Magnetically Separable Mercury Sorbents for Hydrocarbon Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for removing mercury from hydrocarbon streams face issues such as sorbent fouling and clogging in fixed bed applications, and inefficient particle separation in fluidized bed systems, leading to ineffective mercury removal and environmental and health concerns.
Innovation Solution
The use of particles with a magnetic core and active outer surfaces, such as metal sulfides or chlorides, allows for magnetic separation of mercury-loaded particles from treated fluids, enabling efficient mercury removal without clogging, using a bed reactor and magnetic separator system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fixed bed sorbent applications are used for crude oil and heavy hydrocarbons, then mercury removal is achieved, but the sorbent fouls and becomes plugged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical filtration systems with magnetic separation. Instead of using fixed bed sorbents that require physical filtration and are prone to clogging, the invention uses magnetically separable particles that can be removed from the fluid stream via magnetic fields, eliminating the plugging issue entirely
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the sorbent particles by incorporating magnetic materials (such as iron oxide, magnetite, or maghemite) into the particle structure. This allows the particles to respond to magnetic fields for separation, fundamentally changing how the sorbent is recovered from the treated fluid and avoiding fouling problems
2Object-affected harmful factors
If prior sorbent particles are used in fluidized bed applications, then mercury removal is achieved, but particle separation from treated fluids requires filtration that results in clogging issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes magnetic separation for mechanical filtration in the particle separation process. By incorporating magnetic materials into the sorbent particles, the system uses magnetic fields instead of physical filters to separate particles from the treated fluid, completely eliminating clogging issues associated with filtration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces magnetic fields as an intermediary mechanism for particle separation. Instead of direct mechanical contact between particles and filter media, the magnetic field acts as an intermediary force that selectively attracts and separates magnetic sorbent particles from the non-magnetic treated fluid, avoiding clogging
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
This method effectively removes mercury from hydrocarbons by utilizing magnetic separation, reducing mercury concentration in treated liquids and allowing for particle regeneration, thus addressing the limitations of prior techniques.
Implementation Method 1
Magnetic separation of the slurry into a treated liquid and the particles loaded with the mercury
Implementation Method 2
active outer surfaces defined by at least one of a metal chloride and a metal sulfide
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus relate to treatment of fluids to remove mercury contaminants in the fluid. Contact of the fluid with active outer surfaces of particles magnetically separable from the fluid loads the particles with the mercury contaminants. Magnetic separation then removes from the fluid the particles loaded with the mercury contaminants such that a treated product remains.