Renewable diesel interface recombination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12092270-B2
Application number	US-202418637651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2024
Priority date	Oct 21, 2022
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

Methods and systems for, among other embodiments, transporting renewable diesel (RD) through a pipeline, or a portion thereof, are provided. In certain embodiments, the method may include transporting the renewable diesel from a first pipeline terminal to a second pipeline terminal, the renewable diesel wrapped head and tail with a compatible diesel fuel. The method may also include restricting the transport of the diesel fuel in the pipeline to diesel fuel compositions having a first composition or first specification, the first composition or first specification characterized by a selected amount of the renewable diesel, or a component thereof, the selected amount being less than the selected amount allowed in a second target specification for the diesel fuel. The method may also include combining, at the second pipeline terminal, at least a portion of the mixed interface fraction stream with at least a portion of the diesel fuel fraction stream so as to produce a diesel fuel stream meeting the second target specification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for transporting renewable diesel (RD) through a pipeline, or a portion thereof, the method comprising:
transporting the renewable diesel from a first pipeline terminal to a second pipeline terminal, a first diesel fuel injected prior to a head of the renewable diesel and a second diesel fuel injected subsequent to a tail of the renewable diesel so that when transporting the renewable diesel, the first diesel fuel and the second diesel fuel in combination comprises a minimum volume of 10,000 barrels, the first diesel fuel and the second diesel fuel from the first pipeline terminal to the second pipeline terminal, interfacial mixing occurs, thereby to define a mixed interface fraction stream;
restricting transport in the pipeline to diesel fuel compositions with a first specification, the first specification characterized by a selected amount of the renewable diesel, or a component thereof, the selected amount being less than a selected amount allowed in a second target specification for one or more of the first diesel fuel or the second diesel fuel;
separating, at the second pipeline terminal, a renewable diesel fraction stream, one or more diesel fuel fraction streams, and the mixed interface fraction stream, the mixed interface fraction stream to include a mixture of the renewable diesel and one or more of the first diesel fuel or the second diesel fuel; and
combining at least a portion of the mixed interface fraction stream with at least a portion of the diesel fuel fraction stream, thereby to produce a diesel fuel stream meeting the second target specification.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising restricting transport of diesel fuel in the pipeline to diesel fuel compositions having 2% by volume or less of renewable diesel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first specification comprises one of (a) a selected amount of 2% by volume of renewable diesel or (b) a selected amount of 3% by volume of renewable diesel, and wherein the second target specification comprises less than 5% by volume of renewable diesel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second target specification comprises a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Label Law limit of less than 5% Renewable Diesel (RD) in CARB ULSD No. 2.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first diesel fuel and the second diesel fuel comprises one or more of a substantially non-renewable diesel fuel, an Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel (ULSD), a No. 2 diesel fuel, a sulfur level no higher than 0.0015 percent by weight (15 ppm), a No. 2 diesel fuel with a sulfur level no higher than 0.0015 percent by weight (15 ppm) and with an aromatic hydrocarbon content limited to 10 percent by volume, or a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel (ULSD) No. 2.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second target specification corresponds to a diesel fuel composition comprising one or more of a diesel fuel end product specification, a diesel fuel labeling requirement, a diesel fuel composition required for government accreditation or credit, or a diesel fuel composition corresponding to a particular known emissions rating.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first diesel fuel and the second diesel fuel both comprise a same type of diesel fuel.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
flowing the renewable diesel fraction stream to a first storage tank positioned at the second pipeline terminal to generate a stored renewable diesel fraction;
flowing the mixed interface fraction stream to a second storage tank positioned at the second pipeline terminal to generate a stored mixed interface fraction;
flowing a first flow stream comprising the diesel fuel fraction stream to a third storage tank positioned at the second pipeline terminal, thereby to generate a stored diesel fuel fraction;
combining an injection flow stream comprising the stored mixed interface fraction, or a portion thereof, with at least a portion of the stored diesel fuel fraction, thereby to produce the diesel fuel stream meeting the second target specification; and
storing the diesel fuel stream having the second target specification in the third storage tank.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining one or more chemical or physical characteristics of one or more of: (a) the diesel fuel fraction stream, (b) the mixed interface fraction stream, or (c) stored mixed interface fraction;
determining a flow rate of the diesel fuel fraction stream having the first specification; determining, based on the determined one or more chemical or physical characteristics and the flow rate, one or more injection parameters such that when the stored mixed interface fraction is injected according to one or more determined injection parameters, the diesel fuel stream having the second target specification is produced; and
injecting, based on the one or more determined injection parameters, the stored mixed interface fraction, or a portion thereof, into a first flow stream to produce the diesel fuel stream meeting the second target specification.

10. A method for transporting renewable diesel through a pipeline with reduced mixed interface losses, the method comprising:
supplying a first diesel fuel and a second diesel fuel each compatible with the renewable diesel, the first diesel fuel having a first predetermined composition and the second diesel fuel having a second predetermined composition, the first predetermined composition and the second predetermined composition comprising a selected amount of the renewable diesel, or a component thereof, the selected amount being less than the selected amount allowed in a second target composition for the first diesel fuel and the second diesel;
transporting, from a first pipeline terminal to a second pipeline terminal, a first movement of the first diesel fuel having the first predetermined composition;
transporting, from the first pipeline terminal to the second pipeline terminal, a first movement of the renewable diesel immediately sequentially following the first movement of the first diesel fuel having the first predetermined composition, such that a head of the first movement of the renewable diesel is wrapped by a tail of the first movement of the first diesel fuel having the first predetermined composition;
transporting, from the first pipeline terminal to the second pipeline terminal, a second movement of the second diesel fuel having the second predetermined composition immediately sequentially following the first movement of the renewable diesel, such that the tail of the first movement of the renewable diesel is wrapped by the head of the second movement of the second diesel fuel having the second predetermined composition;
separating, at the second pipeline terminal, a renewable diesel fraction stream, a first diesel fuel having a first predetermined composition fraction stream, a second diesel fuel having a second predetermined composition fraction stream, and a mixed interface fraction stream, the mixed interface fraction stream comprising a mixture of the renewable diesel and the diesel fuel having the first predetermined composition so that when transporting the renewable diesel, the first diesel fuel and the second diesel fuel from the first pipeline terminal to the second pipeline terminal, interfacial mixing occurs, thereby to define the mixed interface fraction stream; and
combining at least a portion of the mixed interface fraction stream with at least a portion of one or more of (a) the first diesel fuel having the first predetermined composition fraction stream or (b) the second diesel fuel having the second predetermined composition fraction, thereby to produce a diesel f

Assignees

• Marathon Petroleum Co Lp

Inventors

• Freeman Matthew T
• Hill R Benjamin
• Riesen Terry

Classifications

• Y10T137/0363

  For producing proportionate flow · CPC title

• C10L2230/14

  for improving storage or transport of the fuel · CPC title

• C10L2200/0446

  Diesel · CPC title

• C10L2270/026

  for diesel engines, e.g. automobiles, stationary, marine · CPC title

• C10L1/08 Primary

  for compression ignition · CPC title