Temperature control for acid condensation

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for acid condensation reactions. A first inlet stream can be provided to an acid condensation (AC) reactor train, including providing the first inlet stream at a first inlet temperature to a first AC reactor. The first inlet stream can be reacted in the presence of a first condensation catalyst in the first AC reactor to produce a first AC effluent stream. The first AC effluent stream can be cooled to a second inlet temperature (e.g., that is substantially equal to the first inlet temperature). The cooled first AC effluent stream can be provided to a second AC reactor as a second inlet stream. The second inlet stream can be reacted in the presence of a second condensation catalyst in the second AC reactor to produce a second AC effluent stream.

1 . A method for producing a C 4+  product stream, the method comprising:
 (i) providing a first inlet stream to an acid condensation (AC) reactor train, including providing the inlet stream at a first inlet temperature to a first AC reactor; 
 (ii) reacting the first inlet stream in the presence of a first condensation catalyst in the first AC reactor to produce a first AC effluent stream; 
 (iii) cooling the first AC effluent stream to a second inlet temperature that is substantially equal to the first inlet temperature; 
 (iv) providing the cooled first AC effluent stream to a second AC reactor as a second inlet stream; and 
 (v) reacting the second inlet stream in the presence of a second condensation catalyst in the second AC reactor to produce a second AC effluent stream. 
 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the first inlet stream at the first inlet temperature includes heating the first inlet stream with the first AC effluent stream. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the first inlet stream at the first inlet temperature includes heating the first inlet stream with the second AC effluent stream. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the first inlet stream at the first inlet temperature includes cooling the first AC effluent stream. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first AC effluent stream ( 206 ) and the first inlet stream ( 201 ) are provided to a first heat exchanger (B) to heat the first inlet stream and cool the first AC effluent stream. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein reacting the first inlet stream in the first AC reactor produces the first AC effluent stream with the first AC effluent stream having a higher temperature than the first inlet temperature. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein reacting the second inlet stream in the second AC reactor produces the second AC effluent stream with the second AC effluent stream having a temperature substantially equal to the second inlet stream. 
     
     
         8 . The method  claim 1 , wherein the first condensation catalyst has the same formulation as the second condensation catalyst. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first AC reactor and the second AC reactor are configured to selectively operate as a lead reactor and a lag rector, or as a lag reactor and a lead reactor, respectively. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 providing the first inlet stream at the first inlet temperature to the second AC reactor as the lead reactor;   reacting the first inlet stream in the presence of a first condensation catalyst in the second AC reactor to produce the first AC effluent stream;   cooling the first AC effluent stream from the second AC reactor to the second inlet temperature;   providing the cooled first AC effluent stream from the second AC reactor as a second inlet stream to the first AC reactor as the lag reactor; and   reacting the second inlet stream in the presence of a second condensation catalyst in the first AC reactor to produce the second AC effluent stream.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first inlet stream provided to the AC reactor train is an outlet stream from an upstream hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactor train. 
     
     
         12 . A system for producing a C 4+  product stream, the system comprising:
 an acid condensation (AC) reactor train that includes a first AC reactor, a second AC reactor, and a third AC reactor configured for interchangeable operation as a lead AC reactor, a lag AC reactor, and a regenerating AC reactor; and 
 a first heat exchanger that includes a first side and a second side, the first and second sides arranged for heat exchange between a first-side stream and a second-side stream without mixing the first-side stream with the second-side stream; 
 the lag AC reactor being configured to receive, as an inlet stream, an effluent stream from the lead AC reactor; and 
 the first heat exchanger being configured to receive an inlet stream for the lead AC reactor through the first side as the first-side stream and to receive the effluent stream from the lead AC reactor through the second side as the second-side stream, to heat the first-side stream to an inlet temperature for the lead AC reactor and cool the second-side stream to an inlet temperature for the lag AC reactor. 
 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the inlet temperature for the lead AC reactor is substantially equal to the inlet temperature for the lag AC reactor. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a second heat exchanger that includes a first side and a second side, the first and second sides of the second heat exchanger arranged for heat exchange between a first-side stream and a second-side stream of the second heat exchanger without mixing the first-side stream with the second-side stream of the second heat exchanger;   wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to receive an effluent stream from the lag AC reactor through the first side as the first-side stream of the second heat exchanger and to receive an effluent flow from an upstream hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactor train through the second side as the second-side stream of the second heat exchanger, to heat the second-side stream of the second heat exchanger and cool the first-side stream of the second heat exchanger; and   wherein the heated second-side stream of the second heat exchanger is provided as the first-side stream of the first heat exchanger to be heated to the inlet temperature for the lead AC reactor.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the lag AC reactor produces an AC effluent stream having a temperature substantially equal to the inlet temperature for the lag AC reactor. 
     
     
         16 . A method for producing a C 4+  product stream, the method comprising:
 (i) providing a first inlet stream to a lead acid condensation (AC) reactor of an AC reactor train at a first inlet temperature; 
 (ii) reacting the first inlet stream in the presence of a first condensation catalyst in the lead AC reactor to produce a first AC effluent stream; 
 (iii) cooling the first AC effluent stream with the first inlet stream, to cool the first AC effluent stream to a second inlet temperature; 
 (iv) providing the cooled first AC effluent stream to a lag AC reactor as a second inlet stream; and 
 (v) reacting the second inlet stream in the presence of a second condensation catalyst in the lag AC reactor to produce a second AC effluent stream. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first inlet temperature is substantially equal to the second inlet temperature. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 heating the first inlet stream with the second AC effluent stream.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein reacting the second inlet stream in the second AC reactor produces the second AC effluent stream with the second AC effluent stream having a temperature substantially equal to the second inlet stream. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein reacting the first inlet stream in the first AC reactor produces the first AC effluent stream with the first AC effluent stream having a higher temperature than the first inlet temperature.