Patent ID: 7153413
Filing Date: 2006-12-26
Classification: C10G

Abstract:
1. A process of reducing the sulfur content of liquid cracking products from a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process in which a heavy hydrocarbon feed comprising organosulfur compounds is catalytically cracked to lighter products by contact in a cyclic catalyst recirculation cracking process with a circulating fluidizable catalytic cracking equilibrium catalyst inventory, the process comprising: (i) providing a substantially liquid heavy hydrocarbon feed stream comprising at least one organosulfur compound as an impurity; (ii) introducing the hydrocarbon feed stream into a FCC reactor unit operating under catalytic cracking conditions and comprising a circulating inventory of an equilibrium catalyst composition; (iii) removing a portion of the equilibrium catalyst inventory from the FCC reactor unit while replacing all the equilibrium catalyst inventory removed from the unit with fresh catalyst to create a steady state environment within the FCC reactor unit; (iv) contacting the hydrocarbon feed stream with at least one metal compound wherein the metal consists essentially of vanadium, in an amount sufficient to selectively increase the concentration of vanadium in or on the equilibrium catalyst inventory by about 100 to about 20,000 ppm, relative to the amount of vanadium initially present in or on the equilibrium catalyst inventory; (v) contacting the equilibrium catalyst inventory in the FCC reactor unit with the vanadium containing hydrocarbon feed stream under a steady state environment to produce a cracking zone effluent comprising liquid cracked products, including gasoline, having a reduced sulfur content.