US1782811A - Process of treating hydrocarbons - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 25, 1930. J. DELATTRE-SEGUY 1,782,811

I PROCESS OF TREATING HYDROCARBONS v Filed June 28, 1926 Patented Nov. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JEAN DELATTRE SEGUY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OIL PROD- 'UCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA PROCESS OF TREATING HYDROCARBONS Application filed June 28, 1926. Serial No. 118,982.

This invention relates to improvements in process of treating hydrocarbons, and refers more particularly to a process in which the oil is heated while in a relatively thin film, so as to insure maximum reacting contact be tween the, oil and heat units, and also to lessen the difiiculty of carbon formation in pressure processes.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal 1o sectional View taken on lines 1-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on lines 22 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a view'similar to Fig. 2 of a somewhat modified form of the process.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 designates a furnace setting having the combustion chamher 2, burner 3, flue 4 leading to the heating chamber 5. Within this chamber 5 is'r'nounted a shell 6 adapted to withstand high temperatures and high pressures. This shell 6 is provided with the manholes 7 and has all, except the upper portion of its inner walls, lined for example, with fire brick, as shown at 8, while the upper portion designated 9,

serves as a radiating surface through which the heat of combustion passes into the shell. Within the shell is mounted an inclined plate 10 consistingof a bottom portion 11 and side walls 12, so as form a wide shallow channel.

30 The plate is a justably mounted on supports 13 carrying jacks 14 whereby the'slope of the plate may be varied; The shell is provided with a vapor outlet pipe 15 controlled by valve 16, which vapor pipe may lead to the p usual dephlegmator and other condensers well known in cracking plants, which it is not necessary to here show or describe.

Oil is fed to the plate through the transverse extending perforated nozzle 17 provided with a feed inlet pipe 18 leading to any suitable source of oil supply. 7

The residue is drawn off the bottom of the plate through the funnel 19 connected to residue drawofl pipe 20 having valve 21. Preferably suitable air ducts 22 are provided in the upper walls of the furnace setting to prevent the latter from becoming overheated from the intense heat of the gases of comso busti'on.

The oil may be cracked in the following .to insure the oil passing sufliciently slowly over the plate as to give it the necessary time of reaction. The degree of the slope will depend upon the viscosity of the 011 being treated, the time of reaction required, and the length of theplate and the extent of conversion desired. This however, will be readily ascertained by those skilled in the art.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a modified form of construction of the apparatus, in which the furnace setting is substantially dispensed with. In this figure, 23 designates the shell.

mounted as shown at 24, and having an inner lining of fire brick or like material, as shown The shell is provided with the vapor outlet pipe 26 controlled by the valve 27, and mounted therein is an inclined plate 28, of exactly the same construction and supported in the same manner as in Figs. 1 and 2. It is also rovided with the funnel and residue drawoif controlled by a valve, as shown in the prior construction. The method of heating however, is dilferent. The oil is fedto the plate in exactly the same manner as that described in Figs. 1 and 2, the heating being in this instance eflected by passing a he'atin medium through the retort. The trou h esignated as 29 is open at ,the upper en and extends .longitudina-lly'throu h the upper portion of the shell, and is suita lysupplied at one end with hot, molten material as for example, molten lead'or molten glass, the trough being slightl inclined from its inlet to its discharge en so as to let the molten material enter one end of the trough and pass out of the other.-

The arrangement is such that the heat from the hot molten material distils the thin film of oil on the plate through radiation and reflection, and converts a substantial-portion thereof into lighter hydrocarbons, such as gasoline and the like. Also, the action of the heat units may be such as to cause a chemical reaction of the vapors, and thus tend to treat the vapors to remove therefrom some of the objectionable compounds.

The process of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, may be carried out under a pressure of say 175-pounds, and the oil heated to a temperature of 900 F. or above.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process of cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting in passing the liquid oil in one end of a chamber, and permitting it to gravitate in a relatively wide shallow stream towards the other end of the chamber, in simultaneously heating the upper surface of said film to cracking temperature by heat radiated by passing a stream of molten, normally solid material in the other end of said chamber, and permitting it to gravitate towards the first end thereof, and maintaining a super atmospheric pressure upon the chamber.

2. The method of cracking hydrocarbon oils which comprises flowing the oil in a relatively thin film through a cracking zone maintained under superatmospheric pressure and applying to the flowing film a cracking heat radiated from a heating surface spaced away from the film whereby carbon deposition Within the cracking zone will not interfere With the transfer of heat to the film.

3. The method of cracking hydrocarbon oils which comprises flowing the oil in a rela tively thin film over an unheated inclined surface, applying a cracking heat to the upper surface of the flowing film whereby carbon deposition on said inclined surface will not interfere with the transfer of heat to the film, and maintaining a superatmospheric pressure on the oil being heated.

4. A process of cracking hydrocarbon oils which comprises flowing the oil in a relatively thin film through a cracking zone and simultaneously applying a cracking heat to the upper surface of the film by heat radiated from a hot molten bath.

5. A process of cracking hydrocarbon oils zone maintained under superatmospheric pressure and simultaneously applying a cracking heat solely to the upper surface of Isaid film by heat radiated from a hot molten ath.

7. In a hydrocarbon oil cracking process of the character wherein the oil is distilled under pressure in a pressure distillation zone to produce lighter hydrocarbons, the im' provement which comprises continuously introducing the oil to said pressure distillation zone at one end thereof, and flowing the same in a single pass through said zone in the form of a thin continuous, uninterrupted film not more than one inch in thickness, applying simultaneously to the entire film while flowing through said zone a cracking heat of at least 850 F. through a wall of said zone having an area at least coextensive with said film while maintaining a superatmospheric pressure in excess of 100 pounds per square inch in said zone, removing evolved vapors from said zone for dephlegmation and condensation, removing unvaporized oil from the end of said zone opposite the one through which the oil was introduced immediately upon completion of flow of the oil film therethrough and preventing return of said unvaporized oil to said zone to thereby preclude accumulation of treated unvaporized oil therein and regulating the speed of travel of said film through said zone in accordance with the viscosity of the oil and the extent of the film travel to insure suflicient time of reaction to produce a substantial amount of lighter hydrocarbon vapors therein.

JEAN DELATTRE-SEGUY.

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