Systems and processes for hydrocarbon blending

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11319496-B2
Application number	US-202016919241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2020
Priority date	Jul 2, 2020
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for blending a hydrocarbon-based composition comprising:
combining a first heated water stream with a first pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition comprising asphaltene in a mixing device to create a first combined feed stream;
allowing the first heated water stream and the first pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition to interact such that the first combined feed stream comprises micelles and reverse micelles, thereby preventing asphaltene aggregation;
combining a second heated water stream with a second pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition comprising asphaltene in a mixing device to create a second combined feed stream;
allowing the second heated water stream and the second pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition to interact such that the second combined feed stream comprises micelles and reverse micelles, thereby preventing asphaltene aggregation;
introducing the first combined feed stream and the second combined feed 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 feed stream to form a blended hydrocarbon-based composition.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first heated water stream is saturated, the second heated water stream is saturated, or both.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first and second heated water streams have a temperature from 100° C. to 370° C.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first and second pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based compositions have a temperature from 100° C. to 370° C.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the supercritical blending vessel has a temperature of greater than 375° C. and less than 600° C. and a pressure greater than 22.1 MPa and less than 75 MPa.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the supercritical blending vessel comprises a static mixer, an inline mixer, an impeller, or combinations thereof.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the asphaltene in the first pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition exists in a form of aggregated asphaltene molecules, and wherein allowing the first heated water stream and the first pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition to interact to form the first combined feed stream improves the stability of the first combined feed stream due to polar-polar interaction between water molecules and aggregated asphaltene molecules.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein blending the first combined feed stream and the second combined feed stream breaks the aggregated asphaltene molecules into smaller asphaltene molecules, wherein the smaller asphaltene molecules have a particle size less than a particle size of the aggregated asphaltene molecules.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein the aggregated asphaltene molecules have a particle size of from 1 to 800 microns and the smaller asphaltene molecules have a particle size of from 0.1 nanometers to 300 nanometers.

10. The process of claim 1 , further comprising passing the blended hydrocarbon-based composition to a gas/oil/water separator and separating the blended hydrocarbon-based composition in the gas/oil/water separator to produce a gas fraction, a liquid oil fraction, and a water fraction.

11. A process for blending a hydrocarbon-based composition comprising:
combining a first heated water stream with a first pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition comprising asphaltene in a mixing device to create a first combined feed stream;
allowing the first heated water stream and the first pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition to interact such that the first combined feed stream comprises micelles and reverse micelles, thereby preventing asphaltene aggregation;
introducing the first combined feed stream into a first supercritical upgrading reactor operating at a temperature greater than a critical temperature of water and a pressure greater than a critical pressure of water;
at least partially converting the first combined feed stream to a first upgraded product;
combining a second heated water stream with a second pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition comprising asphaltene in a mixing device to create a second combined feed stream;
allowing the second heated water stream and the second pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition to interact such that the second combined feed stream comprises micelles and reverse micelles, thereby preventing asphaltene aggregation;
introducing the second combined feed stream into a second supercritical upgrading reactor operating at a temperature greater than a critical temperature of water and a pressure greater than a critical pressure of water;
at least partially converting the second combined feed stream to a second upgraded product;
passing the first upgraded product out of the first supercritical upgrading reactor to 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;
passing the second upgraded product out of the second supercritical upgrading reactor to the 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 upgraded product and the second upgraded product to form an upgraded blended hydrocarbon-based composition.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the first heated water stream is saturated, the second heated water stream is saturated, or both.

13. The process of claim 11 , wherein the first and second heated water streams have a temperature from 100° C. to 370° C.

14. The process of claim 11 , wherein the first and second pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based compositions have a temperature from 100° C. to 370° C.

15. The process of claim 11 , wherein the supercritical blending vessel has a temperature of greater than 375° C. and less than 600° C. and a pressure greater than 22.1 MPa and less than 75 MPa.

16. The process of claim 11 , wherein the supercritical blending vessel comprises a static mixer, an inline mixer, an impeller, or combinations thereof.

17. The process of claim 11 , wherein allowing the first heated water stream and the first pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition to interact to form the first combined feed stream improves the stability of the first combined feed stream due to polar-polar interaction between water molecules and aggregated asphaltene molecules.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein blending the first upgraded product and the second upgraded product breaks the aggregated asphaltene molecules into smaller asphaltene molecules.

19. The process of claim 18 , wherein the aggregated asphaltene molecules have a particle size of from 1 to 800 microns and the smaller asphaltene molecules have a particle size of from 0.1 nanometers to 300 nanometers.

20. The process of claim 11 , further comprising passing the upgraded blended hydrocarbon-based composition to a gas/oil/water separator and separating the upgraded blended hydrocarbon-based composition in the gas/oil/water separator to produce a gas fraction, a liquid oil fraction, and a water fraction.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Fathi Mazin M
• Choi Ki-Hyouk

Classifications

• B01F23/09

  Mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams for components having more than two different of undetermined agglomeration states, e.g. supercritical states · CPC title

• B01F23/471

  using a very viscous liquid and a liquid of low viscosity · CPC title

• B01F23/47

  involving high-viscosity liquids, e.g. asphalt · CPC title

• C10G31/08 Primary

  by treating with water · CPC title

• B01F23/043

  Mixing fluids or with fluids in a supercritical state, in supercritical conditions or variable density fluids · CPC title