Abstract: The present disclosure refers to systems and methods for efficiently converting a C1-C3 alkane such as natural gas to a liquid C2-C10 product and hydrogen. Generally, the process comprises flowing the C1-C3 alkane through a plurality of tubes within a vessel wherein the tubes house a catalyst for converting the C1-C3 alkane to the liquid C2-C10 product and hydrogen. The C1-C3 alkane is heated under suitable conditions to produce the liquid C2-C10 product and hydrogen. Advantageously, the C1-C3 alkane is heated by burning a fuel outside the tubes in fuel burning nozzles configured to transfer heat from the burning through the tubes.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 1, 2022
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2023
Assignee:
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
Inventors:
Lin Li, Huping Luo, Xiaoying Ouyang, Alexander Kuperman
Abstract: A method of deliquification of production wells includes placing an artificial lift tool in a gas wellbore, where the artificial lift tool includes a rack and multiple piezoelectric transducers. The rack includes multiple trays. Each piezoelectric transducer of the multiple piezoelectric transducers is positioned on a respective tray of the multiple trays. The method further includes providing, by a pump, a liquid on surfaces of the multiple piezoelectric transducers and providing, by a signal source, an electrical signal to the multiple piezoelectric transducers. The method also includes generating, by the multiple piezoelectric transducers, acoustic waves from the electrical signal, where at least some of the liquid provided to the multiple piezoelectric transducers is atomized by the acoustic waves.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 17, 2020
Date of Patent:
October 10, 2023
Assignee:
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Greg Richard Jaure, Cole Thomas Brinkley, Farid George Mitri, Jonathon Crain Boudreaux, James Thomas Stiernberg, Dennis John Harris
Abstract: Provided is a continuous process for converting waste plastic into recycle for polypropylene polymerization. The process comprises selecting waste plastics containing polyethylene and/or polypropylene and preparing a stable blend of petroleum and the selected plastic. The amount of plastic in the blend comprises no more than 20 wt. % of the blend. The blend is passed to a refinery FCC unit. A liquid petroleum gas C3 olefin/paraffin mixture is recovered from the FCC unit. The C3 paraffins and C3 olefins are separated into different fractions with the C3 olefin fraction passed to a propylene polymerization reactor, and the C3 paraffin fraction passed optionally to a dehydrogenation unit to produce additional propylene.
Type:
Application
Filed:
March 30, 2023
Publication date:
October 5, 2023
Applicant:
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Joel E. SCHMIDT, Hye-Kyung C. TIMKEN, Tengfei LIU, Richard L. GROVE, Kaidong CHEN
Abstract: Provided is a continuous process for converting waste plastic into recycle for polypropylene polymerization. The process comprises selecting waste plastics containing polyethylene and/or polypropylene and preparing a stable blend of petroleum and the selected plastic. The amount of plastic in the blend comprises no more than 20 wt. % of the blend. The blend is passed to a refinery hydrocracking unit. A liquid petroleum gas C3 olefin/paraffin mixture is recovered from the hydrocracking unit. The C3 paraffins and C3 olefins are separated into different fractions with the C3 olefin fraction passed to a propylene polymerization reactor, and the C3 paraffin fraction passed optionally to a dehydrogenation unit to produce additional propylene. A heavy fraction can also be recovered from the hydrocracking unit and passed to an isomerization dewaxing unit to prepare base oil.
Abstract: Provided is a continuous process for converting waste plastic into recycle for polypropylene polymerization. The process comprises selecting waste plastics containing polyethylene and/or polypropylene and preparing a stable blend of petroleum and the selected plastic. The amount of plastic in the blend comprises no more than 20 wt. % of the blend. The blend is passed to a refinery crude unit. A liquid petroleum gas C3 olefin/paraffin mixture is recovered from the crude unit. The C3 paraffins and C3 olefins are separated into different fractions with the C3 olefin fraction passed to a propylene polymerization reactor, and the C3 paraffin fraction passed to a dehydrogenation unit to produce additional propylene. Product streams from the crude unit can also be passed to a hydrocracking unit, with a recovered heavy fraction then being passed to an isomerization dewaxing unit to prepare base oil.
Abstract: Provided is a blend of a petroleum feedstock and 1-20 wt. % of plastic, based on the weight of the blend, with the plastic comprising polyethylene and/or polypropylene, and the plastic in the blend comprising finely dispersed microcrystalline particles having an average particle size of 10 micron to less than 100 microns. A process for preparing a blend of plastic and petroleum is provided, comprising mixing together a petroleum feed and a plastic comprising polyethylene and/or polypropylene and heating the mixture above the melting point of the plastic, but less than 500° F. Then cooling the plastic melt and petroleum feedstock liquid blend with mixing to a temperature below the melting point of the plastic.
