Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MOBILE PLANT FOR THERMALLY TREATING A CONTAMINATED OR
UNCONTAMINATED FEED STREAM, PROCESSES THEREOF AND USES OF
PRODUCTS THEREOF
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a mobile plant comprising a reactor for thermally
treating a contaminated or
uncontaminated feed stream such as a feed oil. The mobile plant may also
produce oils to be used
inter alia for cleaning tank bottoms for ships, tank farms and equipment
fouled by heavy
hydrocarbons material.
The present invention also relates to a process to thermally treat used
lubricating oils, waste oils, oily
tank bottoms, heavy oils or bitumen in a rotating kiln operating under
pressure with the injection of a
gas, preferably of a sweep gas into the reactor of the mobile plant or its
feed stream.
The present invention also relates to the use of oils with resins, such as
cracked or polarized oils, for
cleaning equipment or materials that are fouled or contaminated with
hydrocarbons or with other
contaminants.
The present invention, also relates to the use of the mobile plant for
preparing specialty oils and the
use of these oils in specific applications.
The processes of the invention may be used in various environmental
applications and the products
thereby obtained are useable in various environmental ways such as fuels,
specialty oils, for cleaning
fouled equipment and materials, and site specific applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Waste oils, especially used lubricating oils (ULO), are considered a threat to
the environment, and
are classified as a hazardous product in most jurisdictions. The Environment
Protection Agency
(EPA) states that: "One gallon of used lubricating oil can pollute a million
gallons of water."
Presently water and/or steam is (are) used to clean ships, fuel tanks, tank
farm bottoms and other
equipment that is fouled by oils and/or by other hydro-carbon residue. This
means that the water used
has to be separated from the oily residues and then the residues treated or
burned in cement kilns. The
burning of the oily residues is bad for the environment and a waste of the
hydrocarbon resources.
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There are many processes to treat waste oils. Up until the December 2001
report to the European
Commission of the Environment by Taylor Nelson Sofres titled "Critical review
of existing studies
and life cycle analysis on the regeneration and incineration of waste oils",
and the November 19,
2008 European union directive, there was priority given to re-refining
processes recycling used
lubricating oils (ULO) into lubricating oils base-stocks in the European Union
as well as in the rest of
the World. Consequently many re-refining processes were invented and used. The
commercial re-
refining processes used in Europe are described in the Taylor Nelson Sofres
report. These and others
are described in a book by Francois Audibert titled "Waste Engine Oils, Re-
refining and Energy
Recovery", (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2006). Among the processes that regenerate
ULO into lubricating
oil base-stocks, some, such as the acid clay processes, were abandoned or
legislated out because of
the disposal costs, both financial and environmental, of the by-products such
as spent acid and clays.
Lube oil regeneration processes, using solvent extraction or vacuum
distillation as their primary
process, require a finishing step, such as hydrotreating, which entails the
purchase of hydrogen or
building a hydrogen unit. Usually, the quality of their feedstock determines
the quality of their
products. Waste oil compositions are variable, and can change even within a
shipment. Re-refining
processes usually require extensive laboratory analyses of both the waste oil
entering the plant, to
determine the amount of chemicals to add in their pre-treatment processes, and
of the product
lubricating oils to ensure consistent product quality. Because of their high
capital and operating costs,
these plants must be close to large population centre and/or serve a large
collection area, and usually
require government subsidies to be viable.
When the used oil is to be used as fuel, chemical treatment of ULO to extract
heavy metals, sulphur
and chlorides is legislated and requires considerable laboratory analyses
because of the constant
variations in feedstock compositions
In some very specific and rare applications, ULO is cleaned, dewatered, tested
and its additive
package is topped-off, before the lube oil is used again without leaving the
plant site. Again, these
applications require extensive laboratory analyses.
The re-refining processes alluded to in the previous section aim to recover
lubricating oils from the
used oil feed streams. There are processes aimed at destroying the metal-
containing additives in
waste oils, and make environmentally acceptable products such as fuels.
Corresponding proposed
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stationary reactors, operating at atmospheric pressure, are mentioned in the
following patent
literature.
Canadian Patents Nos. 1,309,370, and 2,112,097, and in U.S. Patents Nos.
5,271,808 and 5,795,462
(Shurtleff) disclose an apparatus and a method that are provided reclaiming a
useful oil product from
waste oil, such as used lubricating oil. The apparatus comprises an oil feed
means, a boiler, a heater
and a separating means. The heater is used to heat the waste oil in the boiler
to a temperature such
that heavier hydrocarbons remain unvolatilized, trapping contaminants
therewith. The separating
means separates the volatilized lighter hydrocarbons from the unvolatilized
heavier hydrocarbons and
contaminants.
U.S. Patent No. 5,871,618 and Canadian Patent No. 2,225,635 (Kong at al.)
discloses an apparatus
and a process for reclaiming fuel oil from waste oil. The apparatus comprises
a thermal cracking unit
for cracking the high boiling hydrocarbon material into lighter, lower
boiling, material so as to
separate hydrocarbon vapor products from viscous materials; a condenser/heat
exchanger for
condensing the hydrocarbon vapour products to the liquid state; a fuel
stabilization unit for
chemically treating the condensates so as to give an oil product and solid
sediment; and a polishing
unit for forming a high quality fuel oil by physically removing solid
contaminants. According to the
present invention, high quality fuel oil can be obtained together with an
environmentally innocuous
solid ash cake, through a simple and efficient process.
U.S. Patent No. 5,362,381 (Brown et al.) discloses a process in which waste
lubricating oil is
reprocessed into commercially usable diesel fuel and naphtha by
thermocracking. A thermocracker
unit is fired with sludge removed from the principal pool of oil undergoing
vaporization. The vapours
are separated from liquids in a primary distillation tower with precisely
controlled heating. Resultant
vapours are partially condensed. Resultant liquids flow downward through a
secondary distillation
tower into a reboiler which is heated by a flue gas bypass with an auxiliary
burner. Vapours leaving
the secondary distillation tower are partially condensed and resultant fluids
are passed to a light ends
flash tank. Gases from the flash tank fuel the auxiliary burner. Liquids are
collected and stored for
selling as naphtha. Hot liquids are withdrawn from the reboiler and are
immediately cooled to
atmospheric conditions. Liquids within specification are stored in a diesel
storage tank for further use
and sale. Off-specification products are stored in a reflux storage tank and
are pumped and heated
and sprayed downward in the primary distillation tower for washing the tower
and for reprocessing in
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the thermocracking unit. Some light ends are mixed with sludge in a storage
tank. The mixture is
pumped as sludge fuel to the burner in a fire tube in the thermocracking unit.
U.S. Patent No. 5,885,444 (Wansborough et al.) discloses a process for
thermally cracking waste
motor oil into a diesel fuel product is provided. The thermal cracking process
uses low temperature
cracking temperatures from 625 to 725 degrees Fahrenheit with ambient pressure
to generate a
column distilled fraction of diesel fuel mixed with light ends, the light ends
being flashed off to
produce a high quality #2 diesel fuel. The process further provides for
removal from the cracking
vessel an additional product stream which, when filtered, is suitable for use
as a #3 fuel oil and that
can be further blended with a bunker oil to yield a #5 fuel product.
Canadian Patent No. 2,242,742 (Yu) discloses a process and apparatus for the
reclaiming and re-
refining of waste oils. The process comprises raising a temperature of a feed
mixture of fresh waste
oil and a recycled non-volatile residue to a range of 400 to 490 degrees
Celsius for a time sufficient
to cause pyrolysis of the heavy hydrocarbons contained in the feed mixture,
but insufficient to permit
substantial undesired polymerization, oxidation and dehydrogenation reactions
to take place in the
feed mixture; cooling the resulting pyrolized waste oil mixture to a
temperature in the range of 300 to
425 degrees Celsius, and maintaining the temperature while allowing volatile
components in the
pyrolyzed waste oil mixture to evaporate, leaving a non-volatile residue
containing the contaminants;
condensing the evaporated volatile components to form a reclaimed oil product;
and mixing the non-
volatile residue with fresh waste oil to form more of the feed mixture and
repeating the temperature
raising, cooling, evaporation and mixing steps on a continuous basis, while
continuing to condense
volatile components evaporated from the pyrolyzed waste oil mixture. The
apparatus comprises a
heating unit, a container, a condenser and pumping equipment and piping. The
process and apparatus
of the present invention generate #2 diesel fuel, gasoline and coke from waste
oil. In this patent, the
reactor advantageously operates under positive pressure.
Among the problems common to stationary reactors in waste oil applications are
coking of the
reactor walls, which impedes heat transfer from the heat source to the oil to
be treated, and fouling of
the equipment, not only in the reactor but also upstream and downstream of the
reactor.
U.S. Patent No. 6,589,417 and Canadian Patent No. 2,314,586 (Taciuk et al.)
disclose a process by
which used oil is treated in a reactor to remove contaminants. The reactor
comprises a rotating vessel
housed within a heating chamber. The inside of the vessel is indirectly heated
by conduction through
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the vessel walls. The vessel contains a permanently resident charge of non-
ablating, coarse granular
solids. Within the vessel, the oil is vaporized and pyrolyzed, producing a
hydrocarbon vapour. Coke
is formed as a by-product. Contaminants, such as metals and halides become
associated with the
coke. The coarse granular solids scour and comminute the coke to form fine
solids. The fine solids
are separated from the coarse solids and are removed from the vessel. The
hydrocarbon vapours are
separated from any fine solids and are routed to a vapour condensation system
for producing a
substantially contaminant-free product oil. The contaminant-rich solids are
collected for disposal.
This process operates at a negative pressure in the reactor.
Rotating kilns, operating under vacuum, are suggested in processes designed to
thermally crack
bitumen, heavy oil, rubber tires, oil shale and oil sands, coal or refinery
distillation column bottoms.
