Process for heavy oil and bitumen upgrading

• US 9,169,443 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Expander Energy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Expander Energy Inc.
• Inventors: Kresnyak, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): PARSA, JAFAR F
• Application Number:
  US13/091,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20120270957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 518/700, 518/702, 518/705
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0233 the reforming step being a steam reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0244 the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0283 containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0405 Purification by membrane separation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/043 Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/062 Hydrocarbon production, e.g. Fischer-Tropsch process
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1047 Group VIII metal catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1082 Composition of support materials
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/382 Multi-step processes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/384 the catalyst being continuously externally heated
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/30 from carbon monoxide with hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1022 Fischer-Tropsch products
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1077 Vacuum residues
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/206 Asphaltenes
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/42 Hydrogen of special source or of special composition
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0913 Carbonaceous raw material
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0959 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1659 to liquid hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/00 Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels destructive distillation processes C10B
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 3/06 by mixing with gases

Abstract

A bitumen and heavy oil upgrading process and system is disclosed for the synthesis of hydrocarbons, an example of which is synthetic crude oil (SCO). The process advantageously avoids the waste attributed to residuum and/or petcoke formation which has a dramatic effect on the yield of hydrocarbon material generated. The process integrates Fischer-Tropsch technology with gasification and hydrogen rich gas stream generation. The hydrogen rich gas generation is conveniently effected using singly or in combination a hydrogen source, a hydrogen rich vapor from hydroprocessing and the Fischer-Tropsch process, a steam methane reformer (SMR) and autothermal reformer (ATR) or a combination of SMR/ATR. The feedstock for upgrading is distilled and the bottoms fraction is gasified and converted in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor. A resultant hydrogen lean syngas is then exposed to the hydrogen rich gas stream to optimize the formation of, for example, the synthetic crude oil. The hydrogen lean gas stream may also be effected by a water gas shift reaction, singly or in combination or in addition with the hydrogen rich gas stream generation. A system for effecting the process is also characterized in the specification.

Claims

1. A process for upgrading heavy oil or bitumen to formulate synthetic hydrocarbons, comprising:

(a) providing a source of heavy oil or bitumen feedstock;

(b) treating said feedstock to form one or more distilled fractions and a non-distilled bottom fraction;

(c) feeding said bottom fraction to a syngas generating circuit to generate a hydrogen lean syngas stream via a non-catalytic partial oxidation reaction, wherein said hydrogen lean syngas stream has a hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio of less than one part hydrogen to one part carbon monoxide;

(d) adding an external source of hydrogen to said hydrogen lean syngas to generate a hydrogen rich syngas stream optimum for Fischer-Tropsch reaction; and

(e) reacting said hydrogen rich syngas stream in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor to formulate said synthetic hydrocarbons, at least one of which is synthetic crude oil.

2. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said external source of hydrogen comprises a hydrogen rich syngas stream produced from a hydrogen rich syngas generator.

3. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator is selected from the group consisting of a steam methane reformer (SMR), autothermal reformer (ATR) and combinations thereof.

4. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator uses hydrogen rich feed to generate said hydrogen rich syngas stream.

5. The process as set forth in claim 4, wherein said hydrogen rich feed is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, FT vapours, FT naphtha, hydroprocessor vapours and combinations thereof.

6. The process as set forth in claim 2, further including purifying at least a portion of said hydrogen rich syngas.

7. The process as set forth in claim 6, wherein purification of said hydrogen rich syngas is performed by pressure swing adsorption, membrane or liquid absorption.

8. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bitumen is provided as a froth or diluted bitumen (dilbit), and step b) includes feeding said feedstock to an atmospheric distillation unit.

9. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bottom fraction is fed to a gasifier within said syngas generating circuit.

10. The process as set forth in claim 9, wherein said bottom fraction is converted to a sour hydrogen lean syngas stream.

11. The process as set forth in claim 10, further including the step of treating said hydrogen lean syngas stream to a sour syngas treatment operation.

