Patent ID: 7655826

Claim:
A method of making an olefin from a dialkyl ether, the method comprising: (a) independently introducing an ether having a formula C x H 2x+1 OC y H 2y+1 into a thermal or catalytic cracking unit selected from the group consisting of a FCC, a delayed coker, a fluid coker, or a steam cracking unit, said thermal or catalytic unit processing a hydrocarbon feedstock selected from the group consisting of crude oils, naphtha, vacuum gas oils, thermal oils, residual oils, cycle stocks, topped whole crudes, tar sand oil, shale oils, synthetic fuels, heavy hydrocarbon fractions derived from the destructive hydrogenation of coal, tar, pitches, asphalts, a gas-to-olefins derived feedstock, hydrotreated feedstocks derived therefrom, and mixtures thereof; and (b) decomposing at least a portion of said ether to form (1) an olefin having a formula C y H 2x and/or C y H 2y and (2) an alcohol having a formula C x H 2x+1 OH and/ or C y H 2y+1 OH; (c) recovering at least a portion of the alcohol; (d) introducing at least a portion of the alcohol into the thermal or catalytic cracking unit; (e) decomposing at least a portion of the alcohol to form the olefin; wherein the ether comprises from at least about 1 weight % to about 5 weight % of the total weight of the feedstock and the ether; wherein x and y independently range from about 1 to 10; and whereby said ether reduces coke formation relative to processing said hydrocarbon feedstock in the absence of said ether.