Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a process for producing upgraded product from residue comprising atmospheric residue or vacuum residue upgrading comprising separating the residue through a Solvent Deasphalting (SDA) unit, wherein the SDA unit includes an asphaltene separator that separates the residue into asphaltene pitch and a stream comprising deasphalted oil (DAO) and resin, and a resin separator that subsequently separates the stream comprising DAO and resin into separate DAO and resin streams, treating the resin stream with supercritical water (SCW) to produce an upgraded resin stream, and hydroprocessing a portion of the upgraded resin stream and the DAO stream to produce the upgraded product.

Abstract: According to one or more embodiments described herein, a method for processing a hydrocarbon feedstock may include contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock and a product emulsion with supercritical carbon dioxide in a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction unit to form at least an extract emulsion and a pitch emulsion; contacting at least a portion of the pitch emulsion with supercritical water in a supercritical water gasification unit to form a gasified product; separating the gasified product into at least a product gas and the product emulsion, the product emulsion comprising water and one or more hydrocarbons; and recycling at least a portion of the product emulsion to the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction unit. Contacting the product emulsion with the supercritical carbon dioxide may break at least a portion of the product emulsion.

Abstract: Some aspects relate to methods of forming an epitaxial layer. In some examples, the methods include ejecting atoms from a molten metal sputtering material onto a heated crystalline substrate and growing a single epitaxial layer on the substrate from the ejected atoms, where the atoms are ejected with sufficient energy that the grown epitaxial layer has at least a partial rhombohedral lattice, and wherein the crystalline substrate is heated to a temperature of about 600 degrees Celsius or less, or about 500 degrees or less. Other aspects relate to materials, such as a material including a single epitaxial layer on top of a crystalline substrate, the layer including one or more semiconductor materials and having at least a partial rhombohedral lattice, or a substantially rhombohedral lattice.

Abstract: A method to convert asphaltenes to partially oxidized asphaltenes comprising the steps of treating the reactor feed in a tubular reactor to produce a reactor effluent, introducing the reactor effluent to a disengagement zone of a vessel reactor, introducing an oxidizing agent stream to the asphaltene collection zone of the vessel reactor, reacting the asphaltenes in the asphaltene-rich fraction with oxygen from the oxidizing agent, withdrawing a bottom reactor effluent from the asphaltene collection zone, reducing a temperature of the bottom reactor effluent to produce a cooled bottom effluent, reducing a pressure of the cooled bottom effluent in a pressure regulator unit to produce a centrifuge feed, separating the centrifuge feed in a centrifuge to produce a centrate, mixing the centrate and the upper upgraded stream in a product mixer to produce a mixed upgraded stream, and separating the mixed upgraded stream in a three-phase separator.

Abstract: A process for upgrading crude oil may include combining crude oil and feed water in a supercritical water unit to produce a first upgraded output, separating the first upgraded output in a first gas-water-oil separator to produce a first gas effluent, a first water effluent, and a first oil effluent, separating the first water effluent in a first water treatment unit to produce a rejected water stream and a recycle water stream, combining the first oil effluent and the rejected water stream in a nearcritical water unit to produce a second upgraded output, and recycling at least a portion of the recycle water stream for introduction into the supercritical water unit. A system for upgrading crude oil may include a supercritical water unit, a first gas-water-oil separator disposed downstream of the supercritical water unit, a first water treatment unit disposed downstream of the first gas-water-oil separator, and a nearcritical water unit.

Abstract: A method for producing a diesel having improved cold flow properties, the method comprising the steps of introducing a crude oil to a distillation column, separating the crude oil in the distillation unit to produce a light gas oil, and a light vacuum gas oil, where the light gas oil has a T95% cut point in the range between 300 deg C. and 340 deg C., where the light vacuum gas oil has a T95% cut point in the range between 400 deg C. and 430 deg C., processing the light vacuum gas oil in the supercritical water unit to produce an upgraded vacuum gas oil, separating the upgraded vacuum gas oil in the fractionator to produce an upgraded light fraction, an upgraded light gas oil, and upgraded heavy fraction, introducing the upgraded light gas oil into a diesel pool, and blending the light gas oil into the diesel pool.

Abstract: A process for converting solid plastic waste to hydrocarbon oil includes melting a feed comprising solid plastic waste to produce a liquefied plastic stream and visbreaking the liquefied plastic stream in a visbreaker unit having a visbreaker furnace and a soaker vessel. Visbreaking includes heating the liquefied plastic stream in the visbreaker furnace to produce a heated liquefied plastic stream, maintaining the heated liquefied plastic stream at the reaction temperature in the soaker vessel for a residence time to produce a visbreaker effluent, and injecting a stripping gas into the soaker vessel. The stripping gas includes at least one of steam, nitrogen, helium, argon, or combinations of these. The process includes introducing the stripping gas to the liquefied plastic stream upstream of the visbreaker furnace, the heated liquefied plastic stream downstream of the visbreaker furnace, or both. The visbreaker effluent is separated to produce a liquid hydrocarbon oil.

