Abstract: An annular suction valve includes a substantially tubular member having an inner surface defining a valve flow passage having an inlet, a nozzle disposed in the inlet and spaced from the inner surface so as to define an annular passage between the inner surface and the nozzle, the nozzle further defining an interior flow passage and having a nozzle inlet to the interior flow passage; and a power fluid inlet in one of the nozzle and the tubular member for receiving power fluid into the annular passage.

Abstract: A process for hydroprocessing a hydrocarbon feedstock, includes the steps of providing a hydrocarbon feed having an initial characteristic; providing a first hydrogen-containing gas; feeding the hydrocarbon feed and the first hydrogen-containing gas cocurrently to a first hydroprocessing zone so as to provide a first hydrocarbon product; providing a plurality of additional hydroprocessing zones including a final zone and an upstream zone; feeding the first hydrocarbon product cocurrently with a recycled gas to the upstream zone so as to provide an intermediate hydrocarbon product; and feeding the intermediate hydrocarbon product cocurrently with a second hydrogen-containing gas to the final zone so as to provide a final hydrocarbon product having a final characteristic which is improved as compared to the initial characteristic.

Abstract: A process for hydroprocessing a hydrocarbon feed with a known flow rate of hydrogen-containing gas and a volume of catalyst, includes the steps of providing a hydrocarbon feed having an initial characteristic; feeding the hydrocarbon feed and a first portion of the hydrogen-containing gas cocurrently to a first hydroprocessing zone containing a first portion of the catalyst so as to provide a first hydrocarbon product; providing an additional hydroprocessing zone containing a remainder of the catalyst; feeding the first hydrocarbon product cocurrently with a remainder of the hydrogen-containing gas to the additional hydroprocessing zone so as to provide a final hydrocarbon product having a final characteristic which is improved as compared to the initial characteristic, wherein the first portion of the hydrogen-containing gas is between about 30 and about 80% vol. of the known flow rate of the hydrogen-containing gas, and the first portion of the catalyst is between about 30 and about 70% wt.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for consolidating an unconsolidated formation, which method includes the steps of providing a well drilled to an unconsolidated formation, providing a consolidation fluid in the form of a fluid suspension of nanoparticles, and flowing said consolidation fluid through the well and into the unconsolidated formation so as to position the nanoparticles between grains of the unconsolidated formation whereby the formation is consolidated over time.

Abstract: A method for disposing of a fluid includes the steps of obtaining a fluid; positioning a well into a saturated soil; and pumping the fluid into the well whereby the fluid displaces saturated soil away from the well so as to form a fluid zone in the saturated soil for storing the fluid.

Abstract: A composition of matter is provided including an inorganic porous material having wall portions defining mesopore-sized channels having a mean diameter of between about 15 Å and about 100 Å and a narrow diameter distribution of less than or equal to about 30 Å, the material having a void volume from the mesopore-sized channels of at least about 0.1 cc/g and a surface area of at least about 500 m2/g and having a number of hydroxyl groups of at least about 1.5 mmol of hydroxyl groups per gram of material, and exhibiting thermal and hydrothermal stability at temperatures up to about 500° C. Catalytic materials incorporating aluminum and other active metals, as well as a process for preparing the composition, are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for drilling and completing a well includes the steps of drilling through a subterranean formation with a drill bit so as to form a well bore having a side wall; applying a consolidating material to the side wall under pressure so that said consolidating material flows into the side wall and provides a coated side wall coated with the consolidating material; and passing a scraping member having a desired profile past the coated side wall so as to provide the coated side wall with the desired profile an apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: A method for predicting parameters of hydrocarbons includes the steps of generating an NMR spectrum of a sample of a hydrocarbon having different hydrogen or carbon types related to structures or sample composition; dividing the NMR spectrum into regions corresponding to the different hydrogen or carbon types related to structures or sample composition; evaluating different spectral regions by either (i) determining average molecular parameters, and (ii) quantifying a signal intensity of said at least one region of said different regions, based upon a desired parameter to be predicted so as to provide spectrum extracted quantities; and applying the spectrum extracted quantities to a trained neural network trained to correlate spectrum extracted quantities with hydrocarbon parameters so as to predict the desired parameters from the spectrum extracted quantity. A system is also provided.

Abstract: An integrated process for treating a vacuum gas oil, kerosene, naphtha and Diesel-containing feed, includes the steps of providing a reaction feed containing residue, vacuum gas oil, kerosene, naphtha, Diesel, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and C1-C4 gas phase compounds; providing a stripping gas; providing a washing feed; and feeding the reaction feed, the stripping gas and the washing feed to a stripping and washing zone so as to obtain a gas phase containing the hydrogen sulfide, the ammonia, the C1-C4 gas phase compounds, the naphtha, the kerosene, the Diesel and the vacuum gas oil and a liquid phase, wherein the reaction feed is provided at a reaction feed pressure of between bout 700 psig and about 3500 psig, and wherein the stripping and washing zone is operated at a pressure within about 80 psig of the reaction feed pressure.

Abstract: A process for in situ upgrading of a heavy hydrocarbon includes the steps of (a) positioning a well in a reservoir containing a heavy hydrocarbon having an initial API gravity of less than or equal to about 8; (b) injecting a light solvent into the well at reservoir conditions so as to provide an upgraded hydrocarbon in the reservoir, the upgraded hydrocarbon having an improved API gravity greater than the initial API gravity; and (c) producing the upgraded hydrocarbon from the well.

