Atlantic Richfield Company

James L Skinner

J David Matthews

Lloyd A Baillie

Gary Andrew Myers

Gary L Beer

Donald K Wunderlich

Bernard F Bonnecaze

Yahia A Abdul-Rahman

Ying-Hsiao Li

A method and apparatus for recovering water and light aromatic hydrocarbons from a wet gas stream, by contacting the wet gas stream with an absorbent for the water and light aromatic hydrocarbons in a contactor to absorb the water and light aromatic hydrocarbons and produce a water and light hydrocarbon laden absorbent stream and a dried gas stream. The water and light aromatic hydrocarbon laden absorbent stream is heated in a regenerator to produce a vaporous water and light aromatic hydrocarbon stream and a lean absorbent for recycle to the contactor. The vaporous water and light aromatic hydrocarbon stream is passed to a condenser where liquid water and liquid light aromatic hydrocarbons are recovered and where a light gas stream is recovered for use as a fuel gas for the regenerator.

Method and apparatus for separating and recovering water and light

A method and apparatus for drilling a wellbore in the earth from a location in a body of water wherein the drilling operation generates a substantial amount of a mixture of solid drilling cuttings, water, and at least one hydrocarbonaceous oil, wherein the water and oil are removed from the solid drilling cuttings so that the cuttings are put into a condition in which they can be disposed of in the body of water or elsewhere without adverse effects.

Wellbore drilling cuttings treatment

Heavy hydrocarbon containing sludges such as refinery waste streams, oil storage tank sludges and marine oil tanker ballast are treated by passing the sludges in a flow stream through an indirect dryer to vaporize liquids having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of less than about 700.degree. C. and to provide substantially dried solid particles discharged from the dryer. The dried particles, containing heavy hydrocarbons as a coating or as a part of the solids, are conducted to a combuster/oxidizer and exposed to a high velocity flow stream of oxygen containing gas, typically low pressure forced air, to burn the residual hydrocarbons in the solids and to reduce heavy metals and the like to oxides thereof. A sludge handling system includes a rotary disk type indirect dryer connected to a lift pipe type combustor/oxidizer for thorough exposure of the dried solids to an oxygen containing atmosphere. A centrifigal or cyclone type gas-solids separator receives the flow stream discharged from the lift pipe and a portion of the dried solids may be diverted after discharge from the dryer back to the dryer inlet to reduce the moisture content of the sludge flow stream introduced to the dryer to minimize caking and clogging of the dryer itself.

Method and apparatus for treating oil-water-solids sludges and refinery

Heavy hydrocarbon containing sludges such as refinery waste streams, oil storage tank sludges and marine oil tanker ballast are treated by passing the sludges in a flow stream through an indirect dryer to vaporize liquids having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of less than about 700.degree. F. and to provide substantially dried solid particles discharged from the dryer. The dried particles, containing heavy hydrocarbons as a coating or as a part of the solids, are conducted to a combustor/oxidizer and exposed to a high velocity flow stream of oxygen containing gas, typically low pressure forced air, to burn the residual hydrocarbons in the solids and to reduce heavy metals and the like to oxides thereof. A sludge handling system includes a rotary disk type indirect dryer connected to a lift pipe type combustor/oxidizer for thorough exposure of the dried solids to an oxygen containing atmosphere. A centrifigal or cyclone type gas-solids separator receives the flow stream discharged from the lift pipe and a portion of the dried solids may be diverted after discharge from the dryer back to the dryer inlet to reduce the moisture content of the sludge flow stream introduced to the dryer to minimize caking and clogging of the dryer itself.

The bubble point pressure, vapor pressure and liquid composition of hydrocarbon liquid flow streams is determined by causing the liquid flow stream to flow through a system having a plurality of eductors at selected various total pressure differentials across the eductors and measuring the pressure at the minimum pressure point or suction port of the eductors to obtain a reading of the vapor pressure. The system may comprise an array of three or more eductors arranged in parallel having flow regulating valves for controlling the flow rate and pressure drop across the eductors, respectively. The system may also comprise one eductor connected to a plurality of flow lines, each having flow control and/or shutoff valves arranged to provide for selective control of the flow rate and the resultant total pressure drop. Comparative data may be obtained for determining the liquid composition at a particular temperature based on the vapor pressure characteristics of known ranges of liquid compositions expected from the fluid stream being measured.

