A system for processing heavy hydrocarbons

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for processing heavy hydrocarbons, which can reduce the content of heavy fraction impurities in gas phase components and the content of light components in liquid phase components by injecting cooling aids, separation aids and optional stripping aids, thereby improving the effect of gas-liquid separation. Furthermore, the present disclosure separates the flash separation device into multiple separation chambers arranged side by side by means of baffles, each separation chamber is provided with a vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet and a gas phase outlet, the high-temperature vapor-hydrocarbon mixture entering the separation chamber is directly introduced into the downstream device from the gas phase outlet of the separation chamber after separation, without the need to adjust the hydrocarbon partial pressure by means of setting a high-temperature regulating valve on the gas phase outlet pipeline, which can reduce the failure rate of the high-temperature regulating valve at high temperature, thereby improving the service life of the system. In addition, the hydrocyclone and the tray are arranged in each separation chamber, which can improve the gas-liquid separation efficiency and the flash effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the petrochemical field, and more specifically, to a system for processing heavy hydrocarbons. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, global oil demand is declining year by year with the development of new energy sources, while refining capacity is in excess. Therefore, how to study efficient and streamlined crude oil utilization, reduce investment and energy consumption in crude oil utilization equipment, and improve the economic efficiency of these facilities has become a common concern for the global refining industry.

[0003] To address this, scholars both domestically and internationally have developed the flash evaporation method, applying it to crude oil processing and steam cracking. The boiling point of a substance increases with increasing pressure, and conversely, the lower the pressure, the lower the boiling point. The principle of flash evaporation is to depressurize a high-pressure, high-temperature fluid, thus lowering its boiling point. At this point, the high-temperature liquid near its boiling point under high pressure undergoes depressurization, lowering its boiling point. The liquid absorbs its own energy and partially vaporizes, forming a new vapor-liquid equilibrium. That is, the fluid temperature is higher than the boiling point at that pressure, causing the fluid to rapidly boil and vaporize, resulting in two-phase separation.

[0004] Conventional flash tanks have extremely low separation efficiency and are bulky, requiring significant space. Through continuous and in-depth research by scholars both domestically and internationally, substantial progress has been made. Currently, crude oil flash treatment mainly focuses on the following aspects: optimizing the vacuum system to increase the vacuum level at the top of the tank; employing new, high-efficiency packing materials and direct contact heat transfer methods to reduce the total pressure drop in the tank and maintain a high vacuum level in the flash section; optimizing the design and operation of the washing section and strengthening the fractionation concept of the washing section; developing new, high-efficiency gas and liquid distributors; and adopting intensified crude oil distillation methods, etc.

[0005] CN03815733.0 discloses a steam cracking method for heavy hydrocarbon feedstock. The feedstock is prepared by mixing preheated heavy hydrocarbons with water and dilution steam to form a mixture stream, which is then separated into steam and liquid phases in a flash tank. The steam phase further passes through a separator to remove non-volatiles, and the final gaseous product enters a cracking furnace for further cracking. To reduce and avoid coking problems, this invention uses a regulating valve on the pipeline between the separator outlet and the convection section of the cracking furnace to control a constant hydrocarbon partial pressure. However, this method is complex to operate, simply combining tanks and valve groups without fundamentally improving gas-liquid separation efficiency. Furthermore, cracking furnaces typically have multiple feed lines, and the material temperature in the pipeline between the separator outlet and the convection section of the cracking furnace is very high. Installing regulating valves on these lines results in significant investment and increases the probability of failure under long-term high-temperature operation, affecting long-term operation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a system for processing heavy hydrocarbons, in order to solve the problems of low gas-liquid separation efficiency, poor flash evaporation effect, and difficulty in long-term operation in the prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this disclosure provides a system for processing heavy hydrocarbons, the system comprising a separation device; the separation device includes a vertical shell, a tray disposed inside the vertical shell, a hydrocyclone separator disposed inside the vertical shell, a liquid storage space, and an optional baffle; the hydrocyclone separator is disposed at the upper part of the vertical shell, the tray is disposed at the middle part of the vertical shell and below the hydrocyclone separator, and the liquid storage space is disposed at the lower part or outside of the vertical shell; the baffle is erected inside the vertical shell and the edge of the baffle is sealed to the inner wall of the vertical shell. The upper space within the housing is divided into multiple parallel separation chambers. The separation device includes a vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet, a cooling / separation aid injection inlet, a gas phase outlet, a liquid phase outlet, and an optional stripping aid inlet. The vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet of the separation device is connected to a heavy hydrocarbon source. The cooling / separation aid inlet of the separation device is connected to a cooling aid source or a separation aid source. The stripping aid inlet of the separation device is connected to a stripping aid source. The gas phase outlet of the separation device is connected to a downstream gas phase device. The liquid phase outlet of the separation device is connected to a downstream liquid phase device.

[0008] Optionally, the separation chamber includes a hydrocyclone separator, a tray, and a storage space arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The hydrocyclone separator is located in the upper space of the separation chamber to allow the gas-hydrocarbon mixture entering the separation chamber to undergo flash evaporation to obtain gaseous and liquid components. The gaseous components then enter the hydrocyclone separator for further separation of the entrained liquid components. A cooling / separation aid storage or distributor is provided below the inlet of the upper hydrocyclone separator in the separation chamber to allow the gaseous components obtained by flash evaporation in the separation chamber to be cooled, or to allow the heavy components entrained in the gaseous phase to be condensed into large liquid particles, or to be condensed or absorbed by the separation aid and enter the tray below for further separation. The tray is located in the middle of the separation chamber and below the hydrocyclone separator to allow the liquid components obtained by the hydrocyclone separator in the separation chamber to be further separated by the tray. The storage space is located in the lower space of the separation chamber to allow the liquid components obtained by the tray in the separation chamber to flow into the storage space.

