Abstract: The invention provides methods for treating a source oil phase consisting of heavy oil, bitumen, a mixture of heavy oil and bitumen, a mixture of solvent and heavy oil or bitumen or both. The method comprises: introducing the source oil phase to a heated lower section of a device to provide an interior source oil phase; heating the interior source oil phase so as to thermally separate a light oil phase component therefrom and provide a vaporized light oil; and condensing the vaporized light oil phase on one or more internal cooling fins housed within the upper section of the device, to provide a condensed light oil phase liquid, wherein the internal cooling fins are angled so as to direct the condensed light oil phase liquid downwardly to a light end collection system.

Abstract: The present subject matter relates generally to processes for propylene recovery. More specifically, the present subject matter relates to processes for enhanced recovery of propylene and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) from the fuel gas produced in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units by minimizing the light ends and propylene in the unstabilized gasoline which is used as lean oil for the primary absorber of the FCC gas concentration unit.

Abstract: An apparatus is described for the preferential conversion to 2-butene of a stream containing C4 compounds including 1-butene and 2-butene involving mixing the C4 stream with a first hydrogen stream to form a feed stream, hydroisomerizing the feed stream in the presence of a first hydroisomerization catalyst in order to convert at least a portion of the 1-butene to 2-butene, thereby producing a hydroisomerization effluent, passing the hydroisomerization effluent through a fractionation column to form a top stream comprising isobutane and isobutylene and a bottoms stream comprising 2-butene, withdrawing a recycle stream from said fractionation column at a location above the feed point at which the weight ratio of 1-butene to 2-butene is high, and combining the recycle stream with at least one of the C4 stream and the feed stream upstream from the hydroisomerization catalyst.

Abstract: A process is provided for cracking hydrocarbon feedstock containing resid comprising: heating the feedstock, mixing the heated feedstock with a fluid and/or a primary dilution steam stream to form a mixture, optionally further heating the mixture, flashing the mixture within a flash/separation vessel to form a vapor phase and a liquid phase, partially condensing the vapor phase by contacting with a condenser within the vessel, to condense at least some coke precursors within the vapor while providing condensates which add to the liquid phase, removing the vapor phase of reduced coke precursors content as overhead and the liquid phase as bottoms, heating the vapor phase, cracking the vapor phase in a radiant section of a pyrolysis furnace to produce an effluent comprising olefins, and quenching the effluent and recovering cracked product therefrom. An apparatus for carrying out the process is also provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for recovering ethylene from a hydrocarbon feed stream, where the apparatus is a single distillation column pressure shell encasing an upper region and a lower region. The upper region houses an ethylene distributor rectifying section and the lower region houses a C2 distributor section and an ethylene distributor stripping section. Vapor passes from the lower region into the upper region, and liquid passes from the upper region to the lower region. The process for recovering the ethylene is also disclosed. The hydrocarbon feed stream is introduced into the C2 distributor section, and after a series of stripping and refluxing steps, distinct hydrocarbon products are recovered from the C2 distributor section, the ethylene distributor stripping section, and the ethylene distributor rectifying section, respectively.

Abstract: An extractive distillation tower 4 supplied with a feedstock containing butadiene and a solvent and for distilling the feedstock to separate and purify the butadiene.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing the coke dust in the decoking effluents of the hydrocarbon cracking ovens according to the invention provides means for the condensation of the effluent, means for collecting a liquid condensate, means for filtering said liquid condensate, and means for washing the residual vapours and gases that cannot be condensed by using the same condensate suitably filtered from coke, the filtered condensate being evaporated for the following discharge to the atmosphere by using the thermal content of the input decoking gases. A process for reducing the coke dust in the decoking effluents of the hydrocarbon cracking ovens according to the invention consists in that the solid content in the gaseous effluent from the decoking is removed by filtration of the condensate from said gaseous effluent and by washing of gases and vapours contained therein that cannot be condensed.

Abstract: An integrated distillation column having a partitioned stripping or absorption section is presented. The integrated stripping/distillation column comprises a single shell housing a refluxed absorption section and a reboiled stripping section. The stripping section is partitioned by a vertical wall into first and second separate portions having upper end in fluid communication the absorption section. The stripping portions include fluid isolated lower ends having separate reboilers. In the integrated absorption/distillation column, the absorption section is partitioned and separate reflux loops are provided for each portion of the absorption section. In such a manner, a two column distillation process can be combined into one for achieving space and equipment savings.

Abstract: There is disclosed an asphalt extracting apparatus of the Soxhlet type in which a solvent evaporated from a flask is condensed by a cooling device and then dropped into the inside of a filter device such that asphalt in an asphalt mixture inside the filter device is extracted through the filter device. With the flask and the filter device covered with a thermally insulating case, the flask and the filter device are heated and thermally insulated by the heat of a gas burner. To lower the boiling point of the solvent in the flask, each of the flask, the filter device and the cooling device is decompressed by a decompression device.

Abstract: An integrated distillation column having a partitioned stripping or absorption section is presented. The integrated stripping/distillation column comprises a single shell housing a refluxed absorption section and a reboiled stripping section. The stripping section is partitioned by a vertical wall into first and second separate portions having upper end in fluid communication the absorption section. The stripping portions include fluid isolated lower ends having separate reboilers. In the integrated absorption/distillation column, the absorption section is partitioned and separate reflux loops are provided for each portion of the absorption section. In such a manner, a two column distillation process can be combined into one for achieving space and equipment savings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stabilizing crude oil at the outlet of a well, including at least one separation step wherein the crude oil is pressure distilled in at least one distillation column into at least two cuts, i.e., a C.sub.1-5 hydrocarbon gas cut recovered at the top of the column and a stabilized crude oil cut recovered below the point where the original crude oil was injected into the column. The method advantageously includes at least one decompression step before the separation step.

Abstract: In a solvent recovery plant including a recovery or distillation tower from which solvent product is recovered overhead, an isothermal separator, preferably a cyclone, is used to separate liquid phase contaminant (i.e. oil in a lubricating oil extraction process) in overhead product and to feed the separated liquid to the recovery tower as reflux. In addition, a portion of the feed to the tower can be branched off and mixed with the overhead product to bring its temperature down to close to the dew point of the solvent vapor. In this way, flooding of the uppermost tower trays and distillation of oil overhead can be overcome.

Abstract: A coker blow down recovery system for recovering additional useful fuel components such as C.sub.1 --C.sub.7 hydrocarbons from a coker vessel is disclosed. A significant reduction in sulfur components contained in coker blow down gases, e.g. flare gases, is also achieved.