# US 9,434,888 B2 · Methods and systems for producing reduced resid and bottomless products from heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,434,888 B2 - Document ID: US9434888B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/459,180 - Filed: 2014-08-13 - Published: 2014-12-04 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2008-03-11 - Assignees: Ivanhoe HTL Petroleum Ltd. - Applicants: Ivanhoe HTL Petroleum Ltd. - Inventors: Robert Graham; Barry Freel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9434888B2 ## CPC - C10G 9/28: with preheated moving solid material - B01D 3/009: {in combination with chemical reactions} - C10G 7/00: Distillation of hydrocarbon oils - C10G 2300/4081: Recycling aspects - C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract The present invention is directed to the upgrading of heavy petroleum oils of high viscosity and low API gravity that are typically not suitable for pipelining without the use of diluents. The method comprises introducing a particulate heat carrier into an up-flow reactor, introducing the feedstock at a location above the entry of the particulate heat carrier, allowing the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to interact with the heat carrier for a short time, separating the vapors of the product stream from the particulate heat carrier and liquid and byproduct solid matter, collecting a gaseous and liquid product mixture comprising a mixture of a light fraction and a heavy fraction from the product stream, and using a vacuum tower to separate the light fraction as a substantially bottomless product and the heavy fraction from the product mixture ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of producing an upgraded product from a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, comprising: a) introducing a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock into a fractionation column that separates a volatile component of the feedstock from a liquid mixture derived from the feedstock, the liquid mixture comprising a light component and a heavy component; b) upgrading the heavy component by a method comprising: i) providing a particulate heat carrier into an upflow reactor; ii) introducing the heavy component into the upflow reactor at least one location above that of the particulate heat carrier so that a loading ratio of the particulate heat carrier to the heavy component is from about 10:1 to about 200:1, wherein the upflow reactor is run at a temperature of from about 300° C. to about 700° C., and iii) allowing the heavy component to interact with the particulate heat carrier with a residence time of less than about 20 seconds, to produce a product mixture comprising a product stream and the particulate heat carrier; c) separating the product stream from the particulate heat carrier; d) obtaining a gaseous product and a liquid product mixture from the product stream, the liquid product mixture comprising a light fraction and a heavy fraction; e) combining the light fraction with the light component to form an upgraded bottomless product. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining uses a vacuum tower. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising converting the heavy fraction into steam. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising recycling a portion of heavy fraction to the upflow reactor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the recycled portion of the heavy fraction is mixed with the particulate heat carrier, wherein the particulate heat carrier is at a temperature at about, or above, that used in the step of upgrading (step b). ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the method further includes mixing the heavy fraction with the particulate heat carrier, wherein the particulate heat carrier of the recycled pyrolysis run is at a temperature at about, or above, that used in the step of upgrading (step b). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the product stream is treated within a hot condenser prior to obtaining the light fraction and the heavy fraction. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is either heavy oil or bitumen. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the upflow reactor run at a temperature in the range from about 450° C. to about 600° C. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the upflow reactor is run at a temperature in the range from about 480° C. to about 550° C. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in the step of introducing (step b)ii)), the loading ratio is from about 20:1 to about 30:1. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the bottomless product contains less than 5% of the heavy fraction present in the liquid product mixture. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the bottomless product contains less than 1% of the heavy fraction present in the liquid product mixture.