Systems and methods for enhanced inorganic contaminant removal from hydrocarbon feedstock

A process to reduce contaminants in renewable hydrocarbon feedstocks, 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, the renewable feedstock includes one or more of plant oils, algal and microbial oils, waste vegetable oils, yellow and brown grease, tallow, soap stock, pyrolysis oils from plastic or cellulose;
• 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;
• 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 process.

A refinery system to reduce contaminants in renewable hydrocarbon feedstocks, the system comprising:

• a source of a renewable feedstock having hydrocarbons compounds and inorganic contaminants, the renewable feedstock includes (a) one or more of plant oils, algal and microbial oils, waste vegetable oils, yellow and brown grease, tallow, soap stock, pyrolysis oils from plastic or cellulose, and (b) petroleum fractions;
• 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 and mix the deionized water stream and renewable feedstock stream so as to create a mixture of deionized water and renewable feedstock;
• 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 so as to provide 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.

A process to reduce 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, the renewable feedstock includes (a) one or more of plant oils, algal and microbial oils, waste vegetable oils, yellow and brown grease, tallow, soap stock, pyrolysis oils from plastic or cellulose, and (b) petroleum fractions;
• 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 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.