US 11,920,093 B1
Systems and processes for producing ethylene from naphtha and butanes
Vishvedeep Bhat, Dhahran (SA); Vinod Ramaseshan, Dhahran (SA); and Omer Refa Koseoglu, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Nov. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/056,794.
Int. Cl. C10G 35/09 (2006.01); B01D 3/14 (2006.01); C07C 4/04 (2006.01); C07C 5/22 (2006.01)
CPC C10G 35/09 (2013.01) [B01D 3/141 (2013.01); C07C 4/04 (2013.01); C07C 5/226 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for upgrading a hydrocarbon feed, the process comprising:
passing the hydrocarbon feed to a naphthene conversion unit, where the hydrocarbon feed comprises naphthenes;
contacting the hydrocarbon feed with hydrogen in the presence of a ring opening catalyst in the naphthene conversion unit, where the contacting causes at least a portion of the naphthenes in the hydrocarbon feed to react to produce a converted effluent comprising at least isoparaffins and normal paraffins;
passing at least a portion of the converted effluent to a paraffin separation system that separates the at least a portion of the converted effluent to produce at least one isoparaffin-rich stream and at least one n-paraffin-rich stream;
passing the at least one isoparaffin-rich stream to a reverse isomerization unit;
contacting the at least one isoparaffin-rich stream with hydrogen in the presence of an isomerization catalyst in the reverse isomerization unit, where the contacting in the reverse isomerization unit causes at least a portion of the isoparaffins in the at least one isoparaffin-rich stream to undergo isomerization to produce an isomerate comprising a mixture of normal paraffins and isoparaffins;
passing at least a portion of the isomerate to the paraffin separation system that separates the at least a portion of the isomerate to produce the at least one isoparaffin-rich stream and the at least one n-paraffin-rich stream;
passing the at least one n-paraffin-rich stream to a steam cracker to produce a cracker effluent comprising at least one product.