Abstract: A method for estimating the quantity of CO2 present in a geologic formation and a device for implementing the method include the steps of penetrating the formation by a well drilled from the surface contacting formation with a fluid that travels from the formation to the surface sampling a given quantity of return fluid at the surface and transferring it to a cell, ensuring the pH of the quantity of fluid, adding a given quantity of product acidifying the fluid to adjust the pH to a value of less than 4, and measuring the CO2 level of the gas in the cell after the acidification step.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for converting heavy hydrocarbonaceous feedstocks carried out in a slurry reactor in the presence of hydrogen and in the presence of a catalytic composition obtained by: injecting a catalytic precursor of at least one metal of Group VIB and/or Group VIII in at least part of the feedstock to be treated in the absence of an oxide substrate, thermal treatment at a temperature of 400° C.

Abstract: Method for determining acid gas storage capacities of an underground geologic medium by means of a multiphase reactive transport model. The geologic medium is divided into a set of sub-volumes for which connections are defined. A multiphase reactive transport model is then defined by dividing, according to a transfer rate principle, the phenomena involved in the behaviour of said geologic medium into two parts. A first part is treated by a first sub-model of “compositional multiphase reservoir” type allowing the transfer rates linked with the gas phase to be determined. A second part is treated by a model of “single-phase reactive transport” type allowing the transfer rates linked with the water and the solid to be determined. The model is initialized by means of data acquired in the field or in the laboratory. The acid gas storage capacities of the medium are determined from the reactive transport model. Application: acid gas storage in a natural reservoir.

Abstract: The subject of the invention is a process for the synthesis of hydrocarbons based on a synthesis gas type feedstock in which said synthesis gas is brought into contact with a catalyst in a reactor under Fischer-Tropsch synthesis conditions and in which the partial pressure of water is controlled in order to keep it below a critical value ppH2O-limit defined by the formula: ppH2Olimit=exp(?7751/dp·T)·Ps(T) where T is the reaction temperature in K, dp is the average diameter of the catalyst pores in nm, determined by nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BJH method), Ps(T) is the saturating water vapour pressure at temperature T, in bar.

Abstract: A process for preparing a beta zeolite is described, comprising at least the following steps: i) mixing, in an aqueous medium, at least one source of at least one tetravalent element X, at least one source of fluoride anions and at least one quaternary ammonium salt with formula (H3C)2—N+—(CH2CH2C(CH3)3)2; ii) treating said mixture hydrothermally until said beta zeolite is formed.

Abstract: The process of producing middle distillates from effluents obtained by a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, comprises a step for hydro-treatment and purification and/or decontamination by passage over a multi-functional guard bed prior to a step of hydrocracking/hydroisomerization. The guard bed reduces the amount of unsaturated compounds, oxygen-containing compounds, particulate mineral solids, and organometallic compounds.

Abstract: In a catalytic FCC cracking unit comprising a vertically disposed riser housing a reaction zone, the improvement comprising at least one device for redistribution of catalyst inside said reaction zone, the catalytic cracking unit being equipped at a plane with feedstock injectors, and an upper plane, with mixed temperature control (MTC) injectors, wherein said device has the general shape of a continuous ring adjacent the riser wall and along the inside periphery of said wall, said device creating a restriction in the cross section of the riser ranging between 30% and 45%, having a profile section at least partially rectilinear, and being located a) either in a zone encompassed between the plane of the feedstock injectors and the plane of the MTC injectors, b) or at a height of between 0.1 and 5 meters above the plane of the MTC injectors.

Abstract: A gas-solid reactor and method including two fluidized reaction zones having an integrated gas-solid separation system which achieves rigorously controlled residence times in the reactor.

Abstract: The invention concerns a process for producing middle distillates from a paraffinic feed produced by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, using a hydrocracking/hydroisomerization catalyst which comprises: at least one hydrodehydrogenating element selected from the group formed by elements from group VIB and group VIII of the periodic table; 0.01% to 6% of phosphorus as a doping element; and a non-zeolitic support based on mesoporous alumina-silica.

Abstract: A method of constraining a stochastic model of Gaussian or related type, representing a porous medium such as an underground reservoir, to data characteristic of the displacement of the fluids is disclosed. The method is based on an iterative development in two stages. The first stage carries out a flow simulation, in identifying zones inside the reservoir and in estimating the modification to be brought to the effective permeabilities of these zones so as to improve calibration between the real data and the corresponding responses obtained with the flow simulator. The second stage involves an intermediate optimization problem intended to minimize an intermediate objective function (implemented from a gradual deformation technique) measuring the difference between the effective permeabilities calculated for the zones and the effective permeabilities identified during the first stage for better calibration.

Abstract: The invention concerns a process for the hydrodesulphurization of gasoline cuts for the production of gasolines with a low sulphur and mercaptans content. Said process comprises at least two hydrodesulphurization steps, HDS1 and HDS2, operated in parallel on two distinct cuts of the gasoline constituting the feed. The flow rate of hydrogen in the hydrodesulphurization step HDS2 is such that the ratio between the flow rate of hydrogen and the flow rate of feed to be treated is less than 80% of the ratio of the flow rates used to desulphurize in the hydrodesulphurization step HDS1.

