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US 7,252,755 B2Granted
Viscosity modification of heavy hydrocarbons
AssigneeMarathon Ashland Petroleum LLC
InventorsMelvin D. Kiser, David C. Boyer
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Abstract
A low-viscosity, high-softening point heavy hydrocarbon material having a viscosity-reducing amount of at least one biodiesel material dissolved in a heavy hydrocarbon, and a method for producing such low-viscosity, high-softening point heavy hydrocarbon material are disclosed.
Claims28
A method of reducing the viscosity of heavy hydrocarbon material comprising:
- heating the heavy hydrocarbon material to produce a molten material;
- and
- dissolving, in the molten material a viscosity-reducing amount of at least one biodiesel material.
Low viscosity, high softening point heavy hydrocarbon material comprising:
- at least one heavy hydrocarbon material having a relatively high softening point and a relatively high viscosity, and
- at least one viscosity reducing amount of at lease one biodiesel material dissolved in the heavy hydrocarbon material.
A method of reducing an amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a starter pitch comprising
- (i) a distillable pitch fraction, and
- (ii) a higher boiling, nondistillable, pitch fraction having a reduced regulated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon level and an unacceptably high viscosity and/or softening point,
- the method comprising:
- (a) distilling from the starter pitch fraction having a reduced regulated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pitch fraction to produce a pitch fraction with an unacceptably high molten viscosity;
- and
- (b) reducing the viscosity of the high viscosity pitch fraction by dissolving therein a viscosity reducing amount of at least one biodiesel material to produce as a product a pitch producing having an acceptable molten viscosity and reduced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.