Systems and methods for producing aviation fuel

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods to produce aviation fuel are disclosed. An example of a method to produce aviation fuel includes fractionating a renewable diesel feedstock in a fractionator to produce a C8− fraction, a C8-18 fraction, and a C18+ fraction. Additionally, the method includes providing the C8-18 fraction to an isomerization reactor to produce an aviation fuel product. The method includes supplying at least a portion of the C18+ fraction to a hydrocracking reactor to produce a hydrocracked product. The method further includes recycling at least a portion of the hydrocracked product to the fractionator for fractionating along with the renewable diesel feedstock.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system to produce aviation fuel, the system comprising:
 a hydrocracking module configured to receive hydrocracking sensor data indicative of operation of a hydrocracking reactor; and   a fractionator module configured to receive a fractionator sensor data indicative of operation of a fractionator, wherein the fractionator supplies a fractionator product to the hydrocracking reactor and the hydrocracking reactor supplies a hydrocracked product to the fractionator,   wherein the fractionator module is further configured to determine if one or more fractionator operating parameters is deviating from a preselected operating parameter range based on the fractionator sensor data to identify a fractionator deviation and in response to the fractionator deviation, the fractionator module determines whether the fractionator deviation is based at least in part on a hydrocracked product from a hydrocracking reactor,   wherein in response to the determination that the fractionator deviation is based at least in part on the hydrocracked product from the hydrocracking reactor, the fractionator module provides one or more signals to the hydrocracking module to adjust a hydrocracking actuator to adjust operation of the hydrocracking reactor.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein if the fractionator module determines that the fractionator deviation is not based at least in part on the hydrocracked product from the hydrocracking reactor, the fractionator module instructs one or more fractionator actuators to adjust operation of the fractionator. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein in response to determining that the fractionator is operating within the preselected operating parameter range, the fractionator module returns to receiving the fractionator sensor data associated with the fractionator. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrocracking module is further configured to determine if one or more hydrocracking operating parameters is deviating from a preselected range based on the hydrocracking sensor data to identify a hydrocracking deviation and in response to the hydrocracking deviation, the hydrocracking module determines whether the hydrocracking deviation is based at least in part on the operation of the fractionator, wherein in response to the determination that the hydrocracking deviation is based at least in part on the operation of the fractionator, the hydrocracking module provides one or more signals to the fractionator module to adjust a fractionator actuator to adjust operation of the fractionator. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein if the hydrocracking module determines that the hydrocracking deviation is not based at least in part on the operation of the fractionator, the hydrocracking module instructs one or more hydrocracking actuators to adjust operation of the hydrocracking reactor. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , the system further comprising an isomerizing module configured to receive isomerization sensor data indicative of operation of a isomerization reactor, the isomerizing module is further configured to determine if one or more isomerization operating parameters is deviating from a preselected range based on the isomerization sensor data to identify an isomerization deviation and in response to the isomerization deviation, the isomerizing module determines whether the isomerization deviation is based at least in part on the operation of the fractionator, wherein in response to the determination that the isomerization deviation is based at least in part on the operation of the fractionator, the isomerizing module provides one or more signals to the fractionator module to adjust a fractionator actuator to adjust operation of the fractionator. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the isomerizing module is configured to determine whether the isomerization deviation is based at least in part on the operation of the hydrocracking reactor and in response to the determination that the isomerization deviation is based at least in part on the operation of the hydrocracking reactor, the isomerizing module instructs the hydrocracking module to adjust one or more hydrocracking actuators to adjust operation of the hydrocracking reactor. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the isomerizing module is configured to provide one or more signals to the hydrocracking module to adjust a hydrocracking actuator to adjust operation of the hydrocracking reactor. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the fractionator module is configured to control the fractionator to fractionate a renewable diesel feedstock to produce a C 8-18  fraction and a C 18+  fraction and supply at least a portion of the C 18+  fraction to the hydrocracking reactor to produce the hydrocracked product. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the hydrocracking module is configured to recycle at least a portion of the hydrocracked product to the fractionator for fractionation along with the renewable diesel feedstock. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the fractionator module is configured to provide the C 8-18  fraction to an isomerization reactor to produce an aviation fuel product. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the fractionator module is configured to control the fractionator to fractionate the renewable diesel feedstock to produce a C 8−  fraction. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein a isomerizing module is configured to control the isomerization reactor to supply the aviation fuel product to a separator, wherein the separator separates a recycled C 8−  fraction from the aviation fuel product and supplies the recycled C 8−  fraction from the separator to the fractionator. 
     
     
         14 . A system to produce aviation fuel, the system comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory including instructions that are executable by the processor to:
 receive fractionator sensor data indicative of operation of a fractionator and to receive hydrocracking sensor data indicative of operation of a hydrocracking reactor, wherein the fractionator supplies a fractionator product to the hydrocracking reactor and the hydrocracking reactor supplies a hydrocracked product to the fractionator; 
 determine if one or more fractionator operating parameters is deviating from a preselected range based on the fractionator sensor data to identify a fractionator deviation; 
 determine in response to the fractionator deviation whether the fractionator deviation is based at least in part on a hydrocracked product from a hydrocracking reactor; and 
 instruct a hydrocracking actuator to adjust operation of the hydrocracking reactor in response to the determination that the fractionator deviation is based at least in part on the hydrocracked product from the hydrocracking reactor. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the instructions further include:
 determine if one or more hydrocracking operating parameters is deviating from a preselected range based on the hydrocracking sensor data to identify a hydrocracking deviation;   determine in response to the hydrocracking deviation whether the hydrocracking deviation is based at least in part on an operation of the fractionator; and   instruct a fractionator actuator to adjust the operation of the fractionator in response to a determination that the hydrocracking deviation is based at least in part on an operation of the fractionator.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the instructions further include:
 receive isomerization sensor data indicative of operation of an isomerization reactor;   determine if one or more isomerization operating parameters is deviating from a preselected range based on the isomerization sensor data to identify a isomerization deviation;   determine in response to the isomerization deviation whether the isomerization deviation is based at least in part on an operation of the fractionator; and   instruct a fractionator actuator to adjust operation of the fractionator in response to the determination that the isomerization deviation is based at least in part on the operation of the fractionator.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the instructions further include:
 instruct one or more fractionator actuators to adjust operation of the fractionator to fractionate a renewable diesel feedstock to produce a C 8-18  fraction and a C 18+  fraction, wherein at least a portion of the C 18+  fraction to the hydrocracking reactor to produce the hydrocracked product; and   instruct one or more hydrocracking actuators to adjust operation of the hydrocracking reactor to recycle at least a portion of the hydrocracked product to the fractionator for fractionating along with the renewable diesel feedstock.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the C 8-18  fraction is supplied to an isomerization reactor to produce an aviation fuel product, wherein the instructions further executable to:
 receive isomerization sensor data indicative of operation of an isomerization reactor;   determine if one or more isomerization operating parameters is deviating from a preselected range based on the isomerization sensor data to identify a isomerization deviation;   determine in response to the isomerization deviation whether the isomerization deviation is based at least in part on an operation of the fractionator; and   instruct one or more isomerization actuators to adjust operation of the isomerization reactor based on a determination that a isomerization deviation is not based at least in part on the operation of the fractionator.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the instructions are further executable to instruct one or more fractionator actuators to adjust operation of the fractionator to fractionate the renewable diesel feedstock to produce a C 8−  fraction. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the aviation fuel product of the isomerization reactor is supplied to a separator, wherein the instructions are further executable to instruct the separator to separate a recycled C 8−  fraction from the aviation fuel product, wherein the recycled C 8−  fraction is supplied to the fractionator.