Feeders Patents (Class 196/135)
  • Patent number: 8974640
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a feed distribution device in separation columns and a method of operation. In particular it relates to distillation columns in which the feed stream is substantially liquid phase, or a mixture of gas and liquid upstream of the column, but where the feed vaporizes or vaporizes more when it enters the column. More specifically, the feed distribution device contains a plurality of opening which allow the feed to vaporize inside the column and where the openings are maintained in critical condition during operation. Significant advantage is achieved through the implementation and use of the present feed distribution device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Neste Oil Oyj
    Inventors: Esa Tamminen, Simo Jortikka, Martti Ruskoaho, Ulla Happonen
  • Patent number: 8926799
    Abstract: A feed distribution device in separation columns and a method of operation for such a device. In particular, distillation columns in which the feed stream is substantially liquid phase, or a mixture of gas and liquid upstream of the column, but where the feed vaporizes or partially vaporizes prior to or as it enters the column. More specifically, the feed distribution device contains a plurality of opening which allow the feed to vaporize prior to or as it enters the column and where the openings are maintained in critical condition during operation. Significant advantage is achieved through the implementation and use of the present feed distribution devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Neste Oil Oyj
    Inventor: Esa Tamminen
  • Patent number: 8702911
    Abstract: The present invention features a center feed system in combination with a coking vessel of a delayed coking system, or any other similar system. The center feed system features an inlet sleeve which slidably engages a retractable nozzle, with inlet and outlet, in fluid connection with a feed source of residual byproduct, allowing residual byproduct to flow from the feed source into the interior of the vessel, thus effectuating or inducing even thermal distribution throughout the vessel. The retractable nozzle is structured to extend through an opening in the coking vessel while introducing the residual byproduct into the coking vessel and retract out of the coking vessel and cover the opening for at least a portion of a coking cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corporation
    Inventors: Ruben F. Lah, Gary Larsen
  • Patent number: 8545680
    Abstract: A center feed system for use within a delayed coking system, or any other similar system is described. The center feed system features an inlet sleeve which slidably engages a retractable nozzle, with inlet and outlet, in fluid connection with a feed source of residual byproduct, allowing residual byproduct to flow from the feed source into the interior of a vessel, thus effectuating or inducing even thermal distribution throughout the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corporation
    Inventors: Ruben F. Lah, Gary Larsen
  • Patent number: 8043478
    Abstract: A retort heating apparatus for processing a feed material includes a heating chamber bounded at least in part by a side wall. A plurality of baffles are at least partially disposed within the heating chamber. Each baffle includes an elongated body having a top surface, at least a portion of the top surface being arched. The plurality of baffles are vertically and horizontally spaced apart so that substantially all of the feed material that vertically passes through the heating chamber is horizontally displaced as the feed material passes by the baffles. Systems are also provided for heating the feed material within the heating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Ambre Energy Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Byron G. Merrell, Michael R. Keller, Roger K. Noble
  • Patent number: 7981253
    Abstract: An improved de-entrainment device for use in distillation towers, especially vacuum distillation towers used for fractionating petroleum atmospheric resids is in the form of a baffle which is to be located in the portion of the tower below the feed zone and at the top of the flash zone. The baffle is in the form of an apertured plate above the stripping zone and in its preferred form comprises number of radial fins or blades, resembling a static fan with openings between the fins to permit vapors from the lower portions of the tower to pass upwards through the baffle with a minimal pressure drop. The fins of the baffle are preferably oriented at an angle between 30° and 60° away from the incoming feed so that the incoming feed stream skims over the top edges of the fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company
    Inventors: Arun K. Sharma, Theodore Sideropoulos, Rutton D. Patel, Brian D. Albert, Alvin U. Chen
  • Publication number: 20080179165
    Abstract: Described herein are methods and mechanisms for laterally dispensing fluid to a coke drum in a predictable and maintainable manner that alleviates thermal stress. In one embodiment, the methods and mechanisms utilize a split piping system to dispense fluid through two or more inlets into a spool that is connected to a coke drum and a coke drum bottom deheader valve. A combination of block valves and clean out ports provides a more effective means to clean the lines and allows fluid to be laterally dispensed in a controllable and predictable manner. The fluid is preferably introduced to the spool in opposing directions toward a central vertical axis of the spool at equal but opposing angles ranging from minus thirty (?30) to thirty (30) degrees relative to a horizontal line laterally bisecting the spool. Alternatively, however, fluid can be introduced to the spool tangentially.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Te-Hung Chen, Christopher P. Eppig, Timothy M. Healy, Scott F. Massenzio, Robert W. Mosley, Rutton D. Patel
  • Patent number: 7393435
    Abstract: Described is an injection charging system in delayed coking drums (11), comprised of at least two injection pipes (11a) connected to the sidewall of a coking drum (1) in its tricone portion, and fed by a circular distributor crown, in order to allow coupling or decoupling of the large lower flange (11e) of the coking drum (1) without needing to disconnect the injection system (11) from the pumping and heating system (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Petroleo Brasiliero S.A.
