Abstract: The present disclosure relates to enhanced oil recovery methods for highly viscous oil reservoirs containing large amounts of mobile water. One method includes injecting a carbon disulfide formulation or fluid into the formation via a first well and displacing the mobile water from the formation with the carbon disulfide fluid. The highly viscous oil is then solubilized using the carbon disulfide fluid, thereby generating a mixture of mobilized oil. The mixture of mobilized oil is then forced towards a second well and subsequently produced from the second well.

Abstract: Methods to convert a cellulosic material into a bio-oil. In one embodiment, the method comprises (a) contacting the cellulosic material with a liquid solvent in an inert atmosphere at a reaction temperature in the range from equal to or more than about 260° C. to equal to or less than about 400° C. to produce a product mixture; (b) separating a middle fraction from the product mixture to produce a product mixture middle fraction. A first portion of the product mixture middle fraction can be recycled as part of the liquid solvent in step a). A second portion of the product mixture middle fraction can be used to produce a bio-oil.

Abstract: A method for reducing one or more additives in a gaseous hydrocarbon stream (40) such as natural gas, comprising the steps of: (a) admixing an initial hydrocarbon feed stream (10) with one or more additives (20) to provide a multiphase hydrocarbon stream (30); (b) passing the multiphase hydrocarbon stream (30) from a first location (A) to a second location (B2); (c) at the second location (B2), passing the multiphase hydrocarbon stream (30) through a separator (22) to provide one or more liquid streams (50) comprising the majority of the one or more additives, and a gaseous hydrocarbon stream (40) comprising the remainder of the one or more additives; and (d) washing the gaseous hydrocarbon stream (40) in a decontamination unit (24) with a washing stream (60), wherein the washing stream (60) comprises distilled water, to provide an additive-enriched stream (70) and an additive-reduced hydrocarbon stream (80).

Abstract: A method of automatically picking up a drill bit off the bottom of an opening in a subsurface formation, comprises a) setting a predetermined level of differential pressure across a mud motor at which pickup of the drill bit is to be initiated; b) monitoring the differential pressure across the mud motor; c) allowing differential pressure across the mud motor to decrease to the predetermined level; and d) when the predetermined level is reached, automatically picking up the drill bit.

Abstract: A method of automatically placing a drill bit used to form an opening in a subsurface formation on a bottom of the opening being formed comprises a) increasing a flow rate in a drill string to a target flow; b) controlling a flow rate of fluid into the drill string to be substantially the same as a flowrate of fluid out of the opening; c) allowing a fluid pressure to reach a relatively steady state; and d) automatically moving the drill bit toward the bottom of the opening at a selected rate of advance until an increase in measured differential pressure indicates that the drill bit is at the bottom of the opening.

Abstract: A method for preparing a hydrocarbon comprising contacting a fatty acid substrate with at least one fatty acid reductase and at least one fatty aldehyde synthetase and at least one fatty acyl transferase, wherein the fatty acid substrate is a fatty acid, a fatty acyl-ACP, or a fatty acyl-CoA or a mixture of any of these, to obtain a fatty aldehyde; and contacting the fatty aldehyde with at least one aldehyde decarbonylase enzyme.

Abstract: Catalyst composition useful in the catalytic dewaxing of a waxy hydrocarbon feedstock which catalyst composition includes a mixture of zeolite EU-2 and titania and may further include a noble metal. The zeolite EU-2 has a molar bulk ratio of silica-to-alumina (SAR) of greater than 100:1. The zeolite or mixture may have been dealuminated such as by acid leaching using a fluorosilicate salt or by steam treating.

Abstract: Certain embodiments provide a heater. A heater device includes a skin effect component having at least one insulated electrical core conductor in electrical communication with an adjacent and substantially parallel, elongated ferromagnetic shape having a reduction and localization of the depth and width of the effective conductor path in the cross-section of the ferromagnetic wall; and, an inorganic ceramic insulation component.

Abstract: Mitigating solid accumulation on a screen includes jetting water upstream through a portion of the screen while water simultaneously flows downstream through another portion of the screen. The water is jetted via at least one submerged nozzle. Several submerged nozzles may be present in an array on a moveable trolley. The submerged nozzles may be configured to provide warm or hot water or cold water having temperatures of less than 1° C.

Abstract: A method comprises providing a bio-based feedstock; contacting the bio-based feedstock with a solvent in a hydrolysis reaction to form an intermediate stream comprising carbohydrates; contacting the intermediate stream with an apr catalyst to form a plurality of oxygenated intermediates, wherein a first portion of the oxygenated intermediates are recycled to form the solvent; and processing at least a second portion of the oxygenated intermediates to form a fuel blend.

Abstract: Fermentable sugar useful for the production of biofuels can be produced from biomass by contacting the biomass with a solution containing at least one ?-hydroxysulfonic acid. The ?-hydroxysulfonic acid can be easily removed from the product and recycled.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and processes for operating molten carbonate fuel cell systems. A process for operating the molten carbonate fuel cell includes providing a hydrogen-containing stream comprising molecular hydrogen to a molten carbonate fuel cell anode; heating a hydrocarbon stream, at least a majority of which is comprised of hydrocarbons that are liquid at 20° C. and atmospheric pressure, with a heat source comprising an anode exhaust from the molten carbonate fuel cell anode; contacting at least a portion of the heated hydrocarbon stream with a catalyst to produce a steam reforming feed comprising gaseous hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and at least one carbon oxide; separating at least a portion of the molecular hydrogen from the steam reforming feed; and providing at least a portion of the separated molecular hydrogen to the molten carbonate fuel cell anode as at least a portion of the stream comprising molecular hydrogen.