Abstract: According to one or more embodiments described herein, a method for processing a hydrocarbon feedstock may include contacting a mixed feed with a solvent in a deasphalting system to form residue and deasphalted oil, contacting the deasphalted oil with supercritical water to form an upgraded oil, separating the upgraded oil into at least a light fraction and a heavy fraction, and combining at least a portion of the heavy fraction with the hydrocarbon feedstock to form the mixed feed.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods of use are provided for a lobular catalyst for use in processes featuring water at high pressures and high temperatures, including in supercritical or near supercritical water conditions. The lobular catalyst structure features a shaped, plate-like structure extending along the reactor length with a high surface area. The lobular catalyst structure is fixed in place and mounted within a high temperature and high pressure reactor. The catalyst includes a catalytically active component, which can be a transition metal. The catalyst can be used in high pressure and high temperature processes, including in supercritical or near supercritical water processes, to improve heavy oil upgrading and hydrocarbon conversion in chemical processes.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods of use are provided for a lobular catalyst for use in processes featuring water at high pressures and high temperatures, including in supercritical or near supercritical water conditions. The lobular catalyst structure features a shaped, plate-like structure extending along the reactor length with a high surface area. The lobular catalyst structure is fixed in place and mounted within a high temperature and high pressure reactor. The catalyst includes a catalytically active component, which can be a transition metal. The catalyst can be used in high pressure and high temperature processes, including in supercritical or near supercritical water processes, to improve heavy oil upgrading and hydrocarbon conversion in chemical processes.

Abstract: A method to convert asphaltenes to partially oxidized asphaltenes comprising the steps of treating the reactor feed in a tubular reactor to produce a reactor effluent, introducing the reactor effluent to a disengagement zone of a vessel reactor, introducing an oxidizing agent stream to the asphaltene collection zone of the vessel reactor, reacting the asphaltenes in the asphaltene-rich fraction with oxygen from the oxidizing agent, withdrawing a bottom reactor effluent from the asphaltene collection zone, reducing a temperature of the bottom reactor effluent to produce a cooled bottom effluent, reducing a pressure of the cooled bottom effluent in a pressure regulator unit to produce a centrifuge feed, separating the centrifuge feed in a centrifuge to produce a centrate, mixing the centrate and the upper upgraded stream in a product mixer to produce a mixed upgraded stream, and separating the mixed upgraded stream in a three-phase separator.

Abstract: A process for producing olefins from the hydrocarbon feed includes introducing the hydrocarbon feed into a Solvent Deasphalting Unit (SDA) to remove asphaltene from the hydrocarbon feed producing a deasphalted oil stream, wherein the SDA comprises a solvent that reacts with the hydrocarbon feed, and the deasphalted oil stream comprises from 0.01 weight percent (wt. %) to 18 wt. % asphaltenes; introducing the deasphalted oil stream into a steam catalytic cracking system; steam catalytically cracking the deasphalted oil stream in the steam catalytic cracking system in the presence of steam and a nano zeolite cracking catalyst to produce a steam catalytic cracking effluent; and separating the olefins from the steam catalytic cracking effluent.

Abstract: A method to produce syngas from a feed oil comprising the steps of increasing a pressure of a slurry catalyst; increasing a temperature of the pressurized slurry stream; increasing a pressure of the feed oil; increasing a temperature of the pressurized feed stream; mixing the hot slurry stream and the hot oil stream; increasing a temperature of the mixed stream in a combined heater to produce a hot mixed stream; maintaining upgrading reactions of hydrocarbons in the supercritical reactor to produce a supercritical effluent; reducing a pressure of the supercritical effluent; separating the depressurized effluent in a separator to produce a gas stream; separating the gas stream to produce a light hydrocarbon stream; mixing the light hydrocarbon stream and a catalyst feed; introducing the hot feed to a steam reformer; maintaining water gas shift reactions of the light hydrocarbon gases in the steam reformer to produce a reformer effluent.

Abstract: A process for treating a plastic waste and a spent caustic, the process comprising the steps of mixing a feed plastic and a spent caustic stream in a feed mixer to produce a mixed feed, wherein the feed plastic comprises the plastic waste in the form of plastic waste chips; introducing the mixed feed to a hydrothermal reactor; reacting the mixed feed in the hydrothermal reactor to produce an effluent, wherein chlorine is removed from the plastic waste in the presence of the sodium hydroxide, wherein the chlorine reacts with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium chloride and water; introducing the effluent to a washing and dewatering unit, wherein the effluent comprises liquid phase materials and solid materials, wherein the solid materials comprise dechlorinated plastics; and separating the liquid phase materials and solid materials in the washing and dewatering unit to produce a dechlorinated plastic waste and a neutralized wastewater.

