Lubricant base oil hydroprocessing and blending (ExxonMobil)

CATEGORY: LUBRICANTS 
Lubricant base oil hydroprocessing and blending (ExxonMobil)

Type	Patent
Inventor	Eric D. Joseck
Inventor	Michael Brian Carroll
URL	Free Full Text Source:  http://www.google.com/patents/US20150027925
Assignee	Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company
Patent Number	US20150027925 A1
Issue Date	Jan 29, 2015
Abstract	Methods are provided for producing a plurality of lubricant base oil products with an increased overall yield. Prior to the final hydrocracking stage for viscosity index uplift, a feed for making a lubricant base oil is fractionated in order to form at least a feed for making a lighter lubricant base oil and a feed for making a heavier lubricant base oil. The fractionation cut points are selected to so that the feed fraction for forming a light lubricant base oil has a higher Noack volatility and a lower viscosity than the desired targets for the lighter lubricant base oil. The feed fractions are then hydroprocessed separately to achieve desired properties. After hydroprocessing, a portion of the heavier base oil is blended into the light lubricant base oil to produce a blended base oil product. This returns the volatility and the viscosity of the blended base oil to the desired specifications.