Hybrid thermal process to separate and transform contaminated or uncontaminated hydrocarbon materials into useful products, uses of the process, manufacturing of the corresponding system and plant

Abstract

Process for reclaiming useful products from a waste oil, comprising a thermal separation step performed in a vessel at conditions, of temperature and pressure, allowing to substantially avoid cracking of the waste oil and to assure the separation of said heated waste oil into a first heavy oil fraction and into a second light oil fraction having, in comparison with the waste oil, a low content in solids and/or in other contaminants that are different from water and from inert gas. The process is further characterized in that while, during the thermal separation treatment, the waste oil is heated to a temperature about the boiling temperature of the heavy oil fraction, and below the cracking temperature of the waste oil, and at a pressure that is preferably below the atmospheric pressure, the heavy oil fraction of the vapours existing the vessel, in contact with a cooler surface, condenses and falls back into the vessel, while the second fraction, in a gaseous state, is eventually submitted to at least one further separation treatment. When water is present in the waste oil, said water is used to improve the amount of recovered light oils; and/or when no water is present in the waste oil, water or at least one inert gas or at least one component that may become an inert gas by heating may be added to the waste oil or to the thermal separation unit. Uses of the process for environmental applications and for treating used oils and to prepare oil products. Systems for reclaiming useful products from waste oils comprising at least one rotating kiln and at least one self-refluxing condenser and/or at least one dephlegmator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.