Catalyst structures and corresponding methods are described for the desulfurization of sulfur-containing light oil or model compounds under a specified gas atmosphere. The sulfur-containing feedstock is effectively converted while producing valuable hydrocarbon products such as BTX and carbon disulfide, as well as utilizing methane or natural gas resources, providing an economical and environmental innovation in the petroleum industry.

Catalyst structures and corresponding methods are described for the desulfurization of sulfur-containing light oil or model compounds under a specified gas atmosphere. The sulfur-containing feedstock is effectively converted while producing valuable hydrocarbon products such as BTX and carbon disulfide, as well as utilizing methane or natural gas resources, providing an economical and environmental innovation in the petroleum industry.

Catalyst structures and corresponding methods are described for the desulfurization of sulfur-containing light oil or model compounds under a specified gas atmosphere. The sulfur-containing feedstock is effectively converted while producing valuable hydrocarbon products such as BTX and carbon disulfide, as well as utilizing methane or natural gas resources, providing an economical and environmental innovation in the petroleum industry.

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.

Process scheme configurations are disclosed that enable conversion of crude oil feeds with several processing units in an integrated manner into petrochemicals. The designs utilize minimum capital expenditures to prepare suitable feedstocks for the steam cracker complex. The integrated process for converting crude oil to petrochemical products including olefins and aromatics, and fuel products, includes mixed feed steam cracking and gas oil steam cracking. Feeds to the mixed feed steam cracker include light products and naphtha from hydroprocessing zones within the battery limits, recycle streams from the C3 and C4 olefins recovery steps, and raffinate from a pyrolysis gasoline aromatics extraction zone within the battery limits. Feeds to the gas oil steam cracker include hydrotreated gas oil range intermediates from the vacuum gas oil hydroprocessing zone. Furthermore, vacuum residue is processed in a solvent deasphalting unit to produce deasphalted oil as additional feed to the gas oil hydroprocessing zone.

Process scheme configurations are disclosed that enable conversion of crude oil feeds with several processing units in an integrated manner into petrochemicals. The designs utilize minimum capital expenditures to prepare suitable feedstocks for the steam cracker complex. The integrated process for converting crude oil to petrochemical products including olefins and aromatics, and fuel products, includes mixed feed steam cracking and gas oil steam cracking. Feeds to the mixed feed steam cracker include light products and naphtha from hydroprocessing zones within the battery limits, recycle streams from the C3 and C4 olefins recovery steps, and raffinate from a pyrolysis gasoline aromatics extraction zone within the battery limits. Feeds to the gas oil steam cracker include hydrotreated gas oil range intermediates from the vacuum gas oil hydroprocessing zone. Furthermore, vacuum residue is processed in a solvent deasphalting unit to produce deasphalted oil as additional feed to the gas oil hydroprocessing zone.

A method for generating hydrocarbons using a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) and a Fischer-Tropsch unit in a single microtubular reactor is described. This method can directly synthesize hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide and water. The method integrates high temperature co-electrolysis of H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 and low temperature Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process in a single microtubular reactor by designation of a temperature gradient along the axial length of the microtubular reactor. In practice, methods disclosed herein can provide direct conversion of CO.sub.2 to hydrocarbons for use as feedstock or energy storage.

Process scheme configurations are disclosed that enable conversion of crude oil feeds with several processing units in an integrated manner into petrochemicals. The designs utilize minimum capital expenditures to prepare suitable feedstocks for the steam cracker complex. The integrated process for converting crude oil to petrochemical products including olefins and aromatics, and fuel products, includes mixed feed steam cracking and gas oil steam cracking. Feeds to the mixed feed steam cracker include light products and naphtha from hydroprocessing zones within the battery limits, recycle streams from the C3 and C4 olefins recovery steps, and raffinate from a pyrolysis gasoline aromatics extraction zone within the battery limits. Feeds to the gas oil steam cracker include hydrotreated gas oil range intermediates from the vacuum gas oil hydroprocessing zone. Furthermore, vacuum residue is processed in a solvent deasphalting unit to produce deasphalted oil as additional feed to the gas oil hydroprocessing zone.

Process scheme configurations are disclosed that enable conversion of crude oil feeds with several processing units in an integrated manner into petrochemicals. The designs utilize minimum capital expenditures to prepare suitable feedstocks for the steam cracker complex. The integrated process for converting crude oil to petrochemical products including olefins and aromatics, and fuel products, includes mixed feed steam cracking and gas oil steam cracking. Feeds to the mixed feed steam cracker include light products and naphtha from hydroprocessing zones within the battery limits, recycle streams from the C3 and C4 olefins recovery steps, and raffinate from a pyrolysis gasoline aromatics extraction zone within the battery limits. Feeds to the gas oil steam cracker include hydrotreated gas oil range intermediates from the vacuum gas oil hydroprocessing zone. Furthermore, vacuum residue is processed in a solvent deasphalting unit to produce deasphalted oil as additional feed to the gas oil hydroprocessing zone.

Process scheme configurations are disclosed that enable conversion of crude oil feeds with several processing units in an integrated manner into petrochemicals. The designs utilize minimum capital expenditures to prepare suitable feedstocks for the steam cracker complex. The integrated process for converting crude oil to petrochemical products including olefins and aromatics, and fuel products, includes mixed feed steam cracking and gas oil steam cracking. Feeds to the mixed feed steam cracker include light products and naphtha from hydroprocessing zones within the battery limits, recycle streams from the C3 and C4 olefins recovery steps, and raffinate from a pyrolysis gasoline aromatics extraction zone within the battery limits. Feeds to the gas oil steam cracker include hydrotreated gas oil range intermediates from the vacuum gas oil hydroprocessing zone. Furthermore, vacuum residue is processed in a solvent deasphalting unit to produce deasphalted oil as additional feed to the gas oil hydroprocessing zone.