Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Oslo Alberta Limited

Bruce M Sankey

Cedric L Briens

Roby Bearden, Jr

Peter S Maa

James D Bushnell

John B Gilbert

Alexandr P Glivicky

Milton D Leighton

Omer Biceroglu

Robert N Tipman

Christopher Olavesen

Patrick C Ewener

Anthony M White

Charles Woo

A process for the thermal conversion of the organic component associated with tar sands to lower boiling, higher value products. The conversion is achieved by subjecting the organic component containing from about 1 to 20 wt. % native solids to elevated temperatures and pressures. Compared to conventional thermal conversion processes, such as visbreaking, much higher conversion of the organic component can be achieved owing to the presence of native solids on which coke is deposited instead of fouling the process equipment. This higher conversion is also associated with enhanced removal of sulfur and metals.

Conversion of the organic component from tar sands to lower boiling

A process for treating bitumen froth containing mixtures of a hydrocarbon component, water and solids, comprises heating said bitumen froth to a temperature in the range of about 80.degree. C. to about 300.degree. C., preferably in the range of 100.degree. C. to 180.degree. C., under pressure of about 150 to about 5000 kPa, preferably in the range of 800 to about 2000 kPa, sufficient to maintain said hydrocarbon component in a liquid phase, passing said heated froth into a plurality of separation stages in series, and gravity settling the solids and water from the hydrocarbon layer while maintaining said elevated temperature and pressure. A diluent miscible with the bitumen may be mixed with the bitumen froth in an amount of 0 to about 60 per cent by weight of the bitumen, preferably in an amount of 15 to 50 per cent by weight of the bitumen in a mixing stage for preconditioning of the froth prior to each gravity separation stage. A low molecular weight hydrocarbon diluent, such as typified by naphtha, kerosene, toluene or natural gas condensate, is preferred.

Process for separation of hydrocarbon from tar sands froth

A heavy hydrocarbon oil comprising constituents boiling above 1050.degree. F. is upgraded by a combination visbreaking or hydrovisbreaking and hydrorefining process in which at least a portion of the hydrorefined bottoms fraction is recycled to the visbreaking zone. The hydrorefining zone is operated at conditions to convert at least a portion of the 1050.degree. F..sup.+ constituents to lower boiling hydrocarbons.

Combination visbreaking and hydrorefining with recycle of hydrorefined

This invention relates to solvent dewaxing processes for dewaxing waxy hydrocarbon oil distillates employing a dewaxing aid which dewaxing aid is a mixture of (a) a poly-dialkylfumarate/vinyl acetate copolymer and (b) a wax-naphthalene condensation product. Component (a) has pendent alkyl side chain groups of from 16 to 30 carbon atoms in length (excluding branching) with an average pendent side chain carbon length of predominantly (&gt;50%) C.sub.22. Component (a) has a number average molecular weight of from about 1,000 to 100,000 preferably greater than about 5,000. Component (b) has a number average molecular weight of at least about 1,000. The combination (a) and (b) may be employed in a weight ratio (A)/(B) within the range from about 1/10 to 20/1 preferably about 1/3 to 6/1 most preferably about 3/1 and at an aid dose level ranging from about 0.005 to 2.0 wt. % preferably 0.01 to 0.2 wt. % active ingredient.

Solvent dewaxing waxy hydrocarbon distillate oils using a combination

This invention relates to solvent dewaxing processes, for dewaxing waxy hydrocarbon oils using a dewaxing aid, which dewaxing aid comprises a mixture of (A) polyalkyl arcylate having alkyl group side chain length of from 10-26 carbons (excluding branching) and (B) an n-alkyl methacrylate polymer having alkyl group side chain length of from 10-20 carbons (excluding branching). Component (A) typically has a number average molecular weight of from 3,000 to 500,000 while component (B) typically has a number average molecular weight of from 5,000 to 200,000. The combination (A) plus (B) may be employed in a weight ratio within the range from about 1/100 to 100/1, preferably about 1/6 to 2/1 and at an aid does level ranging from about 0.01 wt % to 1 wt %, preferably 0.02 to 0.2 wt % active ingredient.