Canadian Patent No. 1,334,129 (Klaus) discloses an invention that relates to a
process and apparatus
for the pyrolysis of bitumen. The process involves spraying preheated bitumen
into a generally
horizontal cylindrical rotating reactor which is heated from the outside and
which contains grinding
bodies. The bitumen is heated to the pyrolysis temperature and thereby forms a
gaseous product and a
solid pyrolyzed coke. The solid pyrolyzed coke is removed from the reactor
walls by the grinding
bodies and the resulting small particles are continuously removed from the
reactor through ports in
the reactor wall.
U.S. Patent No. 4,473,464 (Boyer et al.) discloses a method for producing a
distillable
hydrocarbonaceous stream and carbonaceous agglomerates from a heavy crude oil
by charging the
crude oil and finely divided carbonaceous solids to a rotary kiln with the
crude oil and carbonaceous
solids being charged in a weight ratio from about 0.6 to about 1.5; tumbling
the crude oil and finely
divided carbonaceous solids in the rotary kiln at a temperature from about
850F to about 1000F for
up to about 30 minutes to produce a vaporous stream and agglomerate particles
containing a residual
portion of the crude oil and finely divided carbonaceous solids; separating
the agglomerate particles
into a product portion of a desired particle size range and a recycle portion;
grinding the recycle
portion to produce the finely divided carbonaceous solids and heating the
finely divided
carbonaceous solids prior to recycling the carbonaceous solids to mixture with
the crude oil, an
improvement comprising: supplying at least a major portion of the heat
required in the rotary kiln by
heating the crude oil charged to the rotary kiln thereby eliminating the
heating of the finely divided
carbonaceous solids prior to recycling.
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U.S. Patent No. 4,439,209 (Wilwerding) discloses an apparatus for the
continuous non-oxidative
thermal decomposition of heat-dissociable organic matter to a solid carbon
residue, particularly
activated carbon, and a mixture of gaseous products, without substantial
coking or tar formation. The
apparatus involve a cylindrical rotating drum in a substantially horizontal
position, into which feed
material is introduced at one end and products recovered at the other end. An
axial temperature
gradient, increasing in the direction of flow, is maintained within the drum,
enabling the exercise of a
high degree of control over the reaction to fully convert the feed into the
desired products.
Indirectly fired rotating kilns are usually considered inefficient means to
convey heat into a reactor.
Some propose heating the reactor feed with a hot stream. The hot stream can be
circulating gas,
liquid or solids.
U.S. Patent No. 5,423,891 (Taylor) proposes a direct gasification of a high
BTU content fuel gas
from a hydrocarbon content solid waste material W which may include some glass
content is effected
by preheating heat carrier solids HCS in a flash calciner to a temperature
capable of thermally
cracking the hydrocarbon content of the solid waste material W directly into
the high BTU content
fuel gas. The HCS are separated from the products of combustion and fed into a
gas sealed refractory
lined horizontal axis rotary kiln retort concurrently with the solid waste W.
Momentary contact and
mixing of the solid waste W with the HCS in the rotary kiln in the absence of
oxygen is sufficient to
directly thermally crack the solid waste material into the high BTU gas
product. Separated HCS are
returned to the flash calciner for reheating. A trommel, coupled directly to
the output of the rotary
kiln retort and having a trommel screen with mesh openings smaller than glass
agglomerates, but
sized larger than the HCS, permits separation of the HCS and discharging of
glass agglomerates from
the downstream end of the trommel screen to prevent shut down of the direct
gasification unit. Direct
gasification of steel industry waste water treatment plant sludge, automobile
shredded refuse ASR,
municipal solid waste MSW and refuse derived fuel RDF and oil mill scale is
effectively achieved,
irrespective of glass content contaminant.
U.S. Patent No. 4,512,873 (Escher) discloses a process in which the residues
obtained in the
hydrogenation of oil, especially heavy oil, or of coal are subjected to low
temperature carbonization
in a drum, preferably a rotary drum, at temperatures between approximately 400
degrees Celsius and
approximately 600 degrees Celsius, by means of a carbonization gas after the
separation of the
condensable portions and heating to temperatures between approximately 600
degrees Celsius and
approximately 950 degrees Celsius, which is introduced into the low
temperature carbonization
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drum. The gas is heated to temperatures between approximately 600 degrees
Celsius and
approximately 950 degrees Celsius indirectly by flue gases arising from the
combustion of oil or gas,
for example, of excess carbonization gas. The residue to be carbonized at low
temperature is
introduced into the hot gas in a finely dispersed state and preferably
atomized.
From a practical point of view, it is difficult to ensure the integrity of the
seals of both the main
reactor and the coke incinerator when there is a circulating stream of solids.
When produced gas is
circulated to heat the reactor feed oil to cracking temperatures, large
amounts of circulating gas is
required, compared to the fresh feed stream.
Attempts have been made to provide the industry with a transportable plant
able to purify
contaminated oils and refine oils in general.
U.S. Patent No. 4,039,130 (Hogan) proposes a portable skid mounted fully
equipped topping plant
for the distillation of gasoline and diesel fuel from crude oil feed, equipped
with its own power
supply, capable of producing its own electricity and power requirements,
utilizing fuel from crude oil
feed, and designed for automatic operation and equipped with an automatic shut-
down system. The
system input is crude oil (not waste oil) and its stated output is diesel.
U.S. Patent No. 5,316,743 (Leblanc) proposes a portable refinery including a
refining vessel (a
system similar to a horizontal distillation tower) a heater for providing heat
to the refining vessel,
dewatering devices, and a storage tank mounted on a skid which can be quickly
and easily
transported to a reservoir of petroleum products to refine the petroleum or
waste petroleum into
diesel grade fuel at the reservoir. It works At about 630 degrees Fahrenheit
or about 330 degrees
Celsius.
U.S. patent application No. 2009/0095683 Al (Zulauf) proposes a mobile fuel
filter for removing
sulfur-containing compounds from a diesel fuel. The system and methods are for
the removal of
sulfur containing compounds that provide for the production of fuel streams
having concentration of
less than 15 ppm.
U.S. Patent No. 7,510,647 (Evans) proposes a mobile fluid catalyst injection
system and a method of
controlling a fluid catalyst cracking process is provided. In one embodiment,
a mobile fluid catalyst
platform and a flow control device coupled to the platform and a flow control
device coupled with an
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outlet of the reservoir and adapted to control the flow of catalyst from the
reservoir to a fluid catalyst
cracking unit (FCCU).
U.S. Patent No. 7,951,340 (Brons et al,) propose an atmospheric and/or vacuum
resid fractions of a
high solvency dispersive power (HSDP) crude oil are added to a blend of crude
oil to prevent fouling
of crude oil refinery equipment and to perform on-line cleaning of fouled
refinery equipment. The
HSDP resid fractions dissolve asphaltene precipitates and maintain suspension
of inorganic
particulates before coking affects heat exchange surfaces.
U.S. Patent No. 2010/0147333 (Wright et al.) propose non-high solvency
dispersive power (non-
HSDP) crude oil with increased fouling mitigation and on-line cleaning effects
includes a base non-
HSDP crude oil and an effective amount of resins isolated from a high solvency
dispersive power
(HSDP) crude oil, and method of making same. Also, methods of using such non-
HSDP crude oil for
on-line cleaning of a fouled crude oil refinery component, for reducing
fouling in a crude oil refinery
component, and in a system capable of experiencing fouling conditions
associated with particulate or
asphaltene fouling.
None of those prior art mobile plants was effectively commercialized due to
several drawbacks such
as not being able to treat a wide variety of waste oils, providing readily
useable products with no
environmentally harmful by-products.
Particularly, as mentioned in US-A-4,039,130, a major problem to overcome in
the construction of
such a compact unit is that of providing sufficient heat in an economical
manner to raise the crude oil
to the temperature necessary for distillation. Conventional salt bath, steam,
and other heaters which
have heretofore been used were undesirable because of their weigth, cost, and
other factors. A direct
fired heater could not be used because such heaters unavoidably get hot spots
which cause the tube to
burn through, causing the oil being processed to bet set on fire, thereby
endangering the entire plant.
There was therefore a need for a process allowing for the on-site treatment of
the oils coming from
the cleaning of fouled equipment and/or materials. None of the prior processes
used cleaning oils
containing a high concentration of resins (polarized hydrocarbons) as cleaning
agents for fouled
equipment and materials that have deposits of hydrocarbons and other materials
such as asphaltenes,
tars, coke, salts, dirt, gums, and resins.
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There was therefore a need for a transportable flexible and viable process
unit that addresses at least
one of the drawbacks of existing technologies.
There was also a need for a transportable unit that can destroy the harmful
components in waste oils.
There was additionally a need for a transportable unit that can destroy the
harmful components in
waste oils while making products and by-products.
The was also a need for a transportable unit that can destroy the hatinful
components in waste oils
while making products and by-products that are useful and environmentally
friendly and commercial
way.
There was further a need for a transportable unit that can destroy the harmful
components in waste
oils while making products and by-products that are useful, environmentally
friendly and of a
commercial interest.
There was also a need for a transportable unit that can destroy the harmful
components in waste oils
and that can be operated in a commercial way.
Additionally, there was a need for a viable, safe and flexible process that
can destroy the hazardous
components in waste oils while making products and by-products that are all
environmentally
friendly.
There was also a need to have a process for cleaning in an efficient and
environmentally friendly for
fouled tank farms and boat reservoirs and equipment with products that can be
treated on premises.
There was further a need for adequate amounts of a cleaning oil which can
dissolve and/or combine
with fouling material to remove it. There was a need to dispose of the
materials coming from the
cleaning process in an environmentally friendly manner.
There was a need for a viable and flexible process that can destroy the
hazardous components of
ULO and produce useful products with little or no by-products to dispose of in
industrial landfills or
incinerators.
There was also a need for a mobile plant that may efficiently treat oil spills
on site, without harmful
by-products.
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There was also a need for a mobile plant that may efficiently treat drilling
muds on site, without
harmful by-products.
There was also a need for a mobile plant that may efficiently treat waste
oils, particularly in remote
mining, tank bottom, without producing harmful by-products.