[0009] Optionally, the separation chamber is further provided with a sealing cover plate; the sealing cover plate is arranged horizontally above the hydrocyclone separator and the edge of the sealing cover plate is tightly connected to the side wall of the separation chamber, so that the upper space of the sealing cover plate forms a gas collection chamber; the sealing cover plate is provided with a gas phase opening and the gas phase opening is connected to the gas phase outlet of the hydrocyclone separator, so that the gas phase separated by the hydrocyclone separator can enter the gas collection chamber.

[0010] Optionally, the separation chamber is further provided with a manifold; the manifold includes a liquid phase inlet and a liquid phase outlet, the liquid phase inlet of the manifold is connected to the liquid phase outlet of the hydrocyclone, and the liquid phase outlet of the manifold extends to the inlet of the tray.

[0011] Optionally, the number of stages of the hydrocyclone separator inside the separation chamber is two or more.

[0012] Optionally, a gas phase outlet is provided at the top of the separation chamber for communication with a downstream gas phase device; a liquid phase outlet is provided at the bottom of the separation chamber for communication with a downstream liquid phase device; a vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet, a cooling / separation aid inlet, and an optional stripping aid inlet are also provided on the side wall of the separation chamber; the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet of the separation chamber is used to communicate with a heavy hydrocarbon source; the cooling / separation aid inlet of the separation chamber is used to communicate with a cooling aid source or a separation aid source; the stripping aid inlet of the separation chamber is used to communicate with a stripping aid source.

[0013] Optionally, the separation chamber further includes a feed and cooling aid mixing distributor and a stripping aid distributor; the two inlets of the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor extend to the outside of the separation chamber to form the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet and the cooling / separation aid inlet, respectively; the inlet of the stripping aid distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the stripping aid inlet; the outlet of the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor is disposed towards the lower part of the vertical housing and the angle α between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0 to 90°; the outlet of the stripping aid distributor is disposed towards the upper part of the vertical housing and the orientation of the outlet is perpendicular to the axial direction of the vertical housing. The included angle β between the axial directions of the housings is 0–90°; or, the separation chamber further includes a separation aid distributor and a feed distributor; the inlet of the separation aid distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the cooling / separation aid inlet; the inlet of the feed distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet; the outlet of the separation aid distributor is disposed towards the lower part of the vertical housing and the included angle γ between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0–90°; the outlet of the feed distributor is disposed towards the upper part of the vertical housing and the included angle η between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0–90°.

[0014] Optionally, the included angle between two adjacent baffles is 0 to 180°.

[0015] Optionally, the system further includes a feedstock pipeline, a cooling / separation aid pipeline, and an optional stripping aid pipeline; the inlet of the feedstock pipeline is connected to the heavy hydrocarbon source, and the outlet is connected to the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet of the vertical shell; the inlet of the cooling / separation aid pipeline is connected to the cooling aid source or the separation aid source, and the outlet is connected to the cooling / separation aid inlet of the vertical shell; the inlet of the stripping aid pipeline is connected to the stripping aid source, and the outlet is connected to the stripping aid inlet of the vertical shell; the feedstock pipeline is equipped with a feed preheater for heating the material in the feedstock pipeline; the feed preheater is selected from one or more of a heating furnace, a pyrolysis furnace convection section, and a heat exchanger.

[0016] Optionally, the system further includes a steam pipeline; the raw material pipeline is provided with a primary steam inlet and a secondary steam inlet; the stripping agent pipeline is provided with a secondary steam inlet; the steam pipeline can be divided into a primary steam pipeline and a secondary steam pipeline; the inlets of the primary steam pipeline and the secondary steam pipeline are used to connect to a steam source; the outlet of the primary steam pipeline is connected to the primary steam inlet of the raw material pipeline; the outlet of the secondary steam pipeline is connected to the secondary steam inlet of the raw material pipeline and the stripping agent pipeline; the primary steam pipeline and the secondary steam pipeline are provided with steam preheaters for heating steam; the steam preheaters are selected from one or more of the following: a heating furnace, a convection section of a pyrolysis furnace, and a heat exchanger.

[0017] Through the above technical solutions, this disclosure, by injecting cooling aids, separation aids, and optional stripping aids, can, on the one hand, reduce the content of heavy fractions and impurities such as gums in the gas phase component, thereby improving the gas-liquid separation effect and preventing coking in the radiation section, thus extending the coking cycle of the cracking furnace; on the other hand, it can reduce the content of light components in the liquid phase component. Specifically, injecting separation aids or stripping aids can maximize the extraction of light components from the liquid phase component to obtain the maximum amount of light components; injecting cooling aids can control the vaporization rate and reduce heavy component entrainment, while increasing the liquid phase flow rate to improve the separation effect of the trays. Furthermore, this disclosure uses baffles to isolate the flash separation equipment into multiple parallel separation chambers. Each separation chamber has a raw material inlet and a gas phase outlet. The high-temperature vapor-hydrocarbon mixture entering the separation chamber is directly introduced into the downstream device from the gas phase outlet of the separation chamber after separation, eliminating the need to adjust the hydrocarbon partial pressure by installing a high-temperature regulating valve on the gas phase outlet pipeline. This reduces the failure rate of the high-temperature regulating valve at high temperatures, thereby extending the system's lifespan. In addition, installing cyclone separators and trays in each separation chamber can improve gas-liquid separation efficiency and flash evaporation effect to further reduce the entrainment of heavy components and impurities such as colloids, and prevent them from coking in the radiation section, thereby further extending the coking cycle of the pyrolysis furnace.

