Abstract: The present invention provides a method of handling a solvent-containing solids stream in a non-aqueous oil sand extraction process, the method including the steps of: (a) providing a solvent-containing solids stream at a first pressure; (b) depositing the solvent-containing solids stream provided in step (a) as a bed in a vessel; (c) discharging the solvent-containing solids stream from the vessel at a second pressure via an outlet, thereby obtaining a depressurized solvent-containing solids stream; wherein the solvent-containing solids stream in the vessel in step (b) is at a temperature above the boiling point of the solvent in the depressurized solvent-containing solids stream at the second pressure in step (c).

Abstract: Multi-valent metals, such as mercury, may be removed from a liquid hydrocarbon stream, such as crude oil, by optionally blending the liquid hydrocarbon stream with water or alternatively utilizing the water existing in the hydrocarbon as received, to give a homogeneous blend, and adding at least one demulsifier to the liquid hydrocarbon, water and/or homogeneous blend. Water is then extracted leaving a treated liquid hydrocarbon, and the treated liquid hydrocarbon is passed through at least one particle filter and optionally a series of filters of sequentially decreasing pore size. The resulting at least partially demetallized liquid hydrocarbon (e.g. crude oil) having reduced metal content will cause fewer problems for production, transportation, downstream refinery operations, and the environment.

Abstract: An improved separator for desalting petroleum crude oils which may be operated in a continuous manner under automatic control; the improved desalter is therefore well suited to modern refinery operation with minimal downtime. A portion of the emulsion layer is withdrawn from the desalter through external withdrawal ports according to the thickness and position of the emulsion layer with the selected withdrawal header(s) being controlled by sensors monitoring the position and thickness of the emulsion layer. The withdrawn emulsion layer can be routed as such or with the desalter water effluent to a settling tank or directly to another unit for separation and reprocessing.

Abstract: Systems and methods of hydrotreating different naphtha feed stocks destined for a refining reforming unit and other applications with less energy consumption than conventionally possible, while producing less greenhouse gas emissions, and/or using a lesser number of heaters and correspondingly less capital investment in such heaters, air coolers, and water coolers, are provided. According to the more examples of such systems and methods, such reductions are accomplished by directly integrating a naphtha stripping process section with a naphtha splitting process section. Additional reductions can also be accomplished through directly integrating a naphtha hydrotreat reaction process section with the naphtha stripping process section.

Abstract: Methods are provided for producing a plurality of lubricant base oil products with an increased overall yield. Prior to the final hydrocracking stage for viscosity index uplift, a feed for making a lubricant base oil is fractionated in order to form at least a feed for making a lighter lubricant base oil and a feed for making a heavier lubricant base oil. The fractionation cut points are selected to so that the feed fraction for forming a light lubricant base oil has a higher Noack volatility and a lower viscosity than the desired targets for the lighter lubricant base oil. The feed fractions are then hydroprocessed separately to achieve desired properties. After hydroprocessing, a portion of the heavier base oil is blended into the light lubricant base oil to produce a blended base oil product. This returns the volatility and the viscosity of the blended base oil to the desired specifications.

Abstract: A process for production of middle distillate fraction from gas-to-liquid (GTL) conversion comprising providing a feed stream comprising natural gas and separating a condensate from the feed stream to produce a condensate stream and a feed stream; processing the feed stream via a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction to generate a long chain hydrocarbon product stream; processing the product stream via a heavy paraffinic conversion in order to produce a FT product stream; treating the condensate stream with a desulfurization step to generate a condensate product stream; combining the FT product stream with the condensate product stream to provide a distillate feed stream; and performing a distillation step on the distillation feed stream, wherein the processing steps occur substantially concurrently with the treating step and wherein distillation provides for isolation of middle distillate products. Middle distillate fractions and fuel oils/fuel oil blends obtained according to the process are also provided.

