Deep conversion combining the demetallization and the conversion of crudes, residues or heavy oils into light liquids with pure or impure oxygenated compounds

Abstract

A process for the conversion of hydrocarbons that are solid or have a high boiling temperature and may be laden with metals, sulfur or sediments, into liquids (gasolines, gas oil, fuels) with the help of a jet of gas pity superheated between 600 and 800° C. The process comprises preheating a feed 5 in a heater 8 to a temperature below the selected temperature of a reactor 10. This feed is injected by injectors 4 into the empty reactor 10 (i.e., without catalyst.) The feed is treated with a jet of gas or superheated stem from superheater 2 to activate the feed. The activated products in the feed are allowed to stabilize at the selected temperature and at a selected pressure in the reactor and are then run through a series of extractors 13 to separate heavy and light hydrocarbons and to demetallize the feed. Useful products appearing in the form of water / hydrocarbon emulsions are generally demulsified in emulsion breaker 16 to form water laden with different impurities. The light phase containing the final hydrocarbons is heated in heater 98 and is separated into cuts of conventional products, according to the demand for refining by an extractor 18 similar to 13.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 428,212, filed May 2, 2003 (Allowed), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 405,934, filed Sep. 27, 1999 (Abandoned), which claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) for French Patent Application No. 9812983, filed Oct. 16, 1998.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to the conversion of hydrocarbons and more particularly to converting heavy hydrocarbons laden with impurities into light hydrocarbons that can be separated into cuts of conventional products. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] It is widely known that all refining processes leave heavy residues that are poorly fusible or solid, which find few users and few outlets. It is also widely known that oil wells often encounter deposits containing crudes that are characterized by a very high density and a very high viscosity, th...

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Benefits of technology

[0018] One or more of the problems outlined above...

Problems solved by technology

It is widely known that all refining processes leave heavy residues that are poorly fusible or solid, which find few users and few outlets.

It is also widely known that oil wells often encounter deposits containing crudes that are characterized by a very high density and a very high viscosity, thus difficult to transport as such.

Furthermore, regardless of what is done, it is impossible to completely avoid the deposits of these components on everything that comes into contact with these crudes.

Thus it is understood that if any catalyst is used, all of its surface and all its pores will be quickly covered and the catalyst will be totally dead: then it would only occupy space in the reactor, even risking plugging it if grains are accumulated in the catalyst by the cement constituted by the sediments, nickel, vanadium, asphalts, carbon produced, etc.

We know processes such as the FCC, which attempt to adjust to carbon deposits by burning them in a regenerator, but this requires a complex circulation of the catalyst between the reactor and the regenerator.

Furthermore, the circulation of said catalyst creates delicate problems of erosion, through both the actual wear of the matter itself, which is sometimes perforated, and that of the catalyst which, once worn, produces dangerous dusts for any human being that no filter, no matter how large and advanced, will be able to stop.

As a result, the heavy cuts knows as HCO are poor in hydrogen and cannot be recycled for a new conversion.

The conjunction of the presence of hydrogen at temperatures of the order of 450° C. under 150 bars, in order to illustrate the ideas, presents delicate problems of realization and technology, in particular regarding the nature of the special alloy steels that are appropriate for these applications.

Moreover, the conversion products saturated with hydrogen are highly paraffinic and, therefore, give gasolines with a poor octane number.

It seems paradoxical in these operations to begin by adding hydrogen to the products with great difficulty to then being forced to remove the same.

From a thermodynamic standpoint, these two approaches are inefficient, as confirmed by all the practical results obtained (excess production of gas and coke).

It saturates the refinery with a fatal combustible gas that must be exported or used for other purposes than those that are strictly required for refining operations (i.e. to produce electrical power).

These two processes are too complex and ultimately too difficult to implement in an efficient refining layout.

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