Type:
Application
Filed:
March 30, 2023
Publication date:
October 5, 2023
Applicant:
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Hye-Kyung C. TIMKEN, Tengfei LIU, Joel E. SCHMIDT, Kaustav CHAUDHURI
Abstract: Provided is a continuous process for converting waste plastic into recycle for polyethylene polymerization. The process comprises selecting waste plastics containing polyethylene and/or polypropylene and preparing a stable blend of petroleum and the selected plastic. The amount of plastic in the blend comprises no more than 20 wt.% of the blend. The blend is passed to a refinery crude unit. A liquid petroleum gas C3-C4 olefin/paraffin mixture, and optionally naphtha stream, is recovered from the crude unit and passed to a steam cracker to make ethylene. Product streams from the crude unit can also be passed to a hydrocracking unit, with a recovered heavy fraction then being passed to an isomerization dewaxing unit to prepare base oil.
Abstract: Provided is a continuous process for converting waste plastic into recycle for polyethylene polymerization. The process comprises selecting waste plastics containing polyethylene and/or polypropylene and preparing a stable blend of petroleum and the selected plastic. The amount of plastic in the blend comprises no more than 20 wt. % of the blend. The blend is passed to a refinery FCC unit. A liquid petroleum gas LPG olefin/paraffin mixture and naphtha are recovered from the FCC unit and passed to a steam cracker to make ethylene.
Type:
Application
Filed:
March 30, 2023
Publication date:
October 5, 2023
Applicant:
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Tengfei LIU, Joel E. SCHMIDT, Hye-Kyung C. TIMKEN, Richard L. GROVE, Kaidong CHEN
Abstract: A system for transferring at least one subterranean core sample under pressure can include a retrieval vessel that collects and houses the at least one subterranean core sample at a sampling pressure at which the at least one subterranean core is collected. The system can also include a linear actuator that couples to the retrieval vessel through a valve in the open position at a first time, where the linear actuator facilitates removal of at least one pressure barrier from the retrieval vessel through the valve at the first time while maintaining the sampling pressure of the at least one subterranean sample. The system can further include a testing vessel that couples to the linear actuator through the valve in the open position at a second time, and a hydraulic device that facilitates pressurizing the testing vessel to the sampling pressure at the second time.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 31, 2020
Date of Patent:
October 3, 2023
Assignee:
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
Inventors:
James Daniel Montoya, Jonathon Crain Boudreaux, Patrick Rodriguez, Cole Thomas Brinkley
Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a “tool-kit” of processing techniques which can be employed in different combinations depending on the circumstances. For example, flow speed can be found using eddy tracking techniques, or by using speed of sound measurements. Moreover, composition can be found by using speed of sound measurements and also by looking for turning points in the k-w curves, particularly in stratified multi-phase flows. Different combinations of the embodiments can therefore be put together to provide further embodiments, to meet particular flow sensing requirements, both on the surface and downhole. Once the flow speed is known, then at least in the case of a single phase flow, the flow speed can be multiplied by the interior cross-sectional area of the pipe to obtain the flow rate. The mass flow rate can then be obtained if the density of the fluid is known, once the composition has been determined.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 23, 2020
Date of Patent:
September 26, 2023
Assignees:
Silixa Ltd, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Mohammad Amir, Mahmoud Farhadiroushan, Daniel Finfer, Veronique Mahue, Tom Parker
Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure include compositions and methods that stabilize a injection fluid when exposed to reservoir conditions, reducing formation damage and increasing the amount of hydrocarbon recovered. Specifically, the formulation is a single-phase liquid surfactant package which comprises a non-ionic surfactant and optionally one or more secondary surfactants.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 31, 2018
Date of Patent:
September 19, 2023
Assignee:
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
Inventors:
Dustin L. Walker, Gayani W. Pinnawala, Nabijan Nizamidin, Varadarajan Dwarakanath, Guo-Qing Tang, Dustin J. Lowry, Tetsuo Art Inouye, Taimur Malik
Abstract: Described herein are compositions and methods that stabilize an injection fluid when exposed to reservoir conditions, reducing formation damage and increasing the amount of hydrocarbon recovered. Specifically, the formulation is a single-phase liquid surfactant package which comprises an anionic surfactant including a hydrophobic tail comprising from 6 to 60 carbon atoms and optionally one or more secondary surfactants.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 31, 2018
Date of Patent:
September 12, 2023
Assignee:
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
Inventors:
Dustin L. Walker, Gayani W. Pinnawala, Nabijan Nizamidin, Varadarajan Dwarakanath, Guo-Qing Tang, Dustin J. Lowry, Tetsuo Art Inouye, Taimur Malik
