The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 21, 1989
Filed:
Jan. 30, 1989
James L Skinner, Plano, TX (US);
Atlantic Richfield Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
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.