Patent ID: 7795485

Claim:
An integrated process for catalytically cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, obtaining a combined ethylene/ethane stream, and reacting the ethylene of the combined ethane/ethylene stream with benzene to produce an ethyl benzene product stream, the integrated process comprising: contacting a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock with a hydrocarbon cracking catalyst in a fluidized reactor zone to produce a hydrocarbon effluent stream comprising ethane and ethylene; separating the hydrocarbon effluent steam in a separation zone into at least one separator liquid stream and a separator vapor stream; separating a combined ethane/ethylene stream from the separator vapor stream; stripping C 2 − hydrocarbon materials from the separator liquid stream in a stripper column to form a C 3 + hydrocarbon process stream substantially free of C 2 − hydrocarbons; passing the combined ethane/ethylene stream having a temperature of less than 0° C. (32° F.) to an alkylation reactor; reacting at least some of the ethylene of the combined ethane/ethylene stream with benzene in the alkylation reactor to produce ethyl benzene; and heating the stripper column with at least one heat exchanger driven by heat generated in the alkylation reactor.