SUMMARY
A mobile plant for thermally treating a feed stream, the mobile plant
comprising:
i. a first unit designed for heating and/or dehydrating and/or degasing the
feed stream (Unit I);
ii. a second unit (Unit II) comprising a rotating reactor designed to perform
the thermal
processing (such as pyrolizing) of the feed stream entering the rotating
reactor and a vapour solid
separator (Unit II); and
iii. a third unit (Unit III) that is a product separation unit and that is
optionally configured for
recycling at least part of the treated feed stream (heavy oil), recovered in
Unit III, into Unit I
and/or into Unit II,
and wherein optionally:
- Unit I and/or the second Unit II is (are) configured for injecting a sweep
gas in the feed oil
and/or in the rotating reactor, and/or
- Unit II is configured in a way that the rotating reactor may work under
positive pressure.
Use of a mixture containing resins, such a mixture having the capacity of
dissolving and/or
combining with deposits in fouled equipment and/or oily materials such a
mixture being preferably
oils containing resins (polarized and/or cracked oils), for cleaning fouled
equipment and materials
containing hydrocarbons and other fouling materials such as asphaltenes, tars,
coke, salts, dirt, gums,
and resins; the concentration of polarized and/or cracked oils in the oils
being preferably superior to
5% weight and more preferably superior to 20% weight; the resulting mixture
including agglomerates
extracted during the cleaning step are advantageously treated and/or recycled
into the process
performed on the site with a mobile plant.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 represents a cross section, according to a plan perpendicular to the
horizontal axis, of a
reactor and the charge of metal plates and the shelves tacked on the kiln
walls of a reactor according
to a first embodiment of the present invention wherein the reactor cross
section has 34 shelves. In this
example, the shelves are spaced to allow for only two rows of plates per
shelf, one layer against the
reactor wall, the other against the first row.
Figure 2 represents a cross section, according to a plan perpendicular to the
horizontal axis, of a
reactor and the charge of metal plates and the shelves tacked on the kiln
walls of a reactor according
to a second embodiment of the present invention wherein the reactor cross
section has only four
shelves, each pushing two layers of enough plates to cover at least a quarter
of the reactor wall.
Figure 3 represents a cross section, according to a plan perpendicular to the
horizontal axis, of a
reactor and the charge of metal plates and the shelves tacked on the kiln
walls of a reactor according
to a third embodiment of the present invention, as described in the "Preferred
Mode" section of this
application, wherein the reactor has only one shelf.
Figure 4 represents a cross section of a bracket as present in the reactor
represented in Figure 2 with
sections of shelves, seen from the top.
Figure 5 represents the bracket of Figure 4 shown from an end.
Figure 6 illustrates an example of the exit end of the kiln represented in
Figure 1 with 4 scoops.
Figure 7 is a cross section of a reactor, according to an embodiment of the
invention, in the horizontal
position and wherein the feeding of the material to be treated and the exit of
the vapours and the
solids produced are both on the left side of the reactor.
Figure 8A is a cross view of a first embodiment of the center ring supports
for the feed line inside a
cylindrical reactor of the invention, when the reactor is cool.
Figure 8B is a cross view of a second embodiment of the center ring supports
for the feed line inside
a cylindrical reactor of the invention, when the reactor is cool.
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Figure 8C is a cross view of a third embodiment of the center ring supports
for the feed line inside a
cylindrical reactor of the invention, when the reactor is heated.
Figure 8D is a detailed perspective view of the attachments means of the
invention that allows the
support beams to expand and rotate at their junctions points with the reactor
walls and rings, when
the reactor is heated.
Figure 9 is vertical cross section of reactor according to an embodiment of
the invention in a slanted
position.
Figure 10A is a front view of a screen made of wire mesh
Figure 10B is a front view of a screen made of a perforated disc.
Figure 11 is a vertical cross section of a reactor according to an embodiment
of the invention in a
slanted position wherein the feeding of the material to be treated and the
exit of the thereby obtained
vapours and solids are on opposite side of the reactor.
Figures 12A and 12B show a further alternate embodiment of the rotating
reactor of the invention
wherein heating is performed inside the reactor.
Figure 13 is a vertical cross section of a reactor of the invention made up of
two cones joined at the
base.
Figure 14 is a vertical cross section of a reactor of the invention in a
slanted position with a
configuration particularly suited for treating heavy oils feedstocks that may
produce more solids or
more cokes or contain sand or contaminated soils.
Figure 15 is a simplified flow sheet of the mobile plant for thermally
treating contaminated feed oil,
the transportable plant comprising a rotating reactor as represented in
Figures 1 to 14.
Figure 16 illustrates how all the equipment in figure 15 can be transported on
a flatbed truck, or
inside a container.
Figure 17 is a top plan view showing the equipment once deployed on site.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preliminary definitions
For the purpose of this document, the following definitions are adopted:
"Feed stream" is a constituted of liquids and/or of solids, preferably the
feed stream is a feed oil, that
is selected in the group constituted by a contaminated oil and/or an
uncontaminated waste oil,
wherein the oil is advantageously a synthetic oil, a natural oil, a vegetable
oil, an animal fat oil The
feed stream may also be constituted of oily tank bottoms, oily water, marpol,
asphalts, oily beaches,
contaminated soils, oil sands and/or tars, heavy oils, tires, process oils,
used lubricating oils, and any
mixture containing one or more of these oils.
"Sweep gas" is any non-reactive or substantially non-reactive gas, preferably
it is an inert gas such
nitrogen or water steam; it has surprisingly be found that such gas not only
have as sweeping effect in
the reaction zone of rotating operating reactor, but helps to control the
positive pressure. This may
incidentally increase the safety of the operation and/or improve the
efficiency of the process.
"Contaminants": in waste oils, the most common contaminant is water. Other
contaminants include,
but are not limited to, sand, clay, engine wear products, and decomposition
products from oils,
greases and/or additives.
"Diesel"," gasoil" or "fuel oil": in the context of this process are oils
mainly made up of
hydrocarbons with boiling points between 100 and 500 degrees Celsius,
according to ASTM D-86 or
according to ASTM D-1160.
"Naphtha" is a light oil with a 90% point (ASTM D-86) around 160 degrees
Celsius, and a specific
gravity between 0.65 and 0.8.
"Used Lubricating Oil" (UL0): Oils or greases that were used as lubricants,
usually in engines, and
were discarded. Examples would include car engine oils, compressor oils, and
diesel engine oils
among others. Lubricating oils generally contain additives, which are
carefully engineered molecules
added to base oils to improve one or more characteristic of the lubricating
oil for a particular use.
Used lubricating oil is classified as a hazardous product in many
jurisdictions because of its additives
and contaminants.
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"Substantially non-reactive gas" means a gas that does not readily interact
with the feed or product
oils in the reactor.
"Waste oils" means oils or greases that are discarded. They include ULO as
well as a wide range of
other oils such as marpol, refinery tank bottoms, form oils, metal working
oils, synthetic oils and
PCB-free transmission oils, to name a few.
"Consistent shapes" means shapes so they can stay on the narrow shelves and/or
each other, while
protecting the reactor wall from direct contact with the relatively cold feed.
In the meaning of the
invention, the expression consistent shapes also means:
- a multiplicity of physical elements having substantially the same form;
-a multiplicity of physical elements having substantially the same form and
substantially the
same size; or
- a multiplicity of physical elements having substantially the same size,
provided those forms are
compatible in such an extent that are globally symmetrical and stay
substantially constant during
rotating inside the rotating kiln; and a multiplicity of physical elements
having shapes that permit
that plates sit upon each other, preferably in such a way that there is no
space or substantially no
space between them.
"Dynamical wall": the multiplicity of plates of consistent shapes results,
because of the rotation, in a
continuously reconstructing wall.
"Thermal processing" is preferably at least one of the followings:
evaporating, cracking, drying,
pyrolizing and thermocleaning.
The "height of a shelve" is the distance between the attachment point of the
shelve on the reactor
wall and the end of the shelve directed to the center of the reactor.
The "width of a shelve" is the measurement of the distance between the two
sides of the shelve on a
direction perpendicular to the height of the shelve.
"Oils containing resins" is a mixture of oils that contain cracked and/or
polarized oils.
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"Plates" is substantially flat or a flat piece of a solid material such as
stone or metal or other material
non-ablating at reactor operating conditions or a smooth flat thin piece of
material. In the context of
this invention, substantially flat means also slightly concave or convex in at
least one direction of the
plate and on at least one face of the plate, more preferably the curve plate
is adapted to the form of
the reactor. Substantially also means that a plate may be for at least 70%,
preferably for at least 80%,
more preferably for at least 95% of its surface, flat.
A first object of the present invention is constituted by the family of mobile
plants for thermally
treating a feed stream the mobile plant comprising a first unit designed for
heating the feed oil (Unit
I), a second unit comprising a rotating reactor designed to perform the
thermal processing
(pyrolizing) of the feed stream and a vapour solid separator (Unit II); and a
third unit (Unit III) that is
a product separation unit and that is preferably configured for recycling at
least part of the treated
feed stream (heavy oil), recovered in Unit III, into Unit I. In these mobile
plants the first unit and/or
the second unit is (are) advantageously configured for injecting a sweep gas
in the feed oil and/or in
the rotating reactor, and/or the second unit is advantageously configured in a
way that the rotating
reactor may work under positive pressure.
Those mobile plants are particularly suited for treating a feed stream that is
a feed oil, and more
preferably a contaminated oil or an uncontaminated oil.
According to a preferred embodiment, the mobile plants of the invention, when
used for thermally
treating a feed oil, are configured in a way that the first unit contain no
sub-unit for chemically
treating, preferably for purifying, the feeding stream before its injection
into Unit II.
Advantageously, is designed to remove the water from the feed oil when water
is present in the feed
stream (oil).
According to a preferred embodiment, the rotating reactor is one of the
reactors described in the PCT
patent application No. WO 2011 143 770, published on November 24, 2011.
