Method and system for reducing the viscosity of crude oil employing engine exhaust gas
OwnerWilliam H. Briggemaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for treating crude oil to improve its flowability includes operating an internal combustion engine to produce exhaust gas, reducing the temperature of the exhaust gas, injecting cooled exhaust gas into a separator in which water is extracted to provide dry exhaust gas, pumping crude oil at an elevated pressure into a treatment vessel, compressing the dry exhaust gas to provide pressurized exhaust gas that is introduced into the treatment vessel and intimately mixing the crude oil and the pressurized exhaust gas in the treatment vessel to provide treated crude oil having a substantial portion of the exhaust gas absorbed therein to thereby provide crude oil having improved flowability.
Claims17
A method of treating crude oil to improve its flowability, comprising:
- (a) operating an internal combustion engine to produce exhaust gas;
- (b) reducing the temperature of the exhaust gas from said engine to provide cooled exhaust gas;
- (c) extracting any entrained water from the cooled exhaust gas to provide dry exhaust gas;
- (d) pumping said crude oil at a preselected elevated pressure into a treatment vessel;
- (e) compressing said dry exhaust gas to a preselected pressure to provide pressurized exhaust gas;
- and
- (f) intimately mixing said crude oil and pressurized exhaust gas under a preselected elevated pressure in said treatment vessel to provide treated crude oil having improved flowability.
A system for treating crude oil to improve its flowability, comprising:
- a hydrocarbon fuel consuming apparatus producing exhaust gas;
- an elongated pressurized treating vessel having a crude oil inlet and a gasified crude oil outlet;
- a reduced diameter centralized injection pipe positioned within said treating vessel connected to receive said exhaust gas and having a plurality of spaced apart small diameter outlet openings therein;
- and
- an auger-shaped fine supported on an exterior surface of said injection pipe, crude oil flowing under pressure into said treating vessel through said crude oil inlet passing in a circuitous route as channeled by said fin past said plurality of small diameter openings in said injection pipe whereby exhaust gas injected under pressure into said injection pipe is intemently mixed with said crude oil within said treating vessel to form gasified crude oil that is discharged through said gasified crude oil outlet.
A system for treating crude oil to improve its flowability comprising:
- a hydrocarbon fuel consuming apparatus having an exhaust from which exhaust gas emanates;
- a cooler through which said exhaust flows by which the temperature thereof is reduced to provide cooled exhaust gas;
- a separator having a cooled gas inlet, a dry gas outlet and a water outlet, the separator serving to extract at least a substantial portion of water contained in said cooled exhaust gas to provide dry exhaust gas;
- a compressor connected to receive said dry exhaust gas and to raise the pressure there to provide pressurized exhaust gas;
- a pump receiving crude oil therein and provide at a discharge opening pressurized crude oil;
- a pressurized treating vessel having a pressurized crude oil inlet, a pressurized exhaust gas inlet and a gasified crude oil outlet and arranged to cause therein intimate mixing of said pressurized crude oil with said pressurized exhaust gas to provide gasified crude oil;
- and
- a separator having a gasified crude oil inlet, an excess gas outlet and a treated crude oil outlet and having a quiescent zone therein permitting excess gas to escape from said gasified crude oil to provide treated crude oil having improved flowability.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.