Abstract: Improvements in the selective extraction of relatively low molecular weight oils from coal, coal liquids, oil shales, shale oils, oil sands, heavy and semi-heavy oils, bitumens, and the like are provided by a continuous process involving contacting the material to be treated with supercritical water in a continuous operation at pressures of from 500 psi to 3000 psi, temperatures of 250° C. to 450° C., and in-reactor dwell times generally in excess of 25 seconds and up to 10 minutes.

Abstract: A method for recovering valuable chemical products from heavy hydrocarbons such as tar sand or petroleum waste products is disclosed and described. Heavy hydrocarbons can be contacted with a fragmentation fluid which includes ozone and a solvent carrier. The fragmentation fluid can be provided at supercritical conditions. For example, supercritical CO2 can be an effective liquid solvent carrier for ozone. During contact with the fragmentation fluid, the heavy hydrocarbons are reduced in size to form a product mixture of chemical compounds. This product mixture typically includes chemical species which are more suitable than the original heavy hydrocarbons to commercial uses and/or further separation to provide useful starting materials for a wide variety of synthesis and industrial applications.

Abstract: A process for continuously extracting oil from a solid or liquid oil-bearing material comprises (a) removing air from the extraction system, (b) introducing an inert gas into the extraction system at a pressure sufficient to maintain a normally gaseous solvent in liquid state, (c) introducing an oil-bearing material into a silo, (d) passing the oil-bearing material from the to a jet pump mixing device, (e) introducing a liquified normally gaseous solvent into the jet pump mixing device, (f) mixing the oil-bearing material and the solvent in the jet pump mixing device for a time sufficient to permit complete wetting of oil-bearing material by the solvent to form a mixture, (g) heating the mixture to near supercritical conditions; (h) passing the mixture through an extractor having a screw conveyor adapted to rotate at a first rpm range and a centrifugal drum adapted to rotate at a second rpm range, (i) treating the mixture within the extractor in such a manner that supercritical temperature and pressure are at

Abstract: A process for treating a carbonaceous material includes reacting the carbonaceous material and a process gas in supercritical water to at least one of hydrotreat and hydrocrack the carbonaceous material to form a treated carbonaceous material. The process is preferably carried out in a deep well reactor, but can be carried out in conventional surface-based reactors at a temperature of at least 705° F. and a pressure of at least 2500 psi.

Abstract: A method of converting a plastic waste into oil by decomposing the plastic waste by a reaction using water in a supercritical or near supercritical region as a reaction medium. In this method, the reaction is conducted by using a tubular continuous reactor. The present invention further provides an apparatus therefor. Moreover, the present invention provides a method of converting a plastic waste into oil by conducting the reaction after hydrogen chloride is removed by performing the pyrolysis of the plastic waste in the case that the plastic waste contain chlorine. The present invention further provides an apparatus for performing this method.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a process for the catalytic reduction of heavy oils, kerogens, plastics, bio-masses, sludges and organic wastes to light hydrocarbon liquids, carbon dioxide and amines, all in a single reaction vessel. Disclosed are multiple examples of an improved dendritic process for the reaction of variegate raw materials, and the separation and isolation of the products formed thereby. The invention takes advantage of the reduction in the number of profligate process steps, the cycle time for the reactions, and the capacity to separate the products using a dendritic process.

Abstract: Chemical transformation of complex chemical structures in a supercritical medium.The transformation of one or more chemical structures (20) involves at least one reduction reaction in a solvent (22) in the supercritical state.Application to the destruction of dangerous products, the treatment of industrial effluents and natural products and the modification of molecular structures.

Abstract: To present an oil-forming method of chlorine-containing plastic refuse capable of obtaining oily product free from chlorine content, while suppressing apparatus corrosion by efficiently capturing hydrogen chloride generated by decomposition of chlorine-containing plastics, the oil-forming method of chlorine-containing plastic refuse is characterized by decomposing chlorine-containing plastic refuse using water in supercritical region as reaction medium and forming into oil, wherein silver nitrate of 0.8 to 2.0 times the reaction equivalent amount of hydrogen chloride generated by decomposition of chlorine-containing plastic refuse is added in the water as reaction medium to decompose and form into oil, and generated hydrogen chloride is removed in a form of silver chloride.

Abstract: A process for heteroatom removal-enhancing hydrogenation of highly refractory aromatic ring structures that involves contacting a highly refractory structure having at least one aryl linkage connecting a first heteroaryl moiety and a moiety selected from the group consisting of an aryl moiety and a second heteroaryl moiety with supercritical water having a temperature of from about 400.degree. C. to about 600.degree. C. in the presence of from about 3.4 MPa to about 18.6 MPa of CO to produce lower molecular weight products having decreased aromatic and heteroatom content. The process has utility for producing more valuable lower molecular weight products having a reduced aromatic heteroatom content from starting materials that are highly refractory and widely considered to be difficult to upgrade such as coals and asphaltenes, and model compounds containing the biaryl linkages.

Abstract: A process for separating a first component of a composition from a second component of a composition. The process involves contacting the composition with a supercritical fluid comprising 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane or 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane, or a mixture thereof, in the supercritical state under conditions and for a time sufficient to remove the first component from the composition.

Abstract: A process for the continuous extraction of mixtures of organic substances including high boiling point constituents and/or constituents which do not boil but which melt with at least one solvent in the supercritical state, selected from the group consisting of CO.sub.2, propane, butane, pentane, petroleum ether, water, and having a critical temperature, T.sub.k, and a critical pressure, P.sub.

