Patents Assigned to Inpex Corporation
  • Patent number: 8354456
    Abstract: In a so-called GTL process for producing liquid hydrocarbons containing fuel oil by producing synthesis gas from natural gas, subsequently producing Fischer-Tropsch oil from the obtained synthesis gas by way of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and upgrading the produced Fischer-Tropsch oil, the synthesis gas produced from a synthesis gas production step is partly branched at a stage prior to getting to a Fischer-Tropsch oil production step and high-purity hydrogen is separated and produced from the synthesis gas entering the branch line. All the separated high-purity hydrogen is supplied to an upgrading reaction step and consumed as hydrogen for an upgrading reaction. Additionally, the synthesis gas entering the branch line is subjected to a water gas shift reaction to raise the hydrogen concentration before the step of separating and producing high-purity hydrogen and the residual gas left after the separation may be circulated to the synthesis gas production step as raw material for producing synthesis gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignees: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Inpex Corporation, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Chiyoda Corporation
    Inventors: Fuyuki Yagi, Kenichi Kawazuishi
  • Patent number: 8338495
    Abstract: In a GTL process of producing various kinds of hydrocarbon oils from natural gas, provided is improved heat efficiency in the case of using a steam reforming process or a carbon dioxide reforming process in the reforming. The process includes producing a synthesis gas by converting the natural gas and at least one of steam and carbon dioxide into a synthesis gas through a tubular reformer filled with a reforming catalyst, producing Fischer-Tropsch oil by subjecting the produced synthesis gas to a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, and upgrading in which the Fischer-Tropsch oil is subjected to hydrotreatment and distillation to produce various kinds of hydrocarbon oils, in which excess heat generated in the synthesis gas production is recovered, and the recovered heat is used as heat for at least one of hydrotreatment and distillation in the upgrading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Inpex Corporation, Nippon Oil Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Chiyoda Corporation
    Inventors: Fuyuki Yagi, Kenichi Kawazuishi
  • Patent number: 8303848
    Abstract: An operation method of a synthesis gas reformer of a GTL (gas to liquids) plant is provided with: setting an operation condition of the synthesis gas reformer; determining control target values of a flow rate of the light hydrocarbon gas, the steam, and the CO2, and an amount of heat needed for the synthesis gas reformer; controlling operation load of the synthesis gas reformer; setting a furnace efficiency of the synthesis gas reformer; calculating a combustion load of a burner of the synthesis gas reformer; calculating a lower heating value of the fuel gas based on a composition measurement of the fuel gas of the burner; determining a control target value of the pressure of the fuel gas; calculating a deviation between the control target value of the pressure of the fuel gas and a measured value of the pressure of the fuel gas; and controlling the temperature of the synthesis gas at the outlet of the synthesis gas reformer by adjusting a pressure control valve provided at an inlet of the burner to compensat
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Inpex Corporation, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Chiyoda Corporation
    Inventors: Yasumasa Morita, Kenichi Kawazuishi
  • Patent number: 8268898
    Abstract: In a so-called GTL process of producing synthesis gas from natural gas, producing Fischer-Tropsch oil by way of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of the obtained synthesis gas and producing liquid hydrocarbons containing fuel oil by upgrading, the synthesis gas produced from the synthesis gas production step is partly branched off prior to getting to the Fischer-Tropsch oil production step and the synthesis gas entering the branch line is subjected to a water gas shift reaction to raise the hydrogen concentration thereof. Subsequently, high-purity hydrogen is isolated from the synthesis gas and the residual gas left after the isolation is circulated to the synthesis gas production step and used as raw material for synthesis gas production. As a result, a significant improvement can be achieved in terms of raw material consumption per product of the entire process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Inpex Corporation, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Chiyoda Corporation
    Inventors: Fuyuki Yagi, Kenichi Kawazuishi
  • Publication number: 20120157554
    Abstract: A medium oil to be used for a synthesis reaction in a slurry-bed reaction procedure. The medium oil has as a main component, a branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having 16 to 50 carbon atoms, 1 to 7 tertiary carbon atoms, 0 quaternary carbon atoms, and 1 to 16 carbon atoms in the branched chains bonded to the tertiary carbon atoms; and at least one of the tertiary carbon atoms is bonded to hydrocarbon chains with a chain length having 4 or more carbon atoms in three directions, wherein the synthesis reaction in the slurry-bed reaction procedure comprises producing an oxygen-containing organic compound from a raw gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicants: INPEX Corporation, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Total Gas & Power Ventures, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co.,Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiichi OKUYAMA, Yotaro OHNO, Takashi OGAWA, Seiji AOKI, Tsutomu SHIKADA, Yasuhiro MOGI, Toshifumi SUZUKI, Yasuo MIYOSHI, Nobuaki KOBAYASHI, Kazuro SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 8158841
