Mineral oils: processes and products – Chemical conversion of hydrocarbons – Cracking
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-08
2004-04-06
Dunn, Tom (Department: 1725)
Mineral oils: processes and products
Chemical conversion of hydrocarbons
Cracking
C208S118000, C502S064000, C502S065000, C502S068000, C502S073000, C502S079000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06716338
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to catalysts useful for cracking heavy hydrocarbon feed stocks, such as residuum (resid) and residuum-containing feeds, that contain high levels of nickel and vanadium contaminants. In particular, the invention is directed to improvements in zeolitic fluid cracking catalysts (FCC) produced by an in-situ reaction wherein preformed microspheres obtained by calcining microspheres composed of a mixture of hydrated kaolin, a dispersible boehmite alumina, binder, and kaolin or other clay calcined through its characteristic exotherm, undergo chemical reaction with sodium silicate solution to form crystals of zeolite and a porous silica/alumina matrix. The catalyst is metals tolerant, has good catalytic selectivity and is especially useful as a catalyst for cracking resids and resid-containing feeds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Since the 1960's, most commercial fluid catalytic cracking catalysts have contained zeolites as an active component. Such catalysts have taken the form of small particles, called microspheres, containing both an active zeolite component and a non-zeolite component in the form of a high alumina, silica-alumina matrix. The non-zeolitic component or matrix is known to perform a number of important functions, relating to both the catalytic and physical properties of the catalyst. Oblad described those functions as follows:
“The matrix is said to act as a sink for sodium in the sieve thus adding stability to the zeolite particles in the matrix catalyst. The matrix serves the additional function of: diluting the zeolite; stabilizing it towards heat and steam and mechanical attrition; providing high porosity so that the zeolite can be used to its maximum capacity and regeneration can be made easy; and finally it provides the bulk properties that are important for heat transfer during regeneration and cracking and heat storage in large-scale catalytic cracking.” A. G. Oblad Molecular Sieve Cracking Catalysts, The Oil And Gas Journal, 70, 84 (Mar. 27, 1972).
In prior art fluid catalytic cracking catalysts, the active zeolitic component is incorporated into the microspheres of the catalyst by one of two general techniques. In one technique, the zeolitic component is crystallized and then incorporated into microspheres in a separate step. In the second technique, the in-situ technique, microspheres are first formed and the zeolitic component is then crystallized in the microspheres themselves to provide microspheres containing both zeolitic and non-zeolitic components.
For many years a significant proportion of commercial FCC catalysts used throughout the world have been made by in-situ synthesis from precursor microspheres containing kaolin that had been calcined at different severities prior to formation into microspheres by spray drying.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,902, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by cross-reference, discloses novel fluid cracking catalysts comprising attrition-resistant, high zeolitic content, catalytically active microspheres containing more than about 40%, preferably 50-70% by weight Y faujasite and methods for making such catalysts by crystallizing more than about 40% sodium Y zeolite in porous microspheres composed of a mixture of two different forms of chemically reactive calcined clay, namely, metakaolin (kaolin calcined to undergo a strong endothermic reaction associated with dehydroxylation) and kaolin clay calcined under conditions more severe than those used to convert kaolin to metakaolin, i.e., kaolin clay calcined to undergo the characteristic kaolin exothermic reaction, sometimes referred to as the spinel form of calcined kaolin. In a preferred embodiment, the microspheres containing the two forms of calcined kaolin clay are immersed in an alkaline sodium silicate solution, which is heated, preferably until the maximum obtainable amount of Y faujasite is crystallized in the microspheres.
In practice of the '902 technology, the porous microspheres in which the zeolite is crystallized are preferably prepared by forming an, aqueous slurry of powdered raw (hydrated) kaolin clay (Al
2
O
3
:2SiO
2
:2H
2
O) and powdered calcined kaolin clay that has undergone the exotherm together with a small amount of sodium silicate which acts as fluidizing agent for the slurry that is charged to a spray dryer to form microspheres and then functions to provide physical integrity to the components of the spray dried microspheres. The spray dried microspheres containing a mixture of hydrated kaolin clay and kaolin calcined to undergo the exotherm are then calcined under controlled conditions, less severe than those required to cause kaolin to undergo the exotherm, in order to dehydrate the hydrated kaolin clay portion of the microspheres and to effect its conversion into metakaolin, this results in microspheres containing the desired mixture of metakaolin, kaolin calcined-to undergo the exotherm and sodium silicate binder. In illustrative examples of the '902 patent, about equal weights of hydrated clay and spinel are present in the spray dryer feed and the resulting calcined microspheres contain somewhat more clay that has undergone the exotherm than metakaolin. The '902 patent teaches that the calcined microspheres comprise about 30-60% by weight metakaolin and about 40-70% by weight kaolin characterized through its characteristic exotherm. A less preferred method described in the patent, involves spray drying a slurry containing a mixture of kaolin clay previously calcined to metakaolin condition and kaolin calcined to undergo the exotherm but without including any hydrated kaolin in the slurry, thus providing microspheres containing both metakaolin and kaolin calcined to undergo the exotherm directly, without calcining to convert hydrated kaolin to metakaolin.
In carrying out the invention described in the '902 patent, the microspheres composed of kaolin calcined to undergo the exotherm and metakaolin are reacted with a caustic enriched sodium silicate solution in the presence of a crystallization initiator (seeds) to convert silica and alumina in the microspheres into synthetic sodium faujasite (zeolite Y). The microspheres are separated from the sodium silicate mother liquor, ion-exchanged with rare earth, ammonium ions or both to form rare earth or various known stabilized forms of catalysts. The technology of the '902 patent provides means for achieving a desirable and unique combination of high zeolite content associated with high activity, good selectivity and thermal stability, as well as attrition-resistance.
The aforementioned technology has met widespread commercial success. Because of the availability of high zeolite content microspheres which are also attrition-resistant, custom designed catalysts are now available to oil refineries with specific performance goals, such as improved activity and/or selectivity without incurring costly mechanical redesigns. A significant portion of the FCC catalysts presently supplied to domestic and foreign oil refiners is based on this technology.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,023,220 and 5,395,809, assigned to the present assignee are further examples of patents which teach the formation of catalytic FCC microspheres from mixtures of hydrous kaolin, metakaolin and kaolin that has been calcined through the characteristic exotherm. These mentioned patents are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Improvements in cracking activity and gasoline selectivity of cracking catalysts do not necessarily go hand in hand. Thus, a cracking catalyst can have outstandingly high cracking activity, but if the activity results in a high level of conversion to coke and/or gas at the expense of gasoline the catalyst will have limited utility. Catalytic cracking activity in present day FCC catalysts is attributable to both the zeolite and non-zeolite (e.g., matrix) components. Zeolite cracking tends to be gasoline selective. Matrix cracking tends to be less gasoline selective. After appropriate ion-exchange treatments with rare earth cations, h
Dodwell Glenn W.
Harris David H.
Lerner Bruce
Madon Rostam
Stockwell David
Dunn Tom
Engelhard Corporation
Ildebrando Christina
Keller Raymond F.
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