Back to results
US 2006/0219544 A1Published application
Process for producing synthetic oil from solid hydrocarbon resources
OwnerClyde DeVoreinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present development is a multistage process for converting solid hydrocarbon resources into synthetic oil. The process comprises a raw hydrocarbon material treatment stage, followed by a pyrolysis stage, and then a synthetic liquid upgrading stage. Throughout the process, heat is transferred to the hydrocarbon resources via recyclable ceramic spheres.
Claims19
An apparatus for a multistage process for the production of synthetic oil from solid hydrocarbon resources, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a raw solid hydrocarbon preheating stage comprising:
- 1) a storage tank;
- 2) a hot ceramic sphere feeder tube;
- 3) a recycled ceramic sphere feeder tube;
- 4) a raw solid hydrocarbon feeder tube;
- 5) a raw solid hydrocarbon treatment unit that defines a top having a vent and a base and a sidewall, said treatment unit further comprising:
- a) a vibrating dryer bed mounted to the base at a predetermined angle φ and terminating at an exit chute;
- b) a plurality of spray nozzles affixed near the top and directed to spray toward said dryer bed;
- c) a fine mesh screen unit mounted at an angle ρ relative to the sidewall, the screen unit being mounted between said dryer bed and said nozzles and terminating in a feed chute;
- d) a solid baffle mounted between said screen unit and said nozzles;
- and
- e) a collector funnel within said treatment unit positioned between said baffle and said screen unit so as to receive condensate from said baffle, and said funnel exiting through the sidewall with adequate plumbing to feed into said storage tank;
- wherein said storage tank is equipped with adequate plumbing to connect to said nozzles, and said recycled ceramic sphere feeder tube is equipped with adequate plumbing to feed directly to said dryer bed, and said raw hydrocarbon feeder tube is equipped with adequate plumbing to feed directly to said screen unit, and said hot ceramic sphere feeder tube is equipped with adequate plumbing to feed directly to a supplementary feed chute positioned between said dryer bed and said base, and said vent is connected to an exhaust blower that feeds to an end processing unit;
- b. a pyrolysis stage, downstream from said preheating stage, comprising:
- 1) a drop tank;
- 2) a fluidized vibrating separator;
- and
- 3) a pyrolysis unit that defines a top with a vent, a base and a sidewall, said pyrolysis unit further comprising:
- a) a pyrolyzing vibrating tray mounted to said base and positioned to receive a feed material from said raw solid hydrocarbon treatment unit via said exit chute and to receive hot ceramic spheres from said supplementary feed chute;
- b) a plurality of upper spray nozzles affixed near the top and directed to spray toward said vibrating tray;
- c) an upper baffle mounted between said vibrating tray and said upper spray nozzles;
- d) an upper funnel positioned adjacent to the sidewall and situated so as to receive liquid condensates from said upper baffle, and said upper funnel equipped with adequate plumbing to feed directly to said drop tank;
- e) a plurality of lower spray nozzles affixed between said upper baffle and said vibrating tray and directed to spray toward said vibrating tray;
- f) a lower baffle mounted between said vibrating tray and said upper baffle;
- and
- g) a lower funnel positioned adjacent to the sidewall and situated so as to receive liquid condensates from said lower baffle, and said lower funnel equipped with adequate plumbing to feed directly to a processing unit;
- and
- wherein said pyrolyzing vibrating tray exits into said fluidized vibrating separator;
- and
- c. a raw synthetic liquids upgrading stage, downstream from said pyrolysis stage.
27 more elements
A process for the production of synthetic oil from solid hydrocarbon resources, the process comprising:
- a) feeding the solid hydrocarbon into a treatment unit through a feeder tube and onto a fine mesh screen;
- b) preheating the solid hydrocarbon as the hydrocarbon flows along the screen toward a feed chute and creating vaporized volatile materials that flow toward a vent mounted at the top of said treatment unit;
- c) cooling the volatile materials with an oily liquid sprayed from a plurality of nozzles mounted near the top of said treatment unit forming condensates and first residual volatiles, the nozzles being fed from a storage tank;
- d) venting the first residual volatiles through the vent and into an end processing unit, and trapping the condensates with a baffle mounted between the nozzles and the screen that feeds into a collector funnel that is plumbed to the storage tank;
- e) combining the preheated hydrocarbon and the condensates with recycled ceramic spheres from a recycled sphere feeder tube on a vibrating dryer bed;
- f) feeding the preheated hydrocarbon and recycled ceramic spheres into a pyrolysis unit;
- g) heating said solid hydrocarbon resource to a pyrolysis temperature to cause volatile material to vaporize and rise from the pyrolyzing tray;
- h) cooling the volatile material with recycled oil from a drop tank that is sprayed from a plurality of spray nozzles and causing the volatiles to form a first synthetic liquid;
- i) directing said first synthetic liquid into a funnel and then into a processing unit, and allowing any residual volatiles to rise toward the top of said pyrolysis unit;
- 1) cooling the residual material with oil from a synthetic oil storage tank that is sprayed from a plurality of spray nozzles and causing the volatiles to form a second synthetic liquid that is directed into said drop tank and a second residual volatile material mixture;
- k) venting said second volatile materials to a thermal treatment unit;
- 1) feeding residual solid hydrocarbon and said ceramic spheres into a fluidized vibrating separator;
- and
- m) separating said residual solid hydrocarbon from said ceramic spheres, and directing said hydrocarbon to a pneumatic blower conveying system and then to a solids processing unit, and directing said ceramic spheres to a conveying blower and then to a ceramic spheres furnace.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.