Sundrop Fuels, Inc.

Delta Technologies LLC

Timothy E Laska

John T Turner

Robert H Wombles

Christopher Michael Perkins

Zoran Jovanovic

A process and apparatus for re-refining used lubricating oil (ULO) having thermally unstable additives such as zinc compounds. ULO is mixed with a superheated distillate which may be a recycle stream, an outside stream, or combination, then charged to a vacuum flash or fractionator, to produce an overhead vapor and a residual fraction comprising additives and/or decomposition products thereof. Overhead vapor is condensed to yield a liquid lubricant boiling range product. Superheating may occur in a fired heater, heat exchanger or combination. Mixing of superheated fluid and ULO may occur in a pipe in turbulent flow and/or an in line mixer. Energy efficiency is improved by heat exchanging ULO feed with vapor or liquid product streams. An aromatic rich and thermally stable outside stream such as FCC LCO can be readily superheated. Recovered lubricant boiling range material can be recycled, used as a lube stock or for FCC feed.

Distillation of used motor oil with distillate vapors

A radiant heat chemical reactor is configured to generate chemical products including synthesis gas products. Two or more tubes in the radiant heat chemical reactor separate an exothermic heat source, such as flames and gas from a regenerative burner, from the endothermic reaction of the reactant gas occurring within the cavity of the refractory vessel. The exothermic heat source heats a space inside the tubes. One or more feed lines supply chemical reactants to the cavity area between an inner wall of the cavity of the refractory vessel of the chemical reactor and the two or more tubes that are internally heated located with the cavity.

Various methods and apparatuses for internally heated radiant tubes in a chemical reactor

A process for re-refining used lubricating oil (ULO) having thermally unstable additives. ULO is heated by mixing with superheated lubricant boiling range hydrocarbons recovered and recycled from the process. The mixture of ULO feed and superheated hydrocarbons is charged to a vacuum column, producing an overhead vapor free of unstable additives and a residual fraction, containing additives. The overhead vapor is condensed to produce an overhead liquid of lubricant boiling range hydrocarbons, a portion of which is recovered as a product and a portion of which is recycled. The overhead liquid free of unstable additives, may be superheated without fouling to produce superheated fluid which can heat the ULO feed sufficiently to permit fractionation. Superheating may occur in a fired heater or preferably in a heat exchanger to prevent high temperatures and cracking of recycled liquid. Mixing of superheated fluid and ULO feed may occur in a pipe in fully developed turbulent flow, and preferably via an inline mixer. Energy efficiency is improved by heat exchanging ULO feed with product streams.

Re-refining used motor oil

Heat-transfer-aid particles entrained with 1) biomass particles, 2) reactant gas, or 3) both are fed into the radiant heat chemical reactor. The inner wall of a cavity and the tubes of the chemical reactor act as radiation distributors by either absorbing radiation and re-radiating it to the heat-transfer-aid particles or reflecting the incident radiation to the heat-transfer-aid particles. The radiation is absorbed by the heat-transfer-aid particles, and the heat is then transferred by conduction to the reacting gas at temperatures between 900&#xb0; C. and 1600&#xb0; C. The heat-transfer-aid particles mix with the reactant gas in the radiant heat chemical reactor to sustain the reaction temperature and heat transfer rate to stay within a pyrolysis regime. The heat-transfer-aid particles produce a sufficient heat surface-area to mass ratio of these particles when dispersed with the reactant gas to stay within the pyrolysis regime during the chemical reaction.

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Loveland, OH, United States of America

Timothy E Laska