System and process for upgrading heavy hydrocarbons

A system, for upgrading heavy oils, comprising:

• one or more reactor vessels including at least an inlet nozzle for introduction of materials for processing and plasma gas into a first carbonaceous bed portion contained in a lower portion of one vessel, the inlet nozzle having a mixing chamber connected with supplies of heavy oils and steam, wherein the nozzle mixing chamber has a volume for receiving and mixing the heavy oils and steam from the supplies with the plasma gas prior to introduction into the carbonaceous bed;
• the first carbonaceous bed portion and the inlet nozzle with its supplies being arranged to promote reaction of the heavy oils and steam to form initial reaction products including lighter oil fractions along with elemental carbon, carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas with further reaction of the elemental carbon and steam to form additional carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas;
• the one or more reactor vessels having an additional inlet into a second carbonaceous bed portion that is either directly above the first carbonaceous bed portion of the one vessel or is a separate carbonaceous bed in a second reactor vessel arranged to receive a flow of the initial reaction products, the additional inlet being connected with supplies of additional heavy oils and steam;
• the second carbonaceous bed portion and the additional inlet with its supplies being arranged to promote reaction of carbon monoxide from the initial reaction products with steam to form carbon dioxide and elemental hydrogen free radicals that react with heavy oils to form additional lighter oil fractions;
• an exit port for outlet of lighter oil fractions and carbon dioxide.

A system for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon compounds to produce relatively lighter hydrocarbon compounds comprising:

• a plasma reactor vessel with a first carbonaceous bed portion near the bottom of the reactor vessel and one or more plasma torch nozzles directed to the carbonaceous bed through a lateral wall of the reactor vessel;
• means for supplying a working material for reactions within the plasma reactor vessel where the working material includes heavy oil with CH molecules having at least about 20 C atoms and a ratio of H atoms to C atoms in a range of from about 1 up to less than 2, and the working material also includes a quantity of H2O;
• said means for supplying a working material includes, at least in part, one or more inlets to a location in at least one of the plasma torch nozzles of the plasma reactor vessel or into the plasma reactor vessel near to at least one of the plasma torch nozzles so a combination of plasma and working material enters into the first portion of the carbonaceous bed;
• the one or more plasma torch nozzles of the plasma reactor vessel have torch gas and electrical power supplies arranged with each plasma torch nozzle sufficient to establish conditions, including an elevated temperature, in the first carbonaceous bed portion for forming lighter oil fractions, plus CO and H2 gases, from the working material, along with excess elemental carbon that reacts further with H2O in the working material to produce additional CO and H2 gases;
• the plasma reactor vessel has a substantially vertical orientation with a freeboard region above the carbonaceous bed to which lighter oil fractions and gas reaction products formed in the first carbonaceous bed portion rise due to the elevated temperature of the bed;
• a second carbonaceous bed portion arranged to receive the lighter oil fractions and gas reaction products from the first carbonaceous bed portion at a location either above the first carbonaceous bed portion in the same reactor vessel or in a second reactor vessel;
• the means for supplying the working material includes one or more additional inlets for supplying additional working material to the second carbonaceous bed portion whereby the additional working material reacts with the second carbonaceous bed portion and gas reaction products from the first carbonaceous bed portion to produce additional lighter oil fractions and gas reaction products;
• and,
• a reactor exit port for the lighter oil fractions and gas reaction products from the second portion of the carbonaceous bed.