Processing of dielectric fluids with mobile charge carriers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9228136-B2
Application number	US-201213556739-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2012
Priority date	Jul 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

Provided herewith is a novel method of controllably processing a dielectric fluid by creating discharges within the dielectric fluid from mobile charge carriers contained within the dielectric fluid. Generally, the dielectric fluid and the mobile charge carriers are between two electrodes which apply a voltage to the charge carriers. In one embodiment, the dielectric fluid is a hydrocarbon fluid such as a heavy crude oil or a fuel. In one embodiment the charge carrier comprises water droplets. In another embodiment, the mobile charge carriers are metallic balls. In both instances the discharges initiate from the mobile charge carriers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of processing a dielectric fluid comprising:
providing a dielectric fluid with mobile charge carriers within the dielectric fluid, wherein the dielectric fluid is a hydrocarbon fluid and wherein the mobile charge move within the dielectric fluid and the mobile charge carriers comprise metal filings or spherical balls, wherein the material of the spherical balls is metal or ceramic;
providing the dielectric fluid with the mobile charge carriers within the dielectric fluid between two electrodes; and
creating a discharge within the dielectric fluid from the mobile charge carriers within the dielectric fluid, wherein the discharge is created by a collision of the mobile charge carriers with an electrode or with another mobile charge carrier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric fluid with mobile charge carriers within the dielectric fluid is passed between the two electrodes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the dielectric fluid is passed between the two electrodes at a flow rate designed to control the discharges at a predetermined energy.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the size of the mobile charge carriers, the material of the mobile charge carriers, the voltage between the electrodes and the flow rate of the dielectric fluid between the electrodes are all controlled in order to provide discharges within the dielectric fluid at a predetermined energy.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the mobile charge carriers flow along with the dielectric fluid.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon fluid is a heavy crude oil, waste oil, gasoline or diesel fuel.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon fluid is a heavy crude oil.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon fluid is a biofuel.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile charge carriers comprise metal filings of a cylindrical or branched shape.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the material of the metal filings is comprised of steel, aluminum or brass.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile charge carriers comprise spherical balls.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the spherical balls are comprised of a ceramic material.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the spherical balls are comprised of a metallic material which is steel, aluminum or brass.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing of the dielectric fluid improves the viscosity and/or flowability of the dielectric fluid.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the dielectric fluid is a heavy crude and/or a fuel oil.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing of the dielectric fluid converts proportions of various distillation fractions to lighter hydrocarbons.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing of the dielectric fluid changes the chemical composition of the fluid.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the parameters of the processing control the C:H ratio of products produced.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the discharge has an energy of between 1nJ and 10 mJ.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the discharge has an energy of between 1 μJ and 10 mJ.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the discharge has an energy of between 1 μJ and 100 μJ.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the discharge has an energy of between 1 nJ and 1 μJ.

23. A method of processing a dielectric fluid comprising:
providing a dielectric fluid with mobile charge carriers within the dielectric fluid, wherein the mobile charge carriers move within the dielectric fluid, the mobile charge carriers comprise metal filings or spherical balls, wherein the material of the spherical balls is metal or ceramic, and the dielectric fluid is a hydrocarbon fluid; and
creating a discharge within the dielectric fluid from the mobile charge carriers within the dielectric fluid to process the dielectric fluid,
wherein the discharge has an energy an order of magnitude below the mJ level.

Assignees

• Staack David A
• Geiger Robert P
• Texas A & M Univ Sys

Inventors

• Staack David A
• Geiger Robert P

Classifications

• C10G32/02 Primary

  by electric or magnetic means · CPC title

• C10G2300/302

  Viscosity · CPC title

• C10L2250/084

  Water in oil (w/o) emulsion · CPC title

• C10G2300/1011

  Biomass · CPC title

• C10L1/04

  essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons · CPC title