A process and apparatus is disclosed for converting heavy hydrocarbon feed into lighter hydrocarbon products. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is slurried with a catalyst comprising iron oxide and alumina to form a heavy hydrocarbon slurry and hydrocracked to produce lighter hydrocarbons. The slurry hydrocracking reaction can be controlled by measuring the production of mesophase using X-ray diffraction. Upon a mesophase yield fraction reaching a predetermined level, reaction conditions should be moderated to avoid excessive coke production.

A process and apparatus is disclosed for converting heavy hydrocarbon feed into lighter hydrocarbon products. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is slurried with a catalyst comprising iron oxide and alumina to form a heavy hydrocarbon slurry and hydrocracked to produce lighter hydrocarbons. The slurry hydrocracking reaction can be controlled by measuring the production of mesophase using X-ray diffraction. Upon a mesophase yield fraction reaching a predetermined level, reaction conditions should be moderated to avoid excessive coke production.

The invention relates to pyrolysis tar upgrading processes, and in particular for decreasing reactor pressure drop when the upgrading includes converting pyrolysis tar in a reactor. The invention also relates to upgraded pyrolysis tar, and the use of upgraded pyrolysis tar, e.g., as a fuel oil blending component.

The invention relates to pyrolysis tar upgrading processes, and in particular for decreasing reactor pressure drop when the upgrading includes converting pyrolysis tar in a reactor. The invention also relates to upgraded pyrolysis tar, and the use of upgraded pyrolysis tar, e.g., as a fuel oil blending component.

An ebullated bed hydroprocessing system is upgraded and operated at modified conditions using a dual catalyst system to produce less fouling sediment. The less fouling sediment produced by the upgraded ebullated bed reactor reduces the rate of equipment fouling at any given sediment production rate and/or concentration compared to the sediment produced by the ebullated bed reactor prior to upgrading. In some cases, sediment production rate and/or concentration are maintained or increased, after upgrading the ebullated bed reactor, while equipment fouling is reduced. In other cases, sediment production rate and/or concentration are increased, after upgrading the ebullated bed reactor, without increasing equipment fouling. In some cases, sediment production rate and/or concentration are decreased by a given percentage, after upgrading the ebullated bed reactor, and the rate of equipment fouling is decreased by a substantially greater percentage.

Provided is a system including a planning section that generates a production plan for a production site, using a planning model; a simulating section that simulates operation of at least a portion of the production site, based on a simulation model of the at least a portion of the production site; a monitoring section that monitors actual operation of the at least a portion of the production site; a calibrating section that calibrates the simulation model, based on a difference between the simulated operation and the actual operation; and a control section that controls the at least a portion of the production site, based on a simulation result obtained by simulating the operation of the at least a portion of the production site in accordance with the production plan, using the simulation model that has been calibrated.

When operating a production site, it is preferable to maintain accurate models continuously. Provided is a system including a simulating section that simulates operation of at least a portion of a production site, based on a simulation model of the at least a portion of the production site; a monitoring section that monitors actual operation of the at least a portion of the production site; a calibrating section that calibrates the simulation model, based on a difference between the simulated operation and the actual operation; and an updating section that updates a planning model used to generate a production plan for the production site, according to the calibration of the simulation model.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of aromatics from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil produced from a waste plastics feedstock; (b) optionally providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and optionally a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to one or more separation units; (f) performing a separation operation to obtain different streams comprising benzene, toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene and xylenes; wherein in step (d): ⋅ the coil outlet temperature is ≥800 and ≤850° C., preferably ≥805 and ≤835° C.; and ⋅ the weight ratio of steam to feed C is >0.3 and <0.8, preferably >0.3 and <0.5. Such process allows for optimisation of the quantity of waste plastic material that finds its way back into products that are produced as outcome of the process. The higher that quantity is, i.e. the higher the quantity of chemical building blocks that are present in the waste plastic material that are converted to the produced products, the better the sustainability footprint of the process is. The process allows for circular utilisation of plastics.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of aromatics from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil produced from a waste plastics feedstock; (b) optionally providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and optionally a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to one or more separation units; (f) performing a separation operation to obtain different streams comprising benzene, toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene and xylenes; wherein in step (d): ⋅ the coil outlet temperature is ≥800 and ≤850° C., preferably ≥805 and ≤835° C.; and ⋅ the weight ratio of steam to feed C is >0.3 and <0.8, preferably >0.3 and <0.5. Such process allows for optimisation of the quantity of waste plastic material that finds its way back into products that are produced as outcome of the process. The higher that quantity is, i.e. the higher the quantity of chemical building blocks that are present in the waste plastic material that are converted to the produced products, the better the sustainability footprint of the process is. The process allows for circular utilisation of plastics.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of aromatics from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by treatment of a waste plastics feedstock; (b) providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to one or more separation units; (f) performing a separation operation to obtain different streams comprising benzene, toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene and xylenes; wherein in step (d): ⋅ the coil outlet temperature is ≥800 and ≤80° C., preferably ≥830 and ≤870° C.; 7 and ⋅ the weight ratio of steam to feed C is >0.3 and <0.8, preferably >0.3 and <0.5. Such process allows for optimisation of the quantity of waste plastic material that finds its way back into products that are produced as outcome of the process. The higher that quantity is, i.e. the higher the quantity of chemical building blocks that are present in the waste plastic material that are converted to the produced products, the better the sustainability footprint of the process is. The process allows for circular utilisation of plastics.