Patent ID: 8679320

Claim:
A process for increasing aromatics production from a naphtha feedstream comprising: passing the naphtha feedstream containing aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthenes, and more than 50 wt. % of paraffins and a hydrogen stream to a first reformer containing a reforming catalyst operated at a first set of reforming conditions to convert paraffins and naphthenes to aromatic compounds via dehydrogenation and cyclization reactions, wherein the reforming conditions include a first temperature at least 540° C., and thereby creating a first reformer effluent; passing the first reformer effluent stream to a depentanizer or debutanizer, thereby creating a light gas stream, and a bottoms stream comprising aromatics; passing the bottoms stream to a reformate splitter, thereby creating an overhead stream comprising C6 to C7 aromatics, and a bottoms stream comprising C8 aromatics and heavier hydrocarbon compounds; passing the overhead stream to an aromatics separation unit, thereby creating an aromatics product stream and a raffinate stream containing paraffins and naphthenes; passing the raffinate stream to a second reformer operated at a second set of reforming conditions to convert paraffins and naphthenes to aromatics, wherein the reforming conditions include a second temperature lower than the first temperature, and thereby creating a second reformer effluent; and passing the second reformer effluent to the depentanizer or debutanizer.