As a matter of example, the rotating reactor comprises:
a. a rotating kiln, which rotating kiln preferably containing plates;
b. a heating system;
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c. at least one shelf on the reactor wall;
d. a charge of plates of consistent shapes;
e. means for bringing the mixture to be thermally processed on the surface
of at least part
of the plates;
f. means for removing the solids from the reactor, preferably either
through entrainment
with the exiting vapours, or through a separate solids exit, or both;
g. means for recovering the reaction and straight run products; and
h. means for venting the gas obtained by the thermal processing outside the
reactor zone.
In the meaning of the present application, the charge of plates may be
constituted of various type of
plates, each plate of a particular type being consistent in form with the form
of other plates of the
same type. The charge of plates may be constituted by an assembly of plates of
the same type and
consistent in form.
Advantageously, at least one shelf is placed on the reactor wall in such a way
to keep a uniform
distribution of the plates along the reactor length. In the rotating kiln, the
at least one shelf is
preferably either parallel to the center axis of the reactor, when the reactor
is horizontal, or slanted
with respect to the centre axis when the reactor is slanted or not slanted.
Said means for bringing the mixture to be thermally processed on the surface
of at least part of the
plates, are configured in a way to bring the mixture on the surface of at
least more than 10% of the
plates, preferably on the surface of at least more than 30% of the plates, and
more advantageously on
the surface of about 50% of the plates present in the reactor.
According to a preferred embodiment, the reactor and its internals for thermal
processing is
configured to rotate around its centre axis, the axis forming with the
horizontal an angle that is less
than 45 degrees, preferably less than 30 degrees and more preferably this
angle is about 5 degrees
and more advantageously the angle is of 0 degree.
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Advantageously, in the mobile plants of the invention, the center axis of the
rotating kiln is horizontal
or slanted and the angle is maintained constant except in the case wherein
solid agglomeration occurs
or when the reactor is cooled down after operation.
Said reactor is preferably configured in a way that the walls of the reactor
are directly and/or
indirectly heated and/or in a way that the reactor is configured in a way that
the inside of the reactor
is directly and/or indirectly heated.
The heat source is advantageously generated by electricity, a hot oil and/or
gas stream, or obtained
from the combustion of gas, naphtha, other oily streams, coke, coal, or
organic waste or by a mixture
of at least two of these.
According to other embodiment, the reactor is configured in a way that the
inside of the reactor is
indirectly heated by an electromagnetic field and/or the inside of the reactor
is directly heated by a
hot gas, liquid or solid stream, electricity or partial combustion of the
feedstock, coke, products or
by-products.
The heating means advantageously comprise at least one heating system external
to the walls of the
reactor, which is usually the case of an indirectly fired kiln.
Advantageously, the external walls of the reactor are at least partially
surrounded by one or more
burners and/or exposed to combustion gas and/or hot solids.
According to another embodiment, the walls of the reactor are surrounded by a
fire box, and the fire
box is stationary and contains one or more burners.
In the rotating kiln, one or more shelves are advantageously attached to the
internal walls or the
external walls of the reactors. The shelve (s) is (are) are preferably
attached to the wall of the reactor
in a way allowing for the thermal expansion of the shelves with minimum stress
on the reactor walls
and on the shelve(s). According to a specific embodiment, the shelve(s)
is(are) held by T shaped
clamps. Advantageously, the shelve(s) is(are) symmetrically attached to the
internal wall of the
reactor the shelve(s) is(are) attached to the internal wall in a designed
and/or random pattern of the
reactor .
The number of shelve(s) that is(are) disposed, per square meter of the
internal surface of the reactor,
on the internal wall of the reactor ranges advantageously from 1 to 40,
preferably from 2 to 20.
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The number of shelve(s) that is(are) disposed, per square meter of the
internal surface of the reactor,
on the internal wall of the reactor ranges advantageously from 1 to 50 units,
more advantageously
from 2 to 20, preferably from 3 to 15 and this number is more advantageously
about 4.
The number of shelves in the reactor depends on the weight and/or on the size
and/or on the form of
the plates and/or on the maximum operating temperature of the reactor wall
and/or on the material
the shelves and plates are made of.
The space between two shelves represents from 0 to 100% a preferably from 5 to
100% of the radius
of the cylinder.
Advantageously, the space between two shelves represents from 10 to 100% of
the radius of the
cylinder; this space is preferably about 25% of the radius of the reactor that
is preferably a cylinder.
According to a preferred embodiment, the distance between two shelves
represents from 5% to 100%
of the circumference of the inner wall of the reactor that is preferably a
cylinder, more preferably a
cylinder with conic ends.
According to another preferred embodiment, the distance between two shelves
represents from 10 to
100%, this space being preferably about 25% of the circumference of the inner
wall of the reactor
that is preferably a cylinder. The form of the shelves is preferably selected
in the group constituted by
flat, concave, convex, spiral and slanted.
According to a preferred embodiment, the shelves are slanted in relation to
the reactor axis, the angle
between the reactor axis and the shelves is the same as that between the
reactor axis and the
horizontal, and preferably the angle between the reactor axis and the
horizontal can range from 0
degree to 30 degrees and is more preferably 0 degree.
Advantageously, the height and/or the width of the shelves is calculated and
depends on at least one
of the following parameters: the space between the shelves, the space between
the supports (the "T"
brackets), the material the shelves are made of and the weight of the plates.
Preferably,
the height or width of the shelves ranges from 1 to 8 cm. More preferably, the
height or width of the
shelves ranges from 1.5 to 4 cm, and the width is preferably about 2.5 cm,
more preferably about 2.
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According to another embodiment, the width and the height of the shelves are
selected in order for
the shelves to be able to retain 2 to 3 plates. Advantageously, the height of
the shelves is at least
about the thickness of the plates, preferably about twice the thickness of the
plates.
The shape of the plates of the charge is advantageously selected among the
group of parallelograms,
such as square, rectangles, lozenges, or trapezes. More advantageously, the
plates of the charge are
rectangular, triangular, hexagonal or octagonal. The shape of the plates of
the charge may be perfect
or imperfect, or about perfect.
According to a preferred embodiment, all the plates present in the rotating
kiln have about the same
size and shape.
The volume of the plates of the charge present in the reactor may represent
from 1 to 25% of the
internal volume of the reactor. Advantageously, the volume of the plates of
the charge present in the
reactor represents about 4%, of the internal volume of the reactor.
According to another embodiment, the charge of the reactor is constituted by
flat and/or slightly
curved metal plates of consistent thickness and shape.
Plates having a melting point which is at least of 100 degrees Celsius, and
more preferably that is of
at least 150 degrees Celsius above the reactor wall maximum operating
temperature in the thermal
processing zone, are particularly suited.
Advantageously, the plates are heavy enough to scrape coke or other solids off
the reactor wall and/or
off other plates.
According to a preferred embodiment, most of plates and preferably each plate
present in the rotating
kiln, has a density that is superior to 2.0 g/cm3 , preferably superior to 3.0
g/cm3 and more preferably
comprised between 5.5 g/cm3 and 9.0 g/cm3.
The means for bringing the mixture in contact with at least part of the
surfaces of the plates are
advantageously, spraying means and/or a conveyor.
Means for bringing the mixture in contact with at least part of the surfaces
of the plates are spray
nozzles that spray the mixture onto the surface of the plates of the charge
when the feed stream is
liquid and/or mixture of liquid and/or gas are particularly suited.
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The means for bringing the solids outside the reactor is (are) advantageously
entrainment with the
product gas, scoop(s), screw conveyors and/or gravity.
The means for bringing the solid outside the reactors comprise an exit hopper
arrangement attached
to the solids exit tube.
According to a preferred embodiments, the rotating reactor has two exits: one
for the solids and one
for the gas/vapours and entrained solids obtained. The gas/vapours obtained
may contain entrained
solids.
The rotating kilns used as constitutive element of the mobile plants of the
invention are equipped
with means for avoiding accumulation of solid in the reactor and/or for
plugging of any of the exits.
The means for avoiding accumulation are advantageously a screw conveyor in the
solids exit tube, or
a slanted solids exit tube.
According to a preferred embodiment, the reactor is a cylinder, or a cylinder
with two conic
extremities, or two cones attached by their basis, or a sphere. Preferably the
reactor is a heated
cylinder having a length to radius ratio ranging from 1 to 20 and preferably
ranging from 2 to 15,
more preferably this ratio is about 10.
The rotating kilns used in the mobile plants may comprise a feeding line
positioned about the
longitudinal central axis of the reactor, the feeding line being attached to
the internal walls of the
reactor by attachment means that allow the feeding line to stay immobile
despite the rotational
movement of the reactor. Said attachment means may comprise a tube and/or at
least a ring
surrounding the feeding line, the surrounding tube and/or surrounding ring(s)
being attached to the
internal wall of the reactor and leaving at least part of the feeding line not
surrounded. The diameter
and/or the constituting material of the surrounding tube and/or of the
surrounding ring(s) is (are)
selected in order to allow the thermal expansion of the feeding line.
According to a preferred embodiment, the attachment means comprise a second
tube and/or at least a
second ring surrounding the first tube and/or the at least first ring
surrounding the feeding line, the
second surrounding tube and/or the surrounding ring(s) being attached to the
internal wall of the
reactor and to the external surface of the first tube and/or of the at least
first ring surrounding the
feeding line and leaving at least part of the feeding line not surrounded by
support rings.
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The length of the attachment means of the second tube and/or of the at least a
second ring is
advantageously about the distance between the external wall of the second tube
and/or of the at least
a second ring to the internal wall of the reactor. Wherein the length of the
attachment means of the
second tube and/or of the at least a second ring may be superior, preferably
for at least 10%, more
preferably superior for at least 20%, to the distance between the external
wall of the second tube
and/or of the at least second ring to the internal wall of the reactor.