[0018] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present disclosure and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the present disclosure, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system for processing heavy hydrocarbons in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the system for processing heavy hydrocarbons in Embodiment 2 of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a front view of the flash separation apparatus used in Comparative Example 1 of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a top view of a flash separation apparatus disclosed herein.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0025] 1. Gas phase outlet; 2. Gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet; 3. Liquid phase outlet; 4. Cooling / separation aid inlet; 5. Stripping aid inlet; 6. Swirl separator; 7. Tray; 8. Sealing cover; 9. Baffle; 10. Liquid storage space;

[0026] a. Raw material pipeline; b. Steam pipeline; b1. Primary steam pipeline; b2. Secondary steam pipeline; c. Cooling / separation aid pipeline; d. Stripping aid pipeline. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0028] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "upper" and "lower" generally refer to the upper and lower positions of the device in its normal operating state, for example, as shown in the reference. Figure 1 In the drawing orientation, "inner" and "outer" refer to those relative to the outline of the device. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0029] like Figure 1As shown, this disclosure provides a system for processing heavy hydrocarbons, the system including a separation device; the separation device includes a vertical shell, a tray 7 disposed inside the vertical shell, a hydrocyclone separator 6 disposed inside the vertical shell, a liquid storage space 10, and an optional baffle 9; the hydrocyclone separator 6 is disposed in the upper part of the vertical shell, the tray 7 is disposed in the middle of the vertical shell and located below the hydrocyclone separator 6, and the liquid storage space 10 is disposed in the lower part or outside of the vertical shell; the baffle 9 is erected inside the vertical shell and the edge of the baffle 9 is sealed to the inner wall of the vertical shell to divide the upper space inside the vertical shell into a plurality of side-by-side separation chambers; the separation device includes a vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2, a cooling / separation aid inlet 4, and a gas phase outlet 1. The separation device includes a liquid phase outlet 3 and an optional stripping agent inlet 5; the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 is connected to a heavy hydrocarbon source so that the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture can enter the separation device for gas-liquid separation; the cooling / separation agent inlet 4 is connected to a cooling agent source or a separation agent source so that the cooling agent or separation agent can enter the separation device to cool or separate the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture; the stripping agent inlet 5 is connected to a stripping agent source so that the stripping agent can enter the separation device for stripping treatment; the vapor phase outlet 1 is connected to a downstream vapor phase device so that the separated vapor phase components can enter the downstream vapor phase device; the liquid phase outlet 3 is connected to a downstream liquid phase device so that the separated liquid phase components can enter the downstream liquid phase device for further use.

[0030] Through the above technical solutions, this disclosure, by injecting cooling aids, separation aids, and optional stripping aids, can, on the one hand, reduce the content of heavy fractions and impurities such as gums in the gas phase component, thereby improving the gas-liquid separation effect and preventing coking in the radiation section, thus extending the coking cycle of the cracking furnace; on the other hand, it can reduce the content of light components in the liquid phase component. Specifically, injecting separation aids or stripping aids can maximize the extraction of light components from the liquid phase component to obtain the maximum amount of light components; injecting cooling aids can control the vaporization rate and reduce heavy component entrainment, while increasing the liquid phase flow rate to improve the separation effect of the trays. Furthermore, this disclosure uses baffles to isolate the flash separation equipment into multiple parallel separation chambers. Each separation chamber has a raw material inlet and a gas phase outlet. The high-temperature vapor-hydrocarbon mixture entering the separation chamber is directly introduced into the downstream device from the gas phase outlet of the separation chamber after separation, eliminating the need to adjust the hydrocarbon partial pressure by installing a high-temperature regulating valve on the gas phase outlet pipeline. This reduces the failure rate of the high-temperature regulating valve at high temperatures, thereby extending the system's lifespan. In addition, installing cyclone separators and trays in each separation chamber can improve gas-liquid separation efficiency and flash evaporation effect to further reduce the entrainment of heavy components and impurities such as colloids, and prevent them from coking in the radiation section, thereby further extending the coking cycle of the pyrolysis furnace.

[0031] Among them, the cooling aid, separation aid and stripping aid can be liquid hydrocarbons and / or water vapor; the water vapor can be low-pressure steam, medium-pressure steam and high-pressure steam, etc.; the liquid hydrocarbons can be hydrocarbons such as light naphtha, naphtha, kerosene or light diesel oil.

[0032] The vertical housing is a conventional choice in the art. This application can make reasonable choices according to different needs. For example, the vertical housing can be a cylinder with equal diameter sealed at the top and bottom, or a cylinder including a first diameter cylinder, a reduced diameter section and a second diameter cylinder connected from top to bottom, wherein the first diameter is larger than the second diameter.