Abstract: According to one or more embodiments, non-agglomerated, nano-sized ZSM-22 zeolites may be synthesized by methods comprising operating a mechanical rotation drum unit at a first temperature of from 40° C. to 60° C. and a first speed of from 200 rpm to 1000 rpm for a first time period of from 1.3 hours to 2.7 hours; operating the mechanical rotation drum unit at a second speed of from 30 rpm to 90 rpm for a second time period of from 0.05 hours to 0.4 hours; heating the mechanical rotation drum unit at a ramping temperature of from 8° C./minute to 12° C./minute to a second temperature of from 115° C. to 185° C. at the second speed; operating the mechanical rotation drum unit at the second temperature and the second speed for a third time period of from 30 hours to 90 hours; and cooling the mechanical rotation drum unit at a fourth speed of 0 rpm.

Abstract: A method of upgrading an overflash stream from a vacuum distillation unit comprising the steps of separating the overflash stream from an atmospheric residue stream, the overflash stream comprises an overflash fraction having a T10% between 475 and 530° C. and a T90% between 600 and 700° C.; introducing the reactor feed to a supercritical reactor at a temperature between 380° C. and 500° C. and a pressure between 25 MPa and 30 MPa; maintaining upgrading reactions in the supercritical reactor to upgrade the overflash fraction such that a reactor effluent comprises upgraded hydrocarbons relative to the overflash fraction; reducing a temperature of a reactor effluent in a cooling device to produce a cooled stream; reducing a pressure of the cooled stream in a depressurizing device to produce a discharged stream; and separating the discharged stream in a gas-liquid separator to produce a liquid phase product.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to nuclear thermionic avalanche cell (NTAC) systems and related methods of generating energy from captured high energy photons. Huge numbers of electrons in the intra-band of atom can be liberated through bound-to-free transition when coupled with high energy photons. If a power conversion process effectively utilizes these liberated electrons in an avalanche form through a power conversion circuit, the power output will be drastically increased. The power density of a system can be multiplied by the rate of high energy photon absorption. The present disclosure describes a system and methods built with multilayers of nuclear thermionic avalanche cells for the generation of energy. The multilayer structure of NTAC devices offers effective recoverable means to capture and harness the energy of gamma photons for useful purposes such as power systems for deep space exploration.

Abstract: Methods for utilizing a supercritical water unit to convert waste plastics to product through hydrothermal treatment in a supercritical unit are provided. Waste plastic is treated in a pretreatment unit, melting the plastic into a liquid and prepares the plastic for the supercritical water unit. The pretreatment unit can dehalogenate the waste plastic. The molten plastic is introduced into a supercritical water unit with water, which generates a product. A flushing stream of product and steam or water from the supercritical water unit is recycled from the supercritical water unit into the pretreatment unit, preheating and pretreating the waste plastic, and acting as a catalyst in the dechlorination reaction. A purge stream removes the products of the dehalogentation reaction occurring in the melting section.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide an aqueous reforming system and a method for upgrading heavy hydrocarbons. A hydrocarbon feed and a surfactant stream are combined to produce a first precursor stream. The first precursor stream and an alkali feed are combined to produce a second precursor stream. The second precursor stream and a transition metal feed are combined to produce a catalytic emulsion stream. The catalytic emulsion stream is heated to produce a catalytic suspension and a decomposition gas, where the decomposition gas is separated by a first separator. The catalytic suspension is combined with a preheated water stream to produce an aqueous reformer feed. The aqueous reformer feed is introduced to an aqueous reformer such that the heavy hydrocarbons undergo conversion reactions to produce an effluent stream. The effluent stream is introduced to a second separator to produce a heavy stream and a light stream.

Abstract: A process for treating a feed oil in the presence of in situ produced catalyst particles comprising the steps of mixing the supercritical water feed with the pressurized precursor solution in a catalyst mixer to produce a supercritical water stream; withdrawing the supercritical water stream to a process line, where the catalyst precursor is converted to catalyst particles in the process line; mixing the supercritical water stream and the hot oil stream in the mixer to produce a mixed stream; introducing the mixed stream to a reactor; processing the heavy oil in the reactor in the presence of the catalyst particles to produce a reactor effluent; reducing a temperature of the reactor effluent to produce a cooled effluent; reducing a pressure of the cooled effluent to produce a depressurized effluent; and separating the depressurized effluent to produce a product gas, a product oil, and a product water.