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US 11,550,273 B2Granted
Systems and methods for holistic low carbon intensity fuel production
AssigneeMarathon Petroleum Company LP
InventorsDavid Whikehart, Gregory Herold
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods to provide low carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuels through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions based upon an analysis of carbon emissions associated with a combination of various options for feedstock procurement, feedstock refining, processing, or transformation, and fuel product distribution pathways to end users. Such options are selected to maintain the total CI (carbon emissions per unit energy) of the transportation fuel below a pre-selected threshold that defines an upper limit of CI for the transportation fuel.
Claims20
A process to provide a low carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuel obtained through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions associated with a combination of various feedstock procurement, feedstock transportation, feedstock refining and fuel product distribution pathways, the process comprising:
- selecting a carbon intensity threshold to define an upper limit for carbon intensity of a transportation fuel to be provided to an end user location that qualifies the transportation fuel as a low carbon intensity transportation fuel;
- selecting a refinery feedstock that is procured at a source for transport, the refinery feedstock being selected to reduce carbon emissions associated therewith and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
- selecting a transportation mode to transport the refinery feedstock from the source to a refinery, the transportation mode being selected to reduce carbon emissions associated therewith and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
- selecting refinery processes to reduce carbon emissions associated with refining the refinery feedstock to a plurality of refined products and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
- refining the refinery feedstock into one or more of the plurality of refined products, the plurality of refined products including gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel;
- selecting a distribution mode to transport a quantity of one of the plurality of refined products as the transportation fuel from a refined products location of one or more storage tanks associated with the one of the plurality of refined products to the end user location, the distribution mode being selected to reduce carbon emissions associated therewith and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
- determining the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel as a function of carbon emissions per unit energy associated with procuring the selected refinery feedstock at the source, carbon emissions per unit energy associated with transporting the refinery feedstock from the source to the refinery by use of the selected transportation mode, carbon emissions per unit energy associated with refining the refinery feedstock into the one or more of the plurality of refined products, and carbon emissions per unit energy associated with transporting the quantity of one of the plurality of refined products as the transportation fuel to the end user location by use of the selected distribution mode;
- verifying that the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel remains below the carbon intensity threshold for the transportation fuel to be provided to the end user location;
- maintaining a record that is associated with the transportation fuel to be provided to the end user location, the record detailing the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel;
- and
- outputting the transportation fuel through the selected distribution mode as low carbon intensity transportation fuel.
8 more elements
A fuel integration controller to operate a transportation fuel refinery for distribution of a low carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuel therefrom and obtained through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions (CE) associated with various available feedstock to be supplied to a refinery, various selected feedstock transportation and fuel product distribution pathways, and various refinery processes, the fuel integration controller comprising:
- a first input/output in signal communication with a procurement computing device, such that the fuel integration controller is configured to:
- (a) determine a selection of one or more available feedstock, a selection of one or more feedstock transportation pathways, a selection of one or more refinery processes, a selection of one or more utilities, and a selection of one or more fuel product transportation pathways, each selection based on:
- (1) a determination of feedstock carbon intensity (CI) of one or more blends of the one or more available feedstock based on volume and type of feedstock,
- (2) a determination of feedstock transportation CI of one or more feedstock transportation pathways based on delivery distance and fuel type of the feedstock transportation pathway,
- (3) a determination of refinery process CI of one or more refinery processes based on the type of refinery process, a volume and type of feedstock, and the length of time of the refinery process,
- (4) a determination of utility CI of one or more utilities based on the type of utility utilized to operate the one or more refinery processes and a distance the one or more utilities travel to the refinery,
- (5) a determination of fuel product distribution CI of one or more fuel product distribution pathways based on delivery distance and fuel type of a fuel product distribution pathway, and
- (6) a determination of one or more total CIs less than the threshold CI, the total CIs based on varying combinations of the determinations of CI,
- (b) in response to the selection of the one or more available feedstock, the selection of one or more feedstock transportation pathways, the selection of one or more refinery processes, the selection of one or more utilities, and the selection of one or more fuel product distribution pathways:
- (1) transmit a feedstock request to the procurement computing device, the feedstock request including the selection of the one or more available feedstock and the selection of the one or more feedstock transportation pathways;
- a second input/output in signal communication with a refinery controller, the refinery controller to control one or more various refinery processes to be operated at the refinery, such that the fuel integration controller is configured to:
- (a) in response to a determined reception of the selected one or more available feedstock at the refinery:
- (1) determine actual feedstock CI and actual feedstock transportation CI,
- (2) in response to a determination that the actual feedstock CI and actual feedstock transportation CI has increased in relation to the determined feedstock CI and determined feedstock transportation CI, determine one or more of a new selection of one or more refinery processes, a new selection of one or more utilities, and a new selection of one or more fuel product distribution pathways to maintain total CI, and
- (3) initiate, at the refinery controller, the selected one or more refinery processes and the selected one or more utilities to operate the selected one or more refinery processes thereby to transform the selected one or more available feedstock to a refined transportation fuel;
- and
- a third input/output in signal communication with a distribution computing device such that the fuel integration controller is configured to:
- (a) in response to determination of completion of the selected one or more refinery processes:
- (1) determine an actual refinery process CI and an actual utility CI,
- (2) in response to a determination that the actual refinery process CI and actual utility CI has increased in relation to the determined refinery process CI and determined utility CI, determine one or more new selections of one or more fuel product distribution pathways, and
- (3) transmit a delivery request of the refined transportation fuel via the selection of the one or more fuel product distribution pathways to the distribution computing device.
18 more elements
A method to operate a transportation fuel refinery for distribution of a low carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuel therefrom and obtained through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions (CE) associated with combinations of various available feedstock to be supplied to the refinery, various selected feedstock transportation and fuel product distribution pathways, and various refinery processes, the method comprising:
- in response to a reception of a selected threshold CI for a transportation fuel production:
- (a) determining, via one or more processors of a fuel integration controller positioned to control refinery operations, one or more feedstock CIs based on one or more available feedstock from one or more available feedstock sources to be supplied to the refinery from one or more selected feedstock transportation pathways,
- (b) determining, via the one or more processors, one or more feedstock transportation CIs based on the one or more selected feedstock transportation pathways to transport the one or more feedstock to the refinery,
- (c) determining, via the one or more processors, one or more refinery process CIs based on one or more available refinery processes available at the refinery,
- (d) determining, via the one or more processors, one or more utility CIs based on one or more available utilities available from one or more utility sources and to operate the refinery,
- (e) determining, via the one or more processors, one or more fuel product distribution CIs based on one or more selected fuel product distribution pathways,
- (f) determining, via the one or more processors, for the transportation fuel production, a total CI less than or equal to the threshold CI based on a combination of the CIs of the various available feedstock to be supplied to the refinery from the feedstock source, various selected feedstock transportation and fuel product distribution pathways, various refinery processes, and various utilities to operate the various refinery processes,
- (g) initiating at the refinery, via the one or more processors, a selected one or more refinery processes via the selected one or more utilities determined such that the total CI is less than or equal to the threshold CI,
- (h) refining a selected one or more of the various available feedstock from the feedstock sources received at the refinery thereby to transform the selected one or more available feedstock to the refined transportation fuel, and
- (i) determining actual CI of the refined transportation fuel as an output from the refinery to be supplied to one or more various selected fuel product distribution pathways.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.