Abstract: An oil-based drilling fluid and method of preparing an oil-based drilling fluid are disclosed. The oil-based drilling fluid comprising a base oil continuous phase, an aqueous discontinuous phase, and at least one rheology modifier. The at least one rheology modifier including an alkaline-earth diamondoid compound. The method of preparing the oil-based drilling fluid including mixing a base oil, at least one emulsifier, and at least one wetting agent to form a first mixture, adding and mixing at least one rheology modifier into the first mixture to form a second mixture, adding and mixing at least one fluid-loss control additive into the second mixture to form a third mixture, adding and mixing a brine solution into the third mixture to form a fourth mixture, and adding and mixing a weighting additive into the fourth mixture to form the oil-based drilling fluid.

Abstract: Provided herein are processes for deasphalting and extracting a hydrocarbon oil. The processes comprise providing an oil comprising asphaltenes and/or other impurities, combining the oil with a polar solvent an extracting agent to provide a mixture, and applying a stimulus to the mixture so that at least a portion of any asphaltenes and/or impurities in the oil precipitate out of the oil.

Abstract: The invention relates to a class of novel surfactants that have utility in the recovery and/or extraction of oil.

Abstract: An improved solvent regeneration system for extractive distillation and liquid-liquid extraction processes capable of effectively removing heavy hydrocarbons and polymeric materials that otherwise develop in a closed solvent loop. The improved process employs a light hydrocarbon displacement agent, which is at least partially soluble in the solvent to squeeze the heavy hydrocarbons and polymeric materials out of the solvent, with virtually no additional energy requirement. It has been demonstrated that the light non-aromatic hydrocarbons in the raffinate stream generated from the extractive distillation or the liquid-liquid extractive process for aromatic hydrocarbons recovery can displace not only the heavy non-aromatic hydrocarbons but also the heavy aromatic hydrocarbons from the extractive solvent, especially when the aromatic hydrocarbons in the solvent are in the C10+ molecular weight range.

Abstract: Extractive distillation processes whereby water-soluble extractive distillation (ED) solvents are regenerated and recovered employ improved operations of the extractive distillation column (EDC) so that polar hydrocarbons are recovered and purified from mixtures containing polar and less polar hydrocarbons and measurable amounts of hydrocarbons that are heavier than intended feedstock and/or polymers that are generated in the ED process. The improved process can effectively remove and recover the heavy hydrocarbons and/or remove polymer contaminants from the solvent in a closed solvent circulating loop through mild operating conditions with no additional process energy being expended. With the improved process, the overhead reflux of the EDC may be eliminated to further reduce energy consumption and to enhance the loading and performance within the upper portion of the EDC, especially when two liquid phases exists therein.

Abstract: A process for recovering polar hydrocarbons from non-polar hydrocarbons, such as aromatics from non-aromatics, naphthenes from paraffins and isoparaffins, or olefins from paraffins and isoparaffins, in feed mixtures containing at least a measurable amount of heavier hydrocarbons. This improved extractive distillation (ED) process recovers aromatic hydrocarbons including benzene, toluene, and xylenes from the C6-C8 petroleum streams containing a measurable amount of C9+ hydrocarbons. The ED process also recovers benzene and toluene from the C6-C7 petroleum streams containing a measurable amount of C8+ hydrocarbons. The ED solvent utilized to recover and purify the aromatic hydrocarbons from the petroleum stream with a heavier than intended feedstock of hydrocarbons is also regenerated and recovered.

Abstract: A process for upgrading hydrocarbonaceous oil containing heteroatom-containing compounds where the hydrocarbonaceous oil is contacted with a solvent system that is a mixture of a major portion of a polar solvent having a dipole moment greater than about 1 debye and a minor portion of water to selectively separate the constituents of the carbonaceous oil into a heteroatom-depleted raffinate fraction and heteroatom-enriched extract fraction. The polar solvent and the water-in-solvent system are formulated at a ratio where the water is an antisolvent in an amount to inhibit solubility of heteroatom-containing compounds and the polar solvent in the raffinate, and to inhibit solubility of non-heteroatom-containing compounds in the extract. The ratio of the hydrocarbonaceous oil to the solvent system is such that a coefficient of separation is at least 50%.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid phase adsorption process for removing and concentrating heteroatom compounds in hydrocarbons (HCH), comprising the steps of adsorption, copurging and regeneration. In the adsorption step, a liquid hydrocarbon stream is fed to an adsorber, which adsorbs HCH and returns adsorption effluent. In the copurging step, HCH, which are extracted from the previous regeneration, are applied to the adsorber, displacing the copurging effluent. In the regeneration step, a polar solvent is flowed through the adsorber, purging HCH. Most of the HCH are then set aside for use in the next copuring step, while a small amount of the HCH are taken out from the process as HCH product. The present invention is economically advantageous in effectively removing HCH from hydrocarbon streams and increasing the concentration of HCH within an HCH product.

