Heavy Oil and Bitumen Upgrading

• US 20060042999A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR Incorporated)
• Inventors: Iqbal, Rashid, Eng, Odette, Niccum, Phillip, Anshumali, NFN
• Granted Patent: US 7,381,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 208/86
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 11/18 according to the "fluidised-bed" technique
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/003 Solvent de-asphalting
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/02 to eliminate hetero atoms without changing the skeleton of the hydrocarbon involved and without cracking into lower boiling hydrocarbons; Hydrofinishing
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 55/06 including at least one catalytic cracking step
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 67/04 including solvent extraction as the refining step in the absence of hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 69/04 including at least one step of catalytic cracking in the absence of hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 69/06 including at least one step of thermal cracking in the absence of hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 9/005 Coking (in order to produce liquid products mainly)

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for the upgrading and demetallizing of heavy oils and bitumens. A crude heavy oil and/or bitumen feed is supplied to a solvent extraction process 104 wherein DAO and asphaltenes are separated. The DAO is supplied to an FCC unit 106 having a low conversion activity catalyst for the removal of metals contained therein. The demetallized distillate fraction is supplied to a hydrotreater 110 for upgrading and collected as a synthetic crude product stream. The asphaltene fraction can be supplied to a gasifier 108 for the recovery of power, steam and hydrogen, which can be supplied to the hydrotreater 110 or otherwise within the process or exported. An optional coker 234 can be used to convert excess asphaltenes and/or decant oil to naphtha, distillate and gas oil, which can be supplied to the hydrotreater 220.

Claims

1. A process for upgrading crude oil from a subterranean reservoir of heavy oil or bitumen, comprising:

solvent deasphalting at least a portion of the heavy oil or bitumen to form an asphaltene fraction and a deasphalted oil (DAO) fraction essentially free of asphaltenes having a reduced metals content;

supplying a feed comprising the DAO fraction to a reaction zone of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit with FCC catalyst to deposit a portion of the metals from the DAO fraction onto the FCC catalyst; and

recovering a hydrocarbon effluent having a reduced metal content from the FCC unit.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising converting the asphaltenes to steam, power, fuel gas, or a combination thereof for use in producing heavy oil or bitumen from the reservoir for feed to the solvent deasphalting.

3. The process of claim 2, further comprising supplying the asphaltene fraction from the solvent deasphalting to the asphaltenes conversion.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising removing metallized FCC catalyst from the FCC unit.

5. A process for upgrading crude oil from a subterranean reservoir of heavy oil or bitumen, comprising:

converting asphaltenes to steam, power, fuel gas, or a combination thereof for use in producing heavy oil or bitumen from a reservoir;

solvent deasphalting at least a portion of the heavy oil or bitumen to form an asphaltene fraction and a deasphalted oil (DAO) fraction essentially free of asphaltenes having a reduced metals content;

supplying the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting to the asphaltenes conversion;

supplying a feed comprising the DAO fraction to a reaction zone of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit with FCC catalyst to deposit a portion of the metals from the DAO fraction onto the FCC catalyst;

recovering a hydrocarbon effluent having a reduced metal content from the FCC unit; and

removing metallized FCC catalyst from the FCC unit.

6. The process of claim 5, further comprising producing heavy oil or bitumen by extraction from mined tar sands.

7. The process of claim 5 further comprising producing heavy oil or bitumen by injecting a mobilizing fluid through one or more injection wells completed in communication with the reservoir to mobilize the heavy oil or bitumen and producing the mobilized heavy oil or bitumen from at least one production well completed in communication with the reservoir.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the mobilizing fluid comprises steam generated primarily by combustion of asphaltenes recovered from the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting.

9. The process of claim 6, wherein the asphaltenes conversion comprises gasification of a portion of the asphaltenes fraction to provide power, steam, fuel gas or combinations thereof for the mining and extraction.

10. The process of claim 5 wherein the solvent deasphalting has a high lift.

11. The process of claim 5 further comprising feeding a portion of the asphaltenes fraction to a delayed coker unit to produce coker liquids and coke.

12. The process of claim 5 wherein lower boiling hydrocarbon fractions are introduced to the FCC unit with the DAO fraction.

13. The process of claim 5 wherein the FCC unit is operated at a conversion from 30 to 65 percent by volume of the feed to the FCC unit.

14. The process of claim 5 wherein operating conditions in the FCC unit are adjusted to control proportions of naphtha, distillate and gas oil in the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit.

15. The process of claim 5 further comprising hydrotreating the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit to produce a low sulfur hydrocarbon effluent.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein the hydrotreating is effected at a moderate pressure of from 3.5 to 10 MPa.

17. The process of claim 15 further comprising gasifying asphaltenes recovered in the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting to produce hydrogen for the hydrotreating.