Abstract: Described herein is a base oil synthesis via ionic catalyst oligomerization further utilizing a hydrophobic process for removing an ionic catalyst from a reaction mixture with a silica gel composition, specifically a reaction mixture comprising an oligomerization reaction to produce PAO utilizing an ionic catalyst wherein the ionic catalyst is removed post reaction.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 30, 2020
Date of Patent:
September 12, 2023
Assignee:
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
Inventors:
Howard Steven Lacheen, Hye-Kyung Cho Timken
Abstract: A computer-implemented method is described for seismic facies identification including receiving a seismic dataset representative of a subsurface volume of interest; applying a model conditioned by petrophysical classifications to the seismic dataset to identify seismic facies and generate a classified seismic image; and identifying geologic features based on the classified seismic image. The method generates seismic facies probability volumes.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 16, 2021
Date of Patent:
September 12, 2023
Assignee:
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Justin Curtis Palmer, Lisa Renee Goggin, Adam Dean Halpert, Laura Leigh Bandura, Christopher H. Skelt
Abstract: A method is described for seismic imaging improved by an estimation of attenuation including receiving a pre-migration seismic dataset D(s, r; t) representative of a subsurface volume of interest wherein s indicates source location, r indicates receiver location, and t is the recorded travel time; calculating a pre-migration attenuated travel time t*(s, r; t); computing a time derivative of the pre-migration attenuated travel time wherein 1/Q(s, r; t)=?t*(s, r; t)/?t; performing a first migration on D(s,r;t) to generate common image point (CIP) gathers G(x, h) wherein x is subsurface image point and h is angle or offset; performing a second migration on D(s, r; t)*1/Q(s, r; t) to generate weighted common image point (CIP) gathers G1/Q(x, h); and calculating a conditioned ratio of the weighted CIP gathers G1/Q(x, h) over the CIP gathers G(x, h) to get CIP gathers of 1/Q(x, h) is disclosed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 29, 2021
Date of Patent:
September 12, 2023
Assignee:
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Yonghe J. Sun, Chunling Wu, Mark Chengliang Fan
Abstract: A downhole drilling system is disclosed. The downhole drilling system may include a drill bit including a first electrode and a second electrode. The downhole drilling system may also include a pulse-generating circuit coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode. A capacitor within the pulse-generating circuit may include a plurality of electrode sheets and a plurality of dielectric sheets interleaved with the plurality of electrode sheets. Each of the dielectric sheets may include a composite material including a polymer matrix formed from a polymer component and a nanoparticle component that increases the dielectric constant of the composite material above that of the polymer component.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 24, 2021
Date of Patent:
September 5, 2023
Assignees:
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., Chevron U.S.A. Inc., SDG, LLC
Abstract: Simulated wells may be selected from a subsurface representation to serve as representation of the corresponding simulated subsurface region. Spatial coverage of a simulated well for the simulated subsurface region may be determined based on extent of similarity between the simulated well and other simulated wells in the subsurface representation. The simulated wells may be selected to achieve desired spatial coverage for the simulated subsurface region and to achieve desired representation of properties of interest for the simulated subsurface region.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 30, 2020
Date of Patent:
August 29, 2023
Assignee:
Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Inventors:
Fabien J. Laugier, Alicia Downard, Robert Chadwick Holmes
Abstract: The disclosure is related to methods for testing and/or validating drill pipe and threaded and coupled connectors for use in subsea intervention system riser applications (open-water and through-riser). The methods are novel applications for testing and/or validating drill pipe and threaded and coupled connections that conform to Annex E of API 17G.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 15, 2021
Date of Patent:
August 29, 2023
Assignee:
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
Inventors:
Timothy Douglas Thomas, Jeffrey Paul Goetz, Raymond Anthony Stawaisz
Abstract: Provided is a continuous process for converting waste plastic into recycle for polyethylene polymerization. In one embodiment, the process comprises selecting waste plastics containing polyethylene and/or polypropylene and passing the waste plastics through a pyrolysis reactor to thermally crack at least a portion of the polyolefin waste and produce a pyrolyzed effluent. The pyrolyzed effluent is separated into offgas, a naphtha/diesel fraction, a heavy fraction, and char. The naphtha/diesel fraction is passed to a crude unit distillation column in a refinery where a straight run naphtha (C5-C8) fraction or a propane/butane (C3-C4) fraction is recovered. The straight run naphtha fraction (C5-C8) or the propane/butane (C3-C4) fraction is passed to a steam cracker for ethylene production. The heavy fraction from the pyrolysis unit can also be passed to an isomerization dewaxing unit to produce a base oil.