[0033] The gas phase outlet 1 is located at the top of the vertical shell and is connected to a downstream gas phase device, allowing the gas phase components separated by the separation device to be used in the downstream gas phase device. The liquid phase outlet 3 is located at the bottom of the vertical shell and is connected to a downstream liquid phase device, allowing the liquid phase components obtained by the separation device to be used in the downstream liquid phase device. The vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2, the cooling / separation aid inlet 4, and the optional stripping aid inlet 5 are located on the side of the vertical shell. The vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 is connected to a heavy hydrocarbon source, allowing the mixed feedstock to enter the separation device; the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 is connected to a cooling aid source or a separation aid source, allowing the cooling aid or separation aid to enter the separation device for separation processing; the stripping aid inlet 5 is connected to a stripping aid source, allowing the stripping aid to enter the separation device for separation processing.

[0034] Preferably, the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 of the separation device can be set on the same horizontal line as the cooling / separation aid inlet 4. In this case, the separation device is provided with a stripping aid inlet 5, which is located below the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2. Alternatively, the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 of the separation device can be located below the cooling / separation aid inlet 4. In this case, the separation device is not provided with a stripping aid inlet 5.

[0035] The system further includes a raw material pipeline a, a cooling / separation aid pipeline c, and an optional stripping aid pipeline d. The inlet of raw material pipeline a is connected to the heavy hydrocarbon source, and the outlet is connected to the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 of the vertical shell, allowing the gas-hydrocarbon mixture raw material to enter the separation unit via raw material pipeline a. The inlet of cooling / separation aid pipeline c is connected to the cooling aid source or separation aid source, and the outlet is connected to the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 of the vertical shell, allowing the cooling aid or separation aid to enter the separation unit via cooling / separation aid pipeline c. The inlet of stripping aid pipeline d is connected to the stripping aid source, and the outlet is connected to the stripping aid inlet 5 of the vertical shell, allowing the stripping aid to enter the separation unit via stripping aid pipeline d. A feed preheater is provided on raw material pipeline a for heating the material within raw material pipeline a. In addition, a raw material branch line is also connected in parallel on the raw material pipeline a. The connection points of the main raw material line of the raw material branch line are on the left and right sides of the feed preheater. By setting up the raw material branch line, the temperature of the raw material entering the separation device can be flexibly adjusted.

[0036] The system further includes a steam pipeline b; the raw material pipeline a is provided with a primary steam inlet and a secondary steam inlet; the stripping aid pipeline d is provided with a secondary steam inlet; the steam pipeline b can be divided into a primary steam pipeline b1 and a secondary steam pipeline b2; the inlets of the primary steam pipeline b1 and the secondary steam pipeline b2 are used to connect with a steam source so that the steam can be divided into primary steam and secondary steam through the steam pipeline b; the outlet of the primary steam pipeline b1 is connected to the primary steam inlet on the raw material pipeline a so that the primary steam can enter the raw material pipeline a and mix with the raw material; the outlet of the secondary steam pipeline b2 is connected to the secondary steam inlets on the raw material pipeline a and the stripping aid pipeline d so that the secondary steam can enter the raw material pipeline a and the stripping aid pipeline d respectively; the primary steam pipeline b1 and the secondary steam pipeline b2 are provided with steam preheaters for heating the steam. In addition, steam branches are provided on both the primary steam pipeline b1 and the secondary steam pipeline b2, and the connection points of the steam branches with the primary steam pipeline and the secondary steam pipeline are on the left and right sides of the steam preheater, which allows for flexible adjustment of the steam temperature.

[0037] The feed preheater and the dilution steam preheater are each independently selected from one or more of the heating furnace, the convection section of the pyrolysis furnace, and the heat exchanger.

[0038] The steam entering steam pipeline b includes one of the following: dilution steam, low-pressure steam, medium-pressure steam, or high-pressure steam.

[0039] In the above embodiments, by adjusting the flow rate of the heating medium or the heater power in the feed preheater and steam preheater, the temperature of the feed preheater and the primary and secondary steam preheaters can be flexibly controlled, thereby flexibly controlling the phase state and temperature of the gas-hydrocarbon mixture delivered to the flash separation unit, and thus flexibly controlling the separation effect of flash separation.

[0040] In one embodiment, the baffle 9 may not be provided inside the vertical housing, and the entire housing may contain only one cavity.

[0041] In another embodiment, to improve the lifespan and separation effect of the separation device, multiple baffles 9 need to be installed in the vertical housing to divide the interior of the vertical housing into multiple parallel separation chambers. The included angle between two adjacent baffles 9 is 0–180°, preferably 60–120°, and more preferably 90°; for example, in a specific embodiment of this disclosure, such as… Figure 3 As shown, the flash separation device consists of 4 baffles 9, with an included angle of 90° between any two adjacent baffles 9, which divide the internal space of the vertical shell into 4 separation chambers of the same size.

[0042] The separation chamber has a gas phase outlet 1 at the top for communication with a downstream gas phase device, so that the gas phase separated by the separation chamber can enter the subsequent downstream gas phase device.

[0043] The bottom of the separation chamber is provided with a liquid phase outlet 3 for communication with a downstream liquid phase device, so that the liquid phase components separated by each separation chamber can enter the subsequent downstream liquid phase device.

[0044] The separation chamber is further provided with a gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2, a cooling / separation aid inlet 4, and an optional stripping aid inlet 5 on its side wall. The gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 is used to communicate with a heavy hydrocarbon source. The cooling / separation aid inlet 4 is used to communicate with a cooling aid source or a separation aid source. The stripping aid inlet 5 is used to communicate with a stripping aid source. This allows the gas-hydrocarbon mixture, cooling aid, and stripping aid to enter the separation device through the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2, the cooling / separation aid inlet 4, and the stripping aid inlet 5, respectively, to participate in the separation process.

