Abstract: Several procedures are provided herein which reduce the viscosity and density of heavy oils to make them amenable for transportation by pipeline from the field to refineries for further processing. The procedure involves contacting a water emulsion of a heavy oil with carbon monoxide at a pressure range and a temperature range such that a water gas shift reaction takes place to convert the steam and carbon monoxide to hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Simultaneously, a thermal rearrangement takes place, thereby reducing the viscosity and density of the oil without any significant thermal cracking. Under one scheme, at a low temperature range, e.g. below about 400.degree. C., there is substantailly no cracking and minimal molecular changes. Under another scheme, at a higher temperature range, e.g. up to about 460.degree. C., significant cracking and molecular changes take place.

Abstract: A process is described for reducing the viscosity of heavy hydrocarbon oils which comprises separately heating a stream of heavy hydrocarbon oil and a stream of gas, mixing the hot gas and hot heavy hydrocarbon oil under pressure and immediately thereafter passing the heavy oil/gas mixture through a small nozzle or orifice such that a substantial pressure drop occurs across the orifice and the heavy oil/gas mixture is ejected from the orifice as a spray in the form of fine oil droplets entrained by highly turbulent gas flow. This spray is discharged into a confined reaction zone from which the oil of reduced viscosity is collected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for emplacement of dry particulate filter pack and seal material into a borehole to form a monitoring zone for groundwater monitoring which allows the material to be emplaced in dry form. The method involves inserting a tube into the borehole to a depth above a desired monitoring zone and consecutively injecting a first layer of seal material, a layer of filter material and a second layer of seal material, while supplying gas to the tube to prevent groundwater from contacting particulate material while in the tube. The apparatus comprises an injector, including a container and valve assembly adapted for connection to a pressurized gas supply, that allows sequential placement of seal material and filter material while continuously supplying gas to the injection tube.

Abstract: A process for regeneration of a deactivated hydroprocessing catalyst is provided. The process comprises exposing the catalyst to laser radiation in the presence of an oxidizing gas. The process may be used to regenerate supported or unsupported metal catalysts which have been fouled by coking.

Abstract: Compositions of matter useful as catalysts in heterogeneous reactions and comprising metal atom clusters supported on inorganic supports such as silica, alumina or zeolites are prepared by vaporizing the metal at low temperatures and pressures into an environment of ethylene and a gaseous inert solvent. A metal-ethylene complex, protected by solvent molecules is formed. The complex is melted to liquid phase and used to impregnate the support. Then the material is warmed to ambient temperature to remove the solvent, decompose the complex and form monatomic or clusters of metal on the support.

Abstract: An underwater control system is disclosed. The system find particular applications in mosaic photographic and/or acoustic mapping of seabed or such marine studies, explorations, etc. A submersible vehicle is tied to a fixed central unit by a tether. The tether winds and unwinds as the vehicle travels in a spiral path, thus covering all the areas of seabed. The vehicle includes a plurality of vertical wings to generate necessary forces to keep the tether taut. In one embodiment, the vertical wings are designed to generate a lift to maintain a substantially constant altitude. In another embodiment, an altitude control device is provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring .DELTA.P in coal is described which comprises: (a) a plurality of closed metallic coal sample cups; (b) a gas manifold flow connected to each of said sample cups by way of a separate electric valve and said manifold being connected to a source of methane by way of electric valve means and connectable to a source of vacuum by way of electric valve means; (c) a pressure transducer connected to said manifold and adapted to measure absolute gas pressure in the manifold, and (d) processing means adapted to actuate said valves to sequentially (1) introduce vacuum to evacuate the manifold and one or more sample cups; (2) introduce methane gas to the manifold and saturate one or more coal samples therewith; (3) close sample cup valves and evacuate the manifold; and (4) selectively open individual sample cup valves.