18. A process for upgrading crude oil from a subterranean reservoir of heavy oil or bitumen, comprising:

converting asphaltenes to steam, power, fuel gas, or a combination thereof for use in producing heavy oil or bitumen from a reservoir;

solvent deasphalting at least a portion of the heavy oil or bitumen containing metals to form an asphaltene fraction and a deasphalted oil (DAO) fraction essentially free of asphaltenes having a reduced metals content;

supplying the asphaltene fraction from the solvent deasphalting to the asphlatenes conversion;

generating steam by combustion of asphaltenes recovered in the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting;

supplying a feed comprising the DAO fraction to a reaction zone of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit with FCC catalyst to recover a demetallized hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit at a conversion rate from 30 to 65 percent by volume of the feed to the FCC unit;

hydrotreating the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit to produce a low sulfur hydrocarbon effluent.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein the heavy oil or bitumen production comprises injecting steam through one or more injection wells completed in communication with the reservoir to mobilize the heavy oil or bitumen;

and producing the mobilized heavy oil or bitumen from at least one production well completed in communication with the reservoir.

20. The process of claim 18 wherein the heavy oil or bitumen production comprises extraction from mined tar sands.

21. The process of claim 18 further comprising feeding a portion of the asphaltenes fraction to a delayed coker unit to produce coker liquids and coke.

22. The process of claim 21 comprising feeding the coker liquids to the hydrotreating with the FCC hydrocarbon effluent.

23. The process of claim 18 further comprising supplying decant oil from the FCC unit to combustion, gasification or a combination thereof.

24. The process of claim 18 wherein operating conditions in the FCC unit are adjusted to control proportions of naphtha, distillate and gas oil in the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit.

25. The process of claim 18 wherein the hydrotreating is effected at a moderate pressure of from 3.5 to 10.5 MPa.

26. The process of claim 18 further comprising gasifying asphaltenes recovered in the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting to produce hydrogen for the hydrotreating.

27. An apparatus for upgrading crude oil from a subterranean reservoir of heavy oil or bitumen, comprising:

means for converting asphaltenes to steam, power, fuel gas, or a combination thereof for use in producing heavy oil or bitumen from a reservoir;

means for solvent deasphalting at least a portion of the produced heavy oil or bitumen containing metals to form an asphaltene fraction and a deasphalted oil (DAO) fraction essentially free of asphaltenes having a reduced metals content;

means for supplying the asphaltene fraction from the solvent deasphalting to the asphaltenes conversion;

means for supplying a feed comprising the DAO fraction to a reaction zone of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit with FCC catalyst to deposit metals from the DAO fraction onto FCC catalyst;

means for recovering a demetallized hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit; and

means for removing metallized FCC catalyst from the FCC unit.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for injecting a mobilizing fluid through one or more injection wells completed in communication with the reservoir to mobilize the heavy oil or bitumen;

and means for producing the mobilized heavy oil or bitumen from at least one production well in completed in communication with the reservoir.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising means for generating the mobilizing fluid comprising steam primarily by combustion of asphaltenes recovered in the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting means.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for extracting heavy oil and bitumen from mined tar sands.

31. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the solvent deasphalting means comprises a high lift.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 further comprising means for feeding a portion of the asphaltenes fraction to a delayed coker unit to produce coker liquids and coke.

33. The apparatus of claim 27 further comprising means for operating the FCC unit at a conversion rate from 30 to 65 percent by volume of the feed to the FCC unit.

34. The apparatus of claim 27 further comprising means for adjusting operating conditions in the FCC unit to control proportions of naphtha, distillate and gas oil in the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit.

35. The apparatus of claim 27 further comprising means for hydrotreating the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit to produce a low sulfur hydrocarbon effluent.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 further comprising means for effecting the hydrotreating at a moderate pressure of from 3.5 to 10 MPa.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 further comprising means for gasifying asphaltenes recovered in the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting to produce hydrogen for the hydrotreating.

38. Apparatus for producing and upgrading crude oil from a subterranean reservoir of heavy oil or bitumen, comprising:

means for injecting steam through one or more injection wells completed in communication with the reservoir to mobilize the heavy oil or bitumen;

means for producing the mobilized heavy oil or bitumen from at least one production well completed in communication with the reservoir;

means for solvent deasphalting at least a fraction of the produced heavy oil or bitumen containing high metals to form a resin-lean asphaltene fraction and a deasphalted oil (DAO) fraction essentially free of asphaltenes having a reduced metals content;

means for generating steam for the injection means by combustion of asphaltenes recovered in the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting means;

means for supplying a feed comprising the DAO fraction to a reaction zone of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit with FCC catalyst to recover a demetallized hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit at a conversion from 30 to 65 percent by volume of the feed to the FCC unit;

means for hydrotreating the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit to produce a low sulfur hydrocarbon effluent.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising means for feeding a portion of the asphaltenes fraction to a delayed coker unit to produce coker liquids and coke.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 further comprising means for feeding the coker liquids to the hydrotreating means with the FCC hydrocarbon effluent.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 further comprising means for supplying decant oil from the FCC unit to combustion, gasification or a combination thereof.

42. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising means for adjusting operating conditions in the FCC unit to control proportions of naphtha, distillate and gas oil in the hydrocarbon effluent from the FCC unit.

43. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising means for effecting the hydrotreating at a moderate pressure of from 3.5 to 10 MPa.

44. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising means for gasifying asphaltenes recovered in the asphaltenes fraction from the solvent deasphalting means to produce hydrogen for the hydrotreating means.