Texaco Inc.

Motasimur R Khan

Christine C Albert

Ronald J McKeon

Stephen J DeCanio

Matthew A McMahon

Kenneth W McKenzie

Robert F Heyl

Steven Jude DeCanio

Richard B Zang

John Saunders Stevenson

George N Richter

Edward T Child

Harvey D Schindler

William L Lafferty, Jr

Christine Cornelia Gorsuch

Enrique F dePaz

Stephan J DeCanio

David Charles Crikelair

A process of the conversion of a heavy hydrocarbon into a lighter hydrocarbon utilizing a soluble transition metal salt and synthesis gas which includes soot particles and other impurities is disclosed. The inclusion of solid particles, such as soot, carbon black, silica fines has been found to decrease the formation of sediment during the reaction process.

Methods for adding value to heavy oil

A process for the upgrading a heavy oil to a lighter oil having a higher API gravity than the heavy oil is disclosed. The process includes reacting an emulsion of the heavy oil with water in the presence of a catalyst and a hydrogen containing gas to give a reaction product from which the light oil is recovered. The process may also include the gasification of the heavy oil residue and the hydrocarbon containing water portions of the above reaction product for use in the upgrading process. The catalyst is preferably soluble in either oil or water portion of the emulsion and includes a transition metal containing compound, the metal being selected from Group V, Group VI, Group VIII of the Periodic Table or mixtures of these metals.

Methods for adding value to heavy oil utilizing a soluble metal catalyst

Liquefaction and partial oxidation of plastic materials

A pumpable slurry of shredded scrap solid carbonaceous plastic-containing material that contains associated inorganic matter in admixture with a comminuted aluminosilicate-containing material having noncombustible constituents is reacted by partial oxidation to produce synthesis gas, reducing gas, or fuel gas. The noncombustible constituents in the aluminosilicate-containing material captures the inorganic matter in the scrap solid carbonaceous plastic-containing material while in the reducing atmosphere of the gasifier to produce nontoxic, nonleachable slag. The slurrying medium is water, liquid hydrocarbonaceous fuel, or mixtures thereof. Scrap plastics may be disposed of by the subject process without polluting the nation's environment.

Environmentally acceptable process for disposing of scrap plastic

A process for upgrading plastic material containing inorganic filler or reinforcement material for use as feedstock in a partial oxidation gas generator for the production of raw synthesis gas, fuel gas, or reducing gas. The plastic material is granulated and partially liquefied by heating in a closed autoclave at a temperature in the range of about 400.degree. F. to 495.degree. F. and a pressure in the range of about 150 psig to 750 psig while the plastic material is in contact with a pumpable hydrocarbonaceous liquid solvent. A pumpable slurry is thereby produced comprising solubilized plastic, unsolubilized plastic, hydrocarbonaceous liquid solvent, separated inorganic material and unseparated inorganic material. After removing the separated inorganic material, the remainder of the slurry is then reacted by partial oxidation to produce said raw synthesis gas, fuel gas or reducing gas.

Partial oxidation of partially liquified plastic materials

A process for upgrading plastic material containing inorganic filler or reinforcement material for use as feedstock in partial oxidation gas generator for the production of raw synthesis gas, fuel gas, or reducing gas. The plastic material is granulated and mixed with water to produce the plastic sludge. The plastic sludge is preheated at a temperature in the range of about 350.degree. F. to 475.degree. F. in the absence of air in a closed system. The preheated plastic sludge is then hydrothermally treated at a temperature in the range of about 450.degree. F. to 650.degree. F. at a pressure in the range of about 100 to 1200 psig and above the vapor pressure of water at that temperature. The hydrothermally treated plastic sludge is cooled, degassed, and mixed with ground solid carbonaceous fuel, e.g., coal and water, to produce a pumpable aqueous slurry having a solids content in the range of about 40 to 60 wt. %. The pumpable aqueous slurry is then reacted by partial oxidation to produce said synthesis gas, fuel gas, or reducing gas. In one embodiment, a portion of coal is mixed with the plastic sludge prior to the aforesaid preheating and hydrothermal steps.

Hydrothermal treatment and partial oxidation of plastic materials

A process for converting scrap plastic material into a high quality transportation fuel. The plastic material is granulated and mixed with granulated solid carbonaceous fuel e.g. coal and liquid hydrocarbonaceous solvent e.g. waste motor oil to produce a plastic-containing sludge. The plastic-containing sludge is liquefied in a closed autoclave while in contact with hydrogen gas. A pumpable slurry from the autoclave is heated and fractionated in a fractionation zone to produce a hydrocarbonaceous distillate which may be used for transportation fuel. A bottoms stream from the fractionation zone comprising liquid hydrocarbonaceous material and inorganic material is reacted by partial oxidation to produce nontoxic slag and raw synthesis gas, fuel gas or reducing gas which may be purified in a gas purification zone.

