms of conduits and jackets might be used, but that this particular feature of the inventionl is concerned with the interposition of molten metal between the walls of a container, the outer walls of which are subjected to a high degree of heat.

In operation of' the present invention it is desirable to treat relatively low gravity oil in the apparatus, since the structure acts eciently to bring about the recovery of an unusually high percentage of gasoline. The low gravity oil is placed in the storage reservoir 'I0 and may be drawn' therefrom as required to the still i2. Here it is heated to a temperature of substantially 509i F., andthe heated material is then led into the atomizing nozzle I 6. This nozzle will cause the vapor and finely divided liquid to be projected into the expansion chamber i9, and since the pressure of the fluid projected from the nozzle is relatively high as compared with the atmospheric pressure within the expansion chamber, the iiiL'd will have opportunity to expand and Vaporize. The hydroc-arbon vapors then are drawn off through the pipe 26 to the upper coil 29. This coil may be jacketed as previously described, and an insulating bath of molten metal may be interposed between the conduit containing the iiuid and the jacket wall. The coil 29 is in the upper part of the heated unit 2l. This unit is heated by suitable burners 28 to a high degree of temperature. The temperature proposed is 1120 F. Disposed within the heat unit beneath the coil 29 is the steam coil 3l which is jacketed as previously described. Attention is directed to the fact that steam is superheated to the same temperature as the incoming hydrocarbon vapors so that when they are led together in the hydrocarbon mixing box they will be of uniform temperature and will produce a homogeneous vapor. The superheated steam led from the boiler 32 through the coil 3i is expelled through the gooseneck 33 into the bath of molten metal 34 and as it perculates upwardly through the molten metal the hydrogen will escape through pipe 38 into the hydrogen mixing box where it will commingle with the hydrocarbon vapors expelled from the coil 29. These vapors and the hydrogen will then form a vapor which is led through pipe 38 to the condenser 39. Here condensation takes place to permit the recovered gasoline to be drawn from the condensate drawo. 40.

It will thus be seen that the device here disclosed provides simple and eiective means for rst producing a hydrocarbon vapor and a desired amount of hydrogen gas, and thereafter causing these two vapors to commingle in a manner to obtain a high yield of gasoline from a relatively low gravity hydrocarbon oil. And it will be further seen that the apparatus here disclosed permits the fluids to be handled without danger of carbonization due to the high heat directly delivered to the walls of the conduits, and without danger of rupture of the pipes due to intimate contact of the flames with the walls of the conduits through which the iiuids are flowing.

While yI have shown the preferred form of my invention, as now known to me, it will be under# stood that various changes may be made in combination, construction, and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz-- 1. In oil refining equipment, a still through which liquid hydrocarbon is passed and within which it is heated, an expansion chamber into which the heated oil is introduced by atomization, a heat unit through which the oil is conducted within a conduit and 'within which its temperature is raised to that of vapor phase, a steam conduit passing through said heating unit, heating means for simultaneously raising the oil and steam to substantially the same degree of temperature, a molten metal bath into which the discharge end of the steam conduit is submerged, a mixing box into which hydrogen liberated from said metal bath and the hydrocarbon from the heat unit are conducted and a condenser through which the mixture of hydrogen and hydrocarbon are passed.

2. In oil refining equipment, a still through which a liquid hydrocarbon is passed and within which it is heated, a conduit leading from the still, an expansion chamber of relatively large area'into which the heated oil is delivered from the conduit, an atomizing nozzle on the conduit and through which the oil is passed to the expansion chamber, a drawoff pipe from the expansion chamber for the atomized oil, a heat pipe connected with the drawoff pipe and through which the atomized oil passes, a heat treating unit including said pipe, a mixing chamber into which the heated oil is delivered after passing through the heat treating unit, a steam pipe within the heat treating unit and communicating with a source of steam supply, heating means for simultaneously heating the steam and the j atomized oil passingthrough the heat treating unit, a jacket disposed around the steam pipe and which is lled with molten metal, a box in communication with said jacket and within which molten metalaccumulates to a level to maintain introduced into the molten metal and must percolate upwardly therethrough, a connecting pipe between the box and the mixing chamber whereby the steam will be caused to commingle with the hydrocarbons within the mixing chamber, and a condenser in communication with said mixing chamber and within which light hydrocarbon fractions are obtained by condensation.

3. In oil reiining equipment a heat treating unit comprising an outer shell, a conduit Within the upper part thereof and through which oil vapors and atomized oil pass, a compartment into which said oil products are discharged, a second compartment in communication therewith into which said oil products may pass, a steam conduit passing through the shell and communicating with said second compartment, a jacket for said conduit, said jacket surrounding the conduit and the second compartment being filled with molten metal into which ste-am is introduced NATHAN J. LOCKI-IART.

Images