[0045] To further improve the gas-liquid separation effect, the relative positions of the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2, the cooling / separation aid inlet 4, and the optional stripping aid inlet 5 are rationally configured. For example, the positions of the inlets can be such that the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 and the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 are on the same horizontal line, with the stripping aid inlet 5 positioned below; or the cooling / separation aid inlet 4, the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2, and the stripping aid inlet 5 can be arranged sequentially from top to bottom; or the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 and the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 can be arranged sequentially from top to bottom. Whether to include a stripping aid inlet, whether the cooling aid or separation aid is injected into the cooling / separation aid inlet 4, and the relative positions of the inlets need to be determined based on the properties of the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock and the operating procedures.

[0046] When the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 and the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 are at the same horizontal level, the feeding device connected to the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 and the feeding device connected to the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 can be connected by a linking assembly. The linking assembly is a conventional choice in the art, designed to ensure that the materials entering through the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 and the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 are mixed uniformly within the linking assembly.

[0047] In this embodiment, both the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 and the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 are located below the inlet of the hydrocyclone 6. This arrangement avoids the problem of the gas-hydrocarbon mixture, cooling aid, and separation aid entering the hydrocyclone 6 and affecting the gas-liquid separation effect.

[0048] like Figure 1As shown, the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 and the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 are at the same horizontal level and are both located below the inlet of the hydrocyclone separator 6; the stripping aid inlet 5 is located below and between the liquid storage space 10 and the tray 7. The separation chamber also includes a feed and cooling aid mixing distributor and a stripping aid distributor.

[0049] The feed and cooling aid mixing distributor has two inlets that extend to the outside of the separation chamber to form the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 and the cooling / separation aid inlet 4, respectively; the outlet of the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor is oriented toward the lower part of the vertical housing and the angle α between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0 to 90°.

[0050] The inlet of the stripping agent distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the stripping agent inlet 5; the outlet of the stripping agent distributor is disposed towards the upper part of the vertical housing and the angle β between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0 to 90°.

[0051] In this embodiment, the gas-hydrocarbon mixture and the cooling aid are respectively introduced into the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor through both ends and mixed, enabling preliminary condensation of the gas-hydrocarbon mixture. The pre-condensed material then enters the separation chamber through the distributor outlet. The stripping medium distributor allows the stripping aid to be sprayed upwards and fully contact the pre-condensed material above, further enhancing the stripping effect and thus further improving the gas-liquid separation effect and efficiency.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, when the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 and the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom, the separation chamber also includes a feed distributor and a separation aid distributor.

[0053] The inlet of the feed distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2; the outlet of the feed distributor is disposed towards the upper part of the vertical housing and the angle η between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0 to 90°.

[0054] The inlet of the separation aid distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the cooling / separation aid inlet 4; the outlet of the separation aid distributor is disposed towards the lower part of the vertical housing and the angle γ between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0 to 90°.

[0055] In the above embodiments, the feed distributor enables the upward injection of the gas-hydrocarbon mixture, allowing the gas phase to flow upward and the liquid phase to flow downward, further enhancing the separation effect and efficiency. The separation aid distributor allows the separation aid to flow downward, ensuring sufficient contact between the aid and the gas-hydrocarbon mixture. This effectively prevents the entrainment of heavy fractions and impurities in the gas phase, avoiding coking and other phenomena in downstream units. The heavy fractions and impurities include one or more of the following: gums, asphaltenes, metallic impurities, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, and heavy components. Furthermore, the heights of the feed distributors, cooling aid distributors, and stripping aid distributors in multiple separation chambers can be the same or different, depending on the temperature and pressure of the gas-hydrocarbon mixture.

[0056] The feed distributor, the feed and cooling agent mixing distributor, the separation agent distributor, and the stripping agent distributor are provided with multiple open areas as the outlet of the distributor; the opening rate of the open area is 5-15%, and the average aperture of the open area is 10-20 mm.

[0057] The cooling / separation aid inlet includes a liquid hydrocarbon inlet and / or a water inlet; the stripping aid inlet includes a liquid hydrocarbon inlet and / or a water inlet.

[0058] The separation chamber includes a hydrocyclone separator 6, a tray 7, and a liquid storage space 10 arranged sequentially from top to bottom;

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, the hydrocyclone 6 is disposed in the upper space of the separation chamber so that the gas-hydrocarbon mixture entering the separation chamber can be separated into gas phase components and liquid phase components by the hydrocyclone 6; the tray 7 is disposed in the middle of the separation chamber and below the hydrocyclone 6 so that the liquid phase components separated by the hydrocyclone 6 in the separation chamber can be further separated by the tray 7; the liquid storage space 10 is disposed in the lower space of the separation chamber so that the liquid phase components further separated by the tray 7 in the separation chamber can flow into the liquid storage space 10.

[0060] The liquid storage space 10 can be independently located outside the separation chamber.

[0061] The tray 7 and cyclone separator 6 used in this disclosure are conventional choices in the art, and this application does not make any special requirements.

[0062] The separation chamber is further provided with a manifold; the manifold includes a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet 3, the liquid inlet of the manifold is connected to the liquid outlet 3 of the hydrocyclone 6, and the liquid outlet 3 of the manifold extends to the inlet of the tray 7.

