Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority

Arthur G. Mckee & Company

Davy Inc.

Irvin H Lutz

A process for upgrading a heavy viscous hydrocarbon, for example, rendering a heavy viscous crude pipelinable, includes visbreaking, distillation and solvent extraction steps. A heavy viscous hydrocarbon is fed through the visbreaker which forms a feed to the distillation step. A heavier fraction from distillation is fed to a solvent extraction unit which produces a fraction which contains resin. At least a portion of the resin containing fraction separated in the solvent extraction unit is recycled and combined with the feed which is to be subject to visbreaking so that the total yield of products, residual and gas-free, is increased. The recycled resin reduces the tendency of the asphaltenes to separate from the oil and thereby reduces the tendency to lay down coke in the visbreaker; this allows higher conversion to upgraded liquid products.

Process for upgrading a heavy viscous hydrocarbon

A process and apparatus are disclosed for purification of petroleum coke to produce an economical low sulfur product suitable for electrode production. Finely ground green coke is treated on an enclosed circular grate apparatus and subjected to sequential treatments in which hot gases are passed through a deep permeable bed of coke on the grate in a series of separate treating zones including a preheat zone, a heating and calcining zone, a desulfurizing zone in which hydrogen rich gas is passed through the heated bed, a reduction gas generation zone in which hydrocarbon and steam pass through hot coke to form hydrogen, and a cooling zone. Adequate temperatures for calcination and desulfurization are achieved and the proper heating rate is obtained without overheating the metal parts of the hearth by use of radiant and hot gas heating means in the calcining zone and in the desulfurizing zone and by introducing the air and/or fuel gas near the bottom of the coke bed. Air is passed through the grate at a controlled rate to provide an oxygen deficient atmosphere during calcining, thereby avoiding unwanted coke combustion and high loss of coke fines due to combustion. The fines problem is solved by recycling flue gases through the coke bed which acts as a gas filter and by using sized coke free from fines on the top and bottom of the coke bed.

Purification of coke

A process and apparatus are disclosed for purification of petroleum coke to produce an economical low sulfur product suitable for electrode production. Finely ground green coke is treated on an enclosed circular grate apparatus and subjected to sequential treatments in which hot gases are passed through a deep permeable bed of coke on the grate in a series of separate treating zones including a preheat zone, a heating and calcining zone, a desulfurizing zone in which hydrogen rich gas is passed through the heated bed, a reduction gas generation zone in which hydrocarbon and steam pass through hot coke to form hydrogen, and a cooling zone. Adequate temperatures for calcination and desulfurization are achieved and the proper heating rate is obtained without overheating the metal parts of the hearth by use of radiant and hot gas heating means in the calcining zone and in the desulfurizing zone and by introducing the air and/or fuel gas near the bottom of the coke bed. Air is passed through the grate at a controlled rate to provide an oxygen deficient atmosphere during calcining, thereby avoiding unwanted coke combustion and high loss of coke fines due to combustion. The fines problem is solved by recycling flue gases through the coke bed which acts as a gas filter and by using sized coke free from fines on the top and bottom of the coke bed. The circular grate apparatus is designed to provide a deep coke bed which results in greater efficiency and significant reductions in capital investment and operating costs, particularly for desulfurizing calcining which requires longer calcining times than ordinary calcining.

Growing community of inventors

Sagamore Hills, OH, United States of America

Irvin H Lutz