Abstract: A method for the production of a CO2 rich stream for sequestration in depleted oil sand reservoirs. The method comprises the steps of: a) purging non-condensable gases from an oil sand reservoir with steam; b) contacting a gaseous oxidant stream comprising oxygen, carbon dioxide, and steam with bitumen in an oil reservoir; c) separating the production well product from the oil sand reservoir into bitumen, water, sand and fuel gas streams; d) producing a carbon dioxide rich gas by combustion of the said fuel gas with substantially pure oxygen; e) utilizing substantially pure oxygen and a portion of said carbon dioxide rich gas as constituents of said gaseous oxidant stream; and f) sequestering a balance of said carbon dioxide rich gas into a depleted oil said reservoir.

Abstract: A method for producing carbon dioxide by the steps of feeding a CO2-rich feed stream containing fuel gas to an oxygenated oxygen-selective ceramic bed to produce a product stream of carbon dioxide, water, and residual oxygen; adding oxygen to this product stream and feeding to an oxygen-depleted oxygen-selective ceramic bed and recovering carbon dioxide substantially free of oxygen and fuel gas. In an additional embodiment, nitrogen oxides are also removed from the fuel gas.

Abstract: A method for cracking heavy oil is disclosed. The method uses a first heating stage, a second heating stage, a first cracking stage and a second cracking stage to produce cracked distillates from the residual heavy oil.

Abstract: A method for producing carbon dioxide by the steps of feeding a CO2-rich feed stream containing fuel gas to an oxygenated oxygen-selective ceramic bed to produce a product stream of carbon dioxide, water, and residual oxygen; adding oxygen to this product stream and feeding to an oxygen-depleted oxygen-selective ceramic bed and recovering carbon dioxide substantially free of oxygen and fuel gas. In an additional embodiment, nitrogen oxides are also removed from the fuel gas.

Abstract: A method for the production of a CO2 rich stream for sequestration in depleted oil sand reservoirs and the production and use of a CO2 rich oxidant for in situ bitumen production from oil sand reservoirs.

Abstract: A method to upgrade virgin and partially hydrogenated asphaltic residual oils by utilizing hot, high velocity combustion gas jets to rapidly atomize and heat the residual oil, maintaining the reactant temperature required to achieve the desired residual oil conversion with the minimum practical residence time, rapidly separating vapor and liquid reactants, and rapidly cooling the vapor and liquid products. The minimum required temperature and practical residence time are used for the production of deasphalted oil and asphaltene products with minimum degradation due to thermal cracking. The maximum conversion of residual oil may be substantially increased by combining a portion of the heavy oil product with the residual oil feed and partially hydrogenating this mixture.

Abstract: A process derived hydrogen donor solvent is used to increase the maximum resid conversion and conversion rate in an ebullated bed resid hydrocracker. The hydrogen donor solvent precursor is produced by hydroreforming reactions within the resid hydrocracker, recovered as the resin fraction from a solvent deasphalting unit, regenerated in a separate hydrotreater reactor, and recycled to the ebullated bed resid hydrocracker. The major advantage of this invention relative to earlier processes is that hydrogen is more efficiently transferred to the resin residual oil in the separate hydrotreater and the hydrogen donor solvent effectively retards the formation of coke precursors at higher ebullated bed resid hydrocracker operating temperatures and resid cracking rates.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for producing nitrogen trifluoride. The method comprises contacting a fluorine-containing feed stream with liquid ammonium acid fluoride in a reaction zone for time and under conditions sufficient to produce nitrogen trifluoride. During the contacting step, the effective melt acidity value of the liquid ammonium acid fluoride is decreased and a reaction product stream is removed. In one embodiment, a gaseous mixture of elemental fluorine and hydrogen fluoride is contacted with a bulk liquid ammonium acid fluoride, such that the initial effective melt acidity value is greater than the melt acidity value of the bulk liquid ammonium acid fluoride in the reaction zone.

Abstract: A method of heating a surface susceptible to oxidation or reduction includes generating a central, generally cylindrical, fuel-rich particulate jet, and a coaxial, annular, supersonic velocity, oxidant-rich jet having an auto-thermal ignition temperature greater than the temperature of the fuel-rich particulate jet, directed toward the surface to be heated, the velocity of the fuel-rich particulate jet being less than the velocity of the oxidant-rich jet; allowing the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet to coact to form a coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet having a central particulate fuel-rich region and a coaxial annular fuel-lean region; impinging the coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet upon the surface to be heated for forming a turbulent reaction zone at the surface; and controlling oxidation and reduction reactions at the turbulent reaction zone by adjusting properties of the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and/or the fuel-rich particulate jet.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for producing nitrogen trifluoride. The invention involves passing a working fluid through a heat engine cycle and using the mechanical energy generated by the working fluid to produce sufficient mixing intensity within a nitrogen trifluoride reactor. The method utilizes a working fluid vapor jet, such as a hydrogen fluoride vapor jet, to impart sufficient energy to the mixing zone of a reactor in order to disperse gaseous fluorine within a liquid ammonium acid fluoride melt. A gaseous reaction product stream is removed from the reactor, the reaction product stream comprising nitrogen trifluoride and a working fluid vapor. The working fluid is then separated from the nitrogen trifluoride and recycled for reuse in the process, thereby completing a heat engine cycle.

