Process of drying and heating oil-containing solids
AssigneeMetallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsRoland Rammler, Hans J. Weiss, Ingo Dreher, Jorg Schmalfeld, Karl-Heinz Bietz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Oil-containing solids are dried and heated by contacting them in a drying zone with superheated steam admitted to the zone at a temperature in excess of 200.degree. C. The heated solids may be distilled to remove hydrocarbons therefrom and the resulting proceduce and/or combustion products of the distillation or other combustion products are used to heat a mixed vapor remainder, after separation of said carbon from the vapors formed during the drying, to the temperature of 1200.degree. C. for recirculation to the drying zone.
Claims10
A process for recovering hydrocarbons from a flowable oil-containing solid consisting essentially of tar sand, oil sand or diatomaceous earth, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) directly contacting said solid in a drying zone with superheated steam fed to said zone at a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. to produce dried and heated solids at a temperature of 50.degree. C. to 250.degree. C. and a mixed vapor phase;
- (b) separately withdrawing said dried and heated solids and said mixed vapor phase from said drying zone;
- (c) separating a portion of said mixed vapor phase from a remainder of said mixed vapor phase;
- (d) heating, at least in part by indirect heat exchange with a hot flue gas, said remainder of said mixed vapor phase to a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. and recycling the thus-heated remainder of said mixed vapor phase substantially free from solids to said drying zone of step (a) as said superheated steam thereof;
- (e) cooling said portion of said mixed vapor phase separated in step (c) in a cooling zone to produce a hydrocarbon-containing aqueous condensate and leaving a small amount of permanent gas;
- (f) recovering liquid hydrocarbons from the condensate produced in step (e) in a separation zone;
- and
- (g) heating said dried and heated solids produced in step (a) to a temperature of 400.degree. C. to 600.degree. C. to distill off a gaseous and vaporous product which is condensed to form a hydrocarbon product, and to form a fine-grain solid residue containing carbon.
A process for recovering hydrocarbons from a flowable oil-containing solid consisting essentially of tar sand, oil sand or diatomaceous earth, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) directly contacting said solid in a drying zone with superheated steam fed to said zone at a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. produce dried and heated solids at a temperature of 50.degree. C. to 250.degree. C. and a mixed vapor phase;
- (b) separately withdrawing said dried and heated solids and said mixed vapor phase from said drying zone;
- (c) separating a portion of said mixed vapor phase from a remainder of said mixed vapor phase;
- (d) heating, at least in part by indirect heat exchange with a fine-grain solid residue having a temperature of 500.degree. C. to 900.degree. C., said remainder of said mixed vapor phase to a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. and recycling the thus-heated remainder of said mixed vapor phase substantially free from solids to said drying zone of step (a) as said superheated steam thereof;
- (e) cooling said portion of said mixed vapor phase separated in step (c) in a cooling zone to produce a hydrocarbon-containing aqueous condensate and leaving a small amount of permanent gas;
- (f) recovering liquid hydrocarbons from the condensate produced in step (e) in a separation zone;
- and
- (g) heating said dried and heated solids produced in step (a) to a temperature of 400.degree. C. to 600.degree. C. to distill off a gaseous and vaporous product which is condensed to form a hydrocarbon product, and to form a fine-grain solid residue containing carbon.
A process for recovering hydrocarbons from a flowable oil-containing solid consisting essentially of tar sand, oil sand or diatomaceous earth, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) directly contacting said solid in a drying zone with superheated steam fed to said zone at a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. to produce dried and heated solids at a temperature of 50.degree. C. to 250.degree. C. and a mixed vapor phase;
- (b) separately withdrawing said dried and heated solids and said mixed vapor phase from said drying zone;
- (c) separating a portion of said mixed vapor phase from a remainder of said mixed vapor phase;
- (d) heating at least in part by direct contact with a fine-grain solid residue having a temperature of 500.degree. C. to 900.degree. C., said remainder of said mixed vapor phase to a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. and recycling the thus-heated remainder of said mixed vapor phase substantially free solids to said drying zone of step (a) as said superheated steam thereof;
- (e) cooling said portion of said mixed vapor phase separated in step (c) in a cooling zone to produce a hydrocarbon-containing aqueous condensate and leaving a small amount of permanent gas;
- (f) recovering liquid hydrocarbons from the condensate produced in step (e) in a separation zone;
- and
- (g) heating said dried and heated solids produced in step (a) to a temperature of 400.degree. C. to distill off a gaseous and vaporous product which is condensed to form a hydrocarbon product, and to form a fine-grain solid residue containing carbon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.