Abstract: A process for making a distillate product and one or more C2-C4 olefins from a FCC feedstock containing a cellulosic material and a hydrocarbon co-feed is provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing lower olefins from an oxygenate, the process comprising: subjecting C4 hydrocarbons obtained in an oxygenate-to-olefins conversion step to extractive distillation to an etherification step to convert isobutene into an alkyl tertiary butyl ether to obtain an isobutene-depleted C4 hydrocarbon stream and alkyl tertiary-butyl ether; subjecting the isobutene-depleted C4 hydrocarbon stream to extractive distillation to obtain a stream enriched in unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons and a stream enriched in saturated C4 hydrocarbons; and recycling at least part of the stream enriched in unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons and/or at least part of the alkyl tertiary-butyl ether to the oxygenate-to-olefins conversion step.

Abstract: The invention is a process for preparing lower olefins comprising: a) steam cracking a paraffinic feedstock to obtain a cracker effluent comprising olefins and saturated and unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons; b) contacting an oxygenate feedstock with a molecular sieve-comprising catalyst, at a temperature in the range of from 350 to 1000° C. to obtain an oxygenate conversion effluent comprising olefins and saturated and unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons; c) subjecting the cracker effluent and the oxygenate conversion effluent to one or more separation steps such that an olefin product stream comprising ethylene and/or propylene, and a stream comprising saturated and unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons are obtained; and d) subjecting part of the stream comprising C4 hydrocarbons from both the cracker effluent and the oxygenate conversion effluent to extractive distillation to obtain a stream enriched in unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons and a stream enriched in saturated C4 hydrocarbons.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to enhanced oil recovery methods including the injection of solvent and polymer floods to increase hydrocarbon production from oil bearing underground rock formations. One method includes injecting a solvent slug into the underground formation for a first time period from a first well. The solvent slug solubilizes the oil and generates a mixture of mobilized oil and solvent. An aqueous polymer slug may then be injected into the underground formation for a second time from the first well. The polymer slug may have a viscosity greater than the solvent slug and thereby generates an interface between the solvent slug and the polymer slug. The solvent slug and the mobilized oil are then forced towards a second well using a buoyant hydrodynamic force generated by the aqueous polymer slug. Oil and/or gas may then be produced from the second well.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of an olefin product comprising ethylene, which process comprises the steps of: a) converting an oxygenate feedstock in an oxygenate-to-olefins conversion system, comprising a reaction zone in which an oxygenate feedstock is contacted with an oxygenate conversion catalyst under oxygenate conversion conditions, to obtain a conversion effluent comprising ethylene and/or propylene; b) separating at least a portion of the propylene from the conversion effluent to form a propylene stream; c) separating the remainder of the olefins from the conversion effluent; and d) recycling at least a portion of the propylene stream to step a).

Abstract: A process for converting a solid biomass material comprising (a) mixing the solid biomass material with a fluid to form a fluidized biomass stream; and (b) propagating the fluidized biomass stream into the riser reactor via one or more delivery aperture(s); wherein the solid biomass material has a particle size distribution with a mean particle size diameter, and wherein the delivery aperture has a diameter equal to or more than three times the mean particle size diameter of the particle size distribution of the solid biomass material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing lower olefins from an oxygenate, the process comprising subjecting C4 hydrocarbons obtained in an oxygenate-to-olefins conversion step to extractive distillation to obtain a stream enriched in unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons comprising isobutene and n-butenes, and a stream enriched in saturated C4 hydrocarbons; converting the isobutene in the stream enriched in unsaturated C4 hydrocarbons into an alkyl tertiary butyl ether to obtain an isobutene-depleted unsaturated C4 hydrocarbon stream and alkyl tertiary-butyl ether; and recycling at least part of the isobutene-depleted unsaturated C4 hydrocarbon stream and/or at least part of the alkyl tertiary-butyl ether, optionally after conversion into tertiary butanol and/or isobutene, to the oxygenate-to-olefins conversion step.

Abstract: The invention is a process for preparing a paraffin product from a carbonaceous feedstock comprising (a) partial oxidation of the carbonaceous feedstock to obtain a mixture comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide, (b) performing a Fischer-Tropsch reaction using the mixture as obtained in step (a) and recovering an off-gas from the Fischer-Tropsch reaction and a paraffin product, (c) hydrogenating at least a part of the off-gas from the Fischer-Tropsch reaction using a steam/off-gas mol ratio in the range of between 0.7 and 1.5 and a catalyst comprising copper and zinc and/or a catalyst comprising copper and manganese, and (d) preparing a hydrogen comprising gas from at least a part of the off-gas from the Fischer-Tropsch reaction.