Production of carbon fiber from asphaltenes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023357026-A1
Application number	US-202318216335-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 29, 2023
Priority date	Jul 14, 2021
Publication date	Nov 9, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

There is provided a process and system for producing carbon fiber products. The process can involve deasphalting a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, which can contain native asphaltenes, to produce a solid asphaltene particulate material, which can be further treated to produce the carbon fiber products. In some implementations, the solid asphaltene particulate material can be extruded in the presence of a polymer. In some implementations, the solid asphaltene particulate material can be chemically treated with a chemical agent including a Lewis acid, an oxidizing agent and/or a reducing agent before extrusion. In some implementations, the process can further produce activated carbon fibers.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 .- 197 . (canceled)

198 . A process for producing an activated carbon fiber, comprising:
extruding a solid asphaltene particulate material to produce extruded asphaltenes; spinning the extruded asphaltenes into a continuous asphaltene thread; carbonizing the asphaltene thread by heat treatment to produce a carbonized carbon fiber; and activating the carbon fiber to produce an activated carbon fiber.

199 . The process of claim 198 , wherein activating comprises steam activation.

200 . The process of claim 199 , wherein the steam activation is performed at a steam temperature of about 800° C. to about 900° C.

201 . The process of claim 199 , wherein the steam activation is performed at a steam rate of about 100 g/hr to about 200 g/hr.

202 . The process of claim 198 , wherein the activated carbon fiber has a BET surface area of at least 500 m 2 /g.

203 . The process of claim 198 , wherein the activated carbon fiber has a BET surface area of at least 1000 m 2 /g.

204 . The process of claim 198 , wherein the carbonizing heat treatment is performed at about 995° C. to about 2000° C. (about 1823° F. to about 3632° F.) for up to 1 hour.

205 . The process of claim 198 , further comprising stabilizing the asphaltene thread by a stabilizing heat treatment to produce a stabilized asphaltene thread and carbonizing the stabilized asphaltene thread to produce the carbonized carbon fiber.

206 . The process of claim 205 , wherein the stabilizing heat treatment is performed at about 175° C. to about 290° C. (about 350° F. to about 550° F.) for up to 1 hour.

207 . The process of claim 198 , further comprising graphitizing the carbonized carbon fiber to form a graphitized carbon fiber, and wherein the activating comprises activating the graphitized carbon fiber to produce the activated carbon fiber.

208 . The process of claim 207 , wherein the graphitizing comprises heating the carbonized carbon fiber to over 3000° C. (5432° F.).

209 . The process of claim 198 , further comprising:
thermally treating a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to produce a lighter hydrocarbon stream and a heavier hydrocarbon stream; solvent deasphalting the heavier hydrocarbon stream with a solvent to precipitate asphaltenes and form solid asphaltene precipitates and produce deasphalted oil; separating the deasphalted oil from the solid asphaltene precipitates to produce a solvent-diluted deasphalted oil stream comprising at least a portion of the solvent and a slurry stream comprising the solid asphaltene precipitates and residual solvent; and separating the slurry stream to produce the solid asphaltene particulate material.

210 . The process of claim 209 , wherein thermally treating the hydrocarbon feedstock is performed at a temperature ranging from about 370° C. (700° F.) to about 420° C. (790° F.) for a residence time ranging from 1 minute to 7 hours.

211 . The process of claim 209 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock comprises a bitumen-containing feedstock derived from a surface mining operation or an in situ extraction operation.

212 . The process of claim 209 , wherein the solvent used for the solvent deasphalting comprises at least one C 3 -C 8 hydrocarbon.

213 . The process of claim 209 , wherein the solvent used in the solvent deasphalting separator comprises at least one C 5 -C 8 hydrocarbon.

214 . The process of claim 209 , wherein separating the slurry stream comprises vaporizing the residual solvent to produce a vapour/solid mixture comprising vaporized solvent and the solid asphaltene precipitates, and subjecting the vapour/solid mixture to inertial separation.

215 . The process of claim 209 , further comprising separating insolubles from the solid asphaltene particulate material, wherein separating the insolubles comprises combining the solid asphaltene particulate material with an insolubles-producing solvent to produce the insolubles, and removing the insolubles from the solid asphaltene particulate material.

216 . The process of claim 198 , further comprising surface treating and sizing the activated carbon fiber to create a carbon fiber product.

217 . The process of claim 216 , wherein the carbon fiber product has a tensile strength of at least 1 GPa and a Young's modulus of at least 100 GPa.

218 . A system for producing an activated carbon fiber, comprising:
an extruding unit configured to extrude a solid asphaltene particulate material to produce extruded asphaltenes; a spinning unit configured to spin the extruded asphaltenes into a continuous asphaltene thread; a carbonization unit configured to carbonize the asphaltene thread to produce a carbonized carbon fiber; an activating unit configured to activate the carbon fiber and produce an activated carbon fiber.

219 . The system of claim 218 , further comprising:
a thermal reactor configured to receive a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock and produce a lighter hydrocarbon stream and a heavier hydrocarbon stream; a solvent deasphalting separator in fluid communication with the thermal reactor and configured to contact the heavier hydrocarbon stream with a solvent to precipitate asphaltenes and form solid asphaltene precipitates, the solvent deasphalting separator producing a solvent-diluted deasphalted oil stream comprising at least a portion of the solvent and a slurry stream comprising the asphaltene precipitates and residual solvent; and an inertial separation unit in fluid communication with the solvent deasphalting separator, the inertial separation unit being configured to separate the slurry stream solids to produce the solid asphaltene particulate material and a recovered solvent stream.

Assignees

• Suncor Energy Inc

Inventors

• Remesat Darius

Classifications

• C01B32/33 Primary

  from distillation residues of coal or petroleum; from petroleum acid sludge · CPC title

• C01B32/39

  Apparatus for the preparation thereof · CPC title

• D01F9/155 Primary

  from petroleum pitch · CPC title

• D01D5/084

  Heating filaments, threads or the like, leaving the spinnerettes · CPC title

• C01B32/354

  After-treatment · CPC title