Abstract: This invention relates to a burner and a method of combustion for producing a flame jet sheet or sheets for various applications in industrial furnaces. The burner has at least one linear or curvilinear flame nozzle having a ratio of width to height of greater than unity in order to produce high velocity and high temperature flame jet sheet or sheets with a well defined geometry. The burner is capable of being scaled to various sizes for various industrial furnace applications due to its geometry.

Abstract: A method of heating a surface provides for a central fuel rich jet having a peripheral shroud of substantially stoichiometric combustion products and one or more fuel lean jets each having a peripheral shroud of substantially stoichiometric combustion products. The fuel lean jets are placed around the periphery of the central fuel rich jet. The fuel lean jet or jets each having shrouds of substantially stoichiometric combustion products and a careful choice of relative velocities for each results in minimizing the mixing of the fuel rich and fuel lean jets until they are at or near the surface of the material to be melted. The placement of the fuel lean jet and fuel rich jets may be reversed in applications where an oxidizing atmosphere is required at the surface to be heated.

Abstract: In an industrial furnace used to melt glass batch or glass melt least two oxy-fuel burners are employed in the roof or side-wall of the furnace. At least one oxy-fuel burner is operated with a fuel-rich mixture and at least one other oxy-fuel burner is operated with a fuel-lean mixture. The flames are directed to intersect near the surface of the batch or the melt in order to substantially complete combustion in the vicinity of the melt thereby increasing heat transferred to the material to be melted while also reducing flame temperatures near the burner block. Axisymmetric burners are employed in the crown or roof while non-axisymmetric burners are employed in the side-wall of the furnace. Alternatively, curved burners could be employed in either location to enhance control of the respective fuel-rich and fuel-lean flame interaction.

Abstract: A method of heating a surface provides for a central fuel rich jet having a peripheral shroud of substantially stoichiometric combustion products and one or more fuel lean jets each having a peripheral shroud of substantially stoichiometric combustion products. The fuel lean jets are placed around the periphery of the central fuel rich jet. The fuel lean jet or jets each having shrouds of substantially stoichiometric combustion products and a careful choice of relative velocities for each results in minimizing the mixing of the fuel rich and fuel lean jets until they are at or near the surface of the material to be melted. The placement of the fuel lean jet and fuel rich jets may be reversed in applications where an oxidizing atmosphere is required at the surface to be heated.

Abstract: This invention relates to a burner and a method of combustion for producing a flame jet sheet or sheets for various applications in industrial furnaces. The burner has at least one linear or curvilinear flame nozzle having a ratio of width to height of greater than unity in order to produce high velocity and high temperature flame jet sheet or sheets with a well defined geometry. The burner is capable of being scaled to various sizes for various industrial furnace applications due to its geometry.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for smelting iron ore in which iron ore is preheated and partly reduced within a first reaction zone and then further reduced in a second reaction zone. The first reaction zone can be a shaft reduction furnace and the second reaction zone can be a melter gasifier. An auxiliary third reaction zone partially oxidizes a carbonaceous material to produce char for the third reaction zone. A reducing gas produced by partial oxidation of the char is used to effect the partial reduction conducted within the first reaction zone. Volatile substances contained within a heating gas produced by the partial oxidation within the auxiliary third reaction zone is further oxidized and used to preheat the iron ore within the first reaction zone.

Abstract: A method of smelting iron ore in which iron oxide and hot char are introduced into a primary reactor to reduce the iron oxide and thereby form a molten pool of elemental iron and iron oxide slag. A carbon containing substance, comprising fixed carbon and a hydrocarbon containing volatile matter, is introduced into a secondary reactor. The hydrocarbon containing volatile matter is partially oxidized within the secondary reactor to produce the hot char and a fuel gas comprising hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, and hydrogen with a CO2:CO molar ratio greater than about 0.25. The fuel gas is burned within the primary reactor so that a projected flame is produced and the projected flame is directed into the iron oxide slag of the molten pool.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for smelting iron ore in which iron ore is preheated and partly reduced within a first reaction zone and then further reduced in a second reaction zone. The first reaction zone can be a shaft reduction furnace and the second reaction zone can be a melter gasifier. An auxiliary third reaction zone partially oxidizes a carbonaceous material to produce char for the third reaction zone. A reducing gas produced by partial oxidation of the char is used to effect the partial reduction conducted within the first reaction zone. Volatile substances contained within a heating gas produced by the partial oxidation within the auxiliary third reaction zone is further oxidized and used to preheat the iron ore within the first reaction zone.

Abstract: An iron ore refining method in which a secondary reactor is employed for partly reducing iron ore and partly oxidizing a carbon containing substance to form partly reduced secondary iron ore, the coal char and a calorific containing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in a ratio of no less than about 0.25. The calorific gas is separated from the partly reduced secondary iron ore and the coal char and the resulting heated solids are introduced into the primary reactor without substantial cooling. All or part of the iron product is formed from the partly reduced iron ore produced in the primary reactor. Since the secondary reactor operates at a lower temperature than the primary reactor, part of the iron product is processed at a lower temperature to reduce oxygen requirements for the refining and to increase thermal efficiency.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for use within a sump to condense an vapor and to vaporize the liquid. The heat exchanger includes a core having alternating passages to vaporize the liquid and to condense the vapor. Liquid is distributed into passages through a liquid distributor and the passages involved in vaporizing the liquid are provided with a down flow, stage and one or more thermosiphon stages situated below the down flow stage. In such manner, part of the liquid is vaporized within the down flow stage and the remainder is vaporized within the thermosiphon stage or stages.