Purification of hydrocarbonaceous fractions
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorsRichard A. Alexander, Charles E. Knight, Darrell D. Whitehurst
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for recovering diamondoid compounds from hydrocarbonaceous minerals and/or from deposits left by such minerals in equipment or otherwise, which comprises dissolving diamondoid compounds in an aromatic distillate fuel oil; extracting aromatics from the solution; and separating diamondoid compounds from the raffinate of the extraction.
Claims18
A process for concentrating diamondoid compounds in a substantially hydrocarbon solution thereof containing aromatic fractions which comprises extracting said solution with an aromatics selective solvent to produce at least a diamondoid rich raffinate and an aromatics rich extract;
- and recovering diamondoid compounds from said diamondoid rich raffinate.
A process comprising contacting a substantially hydrocarbonaceous mineral containing diamondoid compounds with an aromatic rich distillate fuel oil, whereby transporting diamondoid compounds from said mineral to said oil;
- extracting said oil/diamondoid fraction with an aromatics selective solvent under conditions adapted to form an aromatics rich extract and a diamondoid compound rich raffinate;
- and separating diamondoid compounds from said raffinate.
A process for extracting diamondoid compounds from a gas stream comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a gas stream containing a recoverable concentration or diamondoid compounds;
- (b) mixing said gas stream containing diamondoid compounds with a solvent in which diamondoid compounds are at least partially soluble;
- (c) controlling the conditions including temperature and pressure of said mixture of step (b) above to maintain at least a portion of said mixture in the liquid phase;
- (d) separating said mixture under the controlled conditions of step (c), above into a vapor stream and a diamondoid-enriched solvent stream;
- and
- (e) recovering diamondoid compounds from said diamondoid-enriched solvent stream by extracting said diamondoid-enriched solvent stream with an aromatics selective solvent to produce at least a diamondoid rich raffinate and an aromatics rich extract;
- and recovering diamondoid compounds from said diamondoid rich raffinate.
A process for extracting diamondoid compounds from a diamondoid-containing gas stream comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a gas stream containing a recoverable concentration of diamondoid compounds;
- (b) contacting said diamondoid-containing gas stream with silica gel in a sorption zone for a period of time sufficient for said silica gel to sorb at least a poriton of said diamondoid compounds from said hydrocarbon gas;
- (c) regenerating said silica gel by contacting said silica gel with a regeneration fluid in which diamondoid compounds are at least partially soluble to desorb diamondoid compounds from said silica gel;
- (d) separating said regeneration fluid into a regeneration gas stream and a regeneration liquid stream;
- and
- (e) concentrating diamondoid compounds in said regeneration liquid stream by a method which comprises extracting said regeneration liquid stream with an aromatics selective solvent to produce at least a diamondoid rich raffinate and an aromatics rich extract;
- and recovering diamondoid compounds from said diamondoid rich raffinate.
A process for extracting diamondoid compounds from a diamondoid-containing gas stream comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a gas stream containing a recoverable concentration of diamondoid compounds;
- (b) mixing said gas stream containing diamondoid compounds with a solvent in which diamondoid compounds are at least partially soluble;
- (c) controlling the conditions including temperature and pressure of said mixture of step (b) above to maintain at least a portion of said mixture in the liquid phase;
- (d) separating said mixture under the controlled conditions of step (c), above into a partially purified gas stream and a diamondoid-enriched solvent stream;
- (e) recovering diamondoid compounds from said diamondoid-enriched aromatic distillate stream by extracting said diamondoid-enriched aromatic distillate stream with an aromatics selective solvent to produce at least a diamondoid rich raffinate and an aromatics rich extract;
- and recovering diamondoid compounds from said diamondoid rich raffinate;
- (f) contacting said partially purified gas stream with silica gel in a first sorption zone for a period of time sufficient for said silica gel to sorb at least a poriton of said diamondoid compounds from said hydrocarbon gas;
- (g) recovering diamondoid compounds from silica gel in a second sorption zone by contacting said silica gel with a regeneration fluid in which diamondoid compounds are at least partially soluble to desorb diamondoid compounds from said silica gel;
- (h) separating said regeneration fluid into a regeneration gas stream and a regeneration liquid stream;
- and
- (i) concentrating diamondoid compounds in said regeneration liquid stream by a method which comprises extracting said regeneration liquid stream with an aromatics selective solvent to produce at least a diamondoid rich raffinate and an aromatics rich extract;
- and recovering diamondoid compounds from said diamondoid rich raffinate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.