Abstract: A method for making an oil soluble coking process additive, includes the steps of: providing mixture of a metal salt in water wherein the metal salt contains a metal selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and mixtures thereof; providing a heavy hydrocarbon; forming an emulsion of the mixture and the heavy hydrocarbon; heating the emulsion so as to react the metal salt with components of the heavy hydrocarbon so as to provide a treated hydrocarbon containing oil soluble organometallic compound, wherein the organometallic compound includes the metal and is stable at a temperature of at least about 300° C. The oil soluble additive and a process using same are also disclosed.

Abstract: A process for preparing a hydrocarbon in water emulsion includes the steps of providing a hydrocarbon phase containing inactive natural surfactant; mixing a solid carbon additive with the hydrocarbon phase, the solid additive being selected from the group consisting of coal, coke and mixtures thereof so as to provide a hydrocarbon suspension including the solid carbon additive; and forming an emulsion from the hydrocarbon suspension and an aqueous phase in the presence of a surfactant activating additive so as to activate the inactive natural surfactant and form a hydrocarbon in water emulsion having the solid carbon additive suspended in the hydrocarbon phase. A hydrocarbon in water emulsion is also provided including a hydrocarbon phase, a water phase, a surfactant, and a solid carbon additive suspended in the hydrocarbon phase, the solid carbon additive being selected from the group consisting of coal, coke and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus for performing a function in a flowing fluid includes an apparatus body and a drag member associated with the apparatus body. The drag member is configurable between drag configuration for moving with the fluid wherein the apparatus has a first drag and a reduced drag configuration for moving against the fluid wherein the apparatus has a second drag which is less than the first drag.

Abstract: A method for preparing a metalloaluminosilicate, includes the steps of: providing a solution containing a silica source; providing a solution containing an alumina source; providing an aqueous acid solution containing a metal other than silicon or aluminum; mixing the silica source solution with the aqueous acid solution so as to form a silica source-metal containing mixture; mixing the silica source-metal containing mixture with the alumina source solution so as to provide a gel mixture; and hydrothermally crystallizing the gel mixture so as to provide a metalloaluminosilicate material having an aluminosilicate framework and having the metal incorporated into the aluminosilicate framework. A method for preparing aluminosilicate, and specific compositions, are also provided.

Abstract: A method for making an oil soluble coking process additive, includes the steps of: providing mixture of a metal salt in water wherein the metal salt contains a metal selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and mixtures thereof; providing a heavy hydrocarbon; forming an emulsion of the mixture and the heavy hydrocarbon; heating the emulsion so as to react the metal salt with components of the heavy hydrocarbon so as to provide a treated hydrocarbon containing oil soluble organometallic compound, wherein the organometallic compound includes the metal and is stable at a temperature of at least about 300° C. The oil soluble additive and a process using same are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for optimizing production from a rod-pumping system includes the steps of providing a well having a rod-pumping system for pumping a fluid from a downhole location of the well to a surface location of the well; providing a mathematical model for determining a dynagraph relationship for the well from power consumption of the rod pumping system; measuring power consumption per cycle of the rod pumping system; determining a downhole dynagraph relationship from the power consumption per cycle and the model; measuring real time values of wellhead pressure and preferably wellhead temperature; and determining an optimum operating condition for the rod-pumping system from the downhole dynagraph relationship and the real time values.

Abstract: A composition of matter is provided including an inorganic porous material having wall portions defining mesopore-sized channels having a mean diameter of between about 15 Å and about 100 Å and a narrow diameter distribution of less than or equal to about 30 Å, the material having a void volume from the mesopore-sized channels of at least about 0.1 cc/g and a surface area of at least about 500 m2/g and having a number of hydroxyl groups of at least about 1.5 mmol of hydroxyl groups per gram of material, and exhibiting thermal and hydrothermal stability at temperatures up to about 500° C. Catalytic materials incorporating aluminum and other active metals, as well as a process for preparing the composition, are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for determining corrosiveness of naphthenic acid in a fluid includes the steps of: providing a fluid containing naphthenic acid; providing iron powder having a surface area of at least about 0.01 m2/g; contacting the fluid and the powder for a period of time so as to provide a portion of the iron as dissolved iron dissolved in the fluid; and measuring iron concentration of the fluid containing the dissolved iron, so as to provide a measure of corrosion potential of the naphthenic acid over the period of time.

Abstract: A process for preparing ethers includes the steps of: providing a feedstock containing iso-olefins selected from the group consisting of C5 iso-olefins, C6 iso-olefins and mixtures thereof; mixing the feedstock with alkyl alcohol so as to provide a reaction feedstock, feeding the reaction feedstock to a reactor zone in the presence of a first etherification catalyst whereby the alkyl alcohol reacts with the iso-olefins to form alkyl-tert-alkyl ethers so as to provide an intermediate feedstock containing the ethers and unreacted iso-olefins and alkyl alcohol; feeding the intermediate feedstock to a catalytic distillation column having a second etherification catalyst defining a catalytic zone; mixing additional alkyl alcohol to the intermediate feedstock so as to form azeotropes of the alkyl alcohol with the unreacted iso-olefins without forming azeotropes of the alkyl alcohol with the ethers whereby the catalytic zone is substantially free of the ethers and the unreacted iso-olefins react with said alkyl alc

Abstract: A method for determining real time liquid phase flow rate from a biphase stream includes the steps of: providing a stream of a biphase fluid including a gas phase having a known gas density and a liquid phase having a known liquid density; providing a separator having a known volume gradient corresponding to liquid level in the separator; feeding the stream to the separator so as to provide a separated liquid phase containing a portion or the gas phase as entrapped gas and a separated free gas phase in the separator; measuring density of the separated liquid phase; measuring change in level over time of the separated liquid phase in the separator; and determining a liquid phase flow rate from the change in level over time, the separated liquid phase density, the known gas density and the known liquid density.