Abstract: A process is described for separating and identifying organic sulphur compounds in petroleum distillates which comprises subjecting an aromatic-containing fraction to chromatography in a dual packed silica gel-alumina column employing pentane-ethyl acetate as a solvent to obtain a sulphur-containing eluate and analyzing the sulphur-containing eluate by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The aromatic-containing fraction is usually a naphtha fraction or a light gas oil fraction, with the gas oil fraction being subjected to chromatography on a silica gel column to obtain an aromatic fraction which is then subjected to the chromatography in the above silica gel-alumina column.

Abstract: A road asphalt composition having a penetration at 25.degree. C. in the range of 85 to 100 is made by blending together: (a) a pitch having an initial boiling point of at least 520.degree. C. obtained as a residue in the visbreaking of crude oil, and (b) a distillation residue having a penetration at 25.degree. C. in the range of 150 to 500 obtained in the distillation of crude oil.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a roofing grade asphalt composition which comprises a blend of (a) a petroleum pitch obtained as a residue in the hydrocracking of hydrocarbon oils and (b) as a diluent therefor preferably a paving grade asphalt cement of 150-200 penetration.

Abstract: A modification to thermogravimetric analyzers with data acquisition devised to allow concurrent TG (thermogravimetry) and DTA (differential thermal analysis) measurements employs three samples mounted close to each other in a TG furnace. Two of the samples are active ones, i.e. of the material to be analyzed, and the third is a reference sample of an inert material. The first active sample is suspended from the beam of a thermobalance. The change in weight of this sample is recorded and plotted versus the temperature of the second active sample. The sample thermocouple and another identical thermocouple are placed in contact with crucibles containing the second active sample and the reference material, respectively. The differential temperature between the sample and the reference material is taken from the two identical thermocouples. The differential signal is amplified and plotted against the temperature of the second active sample.

Abstract: A process for breaking oil-in-water emulsions formed during recovery of bitumen or heavy oil. It comprises contacting the emulsion with a high ash particulate agent selected from high ash coal rejects, fly ash from coking gas and red mud from the production of alumina.

Abstract: An hydronium polycrystalline superionic conductor, having the formula (H.sub.3 O.sup.+,Na.sup.+).sub.5 (Re)Si.sub.4 O.sub.12, where Re=Y or Gd, is produced from precursor material being Na.sub.5 YSi.sub.4 O.sub.12 or Na.sub.5 GdSi.sub.4 O.sub.12. In order to accomplish the aforesaid a range of intermediate ceramics may be produced replacing part of the precursor ceramic sodium by ions of elements in 1A group of the Periodic Table that have an atomic weight above 32 and preferably ions of potassium, cesium, or mixtures of potassium and cesium.To produce the superionic hydronium polycrystalline ceramic conductor and the intermediate ceramic from the feed ceramics aforesaid, the feed ceramic is placed in a chloride melt wherein part of the sodium in the feed ceramic lattice is replaced by an appropriate cation from the melt such as potassium and cesium. Subsequently, a field assisted ionic exchange takes place to now replace the interceded potassium and cesium ions with the hydronium (H.sub.3 O.sup.

Abstract: A portable X-ray diffractometer for measurement of residual stress in metallic specimens, especially large structures, such as bridges, pipelines etc. The instrument consists of a pair of position sensitive detectors arranged to be mounted in fixed positions relative to the specimen. An X-ray source that projects a collimated incident beam onto the area of the specimen under examination is located between the detectors so that each receives a diffraction line. The source is scanned stepwise in an arc about the specimen area, while the specimen and both the detectors remain fixed. The diffraction lines received in each detector are stored in a computer as histograms of intensity values. For each angular relationship between the incident beam and the chosen direction of strain measurement, a series of such intensity values corresponding to a given diffraction angle for successive diffraction lines is averaged and a resultant diffraction line obtained for each detector.

