Butane segregated by fluorides, olefins content at Texas terminals

Journal Article · Sun Mar 21 23:00:00 EST 1993 · Oil and Gas Journal; (United States)

OSTI ID:6487864

Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Co., Houston (Teppco), this month has begun segregating butane streams at the company's Mont Belvieu and Baytown, Texas terminals according to fluoride and olefin contents. Streams containing fluoride or an olefin content greater than 1 ppm (or both) currently flow into Teppco's south Mont Belvieu terminal. Those fluoride-free streams with less than 1 ppm of olefins flow to its north Mont Belvieu terminal. Butane processed through an isomerization unit yields isobutane, a key component in MTBE. But high-fluoride butane from crude-oil refineries using hydrofluoric (HF) acid alkylation units cannot be used to produce MTBE because fluoride will damage isomerization units' process catalysts. Olefins also affect the efficiency of isomerization units, but less critically than fluorides. Their presence is higher in refinery product than in fractionated NGL. To extend the life of their process catalysts and to maximize yields, producers (including MTBE and isomerization unit operators) are specifying low-fluoride butanes developed from natural-gas fractionators or from refineries that do not use an HF process.

• OSTI ID: 6487864
• Journal Information: Oil and Gas Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Oil and Gas Journal; (United States) Vol. 91:12; ISSN OIGJAV; ISSN 0030-1388
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
032000* -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
ADDITIVES
ALKANES
ALKENES
BUTANE
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DEACTIVATION
ETHERS
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
FUEL ADDITIVES
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOMERIZATION
MATERIALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRODUCTION
RAW MATERIALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECIFICATIONS