US 2025/0052706 A1Published application

Methods and assemblies for enhancing control of refining processes using spectroscopic analyzers

AssigneeMarathon Petroleum Company LP

InventorsRoy Roger Bledsoe, JR., Lance T. Campbell, Randy N. Ridge, Brian K. Wilt

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Abstract

Assemblies and methods to enhance a refining process associated with a refining operation may include supplying a material to first processing units associated with the refining operation. The assemblies and methods also may include conditioning unit material samples, and analyzing the samples via one or more spectroscopic analyzers. The assemblies and methods further may include prescriptively controlling, via one or more refinery process controllers, based at least in part on the unit material properties, the refinery processing assembly, so that the prescriptively controlling results in causing the refining process to produce intermediate materials, the unit materials, and/or the downstream materials having properties within selected ranges of target properties, thereby to cause the refining process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A method to enhance control of a refining process associated with a refining operation, during the refining process, the method comprising:

operating one or more first processing units to produce one or more corresponding unit materials, the one or more corresponding unit materials comprising one or more of intermediate materials or unit product materials, and the one or more first processing units comprising a refinery processing unit;
conditioning a unit material sample of the one or more unit materials to one or more of:
filter the unit material sample, change a temperature of the unit material sample, dilute the unit material sample in solvent, or degas the unit material sample;
analyzing the unit material sample via one or more of a first spectroscopic analyzer or a second spectroscopic analyzer to provide unit material sample spectra, one or more of the first spectroscopic analyzer or the second spectroscopic analyzer comprising a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analyzer;
predicting one or more unit material sample properties associated with the unit material sample based at least in part on the unit material sample spectra;
and
prescriptively controlling, during the refining process, via one or more refinery process controllers based at least in part on the one or more unit material sample properties, one or more of:
(i) one or more hydrocarbon feedstock properties associated with a hydrocarbon feedstock supplied to the one or more first processing units;
(ii) one or more intermediates properties associated with the intermediate materials produced by one or more of the first processing units;
(iii) operation of the one or more first processing units;
(iv) one or more unit materials properties associated with the one or more unit materials;
or
(v) operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first processing units,
so that the prescriptively controlling during the refining process causes the refining process to produce one or more of:
(i) one or more intermediate materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more intermediate materials;
(ii) one or more unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more unit materials;
or
(iii) one or more downstream materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more downstream materials,
thereby to cause the refining process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.

16 more elements

A refinery control assembly to enhance a refining process associated with a refining operation, during the refining process, the refinery control assembly comprising:

(i) a first spectroscopic analyzer positioned to:
(a) receive a material sample of a material positioned to be supplied to one or more first processing units associated with the refining operation, the material having one or more material properties and the one or more first processing units comprising a refinery processing unit;
and
(b) analyze the material sample to provide material sample spectra;
(ii) a second spectroscopic analyzer positioned to:
(a) receive a unit material sample of one more unit materials produced by the one or more first processing units, the one or more unit materials comprising one or more of intermediate materials or unit product materials, one or more of the first spectroscopic analyzer or the second spectroscopic analyzer comprising a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analyzer;
and
(b) analyze the unit material sample to provide unit material sample spectra;
(iii) a sample conditioning assembly positioned to condition the unit material sample, prior to being supplied to the second spectroscopic analyzer, to one or more of:
filter the unit material sample, change a temperature of the unit material sample, dilute the unit material sample in solvent, or degas the unit material sample;
and
(iv) a refinery process controller in communication with the first spectroscopic analyzer and the second spectroscopic analyzer, the refinery process controller configured to:
(a) predict one or more unit material sample properties associated with the unit material sample based at least in part on the unit material sample spectra;
and
(b) prescriptively control, during the refining process, based at least in part on the one or more unit material sample properties, one or more of:
(aa) operation of the one or more first processing units;
(bb) one or more intermediates properties associated with the intermediate materials produced by one or more of the first processing units;
(cc) one or more unit materials properties associated with the one or more unit materials;
or
(dd) operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first processing units,
so that the prescriptively controlling during the refining process causes the refining process to produce one or more of:
(aa) one or more intermediate materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more intermediate materials;
(bb) one or more unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more unit materials;
or
(cc) one or more downstream materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more downstream materials,
thereby to cause the refining process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.

