Socony-Vacuum process

Thiophenethiols, like hydroxythiophenes, are unstable and tend to polymerize. Thio-phene-3-thiol was available as a by-product of the Socony-Vacuum process (52HC(3)l), and consequently a large number of 3-alkylthiothiophenes, made by addition of the thiol to... 

II. F. Sheets of Vacuum Oil Company, who learned of Houdi y s work and shared his vision for converting vaporized petroleum to gasoline catalytically, invited him to the United States. After a successful trial run, Houdry moved his laboratory and associates from France to Paulsboro, New Jersey, to form a joint venture, Iloudiy Process Corporation, with Vacuum Oil Company. In that year Vacuum Oil Company merged with Standard Oil of New York to become Socony-Vacuum Company (much later Mobil Oil Corporation). 

Socony Vacuum This United States oil company, now the Mobil Oil Corporation, invented many processes, but the one bearing the company name was that for making thiophene from butane and elemental sulfur at 560°C. It was operated by the Pennwalt Company in the 1950s and 1960s but then abandoned. 

Sovaflning [Socony Vacuum refining] A hydrofining process developed by the Socony -Vacuum Company, now Mobil Corporation. See Hydrofining. 

Sovaforming [Socony Vacuum reforming] A catalytic reforming process, using a platinum catalyst in a fixed bed. Developed by the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company in 1954. Subsequently renamed Platinum Reforming, or PR. 

TPC [Thermofor pyrolytic cracking] A continuous process for thermally cracking petroleum fractions on a moving bed of hot pebbles. Developed by the Socony Vacuum Oil Company (now a part of Mobil Corporation). See also Thermofor. 

Late in 1930, Houdry was brought to the United States by the Vacuum Oil Co., subsequently the Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. His activities were transferred to the Sun Oil Co. in 1933, at which time the Houdry Process Corp. was organized. Socony rejoined the development in 1935. 

It is gratifying to the technicians of the Houdry Process Corp., Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., and Sun Oil Co. that a number of these engineering features developed in connection with the first commercial applications of fixed-bed catalytic cracking have proved of considerable interest to other industries where they are currently used. 

From 1943 to 1948 he was consultant to Hydrocarbon Research, Inc., and from 1948 until his death a consultant to the Socony-Vacuum laboratories in connection with the synthesis of gasoline and the cracking and re-forming of petroleum by catalytic processes. 

In 1930, Houdry affiliated with the Vacuum Oil Company and moved to the United States (51). Several pilot plants, ranging in size from 20 to 200 barrels/day, were built and operated (341). In 1933, Houdry joined the Sun Oil Company, and the Houdry Process Corporation was organized. Socony-Vacuum rejoined the development in 1935. With the aid of these companies, the Houdry process was developed to the commercial stage (51). Socony-Vacuum later terminated its connection with Houdry Process Corporation (17,40). 

The first moving-bed process employed countercurrent flow of catalyst and reactants in both vessels and used mechanical bucket elevators to transfer the catalyst from one vessel to the other. This process, originally developed by the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was named the Thermo-for Catalytic Cracking (TCC) process (239,295,339). Two major improvements were subsequently developed change from countercurrent to concurrent flow in the reactor (297,298) and substitution of a gas-lift system for transfer of catalyst. In the gas-lift system, the catalyst pellets are conveyed upward through a pipe, or pipes, by a stream of flue gas or air. 

In 1944, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company started manufacture of synthetic silica-alumina catalyst in the form of beads (262). This catalyst was reported to contain about 10% alumina. The bead catalyst gives about the same product distribution as the pelleted synthetic catalyst and was developed primarily to achieve greater physical strength for use in the TCC process. The bead catalyst has also been used in Houdry fixed-bed units (51,171). Subsequently, a harder bead catalyst was developed for use in the air-lift units. The improved bead catalyst consists of approximately 15% alumina and 85% silica and contains 0.003% chromium to minimize afterburning by suppressing formation of carbon monoxide during regeneration (333). 

The intensive expansion of the companies was slowed down by the Second World War. Each company improved the refining output to supply the war effort. This was the main motivation for the new technologies developed, such as Jersey Standard s groundbreaking process for increasing the fuel octane number and Socony-Vacuum s synthetic lubricants. Both companies suffered wartime casualties. Many refineries and other facilities in Europe and Asia were destroyed. 

The next step was design and construction of a pilot unit of 60 bbls/day capacity which came on stream in May 1931. Results were as expected which added momentum to the project. On July 25, 1931, the Houdry Process Corporation was founded and on July 31, 1931, Vacuum Oil Company was merged with Socony to become Socony-Vacuum Oil Company. Support for development was continued by the new company and by 1933 a 200 bbl/day fixed bed pilot plant was operating. 

Sun Oil Company was an independent oil company with headquarters in Philadelphia and a sizeable refinery across the Delaware River a little north of the Paulsboro, New Jersey refinery of Socony-Vacuum where Houdry s development activities had been centered. The story goes that Houdry met with Arthur E. Pew, son of one of the Founders of the Sun Oil Company and Vice-President of Refining, and quickly the two made a deal for Sun to continue the development of the Houdry Process. The arrangement... 

This unit went on stream in April 1936 and attained full operation in June of that year. This was three years after the move of Houdry Process Corp. to Marcus, Hook, Pennsylvania and indicates not only a tremendous research and development accomplishment, but a great cooperative effort on the part of Houdry and his team. Sun Oil and Socony-Vacuum. 

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