Refinery process for heavy oil and bitumen

• US 9,340,732 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• 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:
  US14/173,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20140350131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 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, wherein said process comprises:

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

(b) treating said feedstock to form at least one distilled fraction and a non-distilled bottom fraction;

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

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

(e) feeding said non-distilled bottom fraction or said treated bottom fraction to a syngas generating operation for formulating a hydrogen lean syngas stream via a partial oxidation reaction and reacting said syngas in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor to formulate synthesized hydrocarbons;

(f) adding an external source of hydrogen to said hydrogen lean syngas to formulate said synthesized hydrocarbons; and

(g) blending a portion of said synthesized hydrocarbons with a portion of said processed stream to form said fully refined hydrocarbon products comprising naphtha, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel or any 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 2, wherein said hydrocarbon cracking operation further comprises 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 at least meet physical and chemical properties required for commercial application.

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

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein said hydrocarbon treatment operation includes solvent deasphalting, hydrocracking, or combinations thereof.

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

10. The process according to 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 contain at least 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 is 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 byproducts.

17. The process according to claim 1, wherein said upgrading is achieved with greater than 110% volume yield from heavy oil and bitumen.

18. The process according to claim 1, wherein said upgrading is achieved with greater than 135% volume yield from heavy oil and bitumen.

19. The process according to claim 1, wherein said external source of hydrogen comprises a hydrogen rich syngas stream produced from a hydrogen rich syngas generator.

20. The process according to claim 19, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator is selected from the group consisting of a steam methane reformer (SMR), autothermal reformer (ATR) and combinations thereof.

21. The process according to claim 19, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator uses a hydrogen rich feed to generate said hydrogen rich syngas stream.

22. The process according to claim 21, wherein said hydrogen rich feed is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, refinery fuel gas, LPG, FT vapours, FT naphtha, hydroprocessor vapours and combinations thereof.

23. The process according to claim 19, further including purifying at least a portion of said hydrogen rich syngas stream.

24. The process according to claim 23, wherein said purifying at least a portion of said hydrogen rich syngas is performed by pressure swing adsorption, membrane or liquid absorption.

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

26. The process according to claim 1, wherein said non-distilled bottom fraction or said treated bottom fraction is fed to a gasifier within said syngas generating operation.

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

28. The process according to claim 27, further including the step of treating said sour hydrogen lean syngas stream to a sour syngas treatment operation.

29. The process according to claim 27, 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.

30. The process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one distilled fraction and/or said treated fraction contain at least a portion of straight run distillate (AGO), naphtha, vacuum gas oil (VGO) or deasphalted oil (DAO).

31. The process according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the at least one distilled fraction and/or said treated fraction are further hydroprocessed separately or in combination.

32. The process according to claim 31, characterized in that said hydroprocessing includes at least one operation selected from the group consisting of hydrocracking, visbreaking, thermocracking, hydrotreating, isomerization, fractionation and combinations thereof.

33. The process according to claim 1, further including the step of augmenting the process with an auxiliary source of hydrogen.

34. The process according to claim 33, wherein said auxiliary source of hydrogen comprises a hydroprocessing unit gas.

35. The process according to claim 33, wherein said auxiliary source of hydrogen comprises a hydrogen rich gas from a hydrocracker, a thermal cracker, a hydrotreater, a isomerization unit, a fractionator or combinations thereof.

36. The process according to claim 20, wherein said hydrogen rich syngas generator receives as feedstock at least one of natural gas, refinery fuel gas, LPG, Fischer-Tropsch vapours, Fischer Tropsch naphtha, and combinations thereof.

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

38. The process according to claim 1, wherein said bitumen is a mineable source.

39. The process according to claim 23, wherein said purifying includes separating hydrogen from said at least a portion of said hydrogen rich syngas to generate hydrogen lean tail gas stream.

40. The process according to claim 39, further comprising combining said hydrogen lean tail gas stream with said hydrogen rich syngas stream and said hydrogen lean syngas stream.

41. 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.