Abstract:
Production of synthesis gas (mixtures of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) in a refractory lined reaction zone of a partial oxidation free-flow synthesis gas generator by feeding to said reaction zone a stream of particulate petroleum coke containing heavy metal constituents dispersed in H2O. Attack of said refractory lining by the metals and metal compounds present in said petroleum coke, or their reaction products, is substantially prevented by controlling the feedstreams to the reaction so that entrained in the product gas leaving the reaction zone is an amount of unconverted petroleum coke containing unreacted about 8 weight percent or more of the quantity of carbon originally present in the petroleum coke feedstream.
Abstract:
HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUOUS CATALYTIC WATER-GAS SHIFT CONVERSION PROCESS IN WHICH CO CONVERSION IS MAXIMIZED AND AN EFFLUENT GAS STREAM COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY H2 AND CO2 IS PRODUCED HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT COMPOSITION AT ALL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE CATALYST. PROCESS DESIGN AND OPERATION ARE OPTIMIZED TO YIELD AN OVERALL CO CONVERSION OF ABOUT FROM 80 TO 98 MOLE PERCENT OVER A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS OR MORE ON STREAM. STEAM AND A CO CONTAINING GASEOUS FEEDSTREAM ARE REACTED IN AN ADIABATIC CATALYTIC REACTION ZONE COMPRISING ONE OR MORE FIXED BEDS OF IRON-CHROMIUM OXIDE CATALYST CONNECTED IN SERIES AND PROVIDED WITH INTERBED COOLING. THE CATALYST IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS ACTIVITY INCREASING AS A FUNCTION OF PRESSURE OVER THE OPERATING RANGE OF ABOUT 35 TO 250 ATMOSPHERES. THIS IS CONTRARY TO THE PRESENT GENERAL IDEA THAT THE ACTIVITY OF AN IRON OXIDE SHIFT CATALYST LEVELS OUT AT ABOUT 400 P.S.I.G. THE TEMPERATURE OF THE GASES LEAVING EACH BED IS MAINTAINED IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 30*F. TO 100*F. LESS THAN THE CORRESPONDING EQUILIBRIUM TEMPERATURE AND TO OFFSET CATALYST DEACTIVATION THE INLET AND EXIT TEMPERATURES OF THE GAS STREAM IN EACH BED IS INCREASED AS A LOGARITHMIC FUNCTION OF TIME ON STREAM.
Abstract:
Hydrogen-rich gas, e.g., synthesis gas, and H2O are injected into oil shale at a comparatively moderate pressure in the range of about 300 to 1,000 p.s.i.g. and at a temperature in the range of about 850* to 950* F., for producing high-quality shale oil in yields that exceed the Fischer Assay. The addition of H2O reduces the hydrogen consumption and heat load required for a given yield of shale oil. The process can be self-sustaining in that the shale oil and water produced may be used for making the synthesis gas used in the hydrogenation and denitrification of the shale oil.
Abstract:
Production of synthesis gas from a slurry of particulate solid carboniferous fuel e.g., petroleum coke, coke from bituminous coal, coal, oil shale, tar sands, pitch, or mixtures of said solid fuels in water or in a hydrocarbon liquid fuel. Pumpable slurries containing 1-60 weight percent of ground solid carboniferous fuel in petroleum oil and 25-55 weight percent of ground solid carboniferous fuel in water at a relatively low velocity in the range of 5 to 50 feet per second is mixed with a stream of oxidizing gas at a relatively high velocity in the range of 200 feet per second to sonic velocity at the burner tip to form an atomized dispersion of water, hydrocarbon liquid fuel, oxidizing gas and particulate solid carboniferous fuel. Under synthesis gas generating conditions the atomized dispersion is reacted to produce a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. By this process, slurry feeds of low cost solid carboniferous fuels may be gasified without being preheated.
Abstract:
CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR RECOVERING SHALE OIL FROM A SLURRY OF RAW OIL SHALE IN SHALE OIL. WATER AND HOT UNQUENCHED SYNTHESIS GAS FROM THE REACTION ZONE OF A PARTIAL OXIDATION GENERATOR ARE INJECTED INTO THE RAW OIL SHALE-SHALE OIL SLURRY UNDER PRESSURE AND THE MIXTURE IS IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCED INTO A NONCATALYTIC TUBULAR RETORT MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 850 TO 950* F. AND AT A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 300 TO 1000 P.S.I.G., AND PREFERABLY AT 500 P.S.I.G. FOR MAXIMUM YIELDS OF SHALE OIL HAVING A MINIMUM NITROGEN CONTENT. SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE HYDROGEN AND A LARGE FRACTION OF THE HEAT REQUIRED IN THE TUBULAR RETORT ARE PROVIDED BY THE SYNTHESIS GAS. IN THE TUBULAR RETORT ARE PROVIDED BY THE SYNTHESIS GAS. IN THE TUBULAR RETORT UNDER CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT FLOW, THE RAW SHALE IS COMPLETELY STRIPPED OF KEROGEN IN ABOUT 1/4 TO 3 MINUTES (PREFERABLY LESS THAN A MINUTE), AND BY SIMULTANEOUS PYROLYSIS AND HYDROGENATION THE KEROGEN IS CONVERTED TO A GASEOUS EFFLUENT FROM WHICH SHALE OIL IS SEPARATED. SIMULTANEOUSLY, HYDROGEN IS GENERATED IN THE TUBULAR RETORT BY THE EXOTHERMIC WATER-GAS SHIFT REACTION, WHEREBY CO IN THE SYNTHESIS GAS REACTS WITH H2O THE SPENT SHALE ACTING AS A SHIFT CATALYST. PURE HYDROGEN AND THE PREHYDROGENATED SHALE OIL ARE INTRODUCED INTO A CATALYTIC REACTOR TO PRODUCE DENITROGENATED AND DESULFURIZED SHALE OIL AT YIELDS OF ABOUT 125% OF THE FISCHER ASSAY. FEED TO THE SYNTHESIS GAS GENERATOR COMPRISES A PORTION OF THE HEAVY SHALE OILE AND STEAM PRODUCED BY THE PROCESS AND IN THIS RESPECT THE PROCESS IS SELF-SUSTAINING.