[0063] In this embodiment, the gas-hydrocarbon mixture first enters the hydrocyclone 6 for preliminary separation. The separated gas phase component is discharged through the gas phase outlet 1 of the hydrocyclone 6, and the separated liquid phase component enters the tray 7 below through the outlet at the bottom of the feed leg of the hydrocyclone 6 and through the collection pipe. The liquid phase component is further separated in the tray 7 to obtain the final liquid phase component. The obtained liquid phase component enters the liquid storage space 10 at the bottom of the separation chamber through the outlet of the tray 7.

[0064] The hydrocyclone separators 6 inside the separation chambers can have one or more stages. When each hydrocyclone separator 6 inside the separation chamber has one stage, the lower outlet of the hydrocyclone separator 6 is connected to the inlet of the collecting pipe, allowing the liquid separated by the hydrocyclone separators to enter the collection area below through the collecting pipe. If each hydrocyclone separator 6 inside the separation chamber has multiple stages, gaps are left between the outer walls of the feed legs of the multiple hydrocyclone separators 6, and the length of the feed legs of the multiple hydrocyclone separators 6 increases sequentially from the outside to the inside. The lower outlets of the multiple hydrocyclone separators 6 are all connected to the inlet of the collecting pipe, allowing all the liquid separated by the multiple hydrocyclone separators to enter the tray 7 below through the collecting pipe.

[0065] The upper part of the separation chamber is equipped with a cooling / separation aid storage or distributor at the lower part of the inlet of the hydrocyclone separator, so that the gas phase components obtained by flash separation in the separation chamber can be cooled or the heavy components entrained in the gas phase can be condensed into large liquid particles or condensed or absorbed by the separation aid and enter the tray below for further separation.

[0066] Each separation chamber is further provided with a sealing cover plate 8. The sealing cover plate 8 is horizontally positioned above the hydrocyclone separator 6, and its edge is tightly fitted to the side wall of the separation chamber, so that the upper space of the sealing cover plate 8 forms a gas collection chamber. The sealing cover plate 8 has a gas phase opening that communicates with the gas phase outlet 1 of the hydrocyclone separator 6, so that the gas phase separated by the hydrocyclone separator 6 can enter the gas collection chamber. In this embodiment, by providing the sealing cover plate 8, the gas phase components in the separation chamber can be discharged from the separation device only through the gas phase outlet 1 of the hydrocyclone separator 6, further improving the gas-liquid separation effect.

[0067] In one embodiment, the operating conditions of the separation device disclosed herein are conventionally selected in the art and need to be determined based on the properties of the materials in each separation chamber.

[0068] In one embodiment, the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock used in this disclosure is a conventionally selected material in the art, and this application does not make any special requirements. For example, the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is selected from heavy hydrocarbons with an API value of 22 or higher.

[0069] like Figure 1 As shown, the method for processing heavy hydrocarbons using the system disclosed herein includes:

[0070] Heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is heated to 200-400°C in a feed preheater and then mixed with primary dilution steam heated to 180-400°C in a dilution steam preheater to form a vapor-hydrocarbon mixture at 150-350°C. This vapor-hydrocarbon mixture is then introduced into a feed and cooling aid mixing distributor via inlet 2 of a flash separation unit. A cooling aid is introduced into the other end of the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor via cooling / separation aid line c. The vapor-hydrocarbon mixture and cooling aid then come into contact in the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor before entering the separation unit. The angle α between the outlet of the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor and the axial direction of the shell is 0-90°. The cooling aid is selected from liquid hydrocarbons and / or water.

[0071] The stripping aid enters the stripping aid inlet 5 of the separation unit through the stripping aid pipeline d and then enters the flash separation unit through the stripping aid distributor; wherein, the angle β between the orientation of the gas outlet and the axial direction is 0 to 90°; the stripping aid is selected from liquid hydrocarbons and / or water.

[0072] The mixture of gas and hydrocarbon mixture and cooling aid is brought into countercurrent contact with stripping aid. The gaseous material enters the hydrocyclone 6 for preliminary separation, so that the gaseous component enters the gas collection chamber from the gas outlet of the hydrocyclone 6. The resulting liquid component enters the tray 7 from the liquid outlet 3 of the hydrocyclone 6 and the collecting pipe. After further processing in the tray 7, the resulting liquid component is sent to the liquid storage space 10 below. The gaseous product in the gas collection chamber is discharged through the gas outlet 1, and the liquid product in the liquid storage space 10 is discharged through the liquid outlet 3.

[0073] The present disclosure is further described in detail below through examples. All raw materials used in the examples are commercially available. In the following examples, the desired final boiling point of the vapor-phase effluent is 445°C.

[0074] Example 1

[0075] like Figure 1 As shown, heavy hydrocarbon feedstock with an API value of 40 is used, and the pressure is 0.4 MPa; Figure 3 As shown, the flash separation device consists of four baffles 9, with an included angle of 90° between adjacent baffles 9, dividing the internal space of the vertical shell into four separation chambers of the same size. The stripping agent is water vapor, and the cooling agent is diesel fuel.

[0076] Heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is heated to 270°C in a feed preheater and then mixed with primary steam heated in a dilution steam preheater to form a hydrocarbon-gas mixture at 280°C. This hydrocarbon-gas mixture is then introduced into a feed and cooling aid mixing distributor via inlet 2 of a flash separation unit. Diesel fuel at 40°C is introduced into the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor via cooling / separation aid line c. The hydrocarbon-gas mixture and cooling aid are brought into contact in the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor before entering the separation unit. The angle α between the outlet of the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor and the axial direction of the casing is 0°. The weight ratio of diesel fuel to hydrocarbon-gas mixture is 0.05:1.

