Other

Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC

Hanover Research Corporation

Advanced Carbon Products, LLC

Acp Technologies, LLC

American Biotheim Company LLC

Thomas C Holcombe

Donald P Malone

David C Boyer

Theodore D Trowbridge

Charles B Miller

Richard D Stone

Charles T Rawlinson

A process for producing isotropic and mesophase pitch with reduced solids contamination from aromatic liquids contaminated with solids, such as catalyst fines or semi-coke. Contaminated feed is charged through one or more pitch forming reactors which discharge a pitch rich liquid and a vapor phase with reduced solids contamination. The vapor phase is cooled, condensed and may be charged continuously to another pitch forming reactor in parallel or used intermittently as a total or partial replacement for solids contaminated feed.

Ultra purified pitch process

A process for making mesophase and/or isotropic pitch. An aromatic rich liquid is charged at high temperature and pressure to a first thermal polymerization reactor to produce an effluent stream which is flashed to remove unconverted or partially converted feed as a vapor yielding a liquid phase enriched in isotropic pitch. The enriched isotropic pitch liquid is charged to a second thermal reactor and reactor effluent flashed to produce mesophase pitch and a vapor phase. The vapor phases from both flashing steps are condensed and combined for recycle of a liquid aromatic rich stream to the first reactor. Flashing from the first reactor cools the liquid phase which is enriched in isotropic pitch. This enriched stream is mixed with a superheated fluid, preferably steam, upstream of the second reactor.

Pitch process

Producing mesophase pitch from liquid hydrocarbon feed comprising multi-ring aromatic compounds. In a first stage reactor feed is converted to isotropic pitch product contaminated with mesophase pitch. Contaminated isotropic pitch is charged to a second stage reactor where mesophase formation by self-assembly into spherical crystal clusters produces a mesophase pitch product. Water or steam added to the first stage reactor increases conversion of aromatic liquid feed, increases mesophase contamination of isotropic pitch product and reduces coke formation in the isotropic pitch reactor.

Seeded mesophase pitch process

A process for making mesophase and/or isotropic pitch. An aromatic rich liquid is charged at high temperature and pressure to a first thermal polymerization reactor to produce an isotropic pitch rich liquid which is flashed. Residual liquid is charged to a second thermal reactor to produce mesophase pitch. The reactors can be either tubular reactors or CSTRs.

A method of converting synthesis gas into Fischer-Tropsch products comprises: (a) charging synthesis gas to a reactor comprising a shell, having an inlet nozzle near one end for receiving synthesis gas and an outlet nozzle near the opposite end for discharging products, with a plurality of heat transfer tubes inside the shell, having associated therewith means to pass heat transfer fluids through the inside of said heat transfer tubes to remove heat, and whereby the outside surfaces of said tubes have a layer of Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, (b) converting exothermically on said catalyst layer at least a portion of said synthesis gas to produce heat and Fischer-Tropsch products, (c) removing heat from said catalyst layer by passage of a heat transfer fluid through the inside of said tubes, and (d) recovering Fischer-Tropsch products from said reactor.

Fischer-tropsch reactions using heat transfer tubes with a catalyst layer on the outside surfaces

A high pressure two-zone molten iron gasification process for converting solid, liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon feeds into separate substantially hydrogen-rich and carbon monoxide-rich streams at 2 to 200 atmospheres pressure by feeding hydrocarbons into the molten iron in a first zone ( ) in which hydrogen-rich gas is formed and then circulating the molten iron into contact with an oxygen containing gas in a second zone ( ) in which carbon monoxyide-rich gas is formed. The carbon level in the circulating molten iron is carefully controlled above 0.3 wt. % to minimize formation of FeO. Hydrogen sulfide and other volatile sulfur compounds are removed from the separate gas streams via scrubbing in downstream equipment ( and ).

Two-zone molten metal hydrogen-rich and carbon monoxide-rich gas generation process

A process for recovering and purifying vanadium found in petroleum coke is disclosed. Coke containing V and sulfur is charged to a molten metal bath and dissolved to form a molten metal bath with dissolved carbon, dissolved V metal and dissolved sulfur. At least a majority of the dissolved sulfur is released as H,S by maintaining reducing conditions in the bed, by maintaining a high concentration of dissolved carbon or addition of steam or hydrogen rich hydrocarbon such as methane or some combination of these approaches.

Low or no slag molten metal processing of coke containing vanadium and sulfur

A continuous process for recovering vanadium values from petroleum coke is disclosed. A vanadium containing coke is charged to a molten metal bath to which oxygen containing gas is added in an amount sufficient to heat balance the process and produce off gas. The carbon in the coke dissolves in the molten metal bath as does the vanadium content of the coke. A majority, and preferably all, of the net addition of vanadium to the process is removed in the form of &ldquo;dust&rdquo; from the molten metal bath.

Recovering vanadium from petroleum coke as dust

A process for recovering and purifying vanadium found in petroleum coke is disclosed. Coke containing V and other metals such as Ni is charged to a molten metal bath and dissolved to form a molten metal bath with dissolved carbon, dissolved V metal and dissolved Ni. Oxygen containing gas is added in an amount sufficient to heat balance the process and produce off gas. At least periodically the conditions in the bed are made more severely oxidizing so that a portion of the molten vanadium metal is oxidized to form slag. Oxidation is limited so that a majority of the Ni dissolved in the bath remains as dissolved elemental Ni metal. Oxidized vanadium species are continuously or intermittently withdrawn from the slag layer, by dust formation or by tapping the slag layer.