Abstract: A process to improve the performance of furfural for aromatics extraction from gas oils and lube distillates by the addition of ethers and/or aldehydes, preferably having a dielectric constant less than about 40 @ 25.degree. C.

Abstract: Processes are disclosed for the separation of aromatic hydrocarbons from feedstreams containing mixtures of aromatic and non-aromatic hydrocarbons using extractive distillation with an aromatic selective solvent in order to separate the aromatic hydrocarbons from the non-aromatic hydrocarbons. A rich solvent stream comprising the aromatic hydrocarbons and solvent is withdrawn from the extractive distillation column and passed to a steam stripping column to provide a regenerated lean solvent stream, a side-cut stream comprising the aromatic hydrocarbons and a stripper overhead stream comprising non-aromatic hydrocarbons which are passed as a reflux stream to the extractive distillation column. Various solvents are disclosed and an especially preferred solvent is sulfolane.

Abstract: A method is provided for the recovery of aromatic hydrocarbons from the extract phase of aromatic-selective solvent extraction process which involves withdrawing a vapor side-cut fraction containing aromatic hydrocarbons and solvent from a stripping zone and passing the side-cut fraction to a rectification zone which can be refluxed with an aqueous condensate. The benefits of the invention are that the introduction of the rectification zone bottoms to the bottom of the stripping section provides an aromatic product comprising less than 100 wt. ppm. solvent, provides improved stripping over prior schemes, and reduces the flowrate of stripping medium throughout the stripping zone which results in energy saving.

Abstract: In a combined solvent extraction/steam distillation process for the separation of aromatic hydrocarbons from a mixture of aromatic and non-aromatic hydrocarbons, there are three major thermal and material cycles: the solvent cycle, the hydrocarbon cycle, and the water cycle. The process is improved by redistributing the energy use between the three cycles to minimize the internal recycle within the process and to reduce the overall energy requirements. One means of the redistribution includes cooling of a lean solvent stream with liquid in a recovery or stripping column. Cooling of the lean solvent reduces flashing within an extract column and the resulting reflux of hydrocarbons to the extract column.

Abstract: Processes are provided for the recovery of aromatic hydrocarbons from feeds comprising mixtures of aromatic and non-aromatic hydrocarbons using a mixed aromatic extraction solvent at extraction temperature of less than 250.degree. F. The mixed extraction solvent is comprised of a solvent component containing low molecular weight polyalkylene glycols and a cosolvent component containing glycol ethers. Extractive distillation and steam distillation operations are employed to separate the hydrocarbon components from the rich solvent extract. Low temperature extraction followed by subsequent heating of the rich solvent stream results in improved solvent selectivity, reduced solvent to feed ratios, improved thermal stability and energy savings.

Abstract: Methods are provided for the recovery of aromatic hydrocarbons from the extract phase of aromatic-selective solvent extraction processes which involve withdrawing a vapor side-cut fraction containing aromatic hydrocarbons and solvents from a stripping zone and passing the side-cut fraction to a rectification zone which can be refluxed with aromatic hydrocarbons or aqueous condensate.

Abstract: Processes are provided for the recovery of aromatic hydrocarbons from feeds comprising mixtures of aromatic and non-aromatic hydrocarbons using a mixed aromatic extraction solvent at extraction temperature of less than 250.degree. F. The mixed extraction solvent is comprised of a solvent component containing low molecular weight polyalkylene glycols and a cosolvent component containing glycol ethers. Extractive distillation and steam distillation operations are employed to separate the hydrocarbon components from the rich solvent extract.