Abstract:
Production of synthesis gas from a slurry of particulate solid carboniferous fuels, e.g., petroleum coke, coke from bituminous coal, coal, oil shale, tar sands, pitch, or mixtures of these materials in water or in a hydrocarbon liquid fuel. The amount of particulate solid carboniferous fuel in a pumpable slurry may be increased to 75 wt. percent and the particle size of the solid fuel may be increased to pass through a 12 mesh screen by the addition of 2 to 10 wt. percent of soot as produced, for example, by the partial oxidation of crude oil. The slurry at a relatively low velocity in the range of 5 to 50 feet per second is mixed with a stream of oxidizing gas at a relatively high velocity in the range of 200 feet per second to sonic velocity at the burner tip to form an atomized dispersion of water, hydrocarbon liquid fuel, oxidizing gas, and solid carboniferous fuel. Under synthesis gas-generating conditions, the atomized dispersion is reacted to produce a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. By this process, pumpable slurry feeds of low-cost solid carboniferous fuels may be gasified in a synthesis gas generator without being preheated.
Abstract:
A method for recovering oil-free particulate carbon from synthesis gas by washing said synthesis gas free from particulate carbon with water, preferably maintained at a pH in the range of about 7.5 to 10. A dispersion of particulate carbon in water is formed which is then contacted with bubbles of a gas selected from the group consisting of natural gas, methane, ethane, propane, butane, ethylene, propylene, synthesis gas and mixtures thereof. Clear water separates by gravity from the gas treated dispersion and a supernatant flowable slurry of particulate carbon in water having an increased concentration of oil-free particulate carbon is formed which may be recycled to the generator as fuel, or dewatered.
Abstract:
Process for recovering shale oil from oil shale by retorting with synthesis gas, i.e., a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, generated by partial combustion of byproduct gas with oxygen, wherein part of the heat required for retorting is provided by the hot synthesis gas, and additional hydrogen is produced in the oil shale retort by the water-gas shift reaction, the shale acting as a catalyst; and the process being selfsufficient in requiring no external source of water.
Abstract:
Continuous process for recovering shale oil from a slurry of raw oil shale in shale oil. In a contacting zone, water and hydrogen gas are injected under pressure into the raw oil shale-shale oil slurry and the mixture is immediately introduced into a tubular retort maintained at a temperature in the range of about 850* to 950* F. and at a pressure in the range of about 300 to 1,000 p.s.i.g. and preferably at 500 p.s.i.g. for maximum yields of shale oil having a minimum nitrogen content. Under conditions of turbulent flow, in the tubular retort the raw shale is completely stripped of kerogen in about one-fourth to 3 minutes (preferably less than a minute), and by simultaneous pyrolysis and hydrogenation the kerogen is converted to a gaseous effluent from which shale oil is separated having a substantially reduced nitrogen and sulfur content. Further, essentially all of the spent shale is removed from the gaseous stream by means of a unique centrifugal separator and recovered without the loss of hydrogen or the reduction in line pressure, as spent shale containing essentially no carbonaceous residue. Yields of such shale oil from for example Colorado shale are about 116 percent of the Fischer Assay and contain less than 0.50 weight percent of spent shale. Water is also produced by the system in quantities which are in excess of process requirements.
Abstract:
Continuous process for recovering shale oil from a slurry of raw oil shale in shale oil. Water and hydrogen gas are injected under pressure into the raw oil shale-shale oil slurry, and the mixture is immediately introduced into an externally heated noncatalytic tubular retort maintained at an outlet temperature in the range of about 850* to 950* F. and at a pressure in the range of about 300 to 1,000 p.s.i.g., and preferably at 500 p.s.i.g. for maximum yields of shale oil having a minimum nitrogen content. In the tubular retort under conditions of turbulent flow, the raw shale is completely stripped of kerogen in about 1/4 to 3 minutes (preferably less than a minute), and by simultaneous pyrolysis and hydrogenation without added catalyst, the kerogen is converted to a gaseous effluent from which shale oil is separated having a substantially reduced nitrogen and sulfur content. Yields of such shale oil from for example Colorado shale are about 116 percent of the Fischer Assay; however, if desired, still higher yields of shale oil (about 125 percent of the Fischer Assay) containing a greater amount of material in the middle distillate boiling range may be obtained by submitting the prehydrogenated gaseous effluent from the tubular reaction zone to catalytic hydrogenation, after first removing essentially all of the spent shale. Water is also produced by the system in quantities which are in excess of process requirements.