The present disclosure provides methods for hydroprocessing of heavy oils, such as pyrolysis tars. For example, a process for preparing a liquid hydrocarbon product includes providing a first process stream comprising a reduced reactivity tar, and blending the first process stream with a utility fluid to produce a second process stream comprising solids and a reduced reactivity, lower viscosity tar. The method can includes introducing the second process stream into a guard reactor without sulfiding the guard reactor catalyst(s) prior to introducing the second process stream into the guard reactor. The method includes hydroprocessing the second process stream in the guard reactor under mild hydroprocessing conditions to produce a third process stream. The method includes hydroprocessing the third process stream to produce a fourth process stream having a bromine number (BN) lower than 12 and comprising the liquid hydrocarbon product and the utility fluid.

Provided herein are supercritical upgrading reactors and reactor systems for upgrading a petroleum-based composition by using one or more supercritical upgrading reactors and one or more supercritical standby reactors that alternate functions such that the supercritical upgrading reactor is converted to a supercritical standby reactor and the supercritical standby reactor is converted to a supercritical upgrading reactor. The supercritical upgrading reactor upgrades a combined feed stream while a supercritical standby reactor delivers a cleaning fluid into the supercritical standby reactor. The supercritical reactors may have one or more catalyst layers and one or more purging fluid inlets, and the catalyst layers may have differing void volume ratios.

Disclosed herein is an agglomeration-resistant desulfurizing product for removing contaminants from a fluid stream. The agglomeration-resistant desulfurizing product comprising a metal oxide composition for reacting with contaminants and a polymeric crystallization inhibitor for reducing the agglomeration of the desulfurizing product resulting from using the desulfurizing product. A method to produce the agglomeration-resistant desulfurizing product and a method to treat a fluid stream is also disclosed.

The present invention generally relates to a Fischer-Tropsch process, in particular a Fischer-Tropsch process for converting a feed comprising a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases, preferably in the form of a synthesis gas mixture, to hydrocarbons by contacting a cobalt-containing Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalyst with a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in a reactor at a pressure of 4.0 MPa absolute or greater, wherein the process is initiated by a start-up procedure comprising the steps of: i) providing a feed comprising a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases, preferably in the form of a synthesis gas mixture, to a reactor containing a cobalt-containing Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalyst, wherein the pressure inside the reactor is 3.5 MPa absolute or below; and ii) maintaining the feed to the reactor, removing a product stream comprising hydrocarbons and maintaining the pressure inside the reactor at 3.5 MPa absolute or below for at least 15 hours, preferably for at least 50 hours.

Systems operable to produce liquid transportation fuels by converting a hydrocarbon feed stream that comprises both isopentane and n-pentane. The system separates the hydrocarbon feed stream to form a first fraction comprising isopentane and smaller hydrocarbons, and a second fraction comprising n-pentane and larger components of the hydrocarbon feeds stream. Each fraction is then catalytically-activated in a separate activation reactor containing a separate activation catalyst, where the conditions maintained in each reactor are selected to maximize the conversion of each fraction to olefins and aromatics, while minimizing the production of C1-C4 light paraffins. Optionally, the first activation reactor is maintained at a lower temperature than the second activation reactor. Certain embodiments are operable to combine at least a portion of the first and second activation effluents and convert the mixed effluent by either oligomerization or alkylation to produce a liquid transportation fuel or a blend component thereof.

A process for hydrotreating a feed stream comprising a biorenewable feedstock is disclosed. The process comprises hydrotreating the feed stream in the presence of a hydrotreating hydrogen stream and a hydrotreating catalyst to provide a hydrotreated stream. The hydrotreated stream is separated into a hydrotreated liquid stream and a hydrotreated gas stream. The hydrotreated liquid stream is subjected to stripping to provide a stripper off-gas stream. At least a portion of the stripper off-gas stream is contacted with a caustic stream to provide a sulfur-lean gas stream and a sulfur-rich caustic stream. The sulfur-rich caustic stream is further treated to provide a treated gas stream.

Supercritical upgrading reactors and reactor systems are provided for upgrading a petroleum-based composition using one or more purging fluid inlets to prevent plugging of the catalyst layer in the reactor. Processes for upgrading petroleum-based compositions by utilizing a reactor having at least one purging fluid inlet are also provided.

A method is disclosed for activating or regenerating a Fischer Tropsch catalyst used in a gas-to-liquids process operating in recycle mode. The method permits the use of specific inert gases to adjust the mole weight of the gas so that the recycle compressor designed for normal steady state operation can also be used in the ROR method. Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are specifically excluded for the reduction steps of the ROR method as they have been demonstrated to have a negative effect on the method. Nitrogen is used in the oxidation step with small amounts of oxygen containing gas, preferably air, and may be modified with the addition of argon, helium, or carbon dioxide if the mole weight of the oxidation gas needs to be modified to satisfy the requirements of the compressor.

The present disclosure relates generally to processes and systems for producing liquid transportation fuels by converting a feed stream that comprises both isopentane and n-pentane, and optionally, some C6+ hydrocarbons. Isopentane and smaller hydrocarbons are separated to form a first fraction while n-pentane and larger components of the feed stock form a second fraction. Each fraction is then catalytically-activated in a separate reaction zone with a separate catalyst, where the conditions maintained in each zone maximize the conversion of each fraction to olefins and aromatics, while minimizing the production of C1-C4 light paraffins. In certain embodiments, the first fraction is activated at a lower temperature than the second fraction. Certain embodiments additionally comprise mixing at least a portion of the two effluents and contacting with an alkylation catalyst to provide enhanced yields of mono-alkylated aromatics that are suitable for use as a blend component of liquid transportation fuels or other value-added chemical products.

The present disclosure relates generally to systems operable to produce liquid transportation fuels by converting a hydrocarbon feed stream that comprises both isopentane and n-pentane, and optionally, some C6+ hydrocarbons. The system separates the hydrocarbon feed stream to form a first fraction comprising isopentane and smaller hydrocarbons, and a second fraction comprising n-pentane and larger components of the hydrocarbon feeds stream. Each fraction is then catalytically-activated in a separate activation reactor containing a separate activation catalyst, where the conditions maintained in each reactor are selected to maximize the conversion of each fraction to olefins and aromatics, while minimizing the production of C1-C4 light paraffins. In certain embodiments, the first activation reactor is maintained at a lower temperature than the second activation reactor. Certain embodiments of the system mix at least a portion of the effluents from the first and second activation reactor and convert the resulting mixed effluent in either an oligomerization reactor containing an oligomerization catalyst or an oligomerization reactor containing an alkylation catalyst to provide enhanced yields of upgraded hydrocarbon products that are characterized as a liquid transportation fuel or a blend component thereof.