    Abstract: To provide a method for hydrotreating a synthetic hydrocarbon oil, which removes olefins and oxygen-containing compounds by hydrotreatment with the gasification rate restrained and can efficiently convert the synthetic hydrocarbon oil generated by the FT process to a liquid fuel suitable as a fuel for diesel-powered vehicles. A hydrotreating method is disclosed in which a synthetic hydrocarbon oil generated by FT synthesis is hydrotreated using a catalyst in which a definite catalytic metal is allowed to be carried on a support, under definite reaction conditions, with the gasification rate restrained to a definite value or less, thereby removing the olefins and the oxygen-containing compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Engineering Corporation, Inpex Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Hara, Toshio Shimizu, Yutaka Miyata
  • Publication number: 20120010304
    Abstract: Provided is a method for synthesizing liquid hydrocarbon compounds wherein synthesizing liquid hydrocarbon compounds from a synthesis gas by a Fisher-Tropsch synthesis reaction. The method includes a first absorption step of absorbing a carbon dioxide gas, which is contained in gaseous by-products generated in the Fisher-Tropsch synthesis reaction, with an absorbent, and a second absorption step of absorbing a carbon dioxide gas, which is contained in the synthesis gas, with the absorbent which is passed through the first absorption step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicants: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, INPEX CORPORATION, NIPPON STEEL ENGINEERING CO., LTD., Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., COSMO OIL CO., LTD., JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Tasaka
  • Patent number: 8057744
    Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a bubble column-type slurry bed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction process can be provided, in which synthesis gas supplied continuously from the bottom of a reactor contacts suspended catalyst particles to form liquid hydrocarbons, gaseous hydrocarbons and water. Additionally, a slurry of suspended liquid products and catalyst particles can move from the reactor to the lower portion of a separation vessel to separate the catalyst particles and gaseous products. Further, a process can be provided in which the liquid products formed are sent to the separation vessel a process in which liquid products can be derived. Additionally, a process can be provided in which a slurry in which catalyst particles are concentrated is derived from the bottom of the separation vessel and circulated to the bottom of the reactor, are driven by the driving force of synthesis gas without using an external drive power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignees: Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Sekiyushigen Kaihatsu Kabushiki Kaisha, Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Inpex Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Onishi, Kenichiro Fujimoto, Masaru Ihara, Yoshifumi Suehiro, Yasumasa Morita, Kiyoshi Inaba, Toshio Shimizu, Osamu Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20100197814
    Abstract: In a GTL process of producing various kinds of hydrocarbon oils from natural gas, provided is improved heat efficiency in the case of using a steam reforming process or a carbon dioxide reforming process in the reforming. The process includes producing a synthesis gas by converting the natural gas and at least one of steam and carbon dioxide into a synthesis gas through a tubular reformer filled with a reforming catalyst, producing Fischer-Tropsch oil by subjecting the produced synthesis gas to a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, and upgrading in which the Fischer-Tropsch oil is subjected to hydrotreatment and distillation to produce various kinds of hydrocarbon oils, in which excess heat generated in the synthesis gas production is recovered, and the recovered heat is used as heat for at least one of hydrotreatment and distillation in the upgrading.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicants: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Inpex Corporation, Nippon Oil Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd., Chiyoda Corporation
    Inventors: Fuyuki Yagi, Kenichi Kawazuishi
  • Publication number: 20090005626
    Abstract: To provide a method for hydrotreating a synthetic hydrocarbon oil, which removes olefins and oxygen-containing compounds by hydrotreatment with the gasification rate restrained and can efficiently convert the synthetic hydrocarbon oil generated by the FT process to a liquid fuel suitable as a fuel for diesel-powered vehicles. A hydrotreating method in which a synthetic hydrocarbon oil generated by FT synthesis is hydrotreated using a catalyst in which a definite catalytic metal is allowed to be carried on a support, under definite reaction conditions, with the gasification rate restrained to a definite value or less, thereby removing the olefins and the oxygen-containing compounds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicants: JAPAN OIL, GAS AND METALS NATIONAL CORPORATION, JAPAN PETROLEUM EXPLORATION CO. LTD., COSMO OIL CO., LTD., NIPPON STEEL ENGINEERING CORPORATION, INPEX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Hara, Toshio Shimizu, Yutaka Miyata
  • Patent number: 7393470
    Abstract: Synthesis gas for FT synthesis is produced using a producing apparatus including an active carbon adsorbing vessel for adsorbing impurities in a natural gas, a hydro-desulfurizer for hydrogenating and desulfurizing sulfur content in the natural gas under a condition of a partial pressure of hydrogen of 100 to 200 kPa, a second hydrogen supplying line for supplying hydrogen to the natural gas between the hydro-desulfurizer and a reactor, the reactor for obtaining synthesis gas by reacting the natural gas, carbon dioxide and steam in the presence of a catalyst for reforming, and a heat recovering boiler for cooling the synthesis gas at a cooling rate of 2000 to 4000° C./second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignees: Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, Sekiyushigen Kamatsu Kabushiki Kaisha, Cosmo Oil Co. Ltd., Chiyoda Corporation, Nippon Steel Corporation, Inpex Corporation
    Inventors: Masaru Ihara, Yoshifumi Suehiro, Yasumasa Morita, Kiyoshi Inaba, Toshio Shimizu, Osamu Iwamoto, Tomoyuki Mikuriya, Ryuichiro Kajiyama, Ken-ichiro Fujimoto, Yasuhiro Onishi