Abstract: A paraffinic solvent recovery process for treating high paraffin diluted bitumen includes supplying the latter to flashing apparatus; separating into flashed paraffinic solvent and diluted bitumen underflow; and returning a portion of the underflow as returned diluted bitumen into the high paraffin diluted bitumen prior to introduction into the flashing apparatus, at temperature and amount to shift asphaltene precipitation equilibrium to reduce asphaltene precipitation. The process includes pre-heating the high paraffin diluted bitumen by transferring heat from hot dry bitumen, flashed paraffinic solvent and/or a portion of diluted bitumen underflow. Flashed paraffinic solvent may contain residual light end bitumen contaminants that increase asphaltenes solubility and the process may include removing contaminants to produce reusable paraffinic solvent at given solvent-to-bitumen ratio range to maintain given asphaltene precipitation.

Abstract: A process to produce a sulfur-free hydrocarbon product stream from a liquid hydrocarbon disulfide product, e.g., of the Merox Process, includes subjecting the hydrocarbon disulfide to a catalytic oxidation step to produce SO2 which is separated from the remaining desulfurized hydrocarbons that form the clean sulfur-free hydrocarbon product stream; the SO2 is introduced into a Claus processing unit with the required stoichiometric amount of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas to produce elemental sulfur.

Abstract: Methods for the conversion of lignites, subbituminous coals and other carbonaceous feedstocks into synthetic oils, including oils with properties similar to light weight sweet crude oil using a solvent derived from hydrogenating oil produced by pyrolyzing lignite are set forth herein. Such methods may be conducted, for example, under mild operating conditions with a low cost stoichiometric co-reagent and/or a disposable conversion agent.

Abstract: The stability of an oil-based fluid crude oil fluid may be determined by measuring a first RI value of the crude oil that does not comprise a solvent where the first RI value is used to determine a first solubility parameter therefrom. A second RI value may be taken from the crude oil at a point of asphaltene flocculation during a turbidimetric flocculation titration. The second RI value may be used to determine a second solubility parameter. A process for refining the crude oil may be controlled by maintaining the process or implementing a change to the process based on a ratio of the first solubility parameter to the second solubility parameter.

Abstract: A method of upgrading bitumen in a plant comprising a diluent recovery unit that processes diluted bitumen and outputs atmospheric topped bitumen (ATB), a vacuum distillation unit which processes ATB and outputs vacuum topped bitumen (VTB), and at least one fluid coker unit which processes VTB and outputs a tar pot bottom stream comprising heavy heavy gas oil is provided comprising the step of processing the tar pot bottom stream in a catalytic hydrocracking unit comprising an ebullated bed reactor to produce naphtha, light gas oil, and heavy gas oil.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a wet start-up method for hydrogenation unit, an energy-saving hydrogenation process, and a hydrogenation apparatus. The method involves heating a start-up activating oil to a specific temperature and flowing the heated oil through a bed of hydrogenation catalyst bed, so that the temperature at the catalyst bed layer is increased to 180±10° C. or above by means of heat exchange and the reaction heat generated from activation in the start-up method.

Abstract: Systems and methods of hydrotreating different naphtha feed stocks destined for a refining reforming unit and other applications with less energy consumption than conventionally possible, while producing less greenhouse gas emissions, and/or using a lesser number of heaters and correspondingly less capital investment in such heaters, air coolers, and water coolers, are provided. According to the more examples of such systems and methods, such reductions are accomplished by directly integrating a naphtha stripping process section with a naphtha splitting process section. Additional reductions can also be accomplished through directly integrating a naphtha hydrotreat reaction process section with the naphtha stripping process section.

