TITLE: Selective catalytic cracking of Fischer-Tropsch liquids to high value transportation fuels. Report number 30: Quarterly technical status report for second quarter fiscal year 1993 (January 1--March 31, 1993)

AUTHOR: M. M. Schwartz.

INST.  AUTHOR: Amoco Research Center, Naperville, IL. Research and Development Dept.

SPONSOR: Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: Department of Energy [DE],  1993,  53p.

NTIS ORDER NO.: DE95001940INW

ABSTRACT:

Amoco Oil Company is investigating a selective catalytic cracking process to convert the Fischer-Tropsch gasoline and wax fractions to high value transportation fuels. Experiments with the LaPorte wax as feedstock demonstrated the feasibility of the concept of selective attrition of the FCC catalyst. Experiments comparing the Sasol and LaPorte wax feedstocks with USY, Beta and HZSM-5 catalysts showed that the type of FCC catalyst has a major impact upon product yields and quality. For a given catalyst, both feedstocks have similar conversion values. The yields of the major catalytic cracking products, light olefins, naphtha and distillate, do not vary significantly with the two wax feedstocks. The methanol etherification of the light naphtha product from the pilot plant F-T wax cracking runs yields a mixed ether product. Etherification runs were completed on two additional pilot plant light naphthas using two commercial etherification catalysts, one of which contains a noble metal, in addition to the strong acid functionality. Isoolefin conversion values were similar for the two catalysts and three feedstocks in the absence of H(sub 2). With H(sub 2) present, product color is improved; but overall the presence of H(sub 2) is not desirable because olefins are saturated, which results in decreased production of ethers and decreased product octane number. Economic analysis of the eight pilot plant runs that were performed under Task 4 showed that the net production values for a complex refinery were always higher than for a simple refinery (no ether unit).

REPORT  NUMBER: DOE/PC/90057-T6

CONTRACT  NUMBER: AC22-91PC90057