Alternatively, the length of the
attachment means of the first tube and/or of the at least first ring to the
second tube and/or to the at
least a second ring is about the distance between the external wall of the
first tube and/or of the at
least first ring to the internal wall of the second tube and/or to the at
least a second ring. According to
another embodiment, the length of the attachment means of the first tube
and/or of the at least first
ring to the second tube and/or to the at least a second ring is superior,
preferably for at least 10%,
more preferably for at least 20% to the distance between the external wall of
the first tube and/or of
the at least first ring to the internal wall of the second tube and/or to the
at least a second ring. Some,
preferably each, of the attachment means are articulated to their attachment
point.
The reactor is advantageously configured in a way that reactor feed is made
laterally trough one end
of the reactor, and the exits of the vapours obtained during the thermal
processing is positioned on
the same end or at the opposite end of the reactor. The reactor feed may be
made laterally trough one
end of the reactor, and the exits of the cokes obtained during the thermal
processing is positioned on
the same end or at the opposite end of the reactor. Alternatively, the reactor
feed is made laterally
trough one end of the reactor, and the exits of the vapours obtained during
the thermal processing is
positioned on the same end or at the opposite end of the reactor.
According to a preferred embodiment, the mobile plant of the invention are
configured in a way that
the rotating kiln have heating means inside allowing the thermal processing to
occur on the plates
that are heated on the external walls of the kiln.
The shelves may also be attached to the exterior surface of the kiln.
According to another preferred embodiment, the external walls of the kiln face
the internal wall of
the stationary housing.
The feeding of the mixture may be on the top of the reactor and is thus
preferably at equal distance of
each end of the reactor.
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The exit of the vapour may be positioned on a side of the walls of the reactor
and preferably at equal
distance of both ends of the reactor.
The exit of the coke may be positioned on a side of the walls of the reactor
and preferably at equal
distance of both ends of the reactor.
The exit of the solids may be on the bottom of the reactor and preferably is
at equal distance of each
end of the reactor.
The rotating kiln rotates around its centre axis, the axis may be horizontal
or slanted.
In the mobile plants of the invention, the first unit advantageously
comprises:
- means to heat, and possibly filter, the feed stream
- means to dehydrate the feed stream and to at least partially condense the
vapours exiting the
dehydrator
- means to separate the water, light oils and non-condensable gas
- means to send the non-condensable gasses to fuel
- means to inject additives, if required
- means to introduce the hot oil recycle stream
In the first unit the feed stream is preferably a waste oil and the dehydrator
is heated either by direct
contact with the hot heavy oil recycle stream, by an electric heater mounted
in a sleeve in the
dehydrator and/or by a circulating dehydrator bottom oil stream in a heat
exchanger or heater.
In the mobile plant, Unit II preferably contains:
- means to further preheat the reactor feed stream,
- means to inject a sweep gas, either into the reactor feed stream or
directly into the reactor,
- means to feed the reactor feed stream into the reactor,
- a rotating kiln containing plates and operating under pressure,
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- two reactor exits: one for vapours and entrained solids, and one for
solids.
In the mobile plant, Unit Ill preferably contains:
- means to separate the solids from the vapours exiting the kiln,
preferably heated in a second
enclosure,
- means to remove residual solids from the vapours exiting the reactor,
- means to cool, and to partially condense the reactor products,
- means to separate the reactor products into a specified product slate,
and
- means to cool the liquid products.
According to a preferred embodiment, in the mobile plants of the invention
only unit I, or only unit II
or only unit III is mobile.
According to another preferred embodiment, only units I and II are mobile, or
only units II and III are
mobile.
In the third unit, the means to separate the solids from the vapours exiting
the reactor can be a
stationary box, heated cyclones and/or a self-refluxing condenser. The means
to separate the reactor
products into specification product cuts can be a succession of flash drums,
(a) distillation column(s)
operating under pressure, at atmospheric pressure and/or under vacuum. The
means of cooling the
reactor products are conventional equipment such as heat exchangers with
cooler oil streams and/or
cooling water and/or air coolers.
A second object of the present invention is constituted by the processes for
thermally treating a feed
material by using a mobile plant as defined in the first object of the present
invention.
The processes of the invention are using a mobile plant for thermally treating
a feed stream and
comprises the following steps:
i. a first step wherein the feed stream is heated and/or dehydrated and/or
degased (Step I);
ii. a second step the heated feed stream is thermally processed (pyrolized)
and the resulting
thermally processed streamed is treated by a vapour solid separator (Step II);
and
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iii. a third step (Step III) that is a product separation step wherein part
that of the treated feed
stream (heavy oil), recovered in Step III may be recycled, into Step I or II.
Unit I and/or unit II is (are) configured for injecting a sweep gas in the
feed oil and/or in the rotating
reactor, and/or the second unit is configured in a way that the rotating
reactor may work under
positive pressure.
According to a preferred embodiment, in the processes:
a) the rotating kiln operates under a positive pressure that is preferably of
at least 1 psig and for
producing the following components: coke and non-condensable gas and/or heavy
oils and/or
wide range diesel oils and/or naphtha, each of those produced components being
recovered
separately or in the form of mixtures of at least two of these components,
wherein in the process
a sweep gas, that is an inert gas or a substantially non-reactive gas, is
injected into the rotating
kiln or in the oily feed stream entering the rotating operating kiln; or
b) the rotating kiln operates under a positive pressure that is preferably of
at least 1 psig and for
producing the following components: coke and non-condensable gas and/or heavy
oils and/or
wide range diesel oils and/or naphtha, each of those produced components being
recoverable
separately or in the form of mixtures of at least two of these components; or
c) the rotating kiln operates for producing the following components: coke and
non-condensable
gas and/or heavy oils and/or wide range diesel oils and/or naphtha, each of
those produced
elements being recoverable separately or in the form of mixtures of at least
two of these
components, and wherein in the process a sweep gas, that is an inert gas or a
substantially non-
reactive gas, is injected into the rotating kiln or in the feed stream
entering the rotating operating
kiln.
The feed material is advantageously an oily feed that is preferably a
contaminated oil or an
uncontaminated oil.
Among the oily feed is selected among: contaminated or uncontaminated oils,
waste oils, used
lubricating oils, oily tank bottoms, Marpol, heavy oils, bitumen and other
heavy oils, coal, oil sands,
asphalts, chemically pre-treated oils or mixtures of at least two of the
latter, are of a particular
interest.
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During the process, the vapours and the solids exiting the rotating kiln in
function may
advantageously be routed to vapour solid decantation means.
According to a preferred embodiment, the vapour solid separation means are a
stationary box and/or
a heated cyclone for the heavier solid and/or cyclone(s) to separate most of
the solids present in the
vapours exiting the rotating kiln from the vapours; the cyclone treatment
following advantageously
the treatment by one or several cyclones.
The solids present in the vapours exiting the rotating kiln may be: coke,
metals, sand, dirt, asphaltens,
preasphaltens, sulphurous compounds, heavy polymers such as gums and/or resin,
salts, cokes
containing various compounds such as sulphur, halogen and metal; each of these
solid component
being alone or in mixture with at least one of the latter component.
The vapour-solid separation equipment, preferably the separation box an or the
cyclones, is (are)
preferably heated, at a temperature that is(are) above the temperature of the
vapours exiting the kiln,
preferably this temperature is up to about 300 degrees Celsius, more
preferably up to 200 degrees
Celsius, advantageously up to about 20 degrees Celsius, more preferably up to
10 degrees over the
temperature of the vapours exiting the kiln.
The vapour solid separation equipment, preferably the cyclones and/or the
separation box, are
advantageously heated at a temperature that is at least 10, and preferably at
least 20, degrees below
the cracking temperature of the vapour.
The solid exiting the rotating kiln may be a dry coke, for example this coke
preferably contains less
than 2 weight percent of oil.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the processes of the invention,
most, preferably more
than 50%, more preferably more than 90%, of the coke is removed from the
vapours exiting the
rotating kiln, and, in the case wherein the feed oil is an used oil, up to
99,5% of the coke is removed
from the vapour exiting the rotating kiln.
The vapours exiting the vapour solid separating equipment, such as cyclone(s),
are advantageously
partially condensed in a self-refluxing condenser and/or in a wash tower, to
complete the solids
removal from the reactor products.
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The vapours exiting the last step wherein solids are advantageously
eliminated, and this step takes
preferably place at the top of the condenser and/or of the wash tower, are
routed to product
separation, while the recovered heavy oil containing the residual solids exits
at the bottom.
The heavy oil, resulting from the process containing the residual, is recycled
preferably in a
dewatering step, when present, and/or in the oil feed entering at the
beginning of the process, and/or
in the oil feed entering the rotating kiln feed.
The recovered heavy oil and the fractionators bottoms oil positioned in the
product separation section
can also be used as back flushing oils to clean fouled equipment.
The positive pressure, in the rotating kiln, may advantageously range from 1
to 4 atmospheres,
preferably this pressure range from 1.2 to 1.5 atmospheres (absolute).
According to a preferred embodiment, the feed oil, before entering the
rotating operating reactor, is
heated, preferably at a temperature that is at least 20 degrees Celsius under
the cracking temperature
of the feed oil.
The water present is advantageously removed from the feed oil, before the feed
oil enter the reactor.
The water removal is preferably performed in a flash evaporator, from the feed
oil, before the feed oil
enter the rotating kiln
The processes of the invention may also be used for the thermal processing of
a feed oil that is an oil,
which according to its history and/or according to its origin, was, before
entering the rotating kiln,
chemically treated, or slightly chemically treated, to reduce its metal
content, preferably the feed oil
is treated by at least one acid and by at least one base, the acid being
advantageously a sulphur acid
and/or a phosphoric acid. The feed oil may also be an oil that was physically
and/or chemically pre-
treated before entering the process.
In the heating step(s), that may be performed in step I and in step lithe
is(are) accomplished in a
heater and/or by heat exchange with a hot oil stream, a hot thermal fluid, by
the injection of a hot gas,
by direct contact with a hotter oil stream, or by a combination of at least
two of these methods.
