University of Utah Research Foundation

Mobil Oil Corporation

Francis V Hanson

Jan D Miller

Alex G Oblad

Francis G Dwyer

Albert B Schwartz

Stephen A Butter

Howard S Sherry

Jan Hupka

Alyssa M Redding

Romuald Bokotko

Christopher Olson

John V Fletcher

Jumpol Jaturapitpornsakul

A crude oil simulant is disclosed that is an emulsion of an organic continuous phase, an aqueous dispersed phase, and an emulsifier. To enhance the biodegradability rate of the simulant various strains of bacteria can be added to the aqueous phase. Nutrients can be added to the aqueous phase to increase activity of the bacteria. The components of the simulant of the invention can be mixed under high shear conditions such as 1,000-12,000 reciprocal minutes. The emulsion based oil simulants can be prepared on-site and can be readily tailored to simulant a wide variety of crude oils under various conditions.

Emulsion based oil simulant and associated methods

A composition and method for a non-emulsion crude oil simulant containing biodegradable oil, and a terpene is disclosed and described. Biodegradable oils such as canola oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil can be particularly beneficial for use in connection with these oil simulants. Terpenes such as d-limonene can be included to provide oil simulant compositions which exhibit good oil simulant properties. Additives such as photochromic dyes, food dyes, food-grade antioxidants, microorganisms, and nutrients can also be used. These non-emulsion based oil simulants can be readily tailored and adjusted to approximate relevant properties of a specific target fluid for use in assessing oil spill response, containment, clean-up of equipment, percolation, and/or spill behavior.

Non-emulsion based oil simulant

A combination physical separation process and thermal fluidized bed process for recovering products from tar sands. The process includes initially separating a portion of the sand from the tar sand through a physical separation process, yielding a bitumen-rich concentrate. The bitumen-rich concentrate is introduced into a heated fluidized bed and products are recovered and distilled into their respective fractions. A coked sand is removed from the fluidized bed and placed into a combustor where the carbonaceous residue on the sand is burned to produce a hot burnt sand, a portion of which may be recycled to provide heat to the bitumen-rich concentrate in the fluidized bed. The coked sand and a certain fraction of the distilled products may be recycled to the physical separation process to improve the separation efficiency thereof.

Process for recovering products from tar sand

A novel thermal process for recovering hydrocarbon and other products from tar sand. The process includes blending tar sand with a bitumen-rich concentrate while heating the same with a hot, burnt sand. The products are recovered by passing the combined feed through a fluidized bed and selectively controlling the temperature and residence times to obtain predetermined ratios of products. Coked sand residue from the fluidized bed is burned to produce the hot, burnt sand, a portion of which may be recycled to provide heat to the fluidized bed. Coked sand may also be recycled into a known, hot-water, caustic separation process where it synergistically improves the separation efficiency of the hot-water, caustic separation process.

Process for obtaining products from tar sand

A method is disclosed for the conversion of synthesis gas to a liquid hydrocarbon product having a boiling point range maximum of less than 400.degree. F. at a 90% overhead and being a predominantly olefinic product. The novel method involves contacting synthesis gas with a single particle catalyst containing cobalt, a crystalline acidic aluminosilicate zeolite having a silica-to-alumina ratio of at least 12, a pore size greater than about 5 Angstrom units, and a constraint index of about 1 to 12, and a siliceous matrix. The catalyst does not contain promoters and the alumina content of the matrix is severely restricted.

Conversion of synthesis gas with cobalt-containing fluid catalyst

The conversion of methanol to gasoline boiling products in a plurality of sequentially arranged catalyst beds comprising a dehydration catalyst followed by a special class of crystalline zeolite conversion catalyst is described wherein the dehydration catalyst life is prolonged and durene formed in the process is recycled to the zeolite catalyst conversion step.

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Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Francis V Hanson