Abstract: A method is described for producing a catalyst or catalyst support having both high surface area, e.g. greater than 150 m.sup.2 /g, and large pore sizes, e.g. greater than 1.0 ml/g of macropores having diameters between 1 and 50 .mu.m. According to the method, a metal oxide is mixed with water and an acid to form a dilute metal gel, preferably containing at least 70% by weight water and consisting of a loose three dimensional network of oxide containing the water evenly dispersed throughout. This gel is slowly dried at a temperature below the boiling point of water whereby a substantial proportion of the water is removed from the interior of the pore structure, leaving the three dimensional network intact. Thereafter, the dried product is calcined to form a novel catalyst or catalyst support having both high surface area and large pore sizes. The novel catalyst is useful as a component of a catalytic cracking catalyst or a hydrocracking catalyst.

Abstract: Hot water is an important component in the recovery or extraction of bitumen and heavy oils. This hot water tends to form emulsions with the oil and when these emulsions are broken by demulsifiers and the oil separates, the remaining water retains a black color and cannot be recycled in the process. The black color has been most difficult to remove, but it has now been found that it can quite easily be removed by certain selected adsorbents. These include high ash coal rejects, fly ash from coking gas and red mud.

Abstract: A process is described for the simultaneous demetalization and hydrocracking of heavy hydrocarbon oils. The process permits the recovery of metals such as vanadium and nickel in an economic manner by passing a slurry of a heavy hydrocarbon oil and carbonaceous additive particles, such as coal, in the presence of hydrogen through a confined vertical hydrocracking zone at high temperatures and pressures. A mixed effluent containing a gaseous phase and a liquid phase is removed from the top of a hydrocracking zone, while there is removed from the bottom of the hydrocracking zone a portion of the hydrocracking zone contents containing carbonaceous remains of the additive particles to which is adsorbed the metal residues from the feedstock. The effluent removed from the top of the hydrocracking zone can be subsequently fed directly to a catalytic hydrocracking unit.

Abstract: An improved process is described for the hydrocracking of heavy hydrocarbon oil, such as oils extracted from tar sands. The charge oil in the presence of an excess of hydrogen is passed through a tubular hydrocracking zone, and the effluent emerging from the top of the zone is separated into a gaseous stream containing a wide boiling range material and a liquid stream containing heavy hydrocarbons. According to the novel feature, the hydrocracking process is carried out in the presence of a catalyst consisting of finely divided coal or other carbonaceous material carrying catalytically active metals from Group VIA and Group VIII of the Periodic Table of Elements, e.g. cobalt and molybdenum. The catalyst is slurried with the charge stock and has been found to greatly reduce coke precursors and thereby prevent the formation of carbonaceous deposits in the reaction zone while also being effective in reducing the sulfur concentration of the product.

Abstract: A process is described for producing metallurgical coke from poor coking coals in which there is combined with the poor coking coals a small amount of an additive consisting of a bitumen residue obtained from hydrocracking of bitumen from tar sands. The residue used is that from vacuum distillation of a heavy hydrocarbon bottoms material obtained from hydrocracking of the bitumen. A high boiling organic residue from vacuum distillation to an equivalent atmospheric boiling temperature of 524.degree. C. is preferred. The novel additive is superior in its ability to penetrate into cavities and provide excellent bonding of the components of the coal.

Abstract: A process for catalytically hydrocracking a heavy hydrocarbon oil containing at least 25 weight percent of hydrocarbon substances which will boil at a temperature of at least 524.degree. C. and contain coke forming hydrocarbon substances and which may contain hydrocarbon substances with metal present are hydrocracked in a continuous process. The heavy hydrocarbon oil is first slurried at 50.degree. C. to 400.degree. C. with a particulate catalyst mass comprising aluminum compound coated coal and/or coke particles which may also be coated with a cobalt and/or a molybdenum compound, the slurry is heated to 250.degree. C. to 550.degree. C. and continuously fed to the bottom of a catalytic hydrocracking vessel to pass upwardly therethrough at a pressure in the range 100 to 3,500 psig and a temperature in the range 400.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. The process avoids coking of the reactor vessel and being continuous replaces the catalyst mass before excessive deposits of coke or metals occurs thereon.