Bubbling bed catalytic hydropyrolysis process utilizinig larger catalyst particles and small biomass particles featuring an anti-slugging reactor

摘要

This invention relates to a process for thermochemically transforming biomass or other oxygenated feedstocks into high quality liquid hydrocarbon fuels. In particular, a catalytic hydropyrolysis reactor, containing a deep bed of fluidized catalyst particles is utilized to accept particles of biomass or other oxygenated feedstocks that are significantly smaller than the particles of catalyst in the fluidized bed. The reactor features an insert or other structure disposed within the reactor vessel that inhibits slugging of the bed and thereby minimizes attrition of the catalyst. Within the bed, the biomass feedstock is converted into a vapor-phase product, containing hydrocarbon molecules and other process vapors, and an entrained solid char product, which is separated from the vapor stream after the vapor stream has been exhausted from the top of the reactor. When the product vapor stream is cooled to ambient temperatures, a significant proportion of the hydrocarbons in the product vapor stream can be recovered as a liquid stream of hydrophobic hydrocarbons, with properties consistent with those of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel. Separate streams of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel may also be obtained, either via selective condensation of each type of fuel, or via later distillation of the combined hydrocarbon liquid.

主权项

1. A method for hydropyrolyzing an oxygenated organic feedstock, the method comprising:
(a) introducing the oxygenated organic feedstock and a fluidizing gas comprising hydrogen into a fluidized bed hydropyrolysis reactor comprising a fluidized bed of solid particles, including catalyst, under hydropyrolysis conditions sufficient to generate product vapors from thermal decomposition and hydropyrolysis of the oxygenated organic feedstock; and (b) recovering from the product vapors a product stream containing substantially fully deoxygenated hydrocarbon species, wherein the product stream comprises less than about 4% oxygen by mass; wherein the fluidized bed of solid particles has a depth of greater than two reactor diameters and includes lateral inserts selected from the group consisting of obstructions, obstacles, constrictions, and combinations thereof, spaced at axial intervals from about one to about two reactor diameters in a manner such that slugging does not occur within the fluidized bed hydropyrolysis reactor.