US4048250A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Conversion of natural gas to gasoline and LPG
Assignee: Mobil Oil AS
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Filing: 1975-04-08
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Granted: 1977-09-13
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Expires: 1995-04-08
Abstract
Abstract Natural gas is steam reformed to a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen which mixture is converted, over a methanol synthesis catalyst, to a mixture of methanol, carbon oxides and hydrogen which methanol is converted to C5+ hydrocarbon gasoline, light gas and water, the water is separated out and may be recycled as steam, the portion of the hydrocarbon fraction which comprises light olefins and isobutane is subjected to acid alkylation to product very high octane hydrocarbon gasoline which is admixed with the C5+ hydrocarbon gasoline from the methanol conversion. The light fuel gas (C1 to C2) produced in the methanol conversion is recycled to the steam reformer and the LPG (C3 + C4) produced therein is recovered and sold.
Inventors
- 👤 William E. Garwood
- 👤 Solomon M. Jacob
- 👤 James C. Kuo
- 👤 John J. Wise
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:34
CPC Classifications
C; C10; C10L; C10L1/00; C10L1/04; C10L1/06; C07; C07C; C07C29/00; C07C29/15; C07C29/151; C07C29/1516; C07C29/1518; C10G; C10G3/00; C10G3/42; C10G3/44; C10G3/45; C10G3/47; C10G3/48; C10G3/49; C10G2300/00; C10G2300/10; C10G2300/1022; C10G2300/1025; C10G2300/40; C10G2300/4018; C10G2300/4081; C10G2300/80; C10G2300/805; C10G2300/807; C10G2400/00; C10G2400/02; C10G2400/28; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P20/00; Y02P20/50; Y02P20/52; Y02P30/00; Y02P30/20; Y10; Y10S; Y10S585/00; Y10S585/929; Y10S585/93; Y10S585/934; Y10S585/943
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
170 words
A process comprising: reforming natural gas with steam to a synthesis gas product comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide in ratio of about 1 to 5 to 1; converting said synthesis gas product to a product comprising water, C 4 - light hydrocarbon gas and C 5 + gasoline boiling range hydrocarbons containing monocyclic aromatics utilizing at least one catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having a silica to alumina ratio of at least 12 and a constraint index of 1 to 12; separating the hydrocarbon portion of said conversion product into water, C 4 - hydrocarbon gas and C 5 + gasoline; separating said C 4 - gas into C 2 - tail gas, and on alkylation feed fraction comprising saturated and unsaturated C 3 and C 4 hydrocarbons; recycling said tail gas to said steam reforming; reacting said alkylation feed fraction in contact with an acid catalyst to gasoline boiling range aliphatic products comprising C 7 and C 8 alkylate; and admixing said alkylate gasoline and said aromatic gasoline.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
170 words
A process comprising: reforming natural gas with steam to a synthesis gas product comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide in ratio of about 1 to 5 to 1; converting said synthesis gas product to a product comprising water, C 4 - light hydrocarbon gas and C 5 + gasoline boiling range hydrocarbons containing monocyclic aromatics utilizing at least one catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having a silica to alumina ratio of at least 12 and a constraint index of 1 to 12; separating the hydrocarbon portion of said conversion product into water, C 4 - hydrocarbon gas and C 5 + gasoline; separating said C 4 - gas into C 2 - tail gas, and on alkylation feed fraction comprising saturated and unsaturated C 3 and C 4 hydrocarbons; recycling said tail gas to said steam reforming; reacting said alkylation feed fraction in contact with an acid catalyst to gasoline boiling range aliphatic products comprising C 7 and C 8 alkylate; and admixing said alkylate gasoline and said aromatic gasoline.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
The process claimed in claim 1 including converting said synthesis gas to an organic product comprising methanol by contact with a catalyst comprising zinc and copper; and converting said methanol to said water and hydrocarbons by contact with a catalyst comprising said zeolite.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
The process claimed in claim 1 including converting said synthesis gas directly to said aromatic gasoline by contacting such with a catalyst comprising as a first component said zeolite and as a second component a metal value having strong carbon monoxide reducing catalytic activity and weak olefin hydrogenation catalytic activity.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
60 words
The process claimed in claim 2 including reforming at about 1400° to 1800° F and 100 to 500 psig, synthesizing methanol at about 350° to 650° F and about 700 to 2500 psig, aromatizing methanol at about 500° to 1200° F and 0.5 to 50 LHSV, and alkylating at up to about 450° F and up to about 500 psig.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process claimed in claim 3 including converting said synthesis gas at about 300° to 800° F and 50 to 1500 psig.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process claimed in claim 3 wherein said second catalyst component is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of thorium, iron, ruthenium rhodium and cobalt.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process claimed in claim 1 wherein said special zeolite is a ZSM-5 zeolite.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process claimed in claim 6 including providing a basic metal with said second catalyst component.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process claimed in claim 8 wherein said basic metal is potassium.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process claimed in claim 1 including separating natural gas liquids from said natural gas prior to said reforming, and admixing said natural gas liquids with said mixed aromatic and alkylate gasoline.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-09-12 | 1981-03-14 | 1981-09-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-09-12 | 1985-03-14 | 1985-09-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-09-12 | 1989-03-14 | 1989-09-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |