Refinery process for heavy oil and bitumen

• US 9,328,291 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Expander Energy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Expander Energy Inc.
• Inventors: Steve, Kresnyak
• Primary Examiner(s): Parsa, Jafar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bonaparte, Amy C
• Application Number:
  US14/173,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20140350132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• 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 2203/025 containing a partial oxidation step
• 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 2203/0415 Purification by absorption in liquids
• 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 2203/1247 Higher hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1258 Pre-treatment of the feed
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/36 using oxygen or mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/386 Catalytic partial combustion
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/30 from carbon monoxide with hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/32 with the use of catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/40 from carbon monoxide with water vapor
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1077 Vacuum residues
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/06 Gasoil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/08 Jet fuel

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.

Claims

1. A process for upgrading crude oil or heavy oil or bitumen to formulate refined hydrocarbon products, comprising:

(a) providing a source of crude oil or bitumen or heavy oil feedstock and treating said feedstock to form at least one distilled fraction and a non-distilled bottom fraction;

(b) optionally treating said non-distilled bottom fraction to a hydrocarbon treatment operation to form a treated fraction and a treated bottom fraction;

(c) processing said at least one distilled fraction and/or said treated fraction in a hydrocarbon cracking operation to form a processed stream;

(d) feeding the non-distilled bottom fraction or the treated bottom fraction to a syngas generating circuit for formulating a hydrogen lean syngas stream via a partial oxidation reaction;

(e) treating at least a portion of said hydrogen lean syngas stream to a water gas shift (WGS) reaction to generate an optimum Fischer-Tropsch syngas;

(f) treating said optimum Fischer-Tropsch syngas stream in a Fischer-Tropsch unit to formulate synthesized hydrocarbons; and

(g) blending a portion of said synthesized hydrocarbons with a portion of said processed stream to form said refined hydrocarbon products comprise naphtha, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel or a combination thereof.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon cracking operation comprises hydrocracking, fluid catalytic cracking, visbreaking or a combination thereof.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon cracking operation further comprises hydrotreating, isomerization, fractionation or a combination thereof.

4. The process according to claim 2, wherein said hydrocarbon cracking operation further comprises hydrotreating.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein said refined hydrocarbon products meet or exceed physical and chemical properties required for commercial application.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon treatment operation includes desulfurization, demetalization, Conradson Carbon reduction, or combinations thereof.

7. The process as set forth in claim 6, wherein said hydrocarbon treatment operation includes deasphalting, bed hydrocracking, or combinations thereof.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein said non-distilled bottom fraction and said treated bottom fraction contain the major portion of concentrated heavy metals, sulfur, naphthenic acid (TAN) and/or Conradson Carbon (CCR).

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein said at least one distilled fraction and said treated fraction contains the minor portion of concentrated heavy metals, sulfur, naphthenic acid (TAN) and/or Conradson Carbon (CCR).

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

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein said synthesized hydrocarbons comprise synthetic diesel, synthetic jet fuel, synthetic naphtha, synthetic LPG, synthetic lubes, synthetic wax or combinations thereof.

12. The process according to claim 11, wherein a portion of said at least one distilled fraction, said treated fraction, said synthetic naphtha or combinations thereof is further treated and blended to formulate petrochemical feedstock.

13. The process according to claim 11, wherein a portion of said at least one distilled fraction, said treated fraction, said synthetic naphtha or combinations thereof is further treated and blended to formulate commercial grade gasoline.

14. The process according to claim 11, wherein a portion of said at least one distilled fraction, said treated fraction, said synthetic diesel or combinations thereof is further treated and blended to formulate commercial grade diesel.

15. The process according to claim 11, wherein a portion of said at least one distilled fraction, said treated fraction, said synthetic jet fuel or combinations thereof are further treated and blended to formulate commercial grade jet fuel.

16. The process according to claim 1, wherein said upgrading is achieved absent of coke formation, unconverted residuum and waste byproduct.

17. The process according to claim 1, wherein upgrading is achieved with greater than 100% volume yield.

18. The process according to claim 1, wherein said feed stock is bitumen, which is provided as a froth, hot bitumen or diluted bitumen (dilbit).

19. The process according to claim 1, wherein said non-distilled bottom fraction is fed to a gasifier within said syngas generating circuit.

20. The process according to claim 1, wherein said non-distilled bottom fraction is converted to a sour hydrogen lean syngas stream.

21. The process according to claim 20, further including the step of treating said sour hydrogen lean syngas stream to a sour syngas treatment operation.

22. The process according to claim 20, further including the step of treating said sour hydrogen lean syngas stream to a series of unit operations prior to reaction in said Fischer-Tropsch unit.

23. The process according to claim 1, wherein the distilled or treated fractions consist of any portion of straight run distillate (AGO), naphtha, vacuum gas oil (VGO) or deasphalted oil (DAO).

24. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the distilled or treated fractions are optionally further hydroprocessed separately or in combination.

25. The process as set forth in any claim 24, wherein said hydroprocessing includes at least one operation selected from the group consisting of hydrocracking, visbreaking, thermocracking, hydrotreating, isomerization, fractionation and combinations thereof.

26. The process according to claim 1, wherein said bitumen is an in-situ source.

27. The process according to claim 1, wherein said bitumen is a minable source.

28. The process according to claim 1, wherein a portion of said at least one distilled fraction, said treated fraction or both is further hydroprocessed before and/or after said hydrocarbon cracking operation.