Process for cracking of liquid hydrocarbon materials by pulsed electrical discharge and device for its implementation
AssigneeLteoil LLC
InventorYury Novoselov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A carrier gas jet is injected into a liquid hydrocarbon material to form a liquid hydrocarbon-gas mixture; flowing the liquid hydrocarbon-gas material through an inter-electrode gap of a discharge chamber, the inter-electrode gap defined by a spaced pair of electrodes, the electrodes being connected to a capacitor; charging the capacitor to a breakdown voltage of the carrier gas; generating a spark discharge in the inter-electrode gap; and recovering a hydrocarbon fraction that includes lower molecular weight hydrocarbons than the liquid hydrocarbon material.
Claims22
A process comprising:
- introducing a liquid hydrocarbon material into an inlet of a discharge chamber;
- flowing the liquid hydrocarbon material through an inter-electrode gap within the discharge chamber, the inter-electrode gap defined by a spaced apart solid, non-cannulated positive electrode and a cannulated negative electrode, both the positive and negative electrodes being connected to a storage capacitor;
- injecting in the inter-electrode gap a carrier gas into the liquid hydrocarbon material to form a liquid hydrocarbon-gas mixture;
- charging the storage capacitor to a breakdown voltage of the carrier gas;
- generating a spark discharge in the inter-electrode gap;
- and
- recovering a hydrocarbon fraction comprising lower molecular weight hydrocarbons than the liquid hydrocarbon material;
- and
- outputting the hydrocarbon fraction from an outlet of the discharge chamber,
- wherein the negative electrode comprises a wall defining an open passage from a first end of the negative electrode to a second end of the negative electrode, the second end being distal from the first end;
- and the carrier gas is injected into the liquid hydrocarbon material through the open passage of the negative electrode.
An apparatus for cracking a liquid hydrocarbon material, the apparatus comprising:
- a discharge chamber;
- an inlet configured to convey a liquid hydrocarbon material to the discharge chamber;
- an outlet configured to convey a hydrocarbon fraction from the discharge chamber;
- a solid, non-cannulated positive electrode comprising a first end and a second end;
- a negative, cannulated electrode comprising a first end and a second end;
- wherein the first end of the positive electrode is spaced apart from the first end of the negative electrode by a distance, the distance defining an inter-electrode discharge gap, and the cannulated electrode comprising a wall defining an open passage from the first end of the negative electrode to the second end of the negative electrode, the second end being distal from the first end;
- and the negative electrode is configured for passage of a carrier gas to the inter-electrode discharge gap;
- a storage capacitor connected to the electrodes;
- and
- a power supply configured to generate a spark discharge in the inter-electrode discharge gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.