    Inventor: Eduardo Cardoso De Melo Guerra
  • Patent number: 7115190
    Abstract: The present invention features a tangential injection system for use within a delayed coking system, or any other similar system. The tangential injection system comprises a spool, a tangential dispenser, and a hydro blasting system, wherein the tangential dispenser comprises a delivery main surrounding the perimeter of the spool and that functions to deliver a residual byproduct or other material to a plurality of feed lines positioned at a position or at distances around the delivery main for the purpose of providing tangential dispensing of the residual byproduct into the vessel, thus effectuating or inducing even thermal distribution throughout the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corporation
    Inventor: Ruben F. Lah
  • Publication number: 20040182751
    Abstract: An apparatus for recovering ethylene from a hydrocarbon feed stream, where the apparatus is a single distillation column pressure shell encasing an upper region and a lower region. The upper region houses an ethylene distributor rectifying section and the lower region houses a C2 distributor section and an ethylene distributor stripping section. Vapor passes from the lower region into the upper region, and liquid passes from the upper region to the lower region. The process for recovering the ethylene is also disclosed. The hydrocarbon feed stream is introduced into the C2 distributor section, and after a series of stripping and refluxing steps, distinct hydrocarbon products are recovered from the C2 distributor section, the ethylene distributor stripping section, and the ethylene distributor rectifying section, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2003
    Publication date: September 23, 2004
    Inventors: Rian Reyneke, Michael J. Foral, Guang-Chung Lee
  • Patent number: 6395138
    Abstract: This distributor (1) includes: a primary distributor (3) which delimits a closed volume provided with liquid predistribution openings (8) which open into the column; a device for feeding the primary distributor (3) with liquid under a pressure very much greater than the internal pressure of the column; and a secondary distributor (4) which occupies substantially the entire cross-section of the column, which includes a gas overhead in communication with the internal space of the column and which is subdivided by partitions (13, 17) into a plurality of compartments (16), each of which receives liquid originating from at least one of the said openings (8) of the primary distributor (3), this secondary distributor (4) having a bottom (9) provided with orifices (12) for fine distribution of the liquid over virtually the entire cross-section of the column, the number of these orifices being very much greater than the number of openings (8) of the primary distributor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Bernard Darredeau, Jean-Yves Lehman
  • Patent number: 6338774
    Abstract: A liquid distributor includes a principal container with a perforated bottom, as well as transport members to transmit, by gravity, the liquid from at least one opening in the perforated bottom, to a supply point not in vertical alignment with this opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Jean-Yves Lehman
  • Patent number: 5795462
    Abstract: Apparatus for reclaiming a useful oil product has an evaporation chamber, including an inlet for the waste oil, and an outlet for the vaporized oil, as a useful oil product. Burners are provided for heating the evaporation chamber to vaporized oil from the waste oil. A pump and float arrangement are provided for monitoring the level of waste oil in the evaporation chamber, and for pumping additional waste oil into the chamber to maintain the waste oil at a desired level. Continuous operation of the apparatus results in a build up of solid waters, e.g. heavy metals, in the chamber. After a period of operation, the burners are turned off, and the chamber opened, to enable the solid residue to be removed from the chamber. The vaporized oil can be condensed and collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Patent Holdings Ltd.
