US-20260125601-A1 - PROCESS AND SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING SOLID CARBON-BASED FEEDSTOCKS TO HYDROCARBONS AND COKE UTILIZING A COKE DRUM

US20260125601A1US 20260125601 A1US20260125601 A1US 20260125601A1US-20260125601-A1

Abstract

A process includes receiving, in an unheated coke drum, a feedstock comprising a solid carbon-based material, heating the unheated coke drum and the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material to a first temperature to form a heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in a semi-solid state or a melted state in a heated coke drum, and processing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the heated coke drum with a heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock at a second temperature and under reaction conditions to convert at least a portion of the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state to a product stream including a gas phase including hydrocarbons and hydrogen, and coke.

Inventors

Mahdi Khademi
Anshu Anshumali
Hye-Kyung Timken

Assignees

CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241104

Claims (20)

1 . A process, comprising: receiving, in a first unheated coke drum, a feedstock comprising a solid carbon-based material; heating the first unheated coke drum and the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the first unheated coke drum to a first temperature to form a first heated coke drum containing a heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in a semi-solid state or a melted state; and processing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the first heated coke drum with a heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock at a second temperature and under reaction conditions to convert at least a portion of the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state to a product stream comprising a gas phase comprising hydrocarbons and hydrogen, and coke.
2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material has a carbon content of from about 75 weight percent to about 99 weight percent.
3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material comprises one or more polyesters, one or more polyolefins and combinations thereof.
4 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material comprises one or more of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polyvinyl chloride, and a polystyrene.
5 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material comprises one or more of a high-density polyethylene, a low-density polyethylene, a high molecular weight polyethylene, a low molecular weight polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and combinations thereof.
6 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material comprises a solid waste plastic.
7 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the first temperature is from about 160° C. to about 320° C.
8 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock comprises a petroleum residue derived from processing of crude oil in a crude unit, a heavy cycle oil of a fluid catalytic cracking unit or tar.
9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein processing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the first heated coke drum with the heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock comprises anaerobically pyrolyzing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state, where the second temperature is at least about 325° C.
10 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein processing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the first heated coke drum with the heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock comprises anaerobically pyrolyzing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state, where the second temperature is from about 325° C. to about 800° C.
11 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein processing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the first heated coke drum with the heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock comprises thermally cracking the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state, where the second temperature is from about 450° C. to about 600° C.
12 . The process according to claim 1 , further comprising fractionating the product stream into one or more hydrocarbon fractions.
13 . The process according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more hydrocarbon fractions from the product stream comprise one or more of C 3 to C 5 olefins and C 6 to C 8 aromatics.
14 . The process according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more hydrocarbon fractions from the product stream comprise a heavy gas oil.
15 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein upon completion of the processing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the first heated coke drum with the heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock or the first heated coke drum is substantially full of coke, the process further comprises: sending the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material to a second unheated coke drum; heating the second unheated coke drum and the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material to a third temperature to form another heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in a semi-solid state or a melted state in the second heated coke drum; and processing the other heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the second heated coke drum with the heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock at a fourth temperature and under reaction conditions to convert at least a portion of the other heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state to another product stream a gas phase comprising hydrocarbons and hydrogen, and coke.
16 . The process according to claim 15 , further comprising: sending the other product stream comprising the gas phase comprising hydrocarbons and hydrogen to a fractionator; and fractionating the other product stream into one or more hydrocarbon fractions.
17 . The process according to claim 15 , wherein the first heated coke drum is substantially full of coke, the process further comprises: subjecting the first heated coke drum to a coke recovery process.
18 . The process according to claim 17 , wherein the coke recovery process comprises calcining the coke in the first heated coke drum under calcinating conditions to obtain needle coke.
19 . (canceled)
20 . (canceled)

Description

BACKGROUND There is an increasing interest in alternative feedstocks for replacing at least partly crude oil, in the production of hydrocarbons suitable as fuels or fuel components, for example, as transportation fuels, or compatible with fuels. Biofuels are typically manufactured from feedstock originating from renewable sources including oils and fats obtained from plants, animals, algal materials, fish, and various waste streams, side streams and sewage sludge. These feedstocks, particularly the various waste streams and side streams, contain varying amounts of contaminants, such as gums, organic chlorine compounds, phospholipids and other phosphorus compounds, metals and metal compounds, and residual soaps, which are, for example, deleterious to converting catalysts. In addition, the world has seen extremely rapid growth of plastics production. According to Plastics Europe Market Research Group, the world plastics production was 335 million tons in 2016, 348 million tons in 2017, 359 million tons in 2018, and 367 million tons in 2020. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), plastic pollution is on course to double by 2030, with significant consequences for health, the economy, biodiversity, and the climate. This underscores the urgent need for global action to reduce plastic waste and transition to more sustainable practices. Single use waste plastic has become an increasingly important environmental issue. At the moment, there appear to be few options for recovering waste plastics such as, for example, polyethylene and polypropylene waste plastics, to value-added chemical and fuel products. Presently, only a small amount of polyethylene/polypropylene waste plastic is recycled via chemical recycling, where recycled and cleaned plastic pellets are pyrolyzed in a pyrolysis unit to make fuels (naphtha, diesel), steam cracker feed or slack wax. The majority, greater than 80%, is incinerated, land filled or discarded. Currently there is no viable technology to convert general types of carbon-based materials including thermosets, poly-cyclic compounds and very heavy hydrocarbons that cannot be melted or dissolved in typical solutions in the industry and thereafter processed. SUMMARY In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, a process comprises: receiving, in a first unheated coke drum, a feedstock comprising a solid carbon-based material, heating the first unheated coke drum and the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material to a first temperature to form a heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in a semi-solid state or a melted state in a first heated coke drum, and processing the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state in the first heated coke drum with a heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock at a second temperature and under reaction conditions to convert at least a portion of the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state to a product stream comprising a gas phase comprising hydrocarbons and hydrogen, and coke. In accordance with another illustrative embodiment, a system comprises: an unheated coke drum configured to receive a feedstock comprising a solid carbon-based material, andone or more heating elements, associated with the unheated coke drum, and configured to heat the unheated coke drum and the feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material to a first temperature to form a heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in a semi-solid state or a melted state in a heated coke drum,wherein the heated coke drum is configured to process the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state with a heated petroleum residue-containing feedstock at a second temperature and under reaction conditions to convert at least a portion of the heated feedstock comprising the solid carbon-based material in the semi-solid state or the melted state to a product stream comprising a gas phase comprising hydrocarbons and hydrogen, and coke. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In combination with the accompanying drawing and with reference to the following detailed description, the features, advantages, and other aspects of the implementations of the present disclosure will become more apparent, and several implementations of the present disclosure are illustrated herein by way of example but not limitation. In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic diagram of a process and system for converting one or more feedstocks comprising a solid carbon-based material to a product stream comprising a gas phase comprising hydrocarbons and hydrogen, and coke utilizing an unheated coke drum, according to an illustrative embodiment. FIG. 1B illustrates a schematic diagram of a process and system for converting one or more feedstocks comprising a solid carbon