According to a preferred embodiment, the reactor feed stream resulting from
the heating of the feed
oil is, before entering the rotating operating reactor, sprayed unto metal
plates in a rotating kiln that
contains metal plates, wherein it is thermally cracked and/or vaporized
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The reaction products that exit the rotating kiln may comprise hydrocarbon
vapours and other vapour
present in the reaction zone of the rotating operating kiln and solid coke.
The reaction products exiting the rotating operating kiln are advantageously
swept out of the rotating
operating reactor as soon as possible, preferably in 5 seconds to 60 minutes,
more preferably in about
5 minutes; the residence time is a function of at least one of the following
parameters: feed oil
composition, the reaction pressure, the temperature and/or the desired product
slats.
The reaction products, when swept out of the rotating, are heated
advantageously heated at a
temperature that is advantageously slightly over the temperature at the exit
of the reactor.
According to a preferred embodiment, most of the coke is removed from the
hydrocarbon stream
exiting the rotating kiln, before the oil is condensed preferably in a
vapour/solid separator and then
advantageously in cyclones and/or in a wash tower or in a self-reflecting
condenser.
The hydrocarbon product stream is advantageously condensed and separated into
specified products.
According to preferred embodiments of the processes of the invention:
- at least part, and preferably all, the non-condensable gas produced in
the rotating operating kiln
is used as fuel on site; or
- at least part, and preferably all, the naphthas present in the feed oil
and/or produced in the
rotating kiln is used as fuel on site.
When a sweep gas is used, the sweep gas used is preferably a superheated
steam. The sweep gas may
represent in weight up to 30% of the weight of the feed oil, preferably up to
10%, and more
preferably between 0.5 and 5% of the weight of the feed oil.
The cyclones used to separate the coke and other solids are advantageously
positioned outside of the
rotating operating reactor but inside a second heated enclosure, the second
kiln communicating or not
with the first reaction's zone in order to benefit of a warm hot flue gas flow
surrounding the cyclones.
At least part of the purified oils thereby recovered may be used on the site
or sold to clean heat
exchanger(s) or other fault equipment.
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The residence time in the rotating kiln ranges from 3 to 15 hours, and this
time preferably range from
2 minutes and 30 minute.
The demetalisation rate of the total liquid oil products (heavy oil, wide
range diesel and naphtha)
recovered during the process is advantageously of at least 90%, preferably of
at least 95% and more
preferably of at least 99%. The total recovered oil contains less than 60 PPM
of metal.
The metals mainly present in the recovered total oil products are mainly
copper, iron and zinc, the
other metals being at a level that may be as low or inferior to 1 PPM. Chrome,
vanadium, cadmium,
nickel and lead, originally present in the feed stream, being during the
process mainly concentrated in
the recovered coke, the concentration may reach up to 99% weight.
According to a preferred embodiment, the gas recovered from the rotating kiln
being mainly
composed of hydrocarbon, preferably alkanes and/or of alylenes. The gas and
the naphtha produced
are advantageously used as fuel on the site to satisfy the energy self
sufficiency of the plant in
function.
The recovered oil is characterized in that is has no sulphurous content or has
less than 3000 ppm of
the sulphur in the mixture.
The processes of the invention allow for Marpol to be injected in the feed oil
that is preferably of the
type present in the bottom of ship fuel tank. Said specific amount of Marpol
may advantageously
represent from 10 to 95% of the weight of the feed oil and the feed oil may be
replaced by a Marpol
(no direct injection).
The limited amount of water present in the oily products represent up to 98%
weight of the feed oil,
provided the oil is at a temperature lower than its vaporisation temperature
at line pressure
The processes of the invention are particularly suited for treating limited
amount of oily products
containing up to 99% weight of the feed oil.
The processes of the invention are particularly efficient due to the fact that
the rotating kiln contains a
charge of plates and at least part of the surface of the plates is used to
perform the thermal treating.
Advantageously, the thermal processing is performed on at least part of the
surface of the plates in
movement. Preferably, the processes of the invention are used for thermal
processing of a mixture,
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wherein thermal processing is performed on at least 5%, preferably on at least
10% of the surface of
the plates and/or on at least 5%, preferably on at least 10% of the plates.
It has been surprisingly discovered that during thermal processing of a
mixture, wherein the plates
when moving inside the reactor clean the walls of the reactor, and avoid
reactor wall failures
It has been also surprisingly discovered that during thermal processing of a
mixture the plates protect
at least part of the walls of the reactor and that the plates contribute to
the uniformity of temperatures
conditions in the reactor.
It has been further discovered that during the thermal processing of a mixture
in the plates contribute
to the heat transfer taking place from the heated walls to the surface of the
plates, particularly to the
heat transfer taking place on the surfaces of those plates wherein thermal
processing occurs.
A third object of the present invention, is constituted by the uses of a
process as defined in the second
object of the present application, for:
- treating wastes oils such as used lubricating oils, form oils, metal
treating oils, refinery or
transportation oil tank bottoms; and/or
- destroying hazardous and/or toxic products; and/or
- reusing waste products in an environmental acceptable form and/or way;
and/or
- cleaning contaminated soils or beaches; and/or
- cleaning tar pit; and/or
- use in coal-oil co-processing; and/or
- recovering oil from oil spills; and/or
- recovering PCB-free transformer oils.
The uses of a process of the invention for treating used oils and to prepare:
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- a fuel, or a component in a blended fuel, such as a home heating oil, a
low sulphur marine fuel,
a diesel engine fuel, a static diesel engine fuel, power generation fuel, farm
machinery fuel, off
road and on road diesel fuel; and/or
- a cetane index enhancer; and/or
- a drilling mud base oil or component; and/or
- a solvent or component of a solvent, and/or
- a diluent for heavy fuels, bunker or bitumen; and/or
- a light lubricant or component of a lubricating oil; and/or
- a cleaner or a component in oil base cleaners; and/or
- a flotation oil component; and/or
- a wide range diesel; and/or
- a clarified oil, and/or
- a component in asphalt blends,
are also of a particular interest.
A fourth object of the present invention is constituted by the uses of the
products, preferably of the
diesel, and heavy oils, obtained in a process, as defined in the second object
of the invention, for
cleaning fouled equipment such as tank bottoms or other reservoir contaminated
with hydrocarbons
and other fouling materials such as asphaltenes, tars, coke, salts, dirt,
gums, and resins.
The uses for cleaning equipment and materials contaminated with hydrocarbons
and other fouling
materials such as asphaltenes, tars, coke, salts, dirt, gums, and resins are
of a particular interest.
According to the uses of the invention, the cleaning of the fouled equipment
is performed without
water and/or without a need to separate water from the residue of the
cleaning. Also the invention
permits the use of higher temperatures and the heavy polarized oils allow for
a higher efficiency for
removing fouling materials containing hydrocarbons
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Advantageously, the residue from the cleaning and the oil, thereby obtained,
can then be pumped out
and treated.
A fifth object of the present application is constituted by the use of a
mobile plant, as defined in the
first object of the present application, on the site wherein contaminated oil
is present in contaminated
equipment, to produce heavy polarized oils to clean the contaminated
(equipment) tanks on the site
and equipment and then treat the residue of the cleaning into heavy oils to
obtain commercial
products and more oil to continue the cleaning process.
Among those uses, those wherein contaminated oil is present in a contaminated
equipment, to
perform effective periodic cleaning of a contaminated equipment such as tank
farms and refinery
equipment, are of a particular interest.
These uses of a mobile plant, may be performed on the place wherein
contaminated oil is generated
or on a specific place (storage unit) close to other places wherein various
contaminated oils are
generated and with reduced transport of waste oils which are hazardous
material.
The uses of a mobile plant, to treat waste oils in regions with low density of
population, for example
near out of the way mines or industrial complex and where the volumes of oils
to be treated at any
given time is low and the cost of transporting the oils is high or could lead
to ecological disasters
during the transport, are also of a particular interest.
According to a preferred embodiment of the uses of the invention, the waste
oils treated are most of
the waste oils in these regions are burned or thrown away which is very bad
for the environment.
Also of a particular interest are those uses of a mobile plant wherein the
mobile plant is transported
on a periodic basis and/or when necessary, for example in the case of an
irregular production of
contaminated oils or in the case of an accidental environmental contamination,
in these regions to
treat the oils and sell the product in the region.
Advantageously, are the uses of mobile plant of the invention wherein the
mobile plant or at least one
unit, preferably at least unit II, of the mobile plant, is built within a
standard 45 feet high cube
container.
Preferably the mobile plant and is transported by truck, rail, airplane,
submarine or boat.
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A sixth object of the present application is constituted by the processes for
manufacturing the mobile
plants as defined in the first object of the present invention, wherein the
process comprises assembly
by known means the constituting elements of the reactor.
Advantageously, in the manufacturing processes, the known assembling means
comprise at least one
of the following means: screwing, jointing, riveting and welding.
Those manufacturing processes, comprises manufacturing steps wherein Unit I
and/or Unit II and/or
unit III are attached on the platform of a mobile vehicle such as truck,
wagon, plane, ship.
Detailed description of the invention
Figure 15 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a version of the process.
The waste oil feedstock can contain up to 20% water in an emulsion, and up to
10% naphtha. Free
water should be separated at the tank farm. The feed oil can be chemically pre-
treated before entering
the plant, however, it is usually not required.
The feed oil (1) is filtered (2) and heated to approximately 90 degrees
Celsius (3). If necessary, the
waste oil feedstock may be filtered again or put through a decanter to remove
as much solids (12) as
possible before entering the dewatering unit. The feed oil is sprayed into a
pre-flash drum (4) where a
pool of oil is kept hot by means of a re-boiler heater (5). The water and
naphtha in the feed oil are
evaporated and exit the flash drum from the top of the vessel. The water and
naphtha are cooled and
condensed (6) and the water (7), naphtha (8), and possibly gas (9) are
separated and pumped to the
tank farm. The de-watering system can operate at pressures up to 90 kPa gauge,
and hot oil
temperatures up to 260 degrees Celsius.
