Viscosity-Reducing Additive for Fuel Oil Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
The catalytic cracking process of crude oil refining produces residuals with high viscosity and solid content, making them difficult to convert into fuel oil efficiently, as they require a significant amount of diesel as a cutter, which is more valuable than the resulting fuel oil, rendering the process financially unsustainable when the price disparity is too wide.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a cross-linked cyclic anhydride copolymer additive, combined with a diluent such as reformed naphtha or diesel, to reduce the viscosity of refining residuals, allowing for the production of fuel oil with a lower viscosity and reduced cutter stock requirements, thereby lowering production costs and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a significant amount of diesel is added to residuals to reduce viscosity, then the fuel oil becomes flowable and easier to handle, but the production cost increases and financial sustainability decreases due to the price disparity between diesel and fuel oil
Solution Approach 1:
A viscosity-modifying additive is introduced as an intermediary substance that mediates between the high-viscosity residuals and the diluent (diesel or naphtha). The additive contains polymers that interact with the asphaltene structures in the residuals, modifying their behavior and reducing viscosity without requiring large amounts of expensive diesel cutter stock.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical and physical parameters of the residual mixture by adding specific polymers and surfactants that alter the molecular interactions between asphaltene molecules. This chemical modification allows for reduced viscosity at lower diluent concentrations, improving the economic viability of the process.
2Use of energy by moving object
If residuals are used to produce fuel oil, then the high BTU value is utilized effectively, but the high viscosity and solid content make the conversion process inefficient and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The viscosity-modifying additive acts as a mediator that enables efficient conversion of residuals to fuel oil by reducing viscosity and improving flow characteristics. This allows the high BTU value of residuals to be fully utilized without the penalty of handling viscous, solid-rich materials.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the rheological parameters of the residual mixture through additive incorporation, the conversion process becomes more efficient. The additives modify molecular interactions to reduce viscosity, enabling better mixing, heating, and blending operations that improve overall conversion productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the price disparity between diesel and fuel oil becomes too wide, then the process of blending diesel into residuals ceases to be financially sustainable, but the need for viscosity reduction remains
Solution Approach 1:
The viscosity-modifying additive serves as a cost-effective intermediary that achieves viscosity reduction without relying heavily on expensive diesel cutters. This maintains financial sustainability even when diesel prices are high, while still achieving the necessary flowability for fuel oil production.
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 additive significantly reduces the viscosity of refining residuals, enabling the production of fuel oil with a 25 to 70% lower viscosity and reducing the amount of cutter stock needed, resulting in a more cost-effective and efficient conversion process.
Implementation Method 1
The additive is believed to be a cross-linked cyclic anhydride copolymer having an intrinsic viscosity (limiting viscosity, η) of between about 0.10 and 3.0 deciliters per gram. The result will be a fuel oil having a viscosity that is about 25 to as much as about 70 percent lower than the viscosity of a mixture of the same refining residuals and diluent without the additive.
Implementation Method 2
When necessary, the refining residuals are heated to render them flowable—typically to between about 160° to 220° F.
Data Source
AI summary
A method making fuel oil from refining residuals. Refining residuals are mixed with a diluent and an additive. Preferred diluents include diesel and reformed naphtha and combinations thereof. The additive is believed to be a cross-linked cyclic anhydride copolymer having an intrinsic viscosity (limiting viscosity, η) of between about 0.10 and 3.0 deciliters per gram and an average molecular weight between about 3,000 and 3,000,000. The additive includes excess aromatic hydrocarbons and a surfactant. In the preferred embodiment, the diluent and the residuals are mixed together in a ratio of about 3:1, by weight. The additive is introduced to this mixture in the amount of about 0.10 to 0.25 percent by weight. The components are thoroughly combined to yield a fuel oil having a viscosity that is about 25 to as much as about 70 percent lower than the viscosity of the same residual/diluent mixture lacking the additive.