Abstract: The present invention relates to delayed coking of heavy petroleum residue producing petroleum coke and lighter hydrocarbon products. The invented process utilize a pre-cracking reactor for mild thermal cracking of the feedstock and an intermediate separator, before being subjected to higher severity thermal cracking in delayed coking process, resulting in reduction in overall coke yield.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for desulfurization of hydrocarbon feeds is disclosed in which pure nitrous oxide, or a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen or air, is used as a gaseous oxidant. Organosulfur compounds are converted to their corresponding oxides sulfones and/or sulfoxides in an oxidation reactor, and oxides are subsequently removed from the oxidation reactor effluent to recover a reduced sulfur-content hydrocarbon product.

Abstract: A process for dewatering crude oil is described. The process includes feeding crude oil onto a separation of a cyclone separator that is at least partially disposed in a flash vessel. The temperature are pressure in the flash vessel are selected such that at least 20% of the water contained in the crude oil is flashed from the crude oil as it moves on the separation surface of the cyclone separator. The flow rate and angle of the crude oil inlet is selected such that the crude oil moves across the separation surface as a film in a helical pattern, providing a substantial foaming-free manner. The vapor that is flashed from the crude oil exits the flash vessel at a top outlet and the liquid crude oil exits the flash vessel at a bottom outlet.

Abstract: Process scheme configurations are disclosed that enable conversion of crude oil feeds with several processing units in an integrated manner into petrochemicals. The designs utilize minimum capital expenditures to prepare suitable feedstocks for the steam cracker complex. The integrated process for converting crude oil to petrochemical products including olefins and aromatics, and fuel products, includes mixed feed steam cracking and gas oil steam cracking. Feeds to the mixed feed steam cracker include light products and naphtha from hydroprocessing zones within the battery limits, recycle streams from the C3 and C4 olefins recovery steps, and raffinate from a pyrolysis gasoline aromatics extraction zone within the battery limits. Feeds to the gas oil steam cracker include hydrotreated gas oil range intermediates from vacuum gas oil hydrotreating.

Abstract: Aspects of the invention relate to producing olefins by oxidative dehydrogenation cocracking of a hydrocarbon feed. In one embodiment, the method includes oxidative cocracking a hydrocarbon feed comprised of at least one alkane having a carbon chain of five or more and at least one alkane having a carbon chain of four or less by contacting the hydrocarbon feed with a metal oxide, such that the cracking of the at least one alkane having a carbon chain of four or less produces olefins and is exothermic, and the cracking of the at least one alkane having a carbon chain of five or more produces olefins and is endothermic. The method further includes utilizing the energy produced from the exothermic cracking of the alkane having a carbon chain of four or less for the endothermic cracking of the alkane having a carbon chain of five or more, and collecting the product.

Abstract: Scavenging compounds and compositions useful in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of crude oil and natural gas are disclosed. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the compounds and compositions as scavengers, particularly in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of crude oil and natural gas.

Abstract: A water extraction process for separating bitumen from tar sands comprises slurrying tar sands in water, mixing the aqueous slurry with a magnetic substance for a time sufficient to release bitumen from tar sands and to uniformly disperse the magnetic substance with the bitumen, and subjecting the resulting slurry to froth flotation for recovery of a bitumen product and production of sand tails. The magnetic substance may comprise a magnetic surfactant. Alternatively, the magnetic substance comprises a magnetic nanoparticle together with a frother having the characteristics of methyl-isobutyl-carbinol and can be mixed with the aqueous slurry by attrition scrubbing or by flotation cell mixing. The magnetic substance may be recovered for further reuse by applying a magnetic or electromagnetic field to the tailings. The process may suitably applied in both so-called hot water extraction processes as well in an “ambient” temperature (from about freezing to 35° C.) process.

Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing a crude oil composition from oil sand using a solvent comprised of a hydrocarbon mixture to extract or remove only a portion of the bitumen on the oil sand. The solvent type and the manner by which the extraction process is carried out has substantial impact on the quality of the extracted oil component. The solvent is designed so that it has the desired Hansen solubility parameters that enable the partial extraction of the desired oil composition. The solvent is further designed so that it can be comprised of multiple hydrocarbons having the appropriate boiling point ranges that enable the solvent to be easily recovered and recycle, without the need to externally provide for solvent make-up.

Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing a crude oil composition from oil sand using a solvent comprised of a hydrocarbon mixture to extract or remove only a portion of the bitumen on the oil sand. The solvent type and the manner by which the extraction process is carried out has substantial impact on the quality of the extracted oil component. The solvent is designed so that it has the desired Hansen solubility parameters that enable the partial extraction of the desired oil composition. The solvent is further designed so that it can be comprised of multiple hydrocarbons having the appropriate boiling point ranges that enable the solvent to be easily recovered and recycle, without the need to externally provide for solvent make-up.

Abstract: Scavenging compounds and compositions useful in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of municipal waste water, hydrocarbons, crude oil, and natural gas among others are disclosed. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the compounds and compositions as scavengers, particularly in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of hydrocarbons, crude oil, and natural gas.

