Processing diesel fuel from waste oil

A method for refining petroleum based waste oil to diesel fuel and products comprising:

• (i) Dehydrating waste oil to remove free and emulsified water;
• (ii) operating a thermal kettle reactor to obtain a hydrocarbon vapour from thermal pyrolysis of the dehydrated waste oil;
• (iii) operating a hydrocarbon vapour distillation column to condense and distil one or more hydrocarbon fractions including a liquid hydrocarbon within a diesel boiling point range;
• and
• (iv) filtering the liquid hydrocarbon in the diesel boiling point range with an adsorbent material to remove particulates, contaminants, colour bodies, and odour;
• wherein the thermal kettle reactor is operated at temperatures ranging from about 325° C. to about 425° C. and at vacuum pressures ranging from about 0 kPag to about −35 kPag;
• and wherein the thermal kettle reactor is operated so as to reduce coke formation to avoid withdrawing any sludge and/or heavy liquid and/or liquid/solid streams from the bottom of the reactor.

A method for refining petroleum based waste oil to diesel fuel and products comprising:

• (i) Dehydrating waste oil to remove free and emulsified water;
• (ii) operating a thermal kettle reactor to obtain a hydrocarbon vapour from thermal pyrolysis of the dehydrated waste oil;
• (iii) operating a hydrocarbon vapour distillation column to condense and distil one or more hydrocarbon fractions including a liquid hydrocarbon within a diesel boiling point range;
• and
• (iv) filtering the liquid hydrocarbon in the diesel boiling point range with an adsorbent material to remove particulates, contaminants, colour bodies, and odour;
• wherein the thermal kettle reactor is operated at temperatures ranging from about 325° C. to about 425° C. and at vacuum pressures ranging from about 0 kPag to about −35 kPag;
• wherein a rate of continuous in flow of feed of the waste oil relative to the volume of material in the reactor is controlled to cause operating the thermal kettle reactor with an average nominal liquid residence time of about 0.5 hours to about 3.0 hours;
• and wherein the thermal kettle reactor is operated so as to reduce coke formation to avoid withdrawing any sludge and/or heavy liquid and/or liquid/solid streams from the bottom of the reactor.

A method for refining petroleum based waste oil to diesel fuel and products comprising:

• (i) Dehydrating waste oil to remove free and emulsified water;
• (ii) operating a thermal kettle reactor to obtain a hydrocarbon vapour from thermal pyrolysis of the dehydrated waste oil;
• (iii) operating a hydrocarbon vapour distillation column to condense and distil one or more hydrocarbon fractions including a liquid hydrocarbon within a diesel boiling point range;
• and
• (iv) filtering the liquid hydrocarbon in the diesel boiling point range with an adsorbent material to remove particulates, contaminants, colour bodies, and odour;
• wherein the thermal kettle reactor is operated at temperatures ranging from about 325° C. to about 425° C. and at vacuum pressures ranging from about 0 kPag to about −35 kPag;
• wherein a rate of continuous in flow of feed of the waste oil relative to the volume of material in the reactor is controlled to cause operating the thermal kettle reactor with an average nominal liquid residence time of about 0.5 hours to about 3.0 hours;
• wherein the thermal kettle reactor is heated by an exterior heating system which includes a heat deflector which acts to disperse heat evenly around the thermal kettle reactor and to control heat intensity to a bottom of the thermal kettle reactor.

A method for refining petroleum based waste oil to diesel fuel and products comprising:

• (i) Dehydrating waste oil to remove free and emulsified water;
• (ii) operating a thermal kettle reactor to obtain a hydrocarbon vapour from thermal pyrolysis of the dehydrated waste oil;
• (iii) operating a hydrocarbon vapour distillation column to condense and distil one or more hydrocarbon fractions including a liquid hydrocarbon within a diesel boiling point range;
• and
• (iv) filtering the liquid hydrocarbon in the diesel boiling point range with an adsorbent material to remove particulates, contaminants, colour bodies, and odour;
• wherein the thermal kettle reactor is heated by an exterior heating system;
• wherein the exterior heating system includes an exterior shell surrounding the thermal kettle reactor and at least one burner located at a bottom of the exterior shell;
• wherein the exterior heating system includes a heat deflector plate mounted in said shell above said at least one burner which acts to disperse heat evenly around the thermal kettle reactor and to control heat intensity to a bottom of the thermal kettle reactor.