Ensyn Renewables, Inc.

Ivanhoe Energy Inc.

Doug Clarke

Barry A Freel

Stanley Joseph Frey

Timothy A Brandvold

Josh Normand

Jerry F Kriz

Lance Awender Baird

Gregory Joseph Morin

Methods, processes, systems, or apparatus are provided to remove contaminants such as metals and chlorine present in a pyrolysis stream to form reduced-contaminant liquid biomass. In certain embodiments, for example, a metal chelating agent is dissolved into a metal-containing pyrolysis stream condensate to form metal chelate complex, followed by filtering to obtain the reduced-contaminant liquid biomass.

Demetallization of liquid biomass

Methods and apparatuses for thermally converting or pyrolyzing biomass are provided. In one embodiment, a method of thermally converting biomass includes introducing the biomass to a reactor feed chamber. The method provides for flowing a low oxygen gas into the reactor feed chamber to purge the reactor feed chamber and biomass of oxygen. The method also includes delivering the purged biomass to a thermal conversion reactor and thermally converting the biomass in the thermal conversion reactor.

Methods and apparatuses for thermally converting biomass

The present invention is directed to the upgrading of heavy petroleum oils of high viscosity and low API gravity that are typically not suitable for pipelining without the use of diluents. It utilizes a short residence-time pyrolytic reactor operating under conditions that result in a rapid pyrolytic distillation with coke formation. Both physical and chemical changes taking place lead to an overall molecular weight reduction in the liquid product and rejection of certain components with the byproduct coke. The liquid product is upgraded primarily because of its substantially reduced viscosity, increased API gravity, and the content of middle and light distillate fractions. While maximizing the overall liquid yield, the improvements in viscosity and API gravity can render the liquid product suitable for pipelining without the use of diluents. This invention particularly relates to reducing sulfur emissions during the combustion of byproduct coke (or coke and gas), to reducing the total acid number (TAN) of the liquid product, and to reducing the hydrogen sulfide content of one, or more than one component of the product stream. The method comprises introducing a particulate heat carrier into an up-flow reactor, introducing the feedstock at a location above the entry of the particulate heat carrier, allowing the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to interact with the heat carrier for a short time, separating the vapors of the product stream from the particulate heat carrier and liquid and byproduct solid matter, regenerating the particulate heat carrier in the presence of the calcium compound, and collecting a gaseous and liquid product from the product stream.

Modified thermal processing of heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks

The present invention is directed to the upgrading of heavy petroleum oils of high viscosity and low API gravity that are typically not suitable for pipelining without the use of diluents. It utilizes a short residence-time pyrolytic reactor operating under conditions that result in a rapid pyrolytic distillation with coke formation. Both physical and chemical changes taking place lead to an overall molecular weight reduction in the liquid product and rejection of certain components with the byproduct coke. The liquid product is upgraded primarily because of its substantially reduced viscosity, increased API gravity, and the content of middle and light distillate fractions. While maximizing the overall liquid yield, the improvements in viscosity and API gravity can render the liquid product suitable for pipelining without the use of diluents. This invention particularly relates to reducing sulfur emissions during the combustion of byproduct coke (or coke and gas) and to reducing the total acid number (TAN) of the liquid product. The method comprises introducing a particulate heat carrier into an up-flow reactor, introducing the feedstock at a location above the entry of the particulate heat carrier, allowing the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to interact with the heat carrier for a short time, separating the vapors of the product stream from the particulate heat carrier and liquid and byproduct solid matter, regenerating the particulate heat carrier in the presence of the calcium compound, and collecting a gaseous and liquid product from the product stream.

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Munster, Canada

Doug Clarke