Recovering vanadium oxides from petroleum coke by melting

A process for the recovery of vanadium from a petroleum coke or heavy hydrocarbon feed comprising dissolving the feed in a molten metal bath to which oxygen containing gas is added to maintain heat balance and bum off carbon. Preferably the feed is added via a high pressure nozzle as a coke/steam mixture discharged down into a molten metal bath. Preferably the net gas make from the molten metal reactor is quenched and/or cooled to permit dust recovery, with recycle of dust to the molten metal reactor. An iron/vanadium product is withdrawn from the molten metal reactor as a product.

Dissolving petroleum coke in molten iron to recover vanadium metal

A process in which a high-purity, high-pressure hydrogen-rich gas stream and a high-purity, high-pressure carbon monoxide-rich gas stream are simultaneously produced separately and continuously using a molten metal gasifier that contains at least two zones, thereby avoiding the need to separate or compress the gases in down-stream equipment. In one version of the process, the steps comprise (a) introducing a hydrocarbon feed into a molten metal bath beneath the molten metal surface in a feed zone operating at a pressure above 5 atmospheres absolute, and decomposing the hydrocarbon feed into hydrogen, which leaves the feed zone as a hydrogen-rich gas, and into carbon, which dissolves in the molten metal and increases the carbon concentration, but controlling the carbon concentration to at or below the limit of solubility of carbon in the molten metal, (b) transferring a portion of the molten metal from the feed zone to another molten metal oxidation zone operating at a pressure above 5 atmospheres absolute into which an oxygen-containing material is introduced beneath the molten metal surface to react with a portion of the carbon to form a carbon monoxide-rich gas which leaves the oxidation zone, wherein the carbon concentration in the molten metal is controlled so that it does not reach the concentration at which the equilibrium oxygen concentration would exceed its solubility limit in the molten metal and a separate iron oxide phase would accumulate, (c) transferring at least a portion of the molten metal which has a lower carbon concentration from the oxidation zone back to the feed zone, and (d) passing said separate high-pressure, high-purity hydrogen-rich and carbon monoxide-rich gas streams out of their respective zones, removing entrained dust and cooling the gas streams to temperatures suitable for use in industrial processes.

Molten metal hydrocarbon gasification process

This invention is an improved continuous process for drying and solvent extraction of water-wet solids without experiencing sticky solids comprising the steps of (1) mixing the input water-wet with solvent, (2) feeding said mixture into two or more stages of evaporation in parallel or in series to evaporate some of the water present in the input solids or sludges and to extract some of the indigenous solvent-soluble compounds from the solids, (3) feeding the slurry from the parallel or serial stages of evaporation in series to one or two final evaporation stages operated at pressures above atmospheric at preferably between pressures of 18 psia and 150 psia and more preferably between pressures of 18 psia and 50 psia, (4) feeding the slurry from the final stages of evaporation to a centrifuge or other device for separating most of the solvent from the solids, (5) subjecting the water-wet solids to none, one, or multiple extraction stages before, during, or after the evaporation stages, (6) at times, feeding the centrifuge centrate to a solvent distillation system to recover the extracted solvent-soluble compounds from the solvent, and (7) at times, feeding the final centrifuge cake to a desolventizer to remove and recover virtually all of the residual solvent from the solids.

Process for drying and solvent-extraction of water wet solids

This invention is a continuous process combining water evaporation and solvent extraction of contaminated water-wet soil, sediment or sludge, including specifically, but not exclusively Petroleum Refinery 'K' and 'F' wastes as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: K048--Dissolved air flotation (DAF) float; K049--Slop oil emulsion solids; K050--Heat exchanger bundle cleaning sludge; K051-API seaparator sludge; K052--Tank bottoms (leaded); F038--Petroleum refinery primary oil/water/solids separation sludge; F038--Petroleum refinery secondary (emulsified) oil/water/solids separation sludge, comprising the steps of (1) mixing water-wet soil, sediment, with a water-immiscible solvent and dehydrated or partially dehydrated solids from the feed, (2) feeding said mixture through a dehydration operation with concurrent solvent extraction of the contaminant or contaminants into the solvent, (3) separating the solids from the solvent, (4) mixing the separated solids with fresh solvent and dissolving the contaminant or contaminants into the solvent further, (5) repeating steps (3) and (4) as required, (6) separating the waste solids from the water-immiscible solvent, (7) separating the solvent from the contaminant or contaminants, and (8) recycling the water-immiscible solvent separated from the waste solids and the contaminant or contaminants in the continuous process.

Process for drying and solvent extraction of contaminated water-wet

A continuous evaporation process for drying water-wet waste solids and sludges, using a paraffin oil solvent, until the waste is dried to a near-zero wastewater product, without experiencing sticky solids. The invention involves (1) mixing the input solids or sludges with a paraffin oil solvent, (2) feeding the mixture into two or more stages of evaporation in parallel to evaporate some of the water present in the input solids or sludges and to extract some of the indigenous solvent-soluble compounds from the solids, (3) feeding the slurry from the parallel stages of evaporation to one or more final evaporation stages in series, and (4) feeding the slurry from the final stages of evaporation to a centrifuge or other device for separating most of the solvent from the solids.

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Neshanic Station, NJ, United States of America

Thomas C Holcombe