[0077] Water vapor at a temperature of 200℃ enters the stripping aid inlet 5 of the separation unit through the stripping aid pipeline d, and then enters the flash separation unit through the stripping aid distributor; wherein, the angle between the orientation of the gas outlet and the axial direction is β, which is 0°; the weight ratio of water vapor and gas hydrocarbon mixture used as stripping aid is 0.05:1.

[0078] After the gas-hydrocarbon mixture is brought into countercurrent contact with water vapor and diesel, it enters the hydrocyclone 6 for preliminary separation. The resulting gas phase component enters the gas collection chamber from the gas phase outlet 1 of the hydrocyclone 6. The resulting liquid phase component enters the tray 7 from the liquid phase outlet 3 of the hydrocyclone 6 and the collecting pipe. After further processing in the tray 7, the resulting liquid phase component is sent to the liquid storage space 10 below. The gas phase product in the gas collection chamber is discharged through the gas phase outlet 1, and the liquid phase product in the liquid storage space 10 is discharged through the liquid phase outlet 3.

[0079] The properties of the gas phase and liquid phase components are shown in Table 1.

[0080] Example 2

[0081] like Figure 2 As shown, heavy hydrocarbon feedstock with an API value of 40 is used, and the pressure is 0.4 MPa; Figure 3 As shown, the flash separation device consists of 4 baffles 9, with an included angle of 90° between any two adjacent baffles 9, which divide the internal space of the vertical shell into 4 separation chambers of the same size.

[0082] Heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is heated to 270°C in a feed preheater and then mixed with primary dilution steam heated in a dilution steam preheater to form a hydrocarbon mixture at 300°C. The hydrocarbon mixture is then fed into a feed distributor via the hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 of a flash separation device and then into a separation device. The angle η between the outlet of the feed distributor and the axial direction of the shell is 0°.

[0083] Diesel fuel at 40°C enters the cooling / separation aid inlet 4 of the separation unit via separation aid pipeline c, and then enters the flash separation unit through the separation aid distributor; wherein, the angle between the orientation of the gas outlet and the axial direction is γ, which is 0°; the weight ratio of diesel fuel to hydrocarbon mixture as separation aid is 0.05:1.

[0084] After the gaseous hydrocarbon mixture is brought into countercurrent contact with water vapor and diesel, it enters the hydrocyclone 6 for preliminary separation. The resulting gaseous component enters the gas collecting chamber from the gas outlet 1 of the hydrocyclone 6. The resulting liquid component enters the tray 7 from the liquid outlet 3 of the hydrocyclone 6 and the collecting pipe. After further processing in the tray 7, the resulting liquid component is sent to the liquid storage space 10 below. The gaseous product in the gas collecting chamber is discharged through the gas outlet 1, and the liquid product in the liquid storage space 10 is discharged through the liquid outlet 3.

[0085] The properties of the gas phase and liquid phase components are shown in Table 1.

[0086] Comparative Example 1

[0087] like Figure 3 As shown, the flash separation device used in this comparative example does not contain any components; a gas-hydrocarbon mixture at 280°C and pressure of 0.4 MPa (composition as in Example 1) is introduced into the flash separation device through the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 for gas-liquid separation. The gas phase rises and is discharged from the gas phase outlet 1 at the top of the tank, while the liquid is discharged from the liquid phase outlet 3 at the bottom of the tank.

[0088] The properties of the gaseous and liquid products are shown in Table 1.

[0089] Table 1. Properties of gaseous and liquid products in the examples and comparative examples.

[0090]

[0091]

[0092] As shown in Table 1, a comparison of the data from Examples 1-2 and Comparative Example 1 reveals that isolating the flash separation equipment into multiple parallel separation chambers via baffle 9, each with a gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet 2 and a gas phase outlet 1, can improve system lifespan by at least 50%. Furthermore, the inclusion of components such as a hydrocyclone separator 6, a feed distributor, and trays 7 in each separation chamber enhances gas-liquid separation efficiency and flash evaporation effect, significantly reducing the content of heavy components at the top and light components at the bottom of the flash tank. Additionally, injecting one or more of a cooling agent, separation agent, or stripping agent further improves the separation effect, reducing the heavy component content at the top of the flash tank to below 0.20% by weight, the light component content at the bottom of the flash tank to below 10.9% by weight, and extending the decoking cycle by at least 50%.

