The invention relates to a process for the recovery of aliphatic hydrocarbons from a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream, which comprises aliphatic hydrocarbons and additionally comprises aromatic hydrocarbons and/or polar components, said process comprising the steps of: feeding the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream to a first column; feeding a first solvent stream which comprises an organic solvent to the first column at a position which is higher than the position at which the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream is fed; contacting at least a portion of the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock stream with at least a portion of the first solvent stream; and recovering at least a portion of the aliphatic hydrocarbons by liquid-liquid extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons and/or polar components with organic solvent, resulting in a stream comprising recovered aliphatic hydrocarbons and optionally organic solvent and a bottom stream from the first column comprising organic solvent and aromatic hydrocarbons and/or polar components.

An apparatus and a method for washing hydrocarbon product vapor are disclosed. The apparatus comprises housing, a first wash zone at a predefined cross-section of the housing for receiving the hydrocarbon product vapor, a plurality of injection units located within the first wash zone at predetermined intervals of the length of the housing for receiving wash oil. The injection units inject oil droplets formed from the received wash oil to contact the vapor and obtain a primary washed hydrocarbon vapor within the first wash zone. Further, a second wash zone is located above and in fluid communication with the first wash zone for receiving the primary washed hydrocarbon vapor. One or more spray headers receive wash oil and spray oil droplets formed from the received wash oil to contact with the primary washed hydrocarbon vapor, thereby forming a secondary washed hydrocarbon vapor.

An apparatus and a method for washing hydrocarbon product vapor are disclosed. The apparatus comprises housing, a first wash zone at a predefined cross-section of the housing for receiving the hydrocarbon product vapor, a plurality of injection units located within the first wash zone at predetermined intervals of the length of the housing for receiving wash oil. The injection units inject oil droplets formed from the received wash oil to contact the vapor and obtain a primary washed hydrocarbon vapor within the first wash zone. Further, a second wash zone is located above and in fluid communication with the first wash zone for receiving the primary washed hydrocarbon vapor. One or more spray headers receive wash oil and spray oil droplets formed from the received wash oil to contact with the primary washed hydrocarbon vapor, thereby forming a secondary washed hydrocarbon vapor.

Asphalt binders are modified using fractional products from waste tire pyrolysis, using an initial step of i) at least partially pyrolyzing, separately from such asphaltic binder, whole rubber articles or size-reduced rubber particles to provide one or more pyrolyzed rubber fractions including a pyrolyzed oil fraction having a selected minimum initial boiling point or flash point, and ii) removing some or all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds from such pyrolyzed oil fraction to provide a reduced-PAH and preferably translucent pyrolyzed oil fraction that may be combined with an asphaltic binder to provide a modified asphalt composition.

There is provided a process and system for producing carbon fiber products. The process can involve deasphalting a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, which can contain native asphaltenes, to produce a solid asphaltene particulate material, which can be further treated to produce the carbon fiber products. In some implementations, the solid asphaltene particulate material can be extruded in the presence of a polymer. In some implementations, the solid asphaltene particulate material can be chemically treated with a chemical agent including a Lewis acid, an oxidizing agent and/or a reducing agent before extrusion. In some implementations, the process can further produce activated carbon fibers.

Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport. In still other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for reduced incorporation of external streams into the final product for transport while still satisfying one or more target properties.

An upgraded crude composition is provided, along with systems and methods for making such a composition. The upgraded crude composition can include an unexpectedly high percentage of vacuum gas oil boiling range components while having a reduce or minimized amount of components boiling above 593° C. (1100° F.). In some aspects, based in part on the hydroprocessing used to form the upgraded crude composition, the composition can include unexpectedly high contents of nitrogen. Still other unexpected features of the composition can include, but are not limited to, an unexpectedly high nitrogen content in the naphtha fraction; and an unexpected vacuum gas oil fraction including an unexpectedly high content of polynuclear aromatics, an unexpectedly high content of waxy, paraffinic compounds, and/or an unexpectedly high content of n-pentane asphaltenes.

A process for converting a hydrocarbon feed to olefins includes passing the hydrocarbon feed to a distillation system to separate the hydrocarbon feed to produce a light gas stream, a plurality of distillate fractions, and a residue. The process further includes passing at least one of the distillate fractions to a steam catalytic cracking system that includes at least one steam catalytic cracking reactor that is a fixed bed reactor containing a nano-zeolite cracking catalyst. The steam catalytic cracking system contacts the one or more of the plurality of distillate fractions with steam in the presence of the nano-zeolite cracking catalyst, which causes steam catalytic cracking of at least a portion of hydrocarbons in the at least one distillate fraction to produce a steam catalytic cracking effluent comprising the olefins.

The present invention describes the coprocessing of a lignocellulosic liquid stream and an intermediate fossil stream in the oil refining process comprising the steps of (a) contacting said intermediate fossil stream and said lignocellulosic liquid stream with a stream of solvent of C.sub.3-C.sub.10 hydrocarbons in an extraction section, obtaining a stream of extract with solvent and a stream of raffinate with solvent; and (b) sending said stream of extract with solvent to a separation section, obtaining a deasphalted oil stream comprising solvent-free carbon of renewable origin and a stream of recovered solvent. The present invention further relates to a process for producing fuels from the deasphalted oil stream comprising carbon of renewable origin, wherein the process comprises sending the deasphalted oil stream to a conversion section of an oil refinery. The conversion section is selected from catalytic hydrocracking unit, thermal cracking, fluidized-bed catalytic cracking, visbreaking, delayed coking and catalytic reforming.

Processes herein may be used to thermally crack various hydrocarbon feeds, and may eliminate the refinery altogether while making the crude to chemicals process very flexible in terms of crude. In embodiments herein, crude is progressively separated into at least light and heavy fractions. Depending on the quality of the light and heavy fractions, these are routed to one of three upgrading operations, including a fixed bed hydroconversion unit, a fluidized catalytic conversion unit, or a residue hydrocracking unit that may utilize an ebullated bed reactor. Products from the upgrading operations may be used as feed to a steam cracker.