23 more elements

A refinery process controller to enhance a refining process associated with a refining operation, the refinery process controller being in communication with one or more spectroscopic analyzers and one or more first processing units, the refinery process controller being configured to:

predict one or more unit material sample properties associated with a unit material sample based at least in part on unit material sample spectra generated by the one or more spectroscopic analyzers, one or more of the one or more spectroscopic analyzers comprising a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analyzer;
and
prescriptively control, during the refining process, based at least in part on the one or more unit material sample properties, one or more of:
(i) one or more hydrocarbon feedstock properties associated with a hydrocarbon feedstock supplied to the one or more first processing units;
(ii) one or more intermediates properties associated with intermediate materials produced by one or more of the first processing units;
(iii) operation of the one or more first processing units;
(iv) one or more unit materials properties associated with the one or more unit materials;
or
(v) operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first processing units,
so that the prescriptively controlling during the refining process causes the refining process to produce one or more of:
(i) one or more intermediate materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more intermediate materials;
(ii) one or more unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more unit materials;
or
(iii) one or more downstream materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more downstream materials,
thereby to cause the refining process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.

12 more elements

A refinery processing assembly for performing a refining process associated with a refining operation, the refinery processing assembly comprising:

(i) one or more first refinery processing units associated with the refining operation;
(ii) a first spectroscopic analyzer positioned to:
(a) receive during the refining process a material sample of a material associated with the refining process, the material having one or more material properties and being supplied to the one or more first refinery processing units;
and
(b) analyze during the refining process the material sample to provide material sample spectra;
(iii) a second spectroscopic analyzer positioned to:
(a) receive during the refining process a unit material sample of one more unit materials produced by the one or more first refinery processing units, the one or more unit materials comprising one or more of intermediate materials or unit product materials, one or more of the first spectroscopic analyzer or the second spectroscopic analyzer comprising a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analyzer;
and
(b) analyze during the refining process the unit material sample to provide unit material sample spectra;
(iv) a sample conditioning assembly positioned to condition the unit material sample, prior to being supplied to the second spectroscopic analyzer, to one or more of filter the unit material sample, change a temperature of the unit material sample, or degas the unit material sample;
and
(v) a refinery process controller in communication with the first spectroscopic analyzer and the second spectroscopic analyzer during the refining process, the refinery process controller configured to:
(a) predict during the refining process one or more material properties associated with the material sample based at least in part on the material sample spectra;
(b) predict during the refining process one or more unit material sample properties associated with the unit material sample based at least in part on the unit material sample spectra;
and
(c) prescriptively control, during the refining process, based at least in part on the one or more material sample properties and the one or more unit material sample properties, one or more of:
(aa) one or more hydrocarbon feedstock properties associated with a hydrocarbon feedstock supplied to the one or more first refinery processing units;
(bb) one or more intermediates properties associated with the intermediate materials produced by one or more of the first refinery processing units;
(cc) operation of the one or more first refinery processing units;
(dd) one or more unit materials properties associated with the one or more unit materials;
or
(ee) operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first refinery processing units,
so that the prescriptively controlling during the refining process causes the refining process to produce one or more of:
(aa) one or more intermediate materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more intermediate materials;
(bb) one or more unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more unit materials;
or
(cc) one or more downstream materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more downstream materials,
thereby to cause the refining process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.

25 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/928,431Filed 28 Oct 2024
Priority: 25 Feb 2021
Published: 13 Feb 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G01N 33/2835
Oils , i.e. hydrocarbon liquids: specific substances contained in the oils or fuels
C10G 7/12
Distillation of hydrocarbon oils: controlling or regulating
G01N 21/35
Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry:…
G01N 21/65
Optically excited: raman scattering

Family

Application63/153,452Us provisional application · filed 25 Feb 2021
Application17/652,431Continuation in part · filed 24 Feb 2022
Application63/268,456Us provisional application · filed 24 Feb 2022
Application63/540,130Us provisional application · filed 25 Sep 2023
Application63/540,554Us provisional application · filed 26 Sep 2023
Application18/890,306Continuation · filed 19 Sep 2024
Application18/928,431Continuation
Application18/890,306Continuation in part
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.