[0093] The preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of this disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of this disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0094] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, this disclosure will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0095] Furthermore, various different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of this disclosure, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A system for processing heavy hydrocarbons, characterized in that, The system includes a separation device; The separation device includes a vertical shell, a tray disposed inside the vertical shell, a hydrocyclone separator disposed inside the vertical shell, a liquid storage space, and a baffle. The hydrocyclone separator is disposed at the upper part of the vertical shell, the tray is disposed at the middle part of the vertical shell and located below the hydrocyclone separator, and the liquid storage space is disposed at the lower part or outside of the vertical shell. The baffle is erected inside the vertical shell and the edge of the baffle is sealed to the inner wall of the vertical shell to divide the upper space inside the vertical shell into multiple separation chambers arranged side by side. The separation device includes a vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet, a cooling / separation aid inlet, a gas phase outlet, a liquid phase outlet, and an optional stripping aid inlet; the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet of the separation device is used to connect with a heavy hydrocarbon source; the cooling / separation aid inlet of the separation device is used to connect with a cooling aid source or a separation aid source; the stripping aid inlet of the separation device is used to connect with a stripping aid source; the gas phase outlet of the separation device is used to connect with a downstream gas phase device; the liquid phase outlet of the separation device is used to connect with a downstream liquid phase device. The separation chamber includes a hydrocyclone separator, a tray, and a liquid storage space arranged sequentially from top to bottom; The hydrocyclone separator is located in the upper space of the separation chamber so that the gas-hydrocarbon mixture entering the separation chamber is flashed to obtain gas phase components and liquid phase components. The gas phase components enter the hydrocyclone separator for further separation of the entrained liquid phase components. A cooling / separation aid storage or distributor is provided at the lower part of the inlet of the upper hydrocyclone separator in the separation chamber, so that the gas phase components obtained by flash separation in the separation chamber can be cooled or the heavy components entrained in the gas phase can be condensed into large liquid particles or condensed or absorbed by the separation aid and enter the tray below for further separation. The tray is located in the middle of the separation chamber and below the hydrocyclone, so that the liquid phase components separated by the hydrocyclone in the separation chamber can be further separated by the tray. The liquid storage space is located in the lower part of the separation chamber so that the liquid phase components obtained by further separation by the tray in the separation chamber can flow into the liquid storage space.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The separation chamber is also provided with a sealing cover plate; the sealing cover plate is arranged horizontally above the hydrocyclone separator and the edge of the sealing cover plate is tightly connected to the side wall of the separation chamber so that the upper space of the sealing cover plate forms a gas collection chamber. The sealing cover plate is provided with a gas phase opening and the gas phase opening is connected to the gas phase outlet of the hydrocyclone separator so that the gas phase separated by the hydrocyclone separator can enter the gas collection chamber.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The separation chamber is also provided with a manifold; the manifold includes a liquid phase inlet and a liquid phase outlet, the liquid phase inlet of the manifold is connected to the liquid phase outlet of the hydrocyclone, and the liquid phase outlet of the manifold extends to the inlet of the tray.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hydrocyclone separator inside the separation chamber has two or more stages.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A gas phase outlet is provided at the top of the separation chamber for communication with a downstream gas phase device; A liquid phase outlet is provided at the bottom of the separation chamber for communication with a downstream liquid phase device; The separation chamber is also provided with a vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet, a cooling / separation aid inlet, and an optional stripping aid inlet on its side wall; the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet of the separation chamber is used to communicate with a heavy hydrocarbon source; the cooling / separation aid inlet of the separation chamber is used to communicate with a cooling aid source or a separation aid source; the stripping aid inlet of the separation chamber is used to communicate with a stripping aid source.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The separation chamber also includes a feed and cooling agent mixing distributor and a stripping agent distributor; The two inlets of the feed and cooling aid mixing distributor extend to the outside of the separation chamber to form the vapor-hydrocarbon mixture inlet and the cooling / separation aid inlet, respectively. The inlet of the stripping agent distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the stripping agent inlet; the outlet of the feed and cooling agent mixing distributor is oriented towards the lower part of the vertical housing, and the angle α between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0~90°; the outlet of the stripping agent distributor is oriented towards the upper part of the vertical housing, and the angle β between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0~90°; or, The separation chamber also includes a separation aid distributor and a feed distributor; The inlet of the separation aid distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the cooling / separation aid inlet; the inlet of the feed distributor extends to the outside of the separation chamber to form the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet; the outlet of the separation aid distributor is disposed towards the lower part of the vertical housing and the angle γ between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0~90°; the outlet of the feed distributor is disposed towards the upper part of the vertical housing and the angle η between the orientation of the outlet and the axial direction of the vertical housing is 0~90°.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The included angle between two adjacent baffles is 0~180°.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes feedstock lines, cooling / separation aid lines, and optional stripping aid lines; The inlet of the feedstock pipeline is connected to the heavy hydrocarbon source, and the outlet is connected to the gas-hydrocarbon mixture inlet of the vertical shell; the inlet of the cooling / separation aid pipeline is connected to the cooling aid source or separation aid source, and the outlet is connected to the cooling / separation aid inlet of the vertical shell; the inlet of the stripping aid pipeline is connected to the stripping aid source, and the outlet is connected to the stripping aid inlet of the vertical shell. The raw material pipeline is equipped with a feed preheater for heating the material in the raw material pipeline; the feed preheater is selected from one or more of the following: heating furnace, convection section of pyrolysis furnace and heat exchanger.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The system also includes a steam pipeline; the raw material pipeline is provided with a primary steam inlet and a secondary steam inlet; the stripping agent pipeline is provided with a secondary steam inlet; The steam pipeline can be divided into primary steam pipeline and secondary steam pipeline; The inlets of the primary steam pipeline and the secondary steam pipeline are connected to a steam source; the outlet of the primary steam pipeline is connected to the primary steam inlet of the raw material pipeline; and the outlet of the secondary steam pipeline is connected to the secondary steam inlet of the raw material pipeline and the stripping aid pipeline. The primary steam pipeline and the secondary steam pipeline are equipped with steam preheaters for heating steam; the steam preheaters are selected from one or more of the following: heating furnace, pyrolysis furnace convection section and heat exchanger.

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