    Inventor: Edward Calton Shurtleff
  • Patent number: 5344527
    Abstract: A process for disposing of filter media is provided, which process comprises (a) mixing a filter media with a hydrocarbonaeous mixing stream to form a media-hydrocarbon mixture and (b) feeding said media-hydrocarbon mixture to a coking vessel. Preferred coking vessels include delayed cokers, fluidized cokers, and coke calciners. An apparatus for disposing of filter media is provided, which apparatus comprises (a) a coking vessel; (b) a mixer to mix the filter media with a hydrocarbonaeous mixing fluid to form a media-hydrocarbonaeous fluid mixture; and, (c) a feed means to feed the media-hydrocarbonaeous fluid mixture to the coking vessel. Preferably, the apparatus comprises a size reduction means to reduce the size of the filter media to form a media staple comprising fiber clusters having a desired shape and size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Inventor: Anthony Mickas
  • Patent number: 5286349
    Abstract: Apparatus for reclaiming a useful oil product has an evaporation chamber, including an inlet for the waste oil, and an outlet for the vaporized oil, as a useful oil product. Burners are provided for heating the evaporation chamber to vaporize oil from the waste oil. A pump and a float arrangement are provided for monitoring the level of waste oil in the evaporation chamber, and for pumping additional waste oil into the chamber to maintain the waste oil at a desired level. Continuous operation of the apparatus results in a build up of solid wastes, e.g. heavy metals, in the chamber. After a period of operation, the burners are turned off, and the chamber opened, to enable the solid residue to be removed from the chamber. The vaporized oil can be condensed and collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1994
    Inventor: Edward C. Shurtleff
  • Patent number: 5271808
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided reclaiming a useful oil product from waste oil, such as used lubricating oil. The apparatus comprises an oil feed means, a boiler, a heater and a separating means. The heater is used to heat the waste oil in the boiler to a temperature such that lighter hydrocarbons remain unvolatilized, trapping contaminants therewith. The separating means separates the volatilized lighter hydrocarbons from the unvolatilized heavier hydrocarbons and contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1993
    Inventor: Edward C. Shurtleff
  • Patent number: 5223152
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for dewatering a recovered oil stream prior to the recovered oil stream being fed to a fractionator for reprocessing into product s rea s uses a blowdown drum controlled like a drstillatron tower so that the bottoms temperature of the blowdown drum is maintained at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the blowdown drum by a reboiler. For refineries that contain a delayed coker unit and a coker fractionator which is used for fractionating light products from residual oil serving as coker feedstock, which coker fractionator is also used to fractionate recovered oil containing water and hydrocarbons, a coker blowdown drum is controlled to maintain an appropriate bottoms temperature to achieve separation in the blowdown drum of water from the hydrocarbons in the recovered oil stream, and the blowdown drum is thus used for dewatering the recovered oil before it is fed to the coker fractionator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1993
    Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company
    Inventors: Douglas A. Freymeyer, J. Paul Love, Richard L. Holloway, Daniel L. Torres, Alfred G. Brosman
  • Patent number: 5188709
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for preparing and treating a heavy oil extraction solvent. A solvent fraction is separated from a crude oil and combined with a slip stream of rerun solvent taken from an extraction process solvent recycle system. The solvent fraction and rerun solvent are fractionated to provide a purified extraction solvent. The purified extraction solvent is then utilized in the heavy oil extraction process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Richard D. Kuerston, Ronald E. Brown
  • Patent number: 4995413
    Abstract: Movement of a coke drum feed line relative to the feed inlet using apparatus comprising a plurality of means for moving the feed line in generally mutually orthogonal directions. One end of each moving means is pivotally attached to a support means by spherical bearings, while the other end is in direct or indirect engagement with the feed line. In a preferred embodiment, the feed line is supported by a bracket which extends generally longitudinally along the exterior surface and to which the moving means are attached. Suitably, the moving means comprises hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders provided with shafts extending axially from one end of the cylinders, whereby movement of the shaft is effected by introducing fluid into the cylinder so as to move a piston associated with the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company
