Abstract: Disclosed is a process for the thermal cracking of heavy oils, which comprises a thermal cracking step of contacting a heavy oil with a fine powder of a porous material fluidized by a fluidizing gas to mainly obtain a light oil and a regenerating step of gasifying and removing coke adhering to the fine powder taken out from the thermal cracking step while fluidizing the fine powder by a molecular oxygen-containing gas and a steam-containing gas, the fine powder being circulated between the two steps, wherein fine spherical particles having a pore volume of 0.2 to 1.5 cm.sup.3 /g, a specific surface area of 5 to 1500 m.sup.2 /g, an average pore size of 10 to 10,000 .ANG. and a weight average size of 0.025 to 0.25 mm, in which these properties are stably maintained at the temperature adopted for the thermal cracking, are used as the fine powder, and a hydrogen gas is made present at the thermal cracking step, the partial pressure of hydrogen is maintained at about 0.5 to about 5 Kg/cm.sup.

Abstract: An improved process for thermal cracking of a heavy oil comprising a step of thermal cracking of the heavy oil in contact with a fluidized bed of heated fine particles and a step of gasification of the coke which has deposited on the fine particles used in the thermal cracking, which gasification is conducted on the fine particles withdrawn from the thermal cracking step by contacting the particles with gas containing molecular oxygen while the particles are fluidized by the gas, the steps being practiced while the fine particles are circulated therebetween is disclosed. The improvement comprises a use of fine particles of a porous material, and conducting the gasification under specified conditions and so as to produce a product gas which is highly reducing.

Abstract: An improvement to a process for thermal cracking a heavy hydrocarbon oil comprising (1) a thermal cracking step of the heavy oil which is in contact with a fluidized bed of heated fine particles as a source of the heat required for the thermal cracking and (2) a regeneration step of the fine particles which are withdrawn from the thermal cracking step and on which coke formed during the thermal cracking has deposited, the steps (1) and (2) being practiced while the fine particles are circulated therebetween, is disclosed. The improvement comprises a use as the fine particles of microspheres of a porous material, division of the regeneration step into a gasification section and a combustion section, and restriction in the operation conditions, and an optional temperature control by controlling generation of steam in a cooling means which is installed in the combustion section and whose coolant is water to generate the steam.

Abstract: A two-step process for producing microspherical pitch or green coke particles having an average diameter of 30-200 .mu.m from finely divided petroleum or coal pitch having a softening point of 60.degree.-220.degree. C. and a fixed carbon content of 40-75 wt %. In the first step the material pitch is fluidized in the stream of a gas substantially inert to the pitch at a temperature of 100.degree.-800.degree. C., the mixed stream is rapidly cooled to 30.degree.-400.degree. C., and microspherical pitch particles are recovered with or without separate recovery of an oily product. In the second step the pitch spheres are further subjected to thermal cracking and polycondensation by use of a fluidized bed at a temperature of 350.degree.-520.degree. C. for a retention time of 1 min. to 3 hours, and microspherical green coke particles and a light cracked oil are recovered. In both steps a pressure between the ordinary level and 10 kg/cm.sup.2 is used.

Abstract: A continuous process for thermally cracking a heavy hydrocarbon oil, including heat-treating the heavy hydrocarbon oil in a first thermal cracking zone for obtaining a first cracked product, and introducing the first cracked product into a second thermal cracking zone where it is thermally cracked by direct contact with a gaseous heat transfer medium to form distillable cracked components and a mesophase-containing pitch. The liquid phase in the second thermal cracking zone, including the mesophase-containing pitch, is withdrawn therefrom and separated into a mesophase-rich pitch and a matrix pitch having a low concentration of mesophase. The matrix pitch is recycled to the second thermal cracking zone. The distillable cracked components are stripped from the liquid phase in the second thermal cracking zone with the heat transfer medium, and the resulting gas phase is discharged overhead therefrom and then separated into a light fraction and a heavy fraction.

Abstract: In a process for thermal cracking of heavy oils in which a heavy petroleum oil is caused to contact a heated fluidized bed of solid particles in the presence of steam thereby to obtain principally light petroelum oils, the solid particles are stable at the temperature of the thermal cracking and are of substantially spherical shape of porous nature of a pore volume of 0.10 to 1.0 cm.sup.3 /g, a specific surface area of 50 to 1,500 m.sup.2 /g, and a weight-mean diameter of 0.025 to 0.25 mm.

Abstract: Separation of a mixed gas is carried out at ordinary temperatures by employing a silicone oil, or a certain high polymeric substance in liquid form or in solution as the solvent for absorbing the gas. Among others, methylphenyl silicone oil is preferably employed as the solvent in separating radioactive gases.

Abstract: The present invention provides an effective process for an enzymatic reaction which utilizes the enzyme membrane of the invention. The enzyme membrane consists of an enzyme strongly entrapped in a membrane base, said base being porous, fibrous, or roughened material which is permanently self-polarized or maintained polarized under an electric field. This enzyme membrane catalytically reacts with a substrate solution without loss of enzyme. The most preferred material for the membrane substrate is expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene.

Abstract: In this process metal ions such as Ag.sup.+, Pb.sup.2+, Co.sup.2+, Cu.sup. 2+, Fe.sup.3+, etc., are extracted through a porous membrane impregnated with the first extractant containing chelating agents. The membrane contacts with an extraction feed on one side, and with the second extractant on the other side, and the objective metal ions are transferred from the feed to the second extractant. Throughout the extraction process, the pH values of the extraction feed, the impregnated extractant solution, and the second extractant are kept in decreasing order.An apparatus used for the above objective is also provided by this invention.