Hydrocarbon Blending With Supercritical Water for Asphaltene Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydrocarbon blending processes face incompatibility issues leading to asphaltene precipitation and separation, resulting in loss of valuable oil yield, equipment plugging, and product specification deviations due to the aggregation of asphaltene molecules during blending of incompatible oils.
Innovation Solution
A process utilizing supercritical water to localize, cage, and convert asphaltene aggregates by exploiting the unique properties of subcritical and supercritical water, enhancing stability through polar-polar interactions and breaking large asphaltene aggregates into smaller molecules, thereby improving blending compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If incompatible oils are blended in conventional processes, then oil volume increases and revenue is generated, but asphaltene precipitation and separation occur resulting in loss of valuable oil yield
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses resins as an intermediary substance to mediate between incompatible oil components. Resins act as natural surfactants that adsorb onto asphaltene surfaces and provide steric stabilization, preventing asphaltene aggregation and precipitation during blending. This intermediary mechanism allows incompatible oils to be blended while maintaining asphaltene suspension and maximizing oil yield.
2Quantity of substance
If incompatible oils are blended, then blending volume increases, but asphaltene molecules aggregate and precipitate causing equipment plugging
Solution Approach 1:
Resins serve as protective intermediaries that adsorb onto asphaltene particles and provide steric hindrance, preventing asphaltene aggregation into large deposits that would cause equipment plugging. This intermediary action maintains reliable equipment operation while enabling increased blending volumes.
3Quantity of substance
If incompatible oils are blended, then oil volume increases, but product specifications are not met due to asphaltene separation
Solution Approach 1:
Resins act as stabilizing intermediaries that prevent asphaltene separation and maintain homogeneous blend composition. By adsorbing onto asphaltene surfaces and providing steric stabilization, resins ensure that blended products meet specification requirements for asphaltene content and homogeneity, even at increased blending volumes.
4Adaptability or versatility
If paraffin fraction increases in the system, then oil composition changes, but asphaltene suspension stability deteriorates due to resin stripping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of paraffin-induced resin stripping into a beneficial process by controlling the stripping to release asphaltenes from resin complexes, then using the freed asphaltenes as natural dispersants. This transforms the destabilizing paraffin effect into a mechanism that enhances asphaltene dispersion and suspension stability.
5Ease of manufacture
If asphaltenes are allowed to aggregate naturally, then separation occurs, but valuable oil liquid yield is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Resins function as protective intermediaries that adsorb onto asphaltene particles and prevent their aggregation and separation. This simple intermediary mechanism maintains asphaltene suspension throughout the blend, maximizing oil liquid yield without complex processing requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process effectively prevents asphaltene aggregation and precipitation, enhancing oil stability and upgrading efficiency by encapsulating and dispersing asphaltene molecules, increasing liquid yield and reducing coke formation.
Implementation Method 1
Combining the hydrocarbons with heated water at subcritical conditions improves oil stability by encapsulating the asphaltene aggregates through selective polar-polar interactions between water and asphaltene molecules.
Implementation Method 2
blending the hydrocarbons in the presence of water at supercritical temperatures reduces asphaltene by breaking the large aggregates (having a particle size of 1 to 800 microns) into much smaller molecules (having a particle size of 0.1 to 300 nanometers)
Data Source
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AI summary
A process for blending a hydrocarbon-based composition that includes combining a first heated water stream with a first hydrocarbon-based composition comprising asphaltene to create a first combined feed stream and allowing the first heated water stream and the first hydrocarbon-based composition to interact such that the second combined feed stream comprises micelles and reverse micelles, thereby preventing asphaltene aggregation. The process further includes similarly combining a second heated water stream with a second hydrocarbon-based composition to form a second combined feed stream. The process further includes introducing the first combined feed stream and the second combined stream into a supercritical blending vessel operating at a temperature greater than a critical temperature of water and a pressure greater than a critical pressure of water, and blending the first combined feed stream and the second combined stream to form a blended hydrocarbon-based composition.