Fuel and related compositions – Liquid fuels – Organic oxygen compound containing
Reissue Patent
1999-08-31
2001-04-24
Howard, Jacqueline V. (Department: 1764)
Fuel and related compositions
Liquid fuels
Organic oxygen compound containing
C585S001000, C585S302000
Reissue Patent
active
RE037142
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of fuel forming processes. More specifically it relates to a process of producing high octane alcohols, or pump gasoline, including the steps of placing a pre-mixed mixture of ethanol and butane or natural gasoline in a starting tank, raising the pressure of gases above the surface of the mixture to fifty pounds per square inch, pumping the mixture from the bottom of the starting tank through a first high pressure conduit into a heat exchanger where the temperature of the mixture is raised to a magnitude within the range of 100 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, extracting the heated mixture from the heat exchanger with high pressure pumps which raise the mixture pressure to 500 to 1000 pounds per square inch, and feeding the heated and pressurized mixture through a second high pressure conduit through a nozzle and through a third high pressure conduit into an elongate catalyzing chamber containing a platinum catalyst. Additional steps include delivering the catalyzed mixture through a fourth high pressure conduit into a cooler for lowering the temperature to a magnitude within a range of 90 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, feeding the cooled mixture through a fifth high pressure conduit into a series of separator tanks in which liquid final product collects in the tank bottoms and gas rises within the tanks above the surface of the liquid, and the liquid is drained off as the final product. The final product is 120 to 160 research octane, 110 to 129 motor octane,
R & M
and (
R+M
)
/
2
about 148.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There have long been various chemical processes for producing gasoline and other fuels. A problem with these prior processes has been that they either fail to produce high octane gasoline, or they fail to do so efficiently.
These prior processes include that of Harandi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,912, issued on Dec. 15, 1992. Harandi discloses a process for the production of C+gasoline from n-butane and propane. The Harandi process includes the steps of contacting a fresh feedstream including normal butane with shape selective medium pore zeolite catalyst particles under conditions sufficient to convert n-butane to an effluent stream including C+alkanes; separating the effluent stream in a fractionator to recover an overhead stream including propane; contacting the propane stream and a fresh propane feedstream with shape selective, medium pore zeolite catalyst particles under conversion conditions sufficient to convert propane to a mixture including C+alkanes; deethanizing the mixture and passing the deethanized product including C+alkanes to the fractionator for separation concurrent with the effluent stream; recovering a bottom stream including C+gasoline from the fractionator; preferably, distilling an intermediate stream including C alkanes from the fractionator and recovering a stream including isobutane and a stream including unconverted normal butane; and recycling the unconverted normal butane to the normal butane feedstream to the integrated process.
Ward, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,259, issued on Jul. 12, 1983, reveals a process for converting propane or butane to gasoline. The Ward, et al. process includes the steps of passing feed hydrocarbon into a dehydrogenation zone; passing the entire dehydrogenation zone effluent including hydrogen and light by-products into a catalytic condensation zone where the resulting olefins are converted into dimers and trimers; passing the condensation zone effluent stream into a separation zone in which the dimers and trimers are concentrated into a product stream, with unconverted feed hydrocarbon and hydrogen being recycled to the dehydrogenation zone.
Vora, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,948, issued on Dec. 8, 1981, teaches a multi-step hydrocarbon conversion process for converting butane to gasoline. The process includes the steps of passing butane into a dehydrogenation zone and the entire dehydrogenation zone effluent is then passed into a catalytic condensation zone where butylene is converted into C and C hydrocarbons; commingling and separating the condensation zone effluent, a stripper overhead stream and an absorber bottoms stream into vapor and liquid portions; passing the liquid into the stripper and contacting the vapor portion with stripper bottoms liquid in an absorber; contacting the absorber overhead stream with liquid butane in a second absorber to remove C hydrocarbons and recycling the dehydrogenation zone; and debutanizing a portion of the stripper bottoms to yield the liquid butane and a gasoline product.
Capsuto, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,988, issued on Apr. 24, 1984, discloses the use of liquefied propane and butane or butane recycled to control the heat of reaction of converting olefins to gasoline and distillate. The Capsuto, et al. process uses beds and separates the effluent product from the beds into a gas in a liquid phase, cools the gas phase to form additional liquid and heat exchanges the liquid with the overhead gas from the separator.
Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,533, issued on Mar. 3, 1992, reveals blended gasolines and a process for making the blended gasolines. The Wilson process involves mixing of a butane-pentane rich component, and natural gasoline component, and at least one octane-enhancing component. The mix is weathered during the blending operation to remove light-weight hydrocarbons including two, three and four-carbon components.
Hiles, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,954, issued on May 10, 1994, discloses a process for preparing tetrahydrofuran. The Hiles et al. process separates tetrahydrofuran from a feed mixture containing water, lower alkanol and tetrahydrofuran, which includes distilling the mixture in a first distillation zone at a first pressure; recovering from an upper part of the distillation zone a first vaporous mixture including water, lower alkanol and tetrahydrofuran; subjecting the material from the first vaporous mixture to condensation conditions in a condensation zone; passing condensate from the condensation zone to a second distillation zone operated at a second pressure higher than the first pressure; recovering from an upper part of the second distillation zone a second vaporous mixture including water, lower alkanol and tetrahydrofuran that has a lower concentration of tetrahydrofuran than the first vaporous mixture; and recovering from a lower part of the second distillation zone a stream including substantially pure tetrahydrofuran.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a process of producing a very high octane alcohol product efficiently.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a process which can be practiced with conventional heat exchanger and separator tank equipment.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a process which is safe to practice.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a process which is inexpensive to practice.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair reading and interpretation of the entire specification.
A process of producing high octane alcohols is provided, including the steps of preparing a mixture of substantially ethanol and butane or natural gasoline, the mixture having a certain temperature and a certain pressure, adjusting the certain pressure of the mixture to a magnitude within the range of 10 to 50 pounds per square inch, adjusting the temperature of the mixture to a magnitude within the range of 100 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, adjusting the pressure of the mixture to a pressure within the range of 500 to 1000 pounds per square inch, catalyzing the mixture with a platinum catalyst, lowering the temperature of the mixture to a magnitude within a range of 90 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and separating out liquid product and gas from the mixture. The process preferably includes the additional steps of delivering a quantity of the gas sepa
Jarvis David R.
Wilson Ewert J. A.
Howard Jacqueline V.
Luedeka Neely & Graham PC
Millennium Fuels USA LLC
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