Abstract: Processes for upgrading partially converted vacuum residua hydrocarbon feeds are disclosed. The upgrading processes may include: steam stripping the partially converted vacuum residua to generate a first distillate and a first residuum; solvent deasphalting the first residuum stream to generate a deasphalted oil and an asphaltenes fraction; vacuum fractionating the deasphalted oil to recover a deasphalted gas oil distillate and a heavy deasphalted residuum; contacting the first distillate and the deasphalted gas oil distillate and hydrogen in the presence of a first hydroconversion catalyst to produce a product; contacting the heavy deasphalted residuum stream and hydrogen in the presence of a second hydroconversion catalyst to produce an effluent; and fractionating the effluent to recover a hydrocracked atmospheric residua and a hydrocracked atmospheric distillate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a catalyst for fluidized catalytic cracking of hydrocarbon oil containing a framework-substituted zeolite-1 in which zirconium atoms and/or hafnium atoms form a part of a framework of an ultra-stable Y-type zeolite.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide a method and apparatus for stabilizing a product, such as a petroleum or other hydrocarbon based product, for example crude oil. Stabilization removes volatile components from the crude such that the crude product may be safely handled, stored, and/or transported. In one embodiment, the crude stabilization system includes at least a stabilizer column and an overhead system. Effluent from the stabilizer column may be fed directly into a suction inlet of a compressor system of the overhead system. The stabilizer column is preferably operated at low pressures and temperatures, thus making a desalting system unnecessary. Furthermore, overhead trim cooling, recycle cooling, and interstage cooling may be provided by the crude feed rather than air coolers or cooling water. As such, stabilized crude product may be safely transported via any means of transportation, such as a railcar.

Abstract: A process for producing a composition as a feed for producing carbon black starting from an atmospheric residue, in which said atmospheric residue is vacuum distilled in order to produce at least one vacuum distillate fraction and at least one vacuum residue fraction, said vacuum distillate fraction being treated in accordance with at least the following two steps in succession: a step 1) for fluid catalytic cracking, producing a FCC residue, a step 2) for filtration of the fine solid particles contained in said FCC residue obtained from cracking step 1), resulting in a filtrate containing less than 300 ppm of particles below 10 microns, and in which, said vacuum residue fraction is supplied to a deasphalting step, resulting in a deasphalted vacuum residue fraction, at least a portion thereof being mixed with at least a portion of said filtrate from the filtration step 2) to form said composition.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of incorporating a gaseous hydrocarbon into a liquid hydrocarbon. The method comprises steps of exposing a gaseous hydrocarbon to non-thermal plasma generated using a reduced electric field with an E/N ratio in a range of from about 10 to about 30 Td to activate the gaseous hydrocarbon, and contacting the activated gaseous hydrocarbon with the liquid hydrocarbon to incorporate the gaseous hydrocarbon into the liquid hydrocarbon. The method provides the advantages of low energy consumption and relatively low capital expenditure.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for removing sulfur compounds from a fuel containing sulfur compounds. The method includes contacting the fuel with an adsorbent that comprises a carbonaceous material doped with nanoparticles of aluminum oxide to reduce the concentrations of the sulfur compounds. The carbonaceous material is at least one selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, and graphene oxide, and the adsorbent has a weight ratio of C to Al in the range from 3:1 to 30:1, and a weight ratio of C to O in the range from 1:1 to 10:1.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to processes for separating steam cracker products by fractional distillation, and to systems and apparatus useful in such processes. More specifically, the invention relates to decreasing the amount of fractionator fouling that can result from increasing the amount of hydrocarbon molecules in the steam cracker feed having four or fewer carbon atoms.

Abstract: Processes for hydrotreating a hydrocarbon stream in which a separation zone and a stripping zone is disposed between two hydrotreating reactors. The stripping zone may comprise a portion of the second hydrotreating reactor. The separation zone may comprise two separator vessels. A separator vessel may include the scrubbing zone to receive a scrubbing fluid, for example, steam, hydrogen, or heated effluent, and remove H2S and NH3. A divided wall separator may be used. Vapor from the separator vessels can be recycled in the system.

Abstract: Methods are provided for enhancing oxidative molecular weight reduction in a hydrocarbon-containing material. For example, some methods include (a) providing a first hydrocarbon-containing material comprising a first hydrocarbon, said first hydrocarbon-containing material having been exposed to irradiation from a beam of particles, the beam of particles imparting one or more functional groups to said first hydrocarbon containing material; and (b) oxidizing the first hydrocarbon-containing material with one or more oxidants in the presence of one or more compounds comprising one or more naturally-occurring, non-radioactive group 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 or 11 elements, the one or more elements participating in a Fenton-type reaction while oxidizing, to produce a second hydrocarbon-containing material comprising a second hydrocarbon, the second hydrocarbon having a molecular weight lower than that of the first hydrocarbon, the functional groups enhancing the effectiveness of the oxidizing reaction.

Abstract: A process for the continuous dearomatization of a petroleum cut to produce a hydrocarbon-containing fluid with a very low sulphur content and very low aromatic compounds content, includes at least one stage of catalytic hydrogenation at a temperature between 80 and 180° C. and at a pressure between 50 and 160 bar. The stage of catalytic hydrogenation of the dearomatization process comprises several interchangeable reactors linked in series.