Process for preparing a high purity fischer-tropsch gasoil fraction

Abstract

The present invention provides A process for preparing Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction, comprising: a) providing a Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock containing one or more contaminants; b) providing the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock to a pretreatment zone to be pretreated to remove at least part of the one or more contaminants in the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock; c) retrieving from the pretreatment zone a purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil, which purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil is contaminant-depleted with respect to the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock; and d) providing the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil to fractionation zone and fractionating the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil into two or more high purity Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fractions. The invention further provides for the use of the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction.

1 . A process for preparing a purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction, comprising:
 a) providing a Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock containing one or more contaminants, wherein said Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock comprises more than 50 wt % of iso-paraffins;   b) providing the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock to a pretreatment zone to be pretreated to remove at least part of the one or more contaminants in the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock;   c) retrieving from the pretreatment zone a purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil, which purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil is contaminant-depleted with respect to the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock; and   d) providing the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil to a fractionation zone and fractionating the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil into two or more purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fractions.   
     
     
         2 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the one or more contaminants are selected from the group consisting of oxygenate compounds and aromatics. 
     
     
         3 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the pretreatment zone is an absorption zone comprising at least one absorbent material and the pretreatment comprises contacting the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock with the absorbent material to absorb at least part of the one or more contaminants. 
     
     
         4 . The process according to  claim 3 , wherein at least one absorbent material is a molecular sieve material. 
     
     
         5 . The process according to  3 , wherein the absorption zone comprises two or more absorbent materials. 
     
     
         6 . The process according to  claim 3 , wherein the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock is contacted with the absorbent material at a temperature in the range of from 0 to 150° C. 
     
     
         7 . The process according to  claim 3 , wherein the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock is contacted with the absorbent material in a fixed bed reactor comprising at least one fixed bed of absorbent material. 
     
     
         8 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock has a final boiling point of no more than 450° C. 
     
     
         9 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil is fractionated in three or more purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fractions. 
     
     
         10 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction has a final boiling point of at most 260° C. 
     
     
         11 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction has a final boiling point of at most 215° C. 
     
     
         12 . A method of using a purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction obtained in the process of  claim 1  as a solvent, diluent or functional fluid.