Petroleum recovery and cleaning system and process

• US 20050161372A1
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aquatech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aquatech Incorporated
• Inventors: Colic, Miroslav
• Granted Patent: US 7,594,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 208/391
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/00 Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material from water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/40; cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; arrangements for separating lubricants from refrigerants F25B43/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0205 by gas bubbles or moving solids
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0208 by sedimentation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0217 by centrifugal force
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/04 Breaking emulsions
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/047 with separation aids
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/12 Auxiliary equipment particularly adapted for use with liquid-separating apparatus, e.g. control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/0006 Settling tanks provided with means for cleaning and maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/0018 provided with a pump mounted in or on a settling tank
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/01 using flocculating agents for purifying water C02F1/52; for liquid radioactive waste G21F9/10
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/10 Settling tanks with multiple outlets for the separated liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/2405 Feed mechanisms for settling tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/2433 Discharge mechanisms for floating particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/2461 Positive-displacement pumps; Screw feeders; Trough conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2221/04 Separation devices for treating liquids from earth drilling, mining
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0086 Processes carried out with a view to control or to change the pH-value; Applications of buffer salts; Neutralisation reactions
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/20 with liquid as a fluidising medium
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/00 Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto B08B6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/027 Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/0933 : Removing sludge or the like from tank bottoms
• CPC Class Codes: B09C 1/02 : Extraction using liquids, e.g. washing, leaching , flotation
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 23/00 : Use of substances as emulsifying, wetting, dispersing, or foam-producing agents
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 3/32 : for absorbing liquids to remove pollution, e.g. oil, gasoline, fat
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/00 : Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal mechanical winning of oil from oil-shales, oil-sand, or the like B03B
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/24 : Mineral surfaces, e.g. stones, frescoes, plasters, walls or concretes

Abstract

A system and process are provided for recovering and/or cleaning residual or waste petroleum products such as sludge accumulated within a storage tank or upon process equipment surfaces, or from inorganic materials such as sand or clay, and the like. The system and process include a negatively charged aqueous-based dispersion fluid, which is contacted with the petroleum product under controlled relatively high pressure and high shear conditions for fluidizing hydrocarbon molecules and for preventing such molecules from adherence to process equipment surfaces, or contaminants such as sand or clay. Additional mechanical separation as by subjecting the mixed petroleum product and dispersion fluid slurry to sonic vibration may also be employed. The thus-fluidized slurry of petroleum products, dispersion fluid, and inorganic materials can be separated by conventional techniques, as by settling and/or flotation, for further individual processing and/or re-use.

Claims

1. A petroleum recovery process, comprising the steps of:

contacting a viscous petroleum product with an aqueous-based, negatively charged dispersion fluid to form a fluidized slurry; and

processing the fluidized slurry to separate and recover the petroleum product, solid contaminants and dispersion fluid therefrom as independent products.

2. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid has a pH within the range of from about 11 to about 13.

3. The petroleum recovery process of claim 2 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid has a pH within the range of from about 11.4 to about 12.5.

4. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid includes sodium metasilicate.

5. The petroleum recovery process of claim 4 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid further includes sodium hydroxide.

6. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid includes sodium metasilicate at a concentration within the range of from about 0.05% by volume to about 10.0% by volume.

7. The petroleum recovery process of claim 6 wherein the sodium metasilicate concentration is about 1.0% by volume.

8. The petroleum recovery process of claim 6 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid includes sodium hydroxide at a concentration of about 0.5% by volume.

9. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid further includes conditioning agents selected from the group consisting essentially of nonionic surfactants and emulsifiers.

10. The petroleum recovery process of claim 9 wherein said nonionic surfactants include pine oil at a concentration within the range of from about 0.01% by volume to about 10% by volume.

11. The petroleum recovery process of claim 10 wherein the pine oil concentration is about 1% by volume.

12. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein said nonionic surfactants include soybean oil at a concentration within the range of from about 1% by volume to about 20% by volume.

13. The petroleum recovery process of claim 9 wherein said nonionic surfactants are biodegradable.

14. The petroleum recovery process of claim 13 wherein said nonionic surfactants include ethylene oxide-propylene oxide products.

15. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid further includes anionic surfactants.

16. The petroleum recovery process of claim 15 wherein the anionic surfactants comprise sodium dodecyl sulfate at a concentration within the range of from about 1% by volume to about 10% by volume.

17. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein said contacting step includes injecting the dispersion fluid into contact with the petroleum product under relatively high pressure, high shear conditions.

18. The petroleum recovery process of claim 17 wherein said contacting step comprises hydroblasting.

19. The petroleum recovery process of claim 17 wherein said contacting step comprises down-hole injection of the dispersion fluid.

20. The petroleum recovery process of claim 17 wherein said contacting step comprises injecting the dispersion fluid into a petroleum storage tank.

21. The petroleum recovery process of claim 17 wherein said contacting step comprises injecting the dispersion fluid at a pressure within the range of from about 5,000 psi to about 40,000 psi into contact with the petroleum product.

22. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein said contacting step comprises the steps of injecting the dispersion fluid into contact with the petroleum product under relatively high pressure conditions to form the fluidized slurry, drawing the fluidized slurry through an injection chamber, and injecting additional dispersion fluid into contact with the slurry within the injection chamber under relatively high pressure and high shear conditions.

23. The petroleum recovery process of claim 22 further including the step of drawing the fluidized slurry from the injection chamber through a sonic shear chamber, and applying sonic vibration to the fluidized slurry within the sonic shear chamber.

24. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 further including the step of applying sonic vibration to the fluidized slurry.

25. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 further including the step of applying ultrasonic vibration to the fluidized slurry.

26. The petroleum recovery process of claim 1 wherein said processing step comprises allowing the fluidized slurry to stand in a settling tank, removing petroleum product from an upper region of the tank, removing sedimented solid contaminants from a lower region of the tank, and removing dispersion fluid from a mid-level region of the tank.

27. A petroleum recovery process, comprising the steps of:

contacting a viscous petroleum product with an aqueous-based, dispersion fluid including sodium metasilicate by pressure injecting the dispersion fluid under relatively high pressure, high shear conditions into contact with the petroleum product to form a fluidized slurry; and

processing the fluidized slurry to separate and recover the petroleum product, solid contaminants and dispersion fluid therefrom as independent products.

28. The petroleum recovery process of claim 27 wherein the dispersion fluid has a pH within the range of from about 11 to about 13.

29. The petroleum recovery process of claim 27 wherein the dispersion fluid further includes conditioning agents selected from the group consisting essentially of nonionic surfactants and emulsifiers.

30. The petroleum recovery process of claim 27 wherein said contacting step comprises injecting the dispersion fluid at a pressure within the range of from about 5,000 psi to about 40,000 psi into contact with the petroleum product.

31. The petroleum recovery process of claim 27 wherein said contacting step comprises the steps of injecting the dispersion fluid into contact with the petroleum product under relatively high pressure conditions to form the fluidized slurry, drawing the fluidized slurry through an injection chamber, and injecting additional dispersion fluid into contact with the slurry within the injection chamber under relatively high pressure and high shear conditions.

32. The petroleum recovery process of claim 31 further including the step of drawing the fluidized slurry from the injection chamber through a sonic shear chamber, and applying sonic vibration to the fluidized slurry within the sonic shear chamber.

33. The petroleum recovery process of claim 27 further including the step of applying ultrasonic vibration to the fluidized slurry.

34. The petroleum recovery process of claim 27 wherein said processing step comprises allowing the fluidized slurry to stand in a settling tank, removing petroleum product from an upper region of the tank, removing sedimented solid contaminants from a lower region of the tank, and removing dispersion fluid from a mid-level region of the tank.

35. A process for cleaning residual petroleum product from inorganic surfaces, said process comprising the step of:

contacting residual petroleum product on an inorganic surface with an aqueous-based, negatively charged dispersion fluid to form a fluidized slurry, and for negatively charging the inorganic surface.

36. The cleaning process of claim 35 further including the step of processing the fluidized slurry to separate and recover the petroleum product, solid contaminants and dispersion fluid therefrom as independent products.

37. The cleaning process of claim 35 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid has a pH within the range of from about 11 to about 13.

38. The cleaning process of claim 35 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid includes sodium metasilicate at a concentration within the range of from about 0.05% by volume to about 10.0% by volume.

39. The cleaning process of claim 38 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid further includes sodium hydroxide at a concentration of about 0.5% by volume.

40. The cleaning process of claim 35 wherein said contacting step includes injecting the dispersion fluid into contact with the petroleum product under relatively high pressure, high shear conditions.

41. The cleaning process of claim 40 wherein said contacting step comprises injecting the dispersion fluid at a pressure within the range of from about 5,000 psi to about 40,000 psi into contact with the petroleum product.

42. The cleaning process of claim 35 further including the step of applying sonic vibration to the fluidized slurry.

43. The cleaning process of claim 35 wherein said processing step comprises allowing the fluidized slurry to stand in a settling tank, removing petroleum product from an upper region of the tank, removing sedimented solid contaminants from a lower region of the tank, and removing dispersion fluid from a mid-level region of the tank.

44. A system for recovering viscous residual petroleum product, comprising:

means for contacting a viscous petroleum product with an aqueous-based, negatively charged dispersion fluid to form a fluidized slurry; and

means for processing the fluidized slurry to separate and recover the petroleum product, solid contaminants and dispersion fluid therefrom as independent products.

45. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid has a pH within the range of from about 11 to about 13.

46. The petroleum recovery system of claim 45 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid has a pH within the range of from about 11.4 to about 12.5.

47. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid includes sodium metasilicate.

48. The petroleum recovery system of claim 47 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid further includes sodium hydroxide.

49. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid includes sodium metasilicate at a concentration within the range of from about 0.05% by volume to about 10.0% by volume.

50. The petroleum recovery system of claim 49 wherein the sodium metasilicate concentration is about 1.0% by volume.

51. The petroleum recovery system of claim 49 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid includes sodium hydroxide at a concentration of about 0.5% by volume.

52. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid further includes conditioning agents selected from the group consisting essentially of nonionic surfactants and emulsifiers.

53. The petroleum recovery system of claim 52 wherein said nonionic surfactants include pine oil at a concentration within the range of from about 0.01% by volume to about 10% by volume.

54. The petroleum recovery system of claim 53 wherein the pine oil concentration is about 1% by volume.

55. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein said nonionic surfactants include soybean oil at a concentration within the range of from about 1% by volume to about 20% by volume.

56. The petroleum recovery system of claim 52 wherein said nonionic surfactants are biodegradable.

57. The petroleum recovery system of claim 56 wherein said nonionic surfactants include ethylene oxide-propylene oxide products.

58. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein the negatively charged dispersion fluid further includes anionic surfactants.

59. The petroleum recovery system of claim 58 wherein the anionic surfactants comprise sodium dodecyl sulfate at a concentration within the range of from about 1% by volume to about 10% by volume.

60. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein said contacting means includes pressure injection means injecting the dispersion fluid into contact with the petroleum product under relatively high pressure, high shear conditions.

61. The petroleum recovery system of claim 60 wherein said pressure injecting means comprises a hydroblasting unit.

62. The petroleum recovery system of claim 60 wherein said pressure injecting means comprises means for down-hole injection of the dispersion fluid.

63. The petroleum recovery system of claim 60 wherein said pressure injecting means comprises means for injecting the dispersion fluid into a petroleum storage tank.

64. The petroleum recovery system of claim 60 wherein said pressure injecting means comprises means for injecting the dispersion fluid at a pressure within the range of from about 5,000 psi to about 40,000 psi into contact with the petroleum product.

65. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 further including an injection chamber, means for transferring the fluidiized slurry to said injection chamber, and means for injecting additional dispersion fluid into contact with the slurry within said injection chamber under relatively high pressure and high shear conditions.

66. The petroleum recovery system of claim 65 further including means for transferring the fluidized slurry from the injection chamber through a sonic shear chamber, and means for applying sonic vibration to the fluidized slurry within the sonic shear chamber.

67. The petroleum recovery system of claim 66 wherein said sonic vibration applying means comprises an ultrasonic wave generator.

68. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 further including means for applying sonic vibration to the fluidized slurry.

69. The petroleum recovery system of claim 68 wherein said sonic vibration applying means comprises an ultrasonic wave generator.

70. The petroleum recovery system of claim 44 wherein said processing means comprises a settling tank for allowing the fluidized slurry to stand to permit separation of the petroleum product, solid contaminants and dispersion fluid therein.

76. The dispersion fluid of claim 70 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution includes sodium metasilicate at a concentration within the range of from about 0.05% by volume to about 10.0% by volume.

77. The dispersion fluid of claim 76 wherein the sodium metasilicate concentration is about 1.0% by volume.

78. The dispersion fluid of claim 76 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution includes sodium hydroxide at a concentration of about 0.5% by volume.

79. The dispersion fluid of claim 70 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution further includes conditioning agents selected from the group consisting essentially of nonionic surfactants and emulsifiers.

80. The dispersion fluid of claim 79 wherein said nonionic surfactants include pine oil at a concentration within the range of from about 0.01% by volume to about 10% by volume.

81. The dispersion fluid of claim 80 wherein the pine oil concentration is about 1% by volume.

82. The dispersion fluid of claim 79 wherein said nonionic surfactants include soybean oil at a concentration within the range of from about 1% by volume to about 20% by volume.

83. The dispersion fluid of claim 79 wherein said nonionic surfactants are biodegradable.

84. The dispersion fluid of claim 83 wherein said nonionic surfactants include ethylene oxide-propylene oxide products.

85. The dispersion fluid of claim 70 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution further includes anionic surfactants.

86. The dispersion fluid of claim 85 wherein the anionic surfactants comprise sodium dodecyl sulfate at a concentration within the range of from about 1% by volume to about 10% by volume.

71. A dispersion fluid for use in recovering residual petroleum product and/or for cleaning inorganic surfaces to which such residual petroleum product is adhered, said dispersion fluid comprising:

a negatively charged, aqueous-based solution having a pH of at least about 11.

72. The dispersion fluid of claim 71 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution includes sodium metasilicate ions.

73. The dispersion fluid of claim 72 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution has a pH within the range of from about 11 to about 13.

74. The dispersion fluid of claim 73 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution has a pH within the range of from about 11.4 to about 12.5.

75. The dispersion fluid recovery process of claim 71 wherein the negatively charged dispersion solution further includes sodium hydroxide.