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US 2019/0031963 A1Published application
Integrated system for bitumen partial upgrading
AssigneePraxair Technology, Inc.
InventorsVasilis Papavassiliou, Gregory J. Panuccio
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to decreasing the amount of diluent needed to convert a heavy oil to a bitumen product that can be transported by pipeline. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for partially upgrading heavy oil into a lower viscosity bitumen product.
Claims8
An integrated system for partially upgrading a hydrocarbon containing heavy oil into a hydrocarbon product, comprising:
- (a) an oxyfuel combustion process carried out in a thermal nozzle producing a hot gas that atomizes a hydrocarbon containing heavy oil and induces upgrading reactions to produce a reactor effluent containing a partially upgraded oil;
- (b) cooling the reactor effluent;
- and
- (c) separating the reactor effluent into a substantially water free partially upgraded hydrocarbon oil product, a water liquid fraction and a gas fraction.
1 more element
An integrated system for partially upgrading a hydrocarbon containing heavy oil into a hydrocarbon product, comprising:
- (a) a reactor with a thermal nozzle operating an oxyfuel combustion process producing a hot gas that atomizes a hydrocarbon containing heavy oil and induces upgrading reactions to produce a reactor effluent containing a partially upgraded oil;
- (b) a heat recovery/process boiler for receiving and cooling the partially upgraded reactor effluent producing steam;
- (c) a flash drum for receiving and separating the reactor effluent into a lighter hydrocarbon and cracked combustion gases portion which is removed overhead from the top of the flash drum, and a flash drum bottom portion of heavier oil hydrocarbons;
- (d) at least one heat exchanger to cool the product from the top portion of the flush drum;
- and
- (e) a treater to receive the cooled flash drum portion and separate it into a gas fraction, a water fraction and a light hydrocarbon liquid fraction and
- (f) combining the flash drum bottom portion from step (c) with the light hydrocarbon liquid fraction from step (e) to form a partially upgraded oil product.
4 more elements
An integrated system for partially upgrading a hydrocarbon containing heavy oil into a hydrocarbon product, comprising:
- (a) a free water knock out drum receiving a hydrocarbon containing heavy oil and removing substantially all the freely associated water therefrom;
- (b) one or more oil treaters receiving the effluent from the free water knock out drum wherein the remainder of the water is removed;
- (c) a reactor with a thermal nozzle operating an oxyfuel combustion process for receiving and atomizing the hydrocarbon effluent from the oil treater into a partially upgraded reactor effluent;
- (d) a process boiler for receiving and cooling the partially upgraded reactor effluent;
- (e) a flash drum for receiving the partially upgraded reactor effluent from step (d) and separating the partially upgraded reactor effluent into a lighter hydrocarbon and cracked combustion gases which are removed overhead from a top portion of the flash drum, and a flash drum bottom portion of a partially upgraded hydrocarbon;
- and
- (f) combining the flash drum bottom portion from step (c) with the light hydrocarbon liquid fraction from step (e) to form a partially upgraded oil product.
4 more elements
An integrated system for partially upgrading dilbit, comprising:
- (a) heating dilbit to about 200 C to evaporate diluent and produce a partially evaporated dilbit stream
- (b) a first flash drum to separate the partially evaporated dilbit stream into a light hydrocarbon diluent fraction that is removed from the top and a heavy hydrocarbon fraction that is removed from the bottom
- (c) a reactor with a thermal nozzle operating an oxyfuel combustion process for receiving and atomizing the hydrocarbon effluent from the flash drum bottom into a partially upgraded reactor effluent;
- (d) a process boiler for receiving and cooling the partially upgraded reactor effluent;
- (e) a second flash drum for receiving the partially upgraded reactor effluent from step (d) and separating the partially upgraded reactor effluent into a lighter hydrocarbon and cracked combustion gases which are removed overhead from a top portion of the flash drum, and a flash drum bottom portion of a partially upgraded hydrocarbon;
- (f) at least one heat exchanger to cool the product from the top portion of the second flush drum;
- (g) a treater to receive the cooled flash drum portion and separate it into a gas fraction, a water fraction and a light hydrocarbon liquid fraction;
- and
- (h) combining the flash drum bottom portion from step (e) with the light hydrocarbon liquid fraction from step (g) to form a partially upgraded oil product.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.