Process for making lube oil basestocks

Abstract

A process for producing lube oil basestocks involving contacting a wax containing feedstock with a stacked bed catalyst system thereby producing a lube oil boiling range basestock.

1 . A process to prepare lubricating oil basestocks from a lube oil boiling range feedstock comprising: 
 a) contacting a lube oil boiling range feedstock with a stacked bed hydrotreating catalyst system in a reaction stage operated under effective hydrotreating conditions thereby producing a hydrotreated effluent comprising at least a gaseous product and a hydrotreated lubricating oil boiling range feedstock; and    b) stripping the hydrotreated effluent to remove at least a portion of the gaseous product from the hydrotreated effluent thereby producing at least a lubricating oil basestock.    
     
     
         2 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said lubricating oil feedstock has a 10% distillation point greater than 650° F. (343° C.) and an endpoint of greater than 800° F. (426° C.), measured by ASTM D 86 or ASTM 2887, and are derived from mineral sources, synthetic sources, or a mixture of the two.  
     
     
         3 . The process according to  claim 2  wherein said lubricating oil feedstock is selected from those derived from sources such as oils derived from solvent refining processes such as raffinates, partially solvent dewaxed oils, deasphalted oils, distillates, vacuum gas oils, coker gas oils, slack waxes, foots oils and the like, dewaxed oils, automatic transmission fluid feedstocks, and Fischer-Tropsch waxes.  
     
     
         4 . The process according to  claim 2  wherein said lubricating oil feedstock contains up to 0.2 wt. % of nitrogen, based on the lubricating oil feedstock, and up to 3.0 wt. % of sulfur, based on the lubricating oil feedstock.  
     
     
         5 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said catalyst system comprises at least a first and second hydrotreating catalyst.  
     
     
         6 . The process according to  claim 5  wherein said first hydrotreating catalyst is selected from supported hydrotreating catalysts comprising about 2 to 20 wt. % of at least one Group VIII metal, and about 5 to 50 wt. % of at least one Group VI metal on a high surface area support material having an average pore diameter of greater than 10 nm.  
     
     
         7 . The process according to  claim 6  wherein said Group VIII metal is selected from Co Ni, and mixtures thereof, said Group VI metal is selected from Mo, W, and mixtures thereof, and said high surface area support material is selected from silica, alumina, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The process according to  claim 5  wherein said second catalyst is a bulk metal hydrotreating catalyst comprising about 30 to about 100 wt. % of at least one Group VIII non-noble metal and at least one Group VIB metal, based on the total weight of the bulk catalyst particles, calculated as metal oxides and wherein the bulk catalyst particles have a surface area of at least 10 m 2 /g.  
     
     
         9 . The process according to  claim 8  wherein said bulk metal hydrotreating catalyst comprises one Group VIII non-noble metal and two Group VIB metals wherein the molar ratio of Group VIB to Group VIII non-noble metals ranges from 10:1-1:10.  
     
     
         10 . The process according to  claim 8  wherein the at least one Group VIII non-noble metal and at least one Group VIB metals are present as oxidic compounds of the corresponding metals, or if the catalyst composition has been sulfided, sulfidic compounds of the corresponding metals  
     
     
         11 . The process according to  claim 10  wherein the bulk metal hydrotreating catalysts have a surface area of at least 50 m 2 /g, a pore size volume of about 0.05 to about 5 ml/g, and a median diameter of at least 50 nm.  
     
     
         12 . The process according to  claim 1  wherein said effective hydrotreating conditions include temperatures of from 150 to 400° C., a hydrogen partial pressure of from 1480 to 20786 kPa (200 to 3000 psig), a space velocity of from 0.1 to 10 liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), and a hydrogen to feed ratio of from 89 to 1780 m 3 /m 3  (500 to 10000 scf/B).  
     
     
         13 . The process according to  claim 5  wherein the catalyst system of the present invention comprises about 5-95 vol. % of the first hydrotreating catalyst with the second hydrotreating catalyst comprising the remainder.  
     
     
         14 . The process according to  claim 6  wherein said first hydrotreating catalyst has an average pore diameter of greater than 11 nm.  
     
     
         15 . The process according to  claim 6  wherein said first hydrotreating catalyst has an average pore diameter of greater than 12 nm.  
     
     
         16 . The process according to  claim 5  wherein the catalyst system of the present invention comprises about 40-60 vol. % of the first catalyst with the second hydrotreating catalyst comprising the remainder.  
     
