Process for upgrading tar
A feedstream comprising tar is fed to a solvent deasphalter wherein it is contacted with a deasphalting solvent or fluid to produce a composition comprising a mixture or slurry of solvent containing a soluble portion of the tar, and a heavy tar fraction comprising the insoluble portion of the tar. These fractions may be separated in the deasphalter apparatus, such as by gravity settling wherein the heavy tar fraction is taken off as bottoms, and the solvent-soluble fraction taken as overflow or overheads with the solvent. The overflow or overheads is sent to a solvent recovery unit, such as a distillation apparatus, wherein solvent is recovered as overheads and a deasphalted tar fraction is taken off as a sidestream or bottoms. The solvent or a portion thereof, recovered as overheads, may be then be recycled to the solvent deasphalter, or in a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the solvent is steam cracked to produce a product comprising light olefins.
Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.
C C
C10G C10G
inventional inventional
Paul F. Alok James N.
Keusenkothen Srivastava McCoy