Systems and methods for holistic low carbon intensity fuel production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12092998-B2
Application number	US-202217990805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2022
Priority date	Aug 4, 2020
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods to provide low carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuels through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions based upon an analysis of carbon emissions associated with a combination of various options for feedstock procurement, feedstock refining, processing, or transformation, and fuel product distribution pathways to end users. Such options are selected to maintain the total CI (carbon emissions per unit energy) of the transportation fuel below a pre-selected threshold that defines an upper limit of CI for the transportation fuel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process to provide a low carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuel, the process comprising:
selecting a carbon intensity threshold to define an upper limit for carbon intensity of a transportation fuel that qualifies the transportation fuel as a low carbon intensity transportation fuel;
selecting a refinery feedstock procured at a source for transport so as to reduce carbon emissions associated therewith and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
selecting a transportation mode to transport the refinery feedstock from the source to a refinery so as to reduce carbon emissions associated therewith and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
selecting refinery processes to reduce carbon emissions associated with refining the refinery feedstock to one or more refined products and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
refining the refinery feedstock into one or more refined products, the one or more refined products including one or more of gasoline, jet fuel, or diesel;
selecting a distribution mode to transport a quantity of one of the one or more refined products as the transportation fuel from a refined products location of one or more storage tanks associated with the one of the refined products to a selected location, a distribution mode to the selected location being selected to reduce carbon emissions associated therewith and thereby maintain the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel below the carbon intensity threshold;
determining the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel as a function of carbon emissions per unit energy associated with procuring the selected refinery feedstock at the source, carbon emissions per unit energy associated with transporting the refinery feedstock from the source to the refinery by use of the selected transportation mode, carbon emissions per unit energy associated with refining the refinery feedstock into the one or more of the one or more refined products, and carbon emissions per unit energy associated with transporting the quantity of one of the one or more refined products as the transportation fuel to the selected location by use of the selected distribution mode; and
outputting the transportation fuel through the selected distribution mode as low carbon intensity transportation fuel.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the refining the refinery feedstock into one or more refined products includes cracking at least a portion of the refinery feedstock.

3. The process according to claim 1 , further comprising blending one or more of a plant-derived ethanol, a biodiesel, or a renewable diesel into the transportation fuel, and wherein the blending occurs at one or more of a refinery tank farm, the distribution mode, a terminal, or the selected location.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the distribution mode transports the quantity of one of the one or more refined products as the transportation fuel to a terminal.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the transportation mode and distribution mode uses one or more of electric power generated from wind energy, electric power generated from solar energy, electric power generated by a hydroelectric generator, or renewable diesel, and the transportation mode is selected from one or more of rail, truck, barge, or pipeline.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein selection of the refinery feedstock is based at least in part on achieving a pre-selected yield for at least one of the one or more refined products, and wherein the pre-selected yield is set at least in part by end user demand for at least one of the one or more refined products outputted as the low carbon intensity transportation fuel.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the function of carbon emissions per unit energy associated with procuring the selected refinery feedstock at the source includes carbon emissions per unit energy of the selected refinery feedstock and carbon emissions per unit energy for providing the refinery feedstock at the source, and wherein the process further comprises verifying that the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel remains below the carbon intensity threshold for the transportation fuel to be provided to the selected location.

8. A fuel integration controller to operate a transportation fuel refinery for distribution of a low carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuel therefrom and obtained through one or more targeted reductions of carbon emissions (CE) associated with various available feedstock, the fuel integration controller comprising:
a first input/output in signal communication with a procurement computing device, such that the fuel integration controller is configured to:
(a) determine a selection of one or more available feedstock, a selection of one or more feedstock transportation pathways, a selection of one or more refinery processes, a selection of one or more utilities, and a selection of one or more fuel product transportation pathways, each selection based on:
(1) a determination of feedstock carbon intensity (CI) of one or more blends of the one or more available feedstock,
(2) a determination of feedstock transportation CI of one or more feedstock transportation pathways,
(3) a determination of refinery process CI of one or more refinery processes,
(4) a determination of utility CI of one or more utilities to operate the one or more refinery processes,
(5) a determination of fuel product distribution CI of one or more fuel product distribution pathways, and
(6) a determination of one or more total CIs less than the threshold CI, the total CIs based on varying combinations of the determinations of CI,

(b) in response to the selection of the one or more available feedstock, the selection of one or more feedstock transportation pathways, the selection of one or more refinery processes, the selection of one or more utilities, and the selection of one or more fuel product distribution pathways:
(1) transmit a feedstock request to the procurement computing device, the feedstock request including the selection of the one or more available feedstock and the selection of the one or more feedstock transportation pathways;

a second input/output in signal communication with a refinery controller, the refinery controller to control one or more various refinery processes to be operated at the refinery, such that the fuel integration controller is configured to:
(a) in response to a determined reception of the selected one or more available feedstock at the refinery:
(1) determine actual feedstock CI and actual feedstock transportation CI,
(2) in response to a determination that the actual feedstock CI and actual feedstock transportation CI has increased in relation to the determined feedstock CI and determined feedstock transportation CI, determine one or more of a new selection of one or more refinery processes, a new selection of one or more utilities, and a new selection of one or more fuel product distribution pathways to maintain total CI, and
(3) initiate, at the refinery controller, the selected one or more refinery processes and the selected one or more utilities to operate the selected one or more refinery processes thereby to transform the selected one or more available feedstock to a refined transportation fuel; and

a third input/output in signal communication with a distribution computing device such that the fuel integration controller is configured to:
(a) in response to determination of completion of the selected one or more refinery processes:
(1) dete

Assignees

• Marathon Petroleum Co Lp

Inventors

• Whikehart David
• Herold Gregory

Classifications

• G06Q50/40

  Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083) · CPC title

• G06Q10/083

  Shipping · CPC title

• Y02P20/151

  Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, e.g. CO2 · CPC title

• E21B43/25

  Methods for stimulating production {(by vibrating earth formations E21B43/003)} · CPC title

• E21B43/12

  Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells (E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00) · CPC title