US 11,773,037 B2
Distribution hub for C4 conversion to ethane/propane feedstock network
Dustin Fickel, Sugar Land, TX (US); Ramakumar Allada, Sugar Land, TX (US); Kaushik Gandhi, Sugar Land, TX (US); Uwaidh Al-Harethi, Riyadh (SA); and Robert Broekhuis, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Assigned to SABIC GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES B.V., Bergen op Zoom (NL)
Appl. No. 17/593,006
Filed by SABIC Global Technologies B.V., Bergen op Zoom (NL)
PCT Filed Feb. 27, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/051690
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 3, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/178683, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/814,093, filed on Mar. 5, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0177391 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. C07C 4/06 (2006.01); C01B 3/34 (2006.01); C01B 3/38 (2006.01)
CPC C07C 4/06 (2013.01) [C01B 3/346 (2013.01); C01B 3/384 (2013.01); C01B 2203/0216 (2013.01); C01B 2203/062 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for generating light alkanes for general distribution and use, the system comprising:
a butane conversion unit, the butane conversion unit capable of converting a butane-containing feed stream to a light alkanes output stream comprising methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), and propane (C3H8);
a separation unit fluidly coupled to the butane conversion unit, the separation unit capable of receiving at least a portion of the light alkanes output stream and separating at least a portion of the light alkanes output stream into streams comprising CH4, C2H6, and C3H8; and
a distribution network fluidly coupled to the separation unit, the distribution network capable of receiving one or both of (i) at least a portion of the C2H6 stream and (ii) at least a portion of the C3H8 stream from the separation unit, and distributing one or both of (i) the at least a portion of the C2H6 stream or (ii) the at least a portion of the C3H8 stream, wherein the distribution network is not dedicated to any specific downstream processing unit;
wherein the butane conversion unit comprises a hydrocracking unit; and
wherein the butane conversion unit comprises a hydrogenolysis unit.