Solvent dewaxing waxy hydrocarbon distillates using a combination poly

This invention relates to processes for solvent dewaxing waxy hydrocarbon oil distillates employing a dewaxing aid which dewaxing aid is a mixture of (a) poly(meth-)acrylate polymers and (b) polydialkylfumarate/vinyl acetate copolymers. The dewaxing aid mixture is selected from the group of mixtures consisting of a mixture of (a) poly(meth-)acrylate polymer which is an ester of a C.sub.10 to C.sub.22 aliphatic alcohol with acrylic or methacrylic acid and has a number average molecular weight greater than about 5,000 and (b) polydialkylfumarate/vinyl acetate copolymer wherein the pendent alkyl side chain group contains from 16-30 carbon atoms but is primarily i.e. &gt;50% C.sub.22 (preferably behenyl), and the component (B) has a number average molecular weight of about 1,000 to 100,000, preferably about 5,000 to 50,000. The combination (a) plus (b) may be employed in a weight ratio within the range of from about 100/1 to 1/100, preferably about 8/1 to 1/4, more preferably about 8/1 to 1/1 most preferably about 3/1 a/b, and at an aid dose level ranging from about 0.01 to 1 wt. %, preferably between about 0.02 to 0.2 wt. % active ingredient. The solvent dewaxing of bright stocks can also be benefitted by using as a dewaxing aid a combination consisting of component B recited above and a component A which is a polymethacrylate copolymer having an average pendent carbon side chain length of predominantly i.e. &gt;50% C.sub.16 and higher.

Solvent dewaxing waxy hydrocarbon oil distillates using a combination

The thermal decomposition of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone is minimized by the addition of minor amounts of water thereto prior to its being heated to temperatures in excess of 500.degree. F. This is of particular importance in processes using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as an extraction solvent to remove aromatics from mixtures of aromatic and non-aromatic hydrocarbons and wherein the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone is recovered from the extracted fractions by thermal means such as flash evaporation and distillation.

Thermal stabilization of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone

An asphalt containing mineral oil is simultaneously deasphalted and extracted in a combination zone by contacting the oil with a solvent comprising N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) containing from 0-5 LV% water and a light hydrocarbon to produce a raffinate and extract phase, with the raffinate phase containing the desired oil, most of the hydrocarbon solvent and some NMP. The raffinate is then passed to a reduced pressure zone to remove most of the hydrocarbon solvent therefrom. The remaining raffinate oil and NMP solution is then chilled to produce bulk liquid-liquid immiscibility between the oil and NMP. The chilled oil and NMP are then passed to a settling zone wherein the NMP is separated from the oil and recycled back into the combination zone.

Simultaneous deasphalting-extraction process

An improved process for producing low pour point, high VI synthetic oils from feedstocks containing wax and residual olefinic unsaturation, said feedstocks having been obtained by thermal, non-catalytic polymerization of linear, C.sub.6 -C.sub.20 carbon atom monoalpha-olefins. The improvement comprises simultaneously hydrogenating and catalytically dewaxing the feedstock by contacting said feedstock and hydrogen with a hydrogen form mordenite catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure, thereby producing a stable synthetic oil of high viscosity index and low pour point.

Process for the production of low pour point synthetic oils

A heat soaked polymer by-product from the production of gasoline using the 90.degree.-400.degree.F. steam cracker naphtha as feed is upgraded by first subjecting the same to a thermal polymerization and then subjecting the thermal polymerization product to a hydrotreating or hydrogenation step or both. Generally, the hydrotreatment is accomplished at relatively mild conditions so as to avoid any change in aromatic ring structure. Hydrogenation, on the other hand, is accomplished at more severe conditions so as to effect hydrogenation of the aromatic rings. In those cases where a mild hydrotreatment only is used, the products obtained are, generally, useful as aromatic oils of light color. Where more severe hydrogenation is used, on the other hand, the products are useful as naphthenic oils.

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Sarnia, Canada

Bruce M Sankey