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US 11,725,151 B2Granted
Systems and methods for enhanced inorganic contaminant removal from hydrocarbon feedstock
AssigneeMarathon Petroleum Company LP
InventorMark D. Cox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods to enhance the removal of inorganic contaminants, including metals, from hydrocarbon feedstocks at a refinery. One or more embodiments of such systems and methods may be used to provide a renewable hydrocarbon feedstock having a reduced amount of metal contaminants. The reduction of metal contaminants in the renewable hydrocarbon feedstock mitigates catalyst fouling and/or deactivation during downstream refinery processing of the renewable hydrocarbon feedstock.
Claims27
A process for reducing contaminants in renewable hydrocarbon feedstocks at a refinery, the process comprising:
- passing deionized water through an aerator, thereby to increase a concentration of dissolved oxygen in the deionized water;
- mixing the deionized water with a renewable feedstock having hydrocarbon compounds and inorganic contaminants, thereby to create a deionized water and renewable feedstock mixture;
- reacting the deionized water and renewable feedstock mixture at a temperature, pressure and non-laminar flow so as to inhibit rearrangement reactions of the renewable feedstock hydrocarbon compounds;
- maintaining the temperature, pressure and non-laminar flow for a first interval of time so as to transfer at least a portion of the inorganic contaminants of the renewable feedstock into the deionized water;
- after the first time interval, and for a second time interval, separating the deionized water containing the inorganic contaminants from the renewable feedstock, thereby to create contaminant-rich water and a reduced-contaminant renewable feedstock;
- and
- after the second time interval, passing the reduced-contaminant renewable feedstock to a downstream refinery process.
4 more elements
A process for reducing contaminants in renewable hydrocarbon feedstocks at a refinery, the process comprising:
- generating deionized water;
- aerating the deionized water in an aerating unit, thereby to generate an aerated, deionized water;
- injecting the aerated, deionized water into a renewable feedstock stream at a refinery, thereby to create a mixture of aerated, deionized water and renewable feedstock;
- passing the mixture into a reactor at a pre-selected temperature, pressure and non-laminar flow;
- maintaining the temperature, pressure and non-laminar flow of the reactor for a first interval of time, thereby to transfer at least a portion of inorganic contaminants of the renewable feedstock into the aerated, deionized water;
- after the first time interval, passing the mixture to a separation unit of the refinery;
- separating the aerated, deionized water containing the inorganic contaminants from the renewable feedstock in the separation unit so as to create contaminant-rich water and a reduced-contaminant renewable feedstock for a second time interval;
- and
- after the second time interval, passing the reduced-contaminant renewable feedstock to a downstream refinery process.
6 more elements
A refinery system for reducing contaminants in renewable hydrocarbon feedstocks, the system comprising:
- a source of a renewable feedstock having hydrocarbons compounds and inorganic contaminants;
- a source of water;
- a deionized water generator in fluid communication with the source of water, the deionized water generator operating to generate a stream of deionized water having a conductivity less than a selected threshold;
- a mixer in fluid communication with the source of renewable feedstock and in fluid communication with the deionized water stream, the mixer configured to receive the deionized water stream and renewable feedstock stream so as to create a mixture of deionized water and renewable feedstock;
- an aeration unit configured to aerate at least one of the water from the water source or the deionized water from deionized water stream prior to being received by the mixer;
- a cleaning unit, positioned at a refinery, in fluid communication with the mixer to receive the mixture, the cleaning unit configured to transfer inorganic contaminants contained in the renewable feedstock into the deionized water during a first time interval;
- an oil-water separator, at the refinery and in fluid communication with the cleaning unit, the oil-water separator receiving the mixture from the cleaning unit and providing a residence time to separate the renewable feedstock from the deionized water containing the inorganic contaminants, thereby to generate a reduced-contaminant renewable feedstock to be provided to a refinery process unit.
4 more elements
A process for reducing contaminants in renewable hydrocarbon feedstocks at a refinery, the process comprising:
- mixing deionized water with a renewable feedstock having hydrocarbon compounds and inorganic contaminants, thereby to create a deionized water and renewable feedstock mixture, the deionized water having a conductivity less than a selected threshold;
- reacting the deionized water and renewable feedstock mixture in a reactor at a temperature, pressure and non-laminar flow;
- maintaining the temperature, pressure and non-laminar flow of the reactor for a first interval of time, thereby to transfer at least a portion of the inorganic contaminants of the renewable feedstock into the deionized water;
- after the first time interval, and for a second time interval, separating the deionized water containing the inorganic contaminants from the renewable feedstock, thereby to create contaminant-rich water and a reduced-contaminant renewable feedstock;
- and
- after the second time interval, passing the reduced-contaminant renewable feedstock to a refinery process.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.