12. The process as set forth in claim 11, further including the step of treating said hydrogen lean syngas stream to a series of unit operations prior to reaction in said Fischer-Tropsch reactor.

13. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said synthetic hydrocarbons include at least one of Fischer-Tropsch vapours, paraffinic naphtha, light Fischer-Tropsch liquid and heavy Fischer-Tropsch liquid.

14. The process as set forth in claim 1, further including the step of processing said synthetic hydrocarbons in a hydroprocessing unit.

15. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one or more distilled fractions comprise straight run distillate, vacuum gas oil (VGO) fraction and deasphalted oil (DAO), and said process further including the step of processing said straight run distillate, vacuum gas oil (VGO) fraction and deasphalted oil (DAO) in a hydroprocessing unit.

16. The process as set forth in claim 15, wherein said hydroprocessing unit includes at least one operation selected from the group consisting of hydrocracking, thermocracking, hydrotreating, isomerization, fractionation and combinations thereof.

17. The process as set forth in claim 1, further including the step of augmenting the process with an auxiliary source of hydrogen.

18. The process as set forth in claim 17, wherein said auxiliary source of hydrogen comprises hydroprocessing unit gas.

19. The process as set forth in claim 18, wherein said auxiliary source of hydrogen comprises hydrogen rich gas from hydrocracker, thermal cracker, hydrotreater, isomerization unit, fractionator and combinations thereof.

20. The process as set forth in claim 17, wherein said auxiliary source of hydrogen comprises natural gas.

21. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator includes at least one of an autothermal reformer, a steam methane reformer and a combination thereof for receiving as feedstock at least one of natural gas, Fischer-Tropsch vapours, Fischer Tropsch naphtha, refinery fuel gas and combinations thereof, to generate hydrogen rich syngas.

22. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bitumen is an in situ source.

23. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bitumen is a mineable source.

32. The process as set forth in claim 2, further comprising subjecting at least a portion of said hydrogen rich syngas stream to a water gas shift (WGS) reaction.

34. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas stream optimum for Fischer-Tropsch reaction is a hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio of from 1.8:

1 to 2.2;

1.

24. A process for upgrading bitumen to formulate hydrocarbon products, comprising:

(a) providing a source of processed bitumen or heavy oil feedstock in the form of a non-distilled bottoms fraction;

(b) forming said hydrocarbon products via Fischer-Tropsch reaction of hydrogen lean syngas generated from non-catalytic partial oxidation reaction of said non-distilled bottoms fraction, wherein said hydrogen lean syngas stream has a hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio of less than one part hydrogen to one part carbon monoxide; and

(c) adding an external source of hydrogen to said hydrogen lean syngas to create an optimum syngas composition for the synthesis of said hydrocarbon products at least one of which is synthetic crude oil.

25. The process as set forth in claim 24, wherein said external source of hydrogen comprises a hydrogen rich syngas stream produced from a hydrogen rich syngas generator.

26. The process as set forth in claim 25, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator is selected from the group consisting of a steam methane reformer (SMR), autothermal reformer (ATR) and combinations thereof.

27. The process as set forth in claim 26, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator uses hydrogen rich feed to generate said hydrogen rich syngas stream.

28. The process as set forth in claim 27, wherein said hydrogen rich feed is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, FT vapours, FT naphtha, hydroprocessor vapours and combinations thereof.

29. The process as set forth in claim 27, further including purifying at least a portion of said hydrogen rich syngas.

30. The process as set forth in claim 29, wherein purification of said hydrogen rich syngas is performed by pressure swing adsorption, membrane or liquid absorption.

31. The process as set forth in claim 24, wherein treating said bitumen includes providing said bitumen as a froth or diluted bitumen (dilbit) as a feed to an atmospheric distillation unit.

33. The process as set forth in claim 25, further comprising subjecting at least a portion of said hydrogen rich syngas stream to a water gas shift (WGS) reaction.

35. The process as set forth in claim 24, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas stream optimum for Fischer-Tropsch reaction is a hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio of from 1.8:

1 to 2.2;

1.