    Inventors: Daniel L. Torres, Darryl C. Gullikson, M. Bruce Case, Ralph A. Neher
  • Patent number: 4853189
    Abstract: Process and apparatus for catalytic conversion of oils. A furnace heats a feedstock which is provided to a separator for separation of the feedstock into a gas vapor phase and a liquid phase. The liquid phase is provided under pressure to a venturi nozzle which atomizes the liquid oil. The atomized oil and the gas are each provided to a reactor such as the lower end of a riser reactor in a fluid catalytic cracking unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1989
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventor: Floyd H. Holland
  • Patent number: 4839108
    Abstract: A liquid distribution device for more uniformly distributing a liquid to packed beds is composed of a box-pipe distributor, for the delivery of liquid to a pan distributor having a deck and risers postioned on the deck, with ells contained in the risers. The ells direct liquid axially through the risers so that gas/liquid interaction is minimized. The pan distributor also includes a plurality of holes positioned about the risers and a set of wall-ells about the periphery of the pan for more completely and uniformly distributing a liquid to packed beds positioned beneath the liquid distribution device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1989
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventor: Frank C. Silvey
  • Patent number: 4792436
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon converter furnace has an upper convection heating zone and a lower radiant heating zone, and tubing extends in those zones to convey a fluid hydrocarbon feed and steam in sequence through the convection and radiant heating zones. The tubing includes a feed section and branches therefrom in the radiant section of the furnace, the feed section and branches arranged so that the hydrocarbon and steam flow from the feed section to said branches; also provided is valving for controlling the relative rates of flow in the branches to reduce differential coking in the branches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1988
    Assignee: Kinetics Technology International
    Inventor: Frank W. Tsai
  • Patent number: 4790910
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for extracting hydrocarbons from tar sands. Stationary heater plates have a central opening therethrough through which a horizontal axle extends. Rotors having a central hub and a number of arms are splined on the axle, one closely sandwiched between every two heater plates. A ring is provided between the heater plates closely outward of the rotor arms. Sand retaining pockets are defined between adjacent arms of each rotor, the rotor hub, the ring and adjacent heater plates. Sand is retained in the sand retaining pockets for about one revolution about the axis between feed and removal positions. While retained in the pockets, the sand is heated and hydrocarbons driven off are collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1988
    Inventor: Jaroslav J. Havlik
  • Patent number: 4770747
    Abstract: An inlet horn for reducing liquid entrainment of liquid in vapor products in distillation towers. The inlet horn has a tangential entry for the vapor-liquid feed which opens into a peripheral open bottomed horn with a number of deflector vanes angularly disposed horizontally and vertically along the length of the horn to deflect liquid components of the feed radially outwards and vapor components downwards so as to improve their separation. The horn may be used in atmospheric and vacuum crude distillation and other vapor-liquid separation units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1988
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Herbert M. Muller
  • Patent number: 4306645
    Abstract: An arrangement is provided for controlling the quantity and period of charging of pitch coke furnaces whose pitch supply conduits are connected to a heatable ring conduit and are in connection with at least one pitch reservoir via this ring conduit. In the pitch supply conduits, pitch dosing containers are arranged, which containers rest on bearing-pressure measuring means. Via these bearing-pressure measuring means, the respective filling level of the pitch dosing containers is determinable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1981
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Johann Zendron
  • Patent number: 4111814
    Abstract: Filter for separating solid particles from an oil in which a vessel is divided into three compartments by a pair of tube sheets, with a plurality of hollow mesh screen filter cartridges, having open tops and bottoms being supported between the tube sheets. Oil to be filtered is introduced into the top compartment and flows into the interior of the cartridge and is filtered by radial flow through the cartridge into the intermediate compartment. The oil flow washes solids from the screen through the open bottom and into the bottom compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1978
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Heinz Friedrich Knigge