Partial oxidation of products of liquefaction of plastic materials

Pumpable aqueous slurries of low rank coal e.g. subbituminous coal and lignite having a comparatively high solids content are made by keeping the particles of coal in contact with a non-oxidizing gas e.g. nitrogen and/or CO.sub.2 thereby maintaining a hydrophobic surface on the particles of coal while they are ground and dried, contacted with an aqueous slurry of liquid hydrocarbonaceous fuel which is absorbed and which coats the particles of coal, and then dried. The dried coated particles of low rank coal are mixed with water to produce a pumpable slurry having a solids content in the range of about 50 to 60 wt. %. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the water needed to produce said pumpable slurry is derived by cooling and condensing out water from the non-oxidizing gas that was used to dry the low rank coal. In still another embodiment, the dewatered non-oxidizing gas is introduced into the combustor of a gas turbine to moderate the temperature and thereby reduce the formation of NO.sub.x gases.

Partial oxidation of low rank coal

A pumpable aqueous slurry of sewage sludge as produced by the steps of (1) dewatering sewage sludge to produce an aqueous slurry having a solids content of about 10 to 25 wt. %; (2) pretreating said aqueous slurry of sewage sludge to improve its slurrying characteristics by one or a combination of (a) heating, (b) hydrothermal treatment, and (c) heating, mixing and shearing; and (3) mixing the following materials together at a temperature in the range of about ambient to 400.degree. F. to produce a pumpable aqueous slurry having a solids content in the range of about 30 to 65 wt. %: (a) pretreated aqueous slurry of sewage sludge; (b) a nonionic water soluble alkoxylated alkylphenol additive; and (c) sewage sludge-containing material and/or solid carbonaceous fuel-containing material to increase the solids loading.

Pumpable aqueous slurries of sewage sludge

A process for disposing of sanitary sewage sludge by producing a pumpable slurry of sewage sludge with or without solid carbonaceous fuel and burning said slurry as fuel in a partial oxidation gas generator, furnace, or boiler. The aqueous slurry of sewage sludge is concentrated by removing water by means of a conventional belt filter press, centrifuge, or hydroclone. The dewatered slurry of sewage sludge is heated by direct contact with steam while air and organic vapors are simultaneously removed, to reduce the pressure in the system; hydrothermally treated in two steps with indirect and direct heat exchange with steam; dewatered by flash evaporation and centrifuging; and burned with or without admixture with solid carbonaceous fuel in a partial oxidation gasifier, furnace, boiler, or incinerator to produce synthesis gas or a hot raw effluent gas stream. In a preferred embodiment, the effluent gas stream is cleaned and purified and non-contaminating ash and slag are separated. By this process, noxious sewage sludge may be disposed of without contaminating the environment. Synthesis gas, reducing gas, or fuel gas may be produced.

Process for disposing of sewage sludge

A process for disposing of sewage sludge by heating and shearing an aqueous mixture of sewage sludge in a tubular-shaped processing means containing a plurality of rotating agitators to produce a pumpable aqueous slurry of sewage sludge. The aqueous slurry of sewage sludge is mixed with solid carbonaceous fuel or an aqueous slurry of solid carbonaceous fuel to produce a pumpable aqueous slurry of sewage sludge and solid carbonaceous fuel. The aqueous slurry of sewage sludge and solid carbonaceous fuel is heated in a first steam jacketed rotary disc mixing-heating means. Alternately, first and second hoppers are filled with said heated aqueous slurry of sewage sludge and solid carbonaceous fuel and cycled between a second steam jacketed rotary disc mixing-heating means; wherein while one hopper is being filled the contents in the other hopper are being dewatered. The thickened pumpable slurry is burned in a partial oxidation gasifier, furnace, boiler, or incinerator to produce a hot effluent gas steam. By this process, noxious sewage sludge may be disposed of without contaminating the environment. By-product synthesis gas, reducing gas, or fuel gas may be produced.

