发明名称 Using supercritical fluids to refine hydrocarbons
摘要 This is a method to reactively refine hydrocarbons, such as heavy oils with API gravities of less than 20° and bitumen-like hydrocarbons with viscosities greater than 1000 cp at standard temperature and pressure using a selected fluid at supercritical conditions. The reaction portion of the method delivers lighter weight, more volatile hydrocarbons to an attached contacting device that operates in mixed subcritical or supercritical modes. This separates the reaction products into portions that are viable for use or sale without further conventional refining and hydro-processing techniques. This method produces valuable products with fewer processing steps, lower costs, increased worker safety due to less processing and handling, allow greater opportunity for new oil field development and subsequent positive economic impact, reduce related carbon dioxide, and wastes typical with conventional refineries.
申请公布号 US8894846(B2) 申请公布日期 2014.11.25
申请号 US201012978294 申请日期 2010.12.23
申请人 发明人 Yarbro Stephen Lee
分类号 C10G31/08;C10G29/00;C10G21/06;C10G1/04 主分类号 C10G31/08
代理机构 代理人 Baker Rod D.
主权项 1. A method for using a supercritical fluid to reactively refine hydrocarbons comprising the steps of: providing supercritical water; removing heavy oil, bitumen or bitumen-like hydrocarbons from porous hydrocarbon-containing material by mixing the supercritical water with the material to dissolve the hydrocarbons; mixing the supercritical water with the hydrocarbons to create a supercritical mix; heating and pressurizing the supercritical mix in a reaction portion to react the supercritical mix to form reaction products having differing molecular weights; contacting the reaction products in a contacting portion operated in a single phase supercritical mode for the supercritical mix; and imposing a thermal gradient in the contacting portion to effect by thermal diffusion a single-phase separation of close-boiling reaction products, whereby heavy hydrocarbons are reactively refined.
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