Abstract: A process for the continuous extraction of mixtures of organic substances including high boiling point constituents and/or constituents which do not boil but which melt with at least one solvent in the supercritical state, selected from the group consisting of CO.sub.2, propane, butane, pentane, petroleum ether, water, and having a critical temperature, T.sub.k, and a critical pressure, P.sub.

Abstract: A process for recovering diamondoid compounds from hydrocarbonaceous minerals and/or from deposits left by such minerals in equipment or otherwise, which comprises dissolving diamondoid compounds in an aromatic distillate fuel oil; extracting aromatics from the solution; and separating diamondoid compounds from the raffinate of the extraction.

Abstract: A process for recovering diamondoid compounds from a fluid mixture thereof with other hydrocarbonaceous compounds which comprises contacting said mixture with a porous solid, for example, a zeolite, having pore opening large enough to admit said diamondoid compounds thereinto and small enough so that at least 50% of the external atoms of said diamondoid compounds are capable of simultaneously contacting the internal walls of the pores of said solid under conditions conducive to absorption of diamondoid compounds by said solid; and then desorbing the absorbate comprising diamondoid compounds from said solid absorbant.

Abstract: According to this invention, substantially hydrocarbonaceous fractions comprising diamondoid compounds are peculiarly suitable for separation by a thermal gradient diffusion process. Applicability of this process to this service is dependent upon the fact that the diamondoid compounds exhibit a large change in viscosity relative to temperature, that is, their viscosity goes down significantly per degree of increase in temperature.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for extracting diamondoid compounds from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The process includes two stages, each of which alone is effective to remove diamondoids from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The first stage comprises contacting the diamondoid-laden hydrocarbon gas with a suitable solvent to preferentially dissolve the diamondoids into the solvent. Diesel fuel is the preferred solvent for this first stage. The second stage comprises sorbing diamondoids from the diamonoid-laden hydrocarbon gas with silica gel. The most preferred embodiment of the invention is a serial process in which a diamondoid-laden gas is first treated in the solvation stage and the partially purified gas is further resolved in the silica gel sorption stage. The invention still further includes a process for segregating adamantane and diamantane when both are separated from a hydrocarbon gas stream.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improved more energy efficient process for the separation of aromatic and non-aromatic hydrocarbons from a mixed carbon feed which comprises the following steps:(a) contacting said feed in an extraction zone with an extraction solvent to provide an aromatic-rich solvent phase and a raffinate phase;(b) cooling said aromatic-rich solvent and raffinate phases;(c) introducing said cooled aromatic-rich solvent phase to a separation zone containing aromatic hydrocarbons and a solvent-rich phase containing mixed extraction solvent and water;(d) introducing said cooled raffinate phase to a separation zone in the presence of water as based on the total weight of water and the raffinate phase to provide a raffinate phase containing non-aromatic hydrocarbons and a solvent/water phase;(e) adjusting the water present in the solvent-rich phase of step (c) and the solvent/water phase of step (d);(f) recycling at least or portion the phases in step (e) to step (a);(g) separately contacting the ra

Abstract: The separation of aromatic and nonaromatic containing hydrocarbon feeds is provided by use of an extraction-separation process using extraction solvents.

Abstract: Process for recovering highly pure aromatic substances from mixtures of hydrocarbons which contain in addition to the aromatic substances, large amounts of non-aromatic substances by liquid-liquid extraction in combination with an after arranged extractive distillation whereby the liquid-liquid extraction of the starting hydrocarbon mixture is carried out under such conditions that the resulting extract contains substantially the total amount of the aromatic substances and a portion of the non-aromatic substances, introducing this extract into an after arranged extractive distillation for further separating said extract whereby the sump product (extract phase) formed is drawn off and introduced into an after arranged distillation column where it is separated into an aromatic and a solvent fraction, while the head product of the extractive distillation (raffinate phase) is reintroduced into the bottom of the extractor for liquid-liquid extraction thereof, wherein there is used in both of the extracting stages,

Abstract: A process for the liquid/liquid extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons from organic solvent mixtures containing aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons by the use of certain ethers and esters as extractants is disclosed.