Systems and methods for reducing rendered fats pour point

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12297403-B2
Application number	US-202318243206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2023
Priority date	Jan 31, 2022
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods to reduce pour point (PP) temperatures of fat-based compositions for use in transportation fuels. In one or more embodiments, methods and systems reduce the pour point of rendered fats using biologically-derived plant oils for effectively transporting the blended fat based compositions over long distances, thereby advantageously decreasing the heating and mixing requirements needed to maintain the compositional temperature above the pour point. In certain embodiments, the fat based composition comprises rendered animal fats, such as tallow in combination with distilled corn oil (DCO).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reducing pour point for a blended fat composition, the method comprising:
supplying (1) a selected quantity of rendered fats at a first selected temperature equal to or greater than a pour point of the rendered fats and (2) a selected quantity of a biological-based oil at a second selected temperature lower than the first selected temperature and equal to or greater than a pour point of the biological-based oil;
mixing the selected quantity of rendered fats and the selected quantity of the biological-based oil so as to define a blended fat composition which has a reduced pour point less than the pour point of the rendered fats; and
maintaining a third selected temperature of the blended fat composition during transport to a fuel processing facility.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third selected temperature is based on one or more of ambient temperature, the pour point of the rendered fats, the pour point of the biological-based oil, or a pour point of the blended fat composition, and the method further comprise supplying the blended fat composition to the fuel processing facility while the third selected temperature is maintained.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising, in response to a change in ambient temperature, adjusting the third selected temperature so that the blended fat composition has the reduced pour point less than the pour point of the rendered fats being supplied.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising, after mixing the selected quantity of rendered fats and the selected quantity of the biological-based oil, sampling the blended fat composition to measure the pour point of the blended fat composition, and wherein the third selected temperature is based on a measured pour point of the blended fat composition.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixing includes by use of one or more mixing devices, the one or more mixing devices comprising one or more of a mixing tank, in-line mixing pipeline, or mixing element in a transport vehicle.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein further use of the blended fat composition at the fuel processing facility comprises processing the blended fat composition into one or more of renewable diesel, naphtha, propane, or treated fuel gas.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein prior to supplying of the blended fat composition to the file processing facility for further use at the fuel processing facility:
transporting the blended fat composition to a second location remote from a first location so as to maintain the blended fat composition at a temperature above the reduced pour point.

8. A method of reducing pour point for a blended fat composition to transport the blended fat composition from a first location to a second location, the method comprising:
supplying a selected quantity of rendered fats and a selected quantity of a biological-based oil to a first tank positioned at the first location, the rendered fats being supplied at a first selected temperature equal to or greater than a pour point of the rendered fats and the biological-based oil being supplied at a second selected temperature lower than the first selected temperature and equal to or greater than a pour point of the biological-based oil;
mixing the selected quantity of rendered fats and the selected quantity of the biological-based oil in the first tank so as to define a blended fat composition in the first tank, the blended fat composition having a third selected temperature less than the first selected temperature and greater than the second selected temperature and high enough so that the third selected temperature is equal to or greater than a pour point of the blended fat composition so that the blended fat composition has a reduced pour point;
maintaining the third selected temperature of the blended fat composition in the first tank so that the blended fat composition has a reduced pour point less than the pour point of the rendered fats supplied to the first tank;
supplying the blended fat composition having the reduced pour point to one or more transport vehicles, the one or more transport vehicles each configured to maintain the blended fat composition at a temperature above the reduced pour point during transport; and
transporting the blended fat composition to the second location remote from the first location so as to maintain the blended fat composition at a temperature above the reduced pour point.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the biological-based oil comprises one or more of technical corn oil (TCO), distillers corn oil (DCO), soybean oil, sorghum oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, algal oil, fish oil, chufa/tigernut oil, sativa seed oil, coconut oil or combinations thereof, and wherein the first tank includes a mixing element to mix the selected quantity of rendered fats and the selected quantity of biological-based oil for a selected amount of time, thereby to form the blended fat composition, the mixing element configured to be controlled via a controller.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first tank includes a heating element to maintain the third selected temperature of the blended fat composition, and the method further comprising controlling the heating element via a controller and supplying the blended fat composition from the one or more transport vehicles at the reduced pour point to the second location, thereby to process further the blended fat composition after arrival at the second location into a fuel.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising heating a first source of rendered fats to the first selected temperature and a source of the biological-based oil to the second selected temperature prior to supplying the selected quantity of the rendered fats and the selected quantity of the biological-based oil to the first tank.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first selected temperature is equal to or greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the second selected temperature is from about 90° F. to about 130° F.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first tank is maintained at a temperature equal to or greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more transport vehicles comprises one or more of a rail car, a freight hauler, or a marine vessel.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more transport vehicles is configured to maintain temperature so as to be equal to or greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the one or more transport vehicles and greater than the reduced pour point of the blended fat composition during a plurality of weather conditions.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the selected quantity of rendered fats comprises from about 0.01% weight percent to about 30% of the weight percent of the blended fat composition.

17. The method of claim 8 , wherein the rendered fats comprise one or more of tallow, choice white, grease, used cooking oil, or one or more additional fats/oils derived from bovine, ovine, piscine, porcine, or poultry.

18. The method of claim 8 , wherein the selected quantity of rendered fats and the selected quantity of the biological-based oil to the first tank is determined via one or more controllers, and wherein the supplying of the blended fat composition to the one or more transport vehicles is controlled via the one or more controllers.

19. A system to reduce pour point for a blended fat composition to transport the blended fat composition from a first location to a second location, the system comprising:
a first source of rendered fats having a se

Assignees

• Marathon Petroleum Co Lp

Inventors

• Short Daniel Z
• Klaus Nathan R
• Teschel David G
• Dofton Paul J
• Womeldorff Justin L
• Smith Michelle
• Broughton Peg
• Litchfield Caleb S

Classifications

• C10L2270/026

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

• C10L2230/14

  for improving storage or transport of the fuel · CPC title

• C10L2290/24

  Mixing, stirring of fuel components · CPC title

• C10L2290/58

  Control or regulation of the fuel preparation of upgrading process · CPC title

• C10L2200/0484

  Vegetable or animal oils · CPC title