Integrated method for bitumen partial upgrading

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011784-B2
Application number	US-201514974873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to decreasing the amount of diluent needed to convert a heavy oil to a bitumen product that can be transported by pipeline. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for partially upgrading heavy oil into a lower viscosity bitumen product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for partially upgrading a hydrocarbon containing heavy oil or dilbit with an oxcombustion process, comprising:
(a) reacting a fuel with an oxidant in a combustion chamber at a ratio close to stoichiometric value producing a hot combustion gas mixture;
(b) introducing and contacting a gas with a hot combustion mixture producing a hot gas mixture within the combustion chamber;
(c) routing the hot gas mixture in a reactor zone of a contact vessel through a converging/diverging nozzle disposed in the combustion chamber to produce a hot accelerated gas stream;
(d) atomizing in the reactor zone of a contact vessel the heavy oil with the hot accelerated gas stream to form heavy oil droplets;
(e) at least partially evaporating in the reactor zone hydrocarbons from the heavy oil droplets into hot gas stream; and
(f) cracking the heavy oil hydrocarbons by shear forces, thermal cracking, free radicals or a combination thereof forming an upgraded hydrocarbon product.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas is steam, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane or mixtures thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heavy oil comprises water or diluent.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hot gas stream is at a temperature ranging from about 1000-2200° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hot accelerated gas stream has a velocity ranging from 150-1000 m/sec.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactor exit temperature in step c is at a temperature ranging from about 425-540° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactor residence time in step c is less than 30 sec.

8. A method for partially upgrading a heavy oil, comprising:
(a) providing, mixing, and reacting a fuel and an oxidant in combustion chamber disposed in a thermal nozzle at a ratio close to the stoichiometric value producing a hot combustion mixture;
(b) introducing and contacting a hot gas with the combustion mixture producing a hot gas mixture within the combustion chamber;
(c) routing the hot gas mixture in a reactor zone of a contact vessel through a converging/diverging nozzle disposed in the combustion chamber to produce a hot accelerated gas stream;
(d) atomizing in the reactor zone the heavy oil with the hot accelerated gas stream to form heavy oil droplets;
(e) at least partially evaporating in the reactor zone hydrocarbons from the heavy oil droplets into hot gas stream; and
(f) cracking the evaporated heavy oil hydrocarbons by shear forces, thermal cracking, free radicals or a combination thereof forming an upgraded hydrocarbon product.

9. The integrated method of claim 8 , wherein heavy oil comprises by volume about 70-100% bitumen, 0-20% water and 0-30% diluent and has viscosity of greater than 50,000 cSt at 20° C.

10. The integrated method of claim 8 , wherein the partially upgraded hydrocarbon product has a viscosity of less than 50,000 cSt at 20° C.

Assignees

• Papavassiliou Vasilis
• Panuccio Gregory J
• Praxair Technology Inc

Inventors

• Papavassiliou Vasilis
• Panuccio Gregory J

Classifications

• C10G9/38

  produced by partial combustion of the material to be cracked or by combustion of another hydrocarbon · CPC title

• C10G55/04 Primary

  including at least one thermal cracking step · CPC title