Abstract: A device for distributing a poly-phase mixture having a gas phase and liquid phase which mixture is in downflow mode through at least one bed of granular solid. The device has at least one tray (P) located above one of the beds of granular solid. It further has mixer conduits (21) for the liquid and gas phases, each conduit having an upper cross section for flow (22) allowing the passage of the majority of the gas phase, and a lower cross section for flow (23) allowing the mixture formed inside the conduits to communicate with a bed of granular solid. The mixer conduits (21) also having one or more lateral cross sections for flow (26) over at least a portion of their height to allow the passage of the liquid phase and possibly a minor portion of the gas phase inside the mixer conduits. The device also has a jet breaker type dispersive system (28) having a controlled porosity disposed below the lower cross section for flow (23) and above the bed of granular solids.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and a method for continuous operation of an internal-combustion engine (2), comprising at least an actuator connected to a working device of the engine, an electronic circuit board or card (3) comprising a programmable logic FPGA component, means (9, 10) for synchronizing the card according to the engine cycle, and a central processing unit (CPU). The invention comprises: generating, through the component, a plurality of actuator control pulses, the pulses being parameterizable in phase and in duration, being independent, linked with a single cylinder and synchronized by an angular reference point in the engine cycle for each cylinder; determining pulse parameters and assigning these parameters to the pulses by means of a computing program included in the CPU of the microcomputer at each physical output; and controlling at least one of the actuators by a logic output signal of the circuit board corresponding to at least one of the control pulses.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for regenerating a particle filter (10) arranged in the exhaust line (12) of an internal-combustion engine, notably of diesel type, wherein the clogging state of the filter is evaluated, this state is compared with a threshold value, then, if this threshold value is exceeded, a fluid and a fuel are mixed together, this mixture is subjected to catalytic combustion to generate the hot gases required for regeneration of the filter and regeneration of the filter is carried out by means of hot gases flowing through said filter and whose temperature is sufficiently high to provide combustion of the particles retained in this filter. According to the invention, prior to mixing the fluid and the fuel, the temperature of the fluid is raised up to the catalytic combustion light-off temperature.

Abstract: A method allowing, from natural fat or oils, vegetable or animal, or from other glyceride mixtures, to obtain in a quasi-quantitative way fatty acid ethyl esters that can be used as gas oil substitutes, comprises the succession of stages as follows: a stage (a) wherein the oil, the fat or the glyceride mixture is transesterified by ethanol using a soluble catalyst or a catalyst that becomes soluble during the reaction, a stage (b) wherein the glycerin formed is decanted and removed, without requiring an excess ethanol evaporation operation, a stage (c) wherein a second transesterification reaction is carried out so as to obtain a product whose ester content is at least 97% by mass, a stage (d) wherein controlled neutralization of the catalyst is carried out, a stage (e) wherein the excess ethanol is removed by distillation, a stage (f) wherein the ester undergoes purification by means of water wash sequences, and a stage (g) wherein the ester mixture is dried under reduced pressure.

Abstract: The invention is a computer implemented method for fast simulation of the flow of a single and incompressible fluid in a heterogeneous porous medium such as an aquifer or a petroleum reservoir having application such as, for example, to the development of petroleum reservoirs. After discretizing the medium with a grid, a permeability field is determined from which a diffusivity equation is directly solved in the spectral domain by an iterative procedure involving fast Fourier transforms. A first algorithm directly manages the pressures and velocities, but it may be slow for great permeability contrasts. A second algorithm, which introduces an intermediate variable updated at each iteration, allows faster processing of greater permeability contrasts than the first algorithm. The third algorithm, based on increased Lagrangian, allows consideration of infinite permeability contrasts. The algorithms allow simulation of flows in weakly to highly heterogeneous media, with a reduced computing time.

Abstract: A method for measuring the conducting fluid saturation and the resistivity of a porous medium have application to development of underground geological formations. A solid sample is extracted from the medium and placed in a centrifugation cell, beside a second sample for limiting the capillary end effect in the first sample. The two samples are partly desaturated by subjecting them to centrifugation. The resistivity of the sample is measured by placing it in a radial-electrode resistivity measurement cell. The saturation of the sample is then determined by measuring its nuclear magnetization by means of an NMR device. Repeating this procedure for different centrifugation velocities provides resistivity and saturation pairs allowing a relationship between saturation and resistivity to be estimated.

Abstract: The mercaptan-laden natural gas is contacted with a mercaptan-adsorbing sieve T1. The mercaptan-rich gaseous effluent obtained upon regeneration of sieve T2 is then contacted with an olefin-containing liquid feed in the presence of an acid catalyst. Under suitable conditions, the mercaptans are absorbed in the liquid feed and they react with the olefins so as to form solvent-soluble sulfides. A solvent regeneration stage allows the capture agent to be recycled.

Abstract: A method, having application for hydrocarbon reservoir simulation, generates a hybrid grid, in order to carry out simulations in accordance with a defined numerical scheme, in three dimensions in a numerical scheme, of a heterogeneous formation crossed by at least one geometric discontinuity such as, an underground formation where at least one well has been drilled, or a fractured formation, by combining structured grids and unstructured grids. The hybrid grid includes a first structured grid for gridding the heterogeneous medium with second structured grids for gridding a zone around each discontinuity. A cavity of minimum size is automatically generated, with cells of the transition grid being an intermediate size between the size of the cells of the first grid and the size of the cells of the second grids.

Abstract: A process for transalkylation of an alkyl-aromatic hydrocarbon feedstock that has at least 9 carbon atoms per molecule that comprises a) the introduction of said alkyl-aromatic hydrocarbon feedstock at the inlet of a first reaction zone where it is brought into contact with at least a first zeolitic catalyst, b) the introduction of at least a portion of the effluent that is obtained from stage a) and a feedstock that contains benzene and/or toluene at the inlet of a second reaction zone that contains at least a second zeolitic catalyst, and c) the separation of at least a portion of the effluent that is obtained from stage b) is described.