Abstract: An improvement in the conversion of high boiling liquid organic materials to low boiling materials, and more particularly, in the process of converting heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstocks to fuel range liquids is described. In its broadest aspects, the invention comprises a process for converting high boiling hydrocarbons to lower boiling materials characterized by an increase in aromatic content and a lower pour point which comprises contacting said high boiling hydrocarbons with water at a temperature of from about 600.degree. F. to about 875.degree. F. at a pressure of at least about 2000 psi in the absence of any externally supplied catalysts, and wherein the weight ratio of water to high boiling hydrocarbons is from about 0.5:1 to about 1:1, and the water and high boiling hydrocarbon form a substantially single phase system under the elevated temperature and pressure conditions utilized.

Abstract: A coal hydrogenation and liquefaction process in which particulate coal feed is pressurized to an intermediate pressure of at least 500 psig and slurried with CO.sub.2 liquid to provide a flowable coal/CO.sub.2 slurry feedstream, which is further pressurized to at least 1000 psig and fed into a catalytic reactor. The coal particle size is 50-375 mesh (U.S. Sieve Series) and provides 50-80 W % coal in the coal/CO.sub.2 slurry feedstream. Catalytic reaction conditions are maintained at 650.degree.-850.degree. F. temperature, 1000-4000 psig hydrogen partial pressure and coal feed rate of 10-100 lb coal/hr ft.sup.3 reactor volume to produce hydrocarbon gas and liquid products. The hydrogen and CO.sub.2 are recovered from the reactor effluent gaseous fraction, hydrogen is recycled to the catalytic reactor, and CO.sub.2 is liquefied and recycled to the coal slurrying step. If desired, two catalytic reaction stages close coupled together in series relation can be used.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the recovery of bitumen oils from oil shale. The method comprises crushing the oil shale to a predetermined particle size and mixing with an organic solvent to form a slurry. The slurry is then subjected to supercritical temperatures and pressures whereby the kerogen materials break down into bitumen oils which solubilize in the solvent. The liquid and solids are separated and the solid components are further treated under supercritical temperatures and pressures to yield further bitumen oils. The extracted bitumen oils are separated from solvent by fractionation, and upgraded by removing an asphaltenes residue. Off-gases and asphaltenes residue from the system are burned in a limestone fluidized bed combustor, which results in environmentally acceptable emissions and supplies process heat and power. The apparatus includes a high pressure autoclave-type vessel with an internal venturi draft tube, and a plurality of high pressure decantation vessels with internal lamellae thickeners.

Abstract: A carbonaceous material such as coal is conditioned by contact with a supercritical fluid prior to physical beneficiation. The solid feed material is contacted with an organic supercritical fluid such as cyclohexane or methanol at temperatures slightly above the critical temperature and pressures of 1 to 4 times the critical pressure. A minor solute fraction is extracted into critical phase and separated from the solid residuum. The residuum is then processed by physical separation such as by froth flotation or specific gravity separation to recover a substantial fraction thereof with reduced ash content. The solute in supercritical phase can be released by pressure reduction and recombined with the low-ash, carbonaceous material.

Abstract: A method of fractionating a mixture containing high boiling carbonaceous material and normally solid mineral matter includes processing with a plurality of different supercritical solvents. The mixture is treated with a first solvent of high critical temperature and solvent capacity to extract a large fraction as solute. The solute is released as liquid from solvent and successively treated with other supercritical solvents of different critical values to extract fractions of differing properties. Fractionation can be supplemented by solute reflux over a temperature gradient, pressure let down in steps and extractions at varying temperature and pressure values.

Abstract: A multi-stage coal liquefaction method in which coal is slurried with a primary light solvent, such as toluene, hexane and/or cyclohexane, and a process-derived primary heavy solvent. The coal-primary solvent slurry is treated under coal-liquefying conditions to form a first feed solution containing coal liquefaction products. The first feed solution is treated by a multi-stage supercritical solvent extraction procedure. The final heavy phase produced by this procedure is mixed with a secondary solvent, such as pentane, to produce a second feed mixture, which is treated in a second multi-stage supercritical solvent extraction procedure. Heavy phases recovered from the separate stages of both solvent extraction procedures are blended to provide a recycled primary heavy solvent.

Abstract: A method for the liquefaction of coal under coal liquefaction conditions in the presence of manganese nodules in combination with an improved coal liquefaction solvent. Liquid yields are increased when the solvent, containing substantially only polycondensed aromatic systems or components that possess polargraphic reduction potentials equal to or greater than about -2.4 volts, is utilized in the reaction. During the reaction the polycondensed aromatic compounds, in the presence of manganese, are selectively and rapidly hydrogenated leading to increased liquefaction of coal.

Abstract: A coal liquefaction system is disclosed with a novel preasphaltene recycle from a supercritical extraction unit to the slurry mix tank wherein the recycle stream contains at least 90% preasphaltenes (benzene insoluble, pyridine soluble organics) with other residual materials such as unconverted coal and ash. This subject process results in the production of asphaltene materials which can be subjected to hydrotreating to acquire a substitute for No. 6 fuel oil. The preasphaltene-predominant recycle reduces the hydrogen consumption for a process where asphaltene material is being sought.

Abstract: A process for the conversion of high boiling saturated organic materials is described. The method comprises contacting said high boiling organic materials at a temperature of at least about 300.degree. C. and at a reaction pressure of at least about 2000 psi with an aqueous acidic medium containing at least one olefin, and a halogen-containing compound selected from the group consisting of a halogen, a hydrogen halide, a compound which can form a halide or a hydrogen halide in the aqueous acidic medium under the process conditions, or mixtures thereof whereby the high boiling organic material and aqueous acidic medium form a substantially single phase system. Optionally the process can be conducted in a reducing atmosphere. The process of the invention is useful for producing and recovering fuel range liquids from petroleum, coal, oil shale, shale oil, tar sand solids, bitumen and heavy hydrocarbon oils such as crude oil distillation residues which contain little or no carbon-carbon unsaturation.