Systems and processes for power generation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10815434-B2
Application number	US-201715840525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2017
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Processes for generating electric power are provided. The processes involve combining a supercritical water stream with a pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition in a mixing device to create a combined feed stream. The combined feed stream is introduced to a supercritical reactor to produce an upgraded product. The upgraded product is depressurized and separated. The upgraded product may be separated into a light and heavy fraction where the light may be introduced to a gas turbine to generate electric power and the heavy fraction may be introduced to a boiler to generate electric power, or both. Alternatively, the depressurized upgraded product may be further separated to produce a fuel oil fraction comprised of cutterstock and a heavy fraction which may be passed to a boiler to generate electric power, and a light fraction, which may be passed to a gas turbine system to generate electric power, or both.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for generating electric power, the process comprising:
combining a supercritical water stream with a pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition in a mixing device to create a combined feed stream;
introducing the combined feed stream into a supercritical reactor, where the supercritical reactor operates at a temperature greater than a critical temperature of water and a pressure greater than a critical pressure of water;
depressurizing the upgraded product;
separating the upgraded product in at least one gas/oil/water separator to produce at least a gas fraction, a liquid oil fraction, and a water fraction;
separating the liquid oil fraction in a distillation unit to produce at least a light oil fraction, a heavy oil fraction, and a cutterstock fraction comprising naphtha, kerosene, or both, where the cutterstock fraction has a T 5 boiling point ranging from 30° C. to 150° C.;
combining at least the cutterstock fraction and the heavy oil fraction to produce a fuel oil fraction; and
passing the light oil fraction to a gas turbine system to generate electric power,
passing the fuel oil fraction to a boiler to generate electric power, or both.

2. The process of claim 1 , in which hydrocarbons in the light oil fraction have an API gravity value of greater than or equal to 30° and the hydrocarbons in the heavy oil fraction have an API gravity value of less than 30°.

3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising passing the water fraction to a water treatment unit to produce a first feed water fraction.

4. The process of claim 1 , in which the liquid oil fraction has a metal content of less than 10 weight parts per million (wt ppm) metal.

5. The process of claim 1 , further comprising passing the at least one heavy oil fraction to an oil-water separator to separate at least some water from the heavy oil fraction to produce a dewatered heavy fraction and a second water fraction.

6. The process of claim 5 , in which the dewatered heavy fraction has a water content of less than or equal to 1 wt % water.

7. The process of claim 5 , in which the dewatered heavy fraction has a viscosity of less than or equal to 380 cSt at 122° F.

8. The process of claim 5 , further comprising passing the second water fraction to a water treatment unit to produce a second feed water fraction.

9. The process of claim 8 , further comprising introducing a first feed water fraction, the second feed water fraction, or both to the boiler.

10. The process of claim 1 , further comprising passing steam from the boiler to at least one pre-heater.

11. The process of claim 1 , further comprising introducing steam from the boiler to the supercritical reactor.

12. The process of claim 1 , further comprising passing the gas fraction to the gas turbine system to generate electric power.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Choi Ki-Hyouk
• Alabdulhadi Abdullah T
• Alqarzouh Muneef F
• Alabsi Mohannad H

Classifications

• F22B1/1892

  Systems therefor not provided for in F22B1/1807 - F22B1/1861 · CPC title

• F22B1/1807

  using the exhaust gases of combustion engines · CPC title

• F05D2220/76

  an electrical generator · CPC title

• F02C3/30

  Adding water, steam or other fluids {for influencing combustion, e.g. to obtain cleaner exhaust gases (F02C7/141, F02C7/30, F01D21/00, F01K21/04, F23D11/10 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F02C3/00

  Gas-turbine plants characterised by the use of combustion products as the working fluid (generated by intermittent combustion F02C5/00) · CPC title