US2287511A - Asphalt manufacture - Google Patents

Description

Patented June 23, 1942 ASPHALT MANUFACTURE Robert E. Burk and Charles H. Whitacre, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to The Standard Oil Qompany, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio No Drawing. Original application November 23,

1936, Serial No. 112,348. Divided and this application March 23, 1938, Serial No. 197,680

3 Claims.

In manufacturing asphalt, it has been the custom to blow the petroleum residuum with air, and maintain the temperature at about 300-500 F. The procedure is very tedious, requiring a long duration of action in order to bring the material to useable characteristics of high melting point and low penetration. Although enormous quantities of oxygen are brought into relation with the hydrocarbon material, there is not a great increase in the oxy gen content, and the action is largely a dehydrogenation and conjoining of hydrocarbon molecules. We have now found that particularly effective action in thickening up the material todesirable penetration and melting point can be obtained without the cumbersome and time-consuming air-blowing, and the entire operating can be completed in a fraction of the time heretofore necessary, the products being also superior.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then comprises the features hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

The stock to be worked up, a heavy petroleum oil residue, which we designate the residuum, is in accordance with the invention heated with air, and a small or catalytic-amount of a polymerizing catalyst. The temperature of treatment may be 225-450 F. Desirably, the material is suitably stirred or agitated. The time of treatment is short, as for instance 20 to 300 minutes. As catalysts, we employ halides, as ferric chloride, aluminum bromide, aluminum chloride, aluminum iodide, halides similarly of copper, tin, zinc, antimony, arsenic, boron, titanium, etc., hydroxides of sodium, potassium, etc., calcium oxides, sodium carbonate, metallic sodium, in small amounts. Particularly desirable catalysts are the halides of aluminum, copper, tin, zinc, antimony, arsenic, titanium, boron fluoride, etc.

In some instances, it is desirable to subject the petroleum residuum first to an air-blowing, maintaining the temperature at about 450 F. for about 600 minutes, the material being agitated by the injected air or other suitable means, and then the air-blowing is discontinued and the polymerizing catalyst is incorporated, e. g. 0.5 per cent AlCls at a temperature of about 250 F. and the heating is maintained at 300400 F. for 20 to 30 minutes. Such air-blowing stage can be operated to some desired penetration standard, as for instance 92 penetration at 77 F., and then the polymerization treatment is applied.

As an example: A petroleum residuum having initially a penetration of 200 at 77 F., is heated with 1.5 per cent of ferric chloride at a temperature of 350 F., for 60 minutes. The product has a penetration of at 77 F. and ductility 16 at 39 F. and 72.5 at 77 F.

As another example: A petroleum residuum is air-blown first, and then is heated with 0.9 per cent of boron fluoride in a BF3 ether mixture at a temperature of 400 F. for 15 minutes. The product has a melting point of 140 F., ductility at 38 F. 4, and at 77 F. 21, penetration at 32 F, 19, and at 77 F. 47, and at 115 F. 146, and a susceptibility coefficient of 2.

As another example: The petroleum residuum is similarly first air-blown as above, and then is heated with 0.5 per cent of FeClz at 400 F. for 30 minutes. The product has a melting point of F., ductility at 39 F. 4, and at 77 F. 30, penetration at 32 F. 17, and at 77 F. 51, and at 115 F. 192, and susceptibility factor 3.4.

Asphalts produced according to the present invention have particularly shiny black surfaces, and are not buttery or short in consistency as has been the characteristic of high melting point asphalts from blended stocks. They also have higher melting points at a given penetration, say 77 F., than a customary asphalt, and better susceptibility coefficients.

This application is a division of our application Ser. No. 112,348, filed Nov. 23, 1936 Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

1. A process of making asphalt, which comprises heating with temperature rise to 350-400 F. and thickening a petroleum residuum in the absence of injected air to asphalt-consistency with a small amount of an aluminum chloride catalyst.

2. A process of making asphalt, which comprises air-blowing a petroleum residuum in the absence of an added catalyst, then thickening the material in the absence of injected air to asphalt-consistency by heating with temperature rise to 350-400 F. with a small amount of a halide of aluminum.

3. A process of making asphalt, which comprises air-blowing a petroleum residuum in the absence ofan added catalyst, then in the absence of injected air thickening the material to asphalt-consistency by heating with temperature rise to 350-400 F. with a small amount of an aluminum chloride catalyst.

ROBERT E. BURK. CHARLES H. WHITACRE.