Abstract: The fluid catalytic cracking process according to the present invention includes a first step of feeding a feedstock to a first fluid catalytic cracker, and catalytically cracking the feedstock in the first fluid catalytic cracker, so as to produce a fraction (LCO) having a boiling range of 221 to 343° C. and having a total aromatic content of 40 to 80 volume %; and a second step of feeding an oil to be processed containing the fraction to a second fluid catalytic cracker having a reaction zone, a separation zone, a stripping zone, and a regeneration zone, and catalytically cracking the oil in the reaction zone of the second fluid catalytic cracker, in the presence of a cracking catalyst, at an outlet temperature of the reaction zone of 550 to 750° C., a contact time between the oil and the catalyst of 0.1 to 1 second, and a catalyst/oil ratio of 20 to 40 wt/wt.

Abstract: This invention relates to systems and methods for catalytic steam cracking of non-asphaltene containing heavy hydrocarbon fractions. The method enables upgrading heavy hydrocarbons to hydrocarbons capable of being transported through pipelines and/or a pretreated step before further treatment in an upgrading refinery, including the steps of separating the heavy hydrocarbon mixture into a light fraction, a full gasoil fraction and a vacuum residue fraction with or without at least partial reduction or asphaltenes; adding a catalyst to the full gasoil and/or to the blend of this with a reduced asphaltenes fraction and subjecting the catalyst-full gasoil and/or deasphalted oil fraction to catalytic steam cracking to form an effluent stream; separating the effluent stream into a gas stream and a liquid stream; and mixing the liquid stream with the light fraction and the vacuum residue fraction to form an upgraded oil. The system includes hardware capable of performing the method.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a method for processing of liquid hydrocarbon raw materials. The method includes preliminary pretreatment of a flow of raw materials and further processing with fractionation. The pretreatment is performed by forming a primary flow of liquid hydrocarbon with the characteristics of a straight tubular laminar flow and then directing that flow through a spiral tubing at a velocity the maximal value of which maintains laminarity of the laminar primary flow through the spiral tubing. The laminary primary flow is fractionated following the pretreatment. The invention has applications to the field of petroleum processing and may find application in the petroleum and petrochemical industries, and in the field of fuel power engineering.

Abstract: Deep desulfurization of hydrocarbon feeds containing undesired organosulfur compounds to produce a hydrocarbon product having low levels of sulfur, i.e., 15 ppmw or less of sulfur, is achieved by hydrotreating the feed under mild conditions, and separating the hydrotreated effluent into an aromatic-rich fraction which contains a substantial amount of the aromatic refractory and sterically hindered sulfur-containing compounds, and an aromatic-lean fraction. The aromatic-rich fraction is contacted with isomerization catalyst, and the isomerized aromatic-rich fraction is recycled to the mild hydrotreating process.

Abstract: A column for consecutive extractive distillations, in particular of crude hydrocarbon mixes comprising aromatic, naphthene and paraffin hydrocarbons. The invention also relates to methods for separating and recovering the components of a crude hydrocarbon mix comprising aromatic, naphthene and paraffin hydrocarbons by consecutive extractive distillations provided by means of the column for consecutive extractive distillations, to which the invention also relates.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for removing sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream. The hydrocarbon stream is contacted with water, at supercritical conditions and also subjects an effluent hydrocarbon stream to separation techniques. The resulting hydrocarbon stream is substantially free of sulfur oxides, sulfoxides, and sulfones.

Abstract: An integrated process comprising to convert crude oil, comprising: converting crude oil (10) in a feed preparation facility (800) by separating the crude oil to a gas fraction (101), liquid fraction (102), and first residuum fraction in an atmospheric distillation unit (100); separating the 1st residuum to a vacuum gas oil fraction (202) and a second residuum (201) in a vacuum distillation unit (200); converting the vacuum gas oil fraction to a CU gas fraction (301,401), a CU liquid fraction (302), and an CU higher boiling fraction (303,402) in a cracking unit (300,400); and processing the second residuum fraction to DCU gas oil/lighter fraction (501) in a coking unit (500); and steam cracking at least one of the gas fraction (101), liquid fraction (102), CU gas fraction (301,401), and DCU gas oil/lighter fraction (501) to the hydrocarbon products (920).