Abstract: A heat exchanger for cooling gas between compression stages using a compressed refrigerant. The heat exchanger has a pressure vessel with an integrated liquid knockout drum. A finned tube is contained within the pressure vessel. A gas passageway is defined as the volume between the finned tube and the pressure vessel. Refrigerant from a cooling circuit passes through the interior of the finned tube and cools the gas in the gas passageway. Condensate from the cooled gas is removed in the knockout drum. The heat exchangers may also be used in a triple pass cooler.

Abstract: A process and system to separate crude from tar sands. A tar sand and crude oil mixture is created using ground tar sands. The tar sand and crude oil mixture is mixed under high pressure in a treatment vessel with either natural gas or exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine. The mixture is then moved through a entrainment vessel still under the high pressure. When the mixture is removed from the entrainment vessel excess gas is removed from the mixture. The crude oil is then separated from the sand typically through a cyclone separator. A portion of the crude oil may be used to mix with the ground tar sand on the front end of the process.

Abstract: A method and system for treating crude oil to improve its flowability includes operating an internal combustion engine to produce exhaust gas, reducing the temperature of the exhaust gas, injecting cooled exhaust gas into a separator in which water is extracted to provide dry exhaust gas, pumping crude oil at an elevated pressure into a treatment vessel, compressing the dry exhaust gas to provide pressurized exhaust gas that is introduced into the treatment vessel and intimately mixing the crude oil and the pressurized exhaust gas in the treatment vessel to provide treated crude oil having a substantial portion of the exhaust gas absorbed therein to thereby provide crude oil having improved flowability.

Abstract: A method of decreasing the viscosity of crude oil including the steps of injecting into the crude oil CO2 alone or CO2 mixed with N at an elevated pressure of about 600 psi to about 1800 psi and intemently mixing the CO2, or CO2 mixed with N, with the crude oil at the elevated pressure.

Abstract: A method and system for treating crude oil to improve its flowability includes operating an internal combustion engine to produce exhaust gas, reducing the temperature of the exhaust gas, injecting cooled exhaust gas into a separator in which water is extracted to provide dry exhaust gas, pumping crude oil at an elevated pressure into a treatment vessel, compressing the dry exhaust gas to provide pressurized exhaust gas that is introduced into the treatment vessel and intimately mixing the crude oil and the pressurized exhaust gas in the treatment vessel to provide treated crude oil having a substantial portion of the exhaust gas absorbed therein to thereby provide crude oil having improved flowability.