     
         17 . The process according to  claim 5  wherein the catalyst system of the present invention comprises about 5-50 vol. % of the first catalyst with the second hydrotreating catalyst comprising the remainder.  
     
     
         18 . A process to prepare lubricating oil basestocks from a lube oil boiling range feedstock comprising: 
 a) contacting a lube oil boiling range feedstock with a stacked bed hydrotreating catalyst system comprising at least a first and second hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction stage operated under effective hydrotreating conditions thereby producing a hydrotreated effluent comprising at least a gaseous product and a hydrotreated lubricating oil boiling range feedstock; and    b) stripping the hydrotreated effluent to remove at least a portion of the gaseous product from the hydrotreated effluent thereby producing at least a lubricating oil basestock;    wherein said first hydrotreating catalyst is selected from supported hydrotreating catalysts comprising about 2 to 20 wt. % of at least one Group VIII metal, and about 5 to 50 wt. % of at least one Group VI metal on a high surface area support material having an average pore diameter of greater than 10 nm and said second hydrotreating catalyst is selected from bulk metal hydrotreating catalyst comprising about 30 to about 100 wt. % of at least one Group VIII non-noble metal and at least one Group VIB metal, based on the total weight of the bulk catalyst particles, calculated as metal oxides and wherein the bulk catalyst particles have a surface area of at least 10 m 2 /g.    
     
     
         19 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein said lubricating oil feedstock has a 10% distillation point greater than 650° F. (343° C.) and an endpoint of greater than 800° F. (426° C.), measured by ASTM D 86 or ASTM 2887, and are derived from mineral sources, synthetic sources, or a mixture of the two.  
     
     
         20 . The process according to  claim 19  wherein said lubricating oil feedstock is selected from those derived from sources such as oils derived from solvent refining processes such as raffinates, partially solvent dewaxed oils, deasphalted oils, distillates, vacuum gas oils, coker gas oils, slack waxes, foots oils and the like, dewaxed oils, automatic transmission fluid feedstocks, and Fischer-Tropsch waxes.  
     
     
         21 . The process according to  claim 19  wherein said lubricating oil feedstock contains up to 0.2 wt. % of nitrogen, based on the lubricating oil feedstock, and up to 3.0 wt. % of sulfur, based on the lubricating oil feedstock.  
     
     
         22 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein said Group VIII metal of said first hydrotreating catalyst is selected from Co Ni, and mixtures thereof, said Group VI metal of said first hydrotreating catalyst is selected from Mo, W, and mixtures thereof, and high surface area support material is selected from silica, alumina, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         23 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein said bulk metal hydrotreating catalyst comprises one Group VIII non-noble metal and two Group VIB metals wherein the molar ratio of Group VIB to Group VIII non-noble metals ranges from 10:1-1:10.  
     
     
         24 . The process according to  claim 23  wherein the at least one Group VIII non-noble metal and at least one Group VIB metals are present as oxidic compounds of the corresponding metals, or if the catalyst composition has been sulfided, sulfidic compounds of the corresponding metals.  
     
     
         25 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein the bulk metal hydrotreating catalysts have a surface area of at least 50 m 2 /g, a pore size volume of about 0.05 to about 5 ml/g, and a median diameter of at least 50 nm.  
     
     
         26 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein said effective hydrotreating conditions include temperatures of from 150 to 400° C., a hydrogen partial pressure of from 1480 to 20786 kPa (200 to 3000 psig), a space velocity of from 0.1 to 10 liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), and a hydrogen to feed ratio of from 89 to 1780 m 3 /m 3  (500 to 10000 scf/B).  
     
     
         27 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein the catalyst system of the present invention comprises about 5-95 vol. % of the first hydrotreating catalyst with the second hydrotreating catalyst comprising the remainder.  
     
     
         28 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein said first hydrotreating catalyst has an average pore diameter of greater than 11 nm.  
     
     
         29 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein said first hydrotreating catalyst has an average pore diameter of greater than 12 nm.  
     
     
         30 . The process according to  claim 27  wherein the catalyst system of the present invention comprises about 40-60 vol. % of the first hydrotreating catalyst with the second hydrotreating catalyst comprising the remainder.  
     
     
         31 . The process according to  claim 18  wherein the catalyst system of the present invention comprises about 5-50 vol. % of the first hydrotreating catalyst with the second hydrotreating catalyst comprising the remainder.