A process for disposing of sewage sludge comprising the steps of, (1) dewatering the sewage sludge to produce an aqueous slurry of sewage sludge having a solids content of about 10 to 30 wt. %; (2) simultaneously heating and shearing said dewatered sewage sludge at about 150.degree. F. to 210.degree. F. in the absence of air for 0.5 seconds to 60 minutes while being continuously passed through a tubular-shaped processing means containing a plurality of rotating agitators, thereby producing a pumpable slurry having a viscosity of less than about 2000 centipoise; (3) dewatering the sewage sludge if necessary; (4) mixing at a temperature in the range of about ambient to 180.degree. F. in a ribbon or in-line static mixer the slurry of sewage sludge from (2) and/or (3) with a supplemental solid carbonaceous fuel e.g. coal and/or petroleum-coke to produce a pumpable aqueous slurry of sewage sludge and supplemental fuel having a solids content in the range of about 50 to 60 wt. %; (5) mixing the slurry of sewage sludge and supplemental fuel from (4) in a steam jacketed continuous rotary disc mixer at about 180.degree. F. to 250.degree. F. while removing steam to produce a pumpable slurry of dewatered sewage sludge and solid fuel having a solids content of 50 to 65 wt. % and a HHV of 6,000 to 18,000 BTU/LB; and (6) burning said pumpable slurry from (5) in a partial oxidation gasifier, furnace, boiler, or incinerator to produce an effluent gas stream. In a preferred embodiment, the effluent gas stream is cleaned and purified and non-contaminating ash and slag are separated. By this process, noxious sewage sludge may be disposed of without contaminating the environment. By-product synthesis gas, reducing gas, or fuel gas may be produced.

A process for disposing of sanitary sewage sludge by producing a pumpable slurry of sewage sludge with or without solid carbonaceous fuel and burning said slurry as fuel in a partial oxidation gas generator, furnace, or boiler. The aqueous slurry of sewage sludge is concentrated by removing water by means of a conventional belt filter press, centrifuge, or hydroclone. The dewatered slurry of sewage sludge is preheated and sheared; hydrothermally treated; and its solids content increased. A chelating agent, for example an aminopolycarboxylic acid or a hydrocarboxylic acid is mixed with the aqueous slurry of sewage sludge during the preheating and shearing step and/or the step for increasing its solids content. By means of the subject process, the viscosity of the slurry of sewage sludge with or without solid carbonaceous fuel is reduced and coagulation is suppressed. A pumpable aqueous slurry of sewage sludge with or without solid carbonaceous fuel is produced and burned with a free-oxygen containing gas in a partial oxidation gasifier, furnace, boiler, or incinerator to produce a hot raw effluent gas stream. In a preferred embodiment, the effluent gas stream is cleaned and purified and non-contaminating ash and slag are separated. By this process, noxious sewage sludge may be disposed of without contaminating the environment. By-product synthesis gas, reducing gas, or fuel gas may be produced.

Processing of sewage sludge for use as a fuel

A process for disposing of sewage sludge comprising the steps of, (1) dewatering the sewage sludge to produce an aqueous slurry of sewage sludge having a solids content of about 10 to 50 wt. %; (2) heating and mildly shearing said dewatered sewage sludge at about 150.degree. F. to 210.degree. F. in the absence of air for 3 seconds to 60 minutes by a rotor/mixer at a speed of about 15 to 1000 r.p.m., thereby producing a pumpable slurry having a viscosity of less than about 2500 centipoise; (3) mixing at a temperature in the range of about ambient to 200.degree. F. the slurry of sewage sludge from (2) with a supplemental fuel to produce a pumpable slurry of sewage sludge and supplemental fuel having a solids content in the range of about 50 to 65 wt. % and a higher heating value in the range of about 6,000 to 18,000 BTU/LB; and (4) burning said pumpable slurry from (3) in a partial oxidation gasifier, furnace, boiler, or incinerator to produce an effluent gas stream. In a preferred embodiment, the effluent gas stream is cleaned and purified and non-contaminating ash and slag are separated. By this process, noxious sewage sludge may be disposed of without contaminating the environment.

A process for disposing of sewage sludge comprising the steps of, (1) dewatering the sewage sludge to produce amorphous sewage sludge having a solids content of about 28 to 50 wt. %; (2) heating said amorphous sewage sludge at about 150.degree. F. to 510.degree. F. in the absence of air for 3 seconds to 60 minutes and mildly shearing the sewage sludge, thereby producing a pumpable feed slurry of sewage sludge having a viscosity in the range of about 400 to 1500 centipoise and a higher heating value in the range of about 5000 to 9500 BTU/LB; and (3) burning said pumpable slurry from (2) in a partial oxidation gasifier, furnace, boiler, or incinerator to produce an effluent gas stream. In one embodiment, the effluent gas stream is cleaned and purified and non-contaminating fly-ash and slag are separated. The fly-ash may be mixed with the sewage sludge in the process to facilitate separation of water during pressing and to encapsulate the non-combustible materials in the sewage sludge. The encapsulated material will flow from the reaction zone as substantially inert molten slag. By this process, noxious sewage sludge may be disposed of without contaminating the environment.

Growing community of inventors

Wappingers Falls, NY, United States of America

Motasimur R Khan