Method and system for determining vapor pressure or composition of

A method and apparatus for removing solid particles which have settled out in a region of a wellbore which employs at least one pair of conduit means, one of said conduit means having nozzle means thereon, said conduit means being disposed in the region of settled particle and passing fluid through one conduit means and the nozzle means into region of settled particles to mix with same and recovering the mixture of fluid and particles from said region by way of the other conduit means.

Apparatus for removal of wellbore particles

A method and apparatus for drilling a wellbore in the earth from a location in a body of water wherein the drilling operation generates a substantial amount of a mixture of solid drilling cuttings, water and at least one hydrocarbonaceous oil wherein the water and oil are removed from the solid drilling cuttings and any retain solid particles in said water and oil are removed therefrom prior to reuse, disposal, or other disposition of said water and oil.

Drilling cuttings treatment

A gravel pack well completion includes an elongated gravel pack screen connected at its upper end to a production tube which in turn is connected to a production fluid pump. The gravel pack screen includes an elongated tube interposed therein and having a primary inlet located generally in the vicinity of the lower end of the screen for maintaining sufficient liquid flow velocity within the screen to prevent settling and accumulation in the wellbore of entrained fine solids entering said screen with production liquids. A gas port is provided in the upper end of the draft tube to conduct gas into said production tube and to prevent significant accumulation of gas in the wellbore at the gravel pack.

Method and apparatus for controlling sand accumulation in a producing

A method and apparatus for discharging heavy oil-treated particulate coal and controlling emissions from a heavy oil spray contacting vessel.

Method and apparatus for discharging treated coal and controlling

A method for discharging heavy oil treated particulate coal and controlling emissions from a heavy oil spray contacting vessel is disclosed. In particular, a bed of heavy oil treated coal is maintained in the lower portion of the oil spray contacting vessel. The heavy oil treated coal is withdrawn from the bottom of the bed while maintaining the bed at a sufficient depth to remove a major portion of the heavy oil mist from gaseous materials within the vessel. A major portion of gaseous materials are made to pass downwardly through the bed.

Method for discharging treated coal and controlling emissions from a

Dried particulate low rank coal fuel having a reduced reactivity and a reduced dusting tendency is produced from dried particulate low rank coal by a method consisting essentially of: intimately contacting the dried particulate low rank coal with a deactivating oil in an amount sufficient to reduce the reactivity of the dried coal by a desired amount and thereafter intimately contacting the deactivated dried coal with a dedusting oil in an amount sufficient to reduce the dusting tendency of the deactivated dried coal by a desired amount. The deactivating oil has a 5 percent point in excess of about 900.degree. F. and the dedusting oil has a 5 percent point from about 400.degree. F. to about 750.degree. F.

Method for deactivating and controlling the dusting tendencies of dried

An apparatus for controlling the discharge of particulate solids through a discharge opening from a zone containing an expanded bed of particulate solids, the apparatus comprising a plurality of vertical doors positioned to open and close the discharge opening with the doors being adapted to open and close by rotation about a vertical axis; a mounting means to support the doors in position; and a controller adapted to control the opening and closing of the doors.

Method and apparatus for controlling the discharge of particulate solids

A method and apparatus for contacting particulate coal and a deactivating fluid, the apparatus comprising a mist contacting vessel wherein the coal and a deactivating fluid mist are contacted to produce a coal-deactivating fluid mixture. A method for producing the coal-deactivating fluid mixture is disclosed.

Method and apparatus for contacting particulate coal and a deactivating

A method for producing a dried coal fuel having a reduced tendency to spontaneously ignite from a low rank coal by drying the low rank coal and thereafter cooling the dried coal to a temperature below about 100.degree. F. Optionally the dried coal is partially oxidized prior to cooling, and optionally the dried coal is mixed with a deactivating fluid.

Method for producing a dried coal fuel having a reduced tendency to

In an oil shale retorting process, hot heat-carrying spherically-shaped solids are cycled to a retort zone to mix with and retort crushed oil shale, thereby producing gas and oil products and a mixture of irregularly-shaped, laminar spent shale and spherically-shaped solids. The spherically-shaped solids are separated and recovered from the spent shale for recycle through the process. In one stage of the separation procedure, a mixture of spent shale and spherically-shaped solids is fed to a continuously restored inclined surface whereon the spherically-shaped solids roll from the surface while the irregularly-shaped spent shale solids are separately removed from the inclined surface. Continuous restoration of the inclined surface is achieved through movement of the feed and the impingement area of the inclined surface relative to each other. The separation system may be used for separating other types of spherically-shaped solids which will roll from nonspherical, irregularly-shaped solids which do not roll.

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Plano, TX, United States of America

James L Skinner