Dupont’s new IsoTherming hydrogenation process

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This post was last edited by jordan569 on 2010-11-2 at 17:36. The difference between this technology and conventional hydrogenation processes is that hydrogen is already dissolved in the feed oil before it enters the reactor; as a result, the reactor operates in a fully liquid phase, with no significant amount of hydrogen present in the gasoline. The oil produced by hydrogenation with unutilized hydrogen remains in circulation at the reaction pressure along with the fresh feed oil. A conventional catalyst is used, and the operation is carried out under standard hydrogenation conditions, with an operating temperature of 288–360°C and a pressure of 8.4 MPa ； The hydrocracking pressure is 14.0 MPa. The capital investment for this facility is about 30%-40% less than that of conventional hydroprocessing for producing ultra-low sulfur diesel, and 50% less than that of conventional hydrocracking. The main reason is the use of a small reactor, along with the absence of a recycle gas compressor and recycle gas treatment equipment. Operating costs of the unit are reduced by 20%-25%, mainly due to lower energy consumption of the cycle compressor and reduced catalyst usage. The first unit was installed at the Giant Refining Company’s plant in Yorktown, Virginia, USA, with a processing capacity of 600,000 tons per year; it came online in 2006. There are 2 new units (at the Gallup refinery in Texas, USA), and 3 units under design (DuPont plans to build 3 of them); 2 of these units are intended for catalytic mild hydrocracking of light cycle oils, while 1 unit is being upgraded to produce ultra-low sulfur diesel. Who here knows about this process? Let’s discuss it.