The hot and dry oil from the flash drum is heated (10), either through heat
exchange or put into a
vacuum column. It is then routed to the reactor. A gas stream (11),
representing between 0.1 and 10%
wt. of the reactor feed stream, is introduced into the dry waste oil feed
stream to the reactor. When
used lubricating oils are processed, the steam injection rate should be around
4% wt. on dry feed. The
gas stream serves many functions: It changes the flow regimes of the reactor
feed stream and
prevents fouling and plugging of the piping and spray nozzles. It reduces the
oil's residence time in
the reactor, thereby reducing the incidence of secondary reactions, or over-
cracking, resulting in
more stable product oils. It can also be part of the stripping gas stream in
the product distillation unit.
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The combined oil and gas stream is introduced into the reactor through one or
more spray nozzles
(14) within the rotating kiln (13) as described in the Canadian Patent
Application No. 2,704,186. The
kiln rotates within a combustion chamber (15) which is fired by temperature
controlled burners (16).
The rotating kiln has internals and is kept at the desired temperature such
that the vaporization and
thermal cracking of the feed oil takes place before the liquid can reach the
kiln wall. The thermal
process produces hydrocarbon vapours and small solid particles that contain
most of the sulphur, all
of the excess carbon, some of the halides and almost all of the metals that
were in the feed oil.
The reactor operates at a positive pressure up to 90 KPa(g). The kiln
operating temperature is
determined by the quality and quantity of the waste oil, and by the quality
and quantity of the desired
products. It can vary between 380 and 4600 degrees Celsius for used
lubricating oils feeds, and up to
550 degrees Celsius, when bitumen or heavy oils are treated.
The hydrocarbon vapours and the coke particles exit the reactor and enter a
box and/or cyclone (16)
separators where the solid particles are removed from the hydrocarbon vapours.
In a preferred mode,
the vapour-solids separators are in a heated chamber (18) or heat traced to
prevent dew point
condensation and plugging of the equipment. The coke (31) and other solids
drop by centrifugal force
and gravity, cooled (30) and stored. The coke and other solids exiting the
reactor are non-leachable.
The hydrocarbon vapours enter a flash drum (19) and self-refluxing condenser,
or scrubbing tower
(20) assembly, where any remaining coke is removed. The heavy oil from the
bottom of the flash
drum is recycled to the reactor feed or mixed with the distillation column
bottoms. The vapours from
the reactor are partially cooled (21) and enter the product separation unit
(21). The vapours exiting
the top of the main distillation column are cooled (22) are the product gas
(23), naphtha (24) and
water (25) are separated.
The water is sent to storage or to the water treatment unit. After treatment,
it can be re-used in the
steam generation unit. Some of the naphtha is used as reflux to the main
distillation column, the rest
is sent to storage. It will later be used as fuel in the plant. The gas is
consumed on site as fuel in the
plant.
The diesel fraction (27) is pulled as a side cut, through a stripper, cooled
(26) and sent to storage.
The column bottoms or heavy product (28) can either be recycled to the
cracking vessel, or cooled
and sold as de-metalized, low sulphur, heavy fuel oil. When heated the heavy
oil is very effective as
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backwash oil in the plant. It permits on-stream cleaning of fouled equipment
and minimises the need
for chemical pre-treatment of used oil feeds.
Although the present invention has been described with the aid of specific
embodiments, it should be
understood that several variations and modifications may be grafted onto the
embodiments and that
the present invention encompasses such modifications, usages or adaptations of
the present invention
that will become known or conventional within the field of activity to which
the present invention
pertains, and which may be applied to the essential elements mentioned above.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ROTATING KILN THAT MAY ADVANTAGEOUSLY BE
USED IN THE MOBILE PLANT OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the reactor
The invention is that of the indirectly fired rotating kiln (1), represented
on Figures 1 and 2, having
preferably the following dimensions 5' by 20' containing a charge of 700 metal
plates (2) that are
lifted by one or more narrow shelves (3) as the reactor rotates at a speed
comprised between 1 and
3rpm. The shelves are wide enough to hold two plates: one against the wall,
and a second one against
the first plate. The plates are flat pieces of metal of regular shapes. The
heat (5) coming through the
reactor wall heats the plates as they are dragged and lifted against the
reactor wall by one or more
narrow shelves. As the rotation continues, the plates fall off the shelves or
off the plates below them,
and flip as they fall, presenting the hot surface to the oil jet (4) projected
unto the plates (5) by a
Nozzle preferably spraying the oil in a rectangular pattern.
The plates carry the heat from the reactor walls and provide a hot surface
where the reactions take
place. The plates are lifted and kept against the reactor walls by shelves
(3). Depending on the
thickness of the plates, the shelves can be designed to hold one, two or more
rows of plates. As the
kiln rotates, the plates fall off the shelves or off the plates below,
presenting the face that was against
the reactor wall to the oil spray.
As they slide over each other, the metal plates become a surface that protects
the reactor walls from
direct contact with the relatively cold oil spray and from the resulting
thermal shock. Also, as they
slide down the reactor, the plates scrape the reactor walls and each other
clean of coke and avoid
bridging of the depositing coke. The coke released is entrained out of the
reactor with the
hydrocarbon gas or is removed by the scoops, hopper and solids exit.
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The shelves are attached to the reactor walls with clamps (6), represented on
Figures 4 and 5, to
reduce stress due to the differential thermal expansion between the reactor
walls and the shelves. The
clamps are spaced in such a way that, even at the hottest reactor temperature,
the shelves are strong
enough to support the hot plates on them. Depending on the spacing between the
shelves, there may
be only one double row of plates per shelf or several rows one on top of each
other. Both the plates
and shelves increase the heat transfer area from the heat source to the
reaction site.
The clamps (6) are shaped like a T as represented in Figures 4 and 5. The base
of the T (7) is welded
to the rotating kiln walls. The cross bar or top of the T (8) is U shaped to
receive the shelve (3) ends,
leaving room for the thermal expansion of the shelves, both longitudinally and
perpendicular to the
reactor wall. Bolts (9) close off the U brackets and keep the shelves from
falling out of the brackets.
The branches of top of the T (6) are wide enough to allow for the thermal
expansion of the shelves
within them, while providing strength and support for the load of one, two or
more layers of the
metal plates along the full length of the shelves in the reactor, and as many
rows as the spacing
between the shelves will accommodate.
Scoops (10) are attached to the kiln wall at the exit end of the kiln to
remove heavier coke that may
have deposited on the bottom of the kiln. The scoops are pipe sections with
one end closed, and the
other end cut on a slant, to allow any hydrocarbon vapours to escape before
the coke falls into the
hopper (11). The scoops are sized small enough so that the metal plates cannot
enter with the coke.
As the reactor rotates, the scoops turn upside down and dump their load of
coke into a hopper
mounted on the solids exit tube (12). To ensure that none of the plates block
the coke exit from the
reactor, the hopper has a metal grid (13) that will deflect any plate towards
the bottom of the kiln.
The solids exit tube (12) has a screw conveyor (15) to push the coke out of
the reactor. The solids
exit tube can be above the vapour exit tube (14), within the vapour exit tube,
below the vapour exit,
or even at separate ends. There must be at least two exits from the kiln to
ensure that the reactor exit
is never obstructed. In normal operation, the coke will exit the reactor
mostly through the vapour exit
(14). The scoops are required when the feed to the kiln is interrupted and
there are no vapours to
carry the coke out, or when there is a surplus of coke, or the coke is wet or
heavy.
The reactor is an indirectly fired rotating kiln, heated by the burner 5, and
containing a charge of
metal plates that carry the heat from the reactor walls and provide a hot
surface where the reactions
take place. The plates are lifted and kept against the reactor walls by one or
more shelves, wide
enough to hold two plates. As the kiln rotates, the plates fall off the
shelves, presenting the face that
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was against the reactor wall to the oil spray. The metal plates protect the
reactor walls from thermal
shock, and scrape the walls and each other clean of coke. The shelves are
attached to the reactor
walls with clamps to reduce stress due to differential thermal expansion
between the reactor walls
and the shelves. Both the plates and shelves increase the heat transfer area
from the heat source to the
reaction site.
In the test apparatus, used lubricating oils or other oils from a collection
depot are sprayed into a
horizontal or slanted rotating kiln 10' in diameter and 8' long in order to
thermally crack and
vaporize the oil or the chemicals within it. The kiln has 4" fins welded in
continuous spirals, 8" apart,
to the inside of the kiln walls. A 1" wide shelf is attached to the fins, and
a charge of 4" equilateral
triangular metal plates is added.
As the kiln rotates, the shelf pushes and raises the blades along the reactor
wall. As they reach just
past the 5' height, they flip as they fall at the top of their run, presenting
their hot side to the oil being
sprayed on them.
Upon contact with the hot plates, the oil is thermally cracked and/or
vaporized. The coke formed is
either entrained with the vapours out of the kiln or it deposits on the
plates. The plates, sliding against
the reactor wall or on each other, scrape the coke free, and it is entrained
out of the reactor with the
vapours. Most of the coke exits the reactor with the hydrocarbon vapours; the
residual coke is
removed by the scoops, hopper and solids exit.
Four scoops are welded to the reactor wall at the exit end. They are made from
4" piping, 6" long,
with one end plugged, and the other end cut on a slant. A hopper protected by
a metal cage above it,
receives the coke dumped by the scoops. The cage deflects any scooped up plate
back into the
reactor. The hopper receives the coke and drops it into the coke exit tube. A
screw conveyor, on the
bottom of the coke exit tube, carries the coke out of the reactor.
When the reactor feed is used lubricating oil, the recovered gas is 5% weight
of the feed and has an
average molecular weight of 42, the recovered liquid is 92% weight of the feed
and has an average
specific gravity of 0.83 and the solids are 3% weight of the feed and have a
specific gravity of 1.7.
These numbers depend on the feedstock composition, and on the reaction
temperatures and pressures.
Figures 7, 9, 11 and 12 are illustrations of the apparatus adapted for
different feedstocks.
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Figure 7 shows a vertical cross section of a reactor in the horizontal
position. The reactor actually has
four shelves, but only two are shown here (20). The other two shelves would be
on the section not
shown. The feed enters the reactor in pipe 21, and is projected unto the hot
plates (23) by spray
nozzles (22). A possible feed for this reactor would be an organic liquid such
as waste oils.
The plates are lifted from the plate bed (24) by the shelves (20). In this
illustration, the reactor (25) is
supported by two horizontal cylinders (26) and is heated externally with gas
or naphtha burners (27).
The reactor rotates inside a heating chamber, which is stationary (38). There
are various options for
the heating chamber. It could be a section of a hot stack, where the stack gas
needs to be cooled
before clean-up, for example. A seal (37) is shown around the rotating kiln
and the stationary wall of
the heating chamber. It is useful to keep the feed pipe in place with support
rings (28), as illustrated
on Figure 8. The gas and entrained coke leave the reactor through the gas exit
pipe (29).
Accumulated solid coke is scooped up by shovels (30), is dumped into a hopper
(31), and is carried
out of the reactor with the help of a screw conveyor (32) inside the solids
exit pipe (33). There is a
seal (34) between the rotating reactor and the product exit box (35). The
product exit box is
stationary. A first separation of solids and vapours occurs in the product
exit box (35).
Figures 8A and 8B are two cases of center ring supports for the feed line
(39), shown when the
reactor is cool. Figure 8C is the support rings in Figure 8B when the reactor
is hot. Figure A is for a
smaller reactor radius with only one centre ring (40). Figure 8B is for a
larger reactor radius, for
which two centre rings (40) and (41) are required to avoid deforming the
support legs (42). In Figures
8B and C there are two sets of support legs: The first (42) hold the larger
centre ring (41) in place.
The second set of support legs hold the smaller centre ring (40) in place. The
smaller centre ring
supports the reactor feed pipe (39). The support legs (42) and (43) are
attached to the reactor wall
(45) and/or centre rings with brackets (44) that permit and/or allow the
support beams to expand and
rotate at their junction points with the reactor walls and rings.
Figure 9 shows a vertical cross section of a reactor in the slanted position,
about 5o from the
horizontal in this illustration. This reactor would be used for feedstocks
that contain solids such as
sand. The reactor actually has four shelves, but only two are shown here (20).
The other two shelves
would be on the section not shown. The feed enters the reactor in pipe 21, it
is pushed along the feed
line with a screw conveyor and is projected unto the hot plates (23) by
nozzles, holes and/or slits
(22). The plates (23) are rectangular and are about as long as the reactor
section where they are
installed. The plates are lifted from the plate bed (24) by the shelves (20).
In this illustration, the
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reactor (25) is supported by two slanted cylinders (26) and is heated
externally with gas or naphtha
burners (27). The reactor rotates inside a heating chamber, which is
stationary (38). A seal (37) is
shown around the rotating kiln and the stationary wall of the heating chamber.
The gas and entrained
coke leave the reactor through the gas exit pipe (29). The solids that are too
heavy to be entrained out
of the reactor by the gas, slide long the reactor floor, through the screen
(36), and are scooped up by
the scoops (30). Accumulated solids are scooped up, along with residual coke,
by shovels (30), are
dumped into a hopper (31), and are carried out of the reactor with the help of
a screw conveyor (32)
inside the solids exit pipe (33). There is a seal (34) between the rotating
reactor and the product exit
box (35). The product exit box is stationary. A first separation of solids and
vapours occurs in the
product exit box (35).
Figure 10 shows two possible configurations for the screens (36) in figures 7
and 9. Figure 10A is a
screen made of wire mesh. Figure 10B is a screen made of a perforated disc.
Both screens are tacked
on to the reactor wall. Their outer circumferences are scalloped, allowing for
different thermal
expansions of the reactor walls and the screens with minimal stress on the
reactor walls. Both
configurations permit both the vapours and the solids to travel practically
unimpeded from one end of
the reactor to the other. The perforations are calculated so as to avoid
movement of the plates from
one section to the other. Also, the perforations must be too small for the
ends of the plates to enter.
The screens will be scraped clean by the plates, as the reactor turns.
Figure 11 is a vertical cross section of a reactor in the slanted position,
about 5o from the horizontal
is illustrated here.
This reactor would be used for feedstocks that contain solids such as sand.
The reactor actually has four shelves, but only two are shown here (20). The
other two shelves would
be on the section not shown. The feed enters the reactor in pipe 21, it is
pushed along the feed line
with a screw conveyor and is projected unto the hot plates (23) through the
end of the pipe or slits in
the pipe (22).
The plates (23) are rectangular and are about as long as the reactor section
where they are installed
when the reactor is heated. The plates are lifted from the plate bed (24) by
the shelves (20). In this
illustration, the reactor (25) is supported by two slanted cylinders (26) and
is heated externally with
gas or naphtha burners (27). The reactor rotates inside a heating chamber,
which is stationary (38). A
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seal (37) is shown around the rotating kiln and the stationary wall of the
heating chamber. The gas
and entrained coke leave the reactor through the gas exit pipe (29). The
solids that are too heavy to be
entrained out of the reactor by the gas, slide long the reactor floor, through
the screens (36), and are
scooped up by the scoops (30). Accumulated solids are scooped up, along with
residual coke, by
shovels (30), are dumped into a hopper (31), and are carried out of the
reactor with the help of a
screw conveyor (32) inside the solids exit pipe (33). There is a seal (34)
between the rotating reactor
and the product exit box (35).
The product exit box is stationary. A first separation of solids and vapours
occurs in the product exit
box (35).
Figure 13 shows a vertical cross section of a reactor made up of two cones
joined at the base.
This reactor could be used for liquid feedstocks and/or feedstocks that
contain solids such as sand.
The reactor actually has four shelves, but only two are shown here (20). The
other two shelves would
be on the section not shown. The feed enters the reactor in pipe 21, and is
projected unto the hot
plates (23) through the end of the pipe or spray nozzles (22).
The plates (23) are rectangular and are about as long as the reactor section
where they are installed
when the reactor is heated. The plates are lifted from the plate bed (24) by
the shelves (20). In this
illustration, the reactor (25) is supported by two truncated cones and a
cylinder (26) and is heated
externally with gas or naphtha burners (27). The reactor rotates inside a
heating chamber, which is
stationary (38). A seal (37) is shown around the rotating kiln and the
stationary wall of the heating
chamber. The gas and entrained coke leave the reactor through the gas exit
pipe (29). The solids that
are too heavy to be entrained out of the reactor by the gas, slide long the
reactor floor, and are
scooped up by the scoops (30). Accumulated solids are scooped up, along with
residual coke, by
shovels (30), are dumped into a hopper (31), and are carried out of the
reactor with the help of a
screw conveyor (32) inside the solids exit pipe (33).
There is a seal (34) between the rotating reactor and the product exit box
(35). The product exit box
is stationary. A first separation of solids and vapours occurs in the product
exit box (35). This shape
of reactor allows the plates to slide back towards the entrance and scrape the
walls, other plates and
the shelves clean of coke and other deposited solids.
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Figure 14 represents a vertical cross section of a reactor in the slanted
position, about 5o from the
horizontal is illustrated here. This reactor would be used for heavy oils
feedstocks that may produce
more coke or contain sand or contaminated soils.
The reactor actually has four shelves, but only two are shown here (20). The
other two shelves would
be on the section not shown. The feed enters the reactor in pipe 21, it is
either pumped or pushed
along the feed line with a screw conveyor and is projected unto the hot plates
(23) through spray
nozzles or slits in the pipe (22). The plates (23) are rectangular and they
not only flip when falling off
the shelves, but also slide along the shelves, scraping coke off the shelves
and reactor walls.
The plates are lifted from the plate bed (24) by the shelves (20). In this
illustration, the reactor (25) is
supported by two slanted rollers (26) and is heated externally with gas or
naphtha burners (27).
The reactor rotates inside a heating chamber, which is stationary (38). A seal
(37) is shown around
the rotating kiln and the stationary wall of the heating chamber. The gas and
entrained coke leave the
reactor through the gas exit pipe (29). The solids that are too heavy to be
entrained out of the reactor
by the gas, slide along the reactor floor, and are scooped up by the scoops
(30). Accumulated solids
are scooped up, along with residual coke, by shovels (30), are dumped into a
hopper (31), and slide
out of the reactor through the slanted solids exit pipe (33). There is a seal
(34) between the rotating
reactor and the product exit box (35). The product exit box is stationary. A
first separation of solids
and vapours occurs in the product exit box (35).
DESCRIPTION OF THE MOBILE PLANT
This example of a mobile thermal cracking plant can process 50 barrels per
stream day (BPSD) of
used lubricating oil or heavy fuel left as a tank bottom. All the essential
equipment is mounted in a
container, or on a flat-bed truck, or on the bridge of a ship.
Figure 15 is a simplified flow sheet of the process.
The waste oil feedstock (1) is pumped with P-101, to stream (2), the feed to V-
102, the dehydrator.
P-103 pumps dehydrator bottom oil (3) through H-104. The oil exiting H-104 is
separated into two
streams, one (stream 4) returning to V-102, providing the heat required to
vaporise the water in the
feed oil, and the second stream (5) is the reactor feed oil.
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Water, stream (6) is heated, becomes steam (7) and injected into stream (5).
The combined stream (8)
is injected into the reactor (R-120), where the oil is thermally cracked
and/or vaporized. The vapours
and coke exiting the reactor, stream (9), are routed to one or more heated
cyclone(s), Cy-121, where
the coke drops out in stream (10), and the vapours, stream (11), are sent to a
dephlegmator (AC-124).
The heavy oil, containing traces of coke is pumped with P-123 out of V-122, in
stream (12). The
vapours exiting the dephlegmator (13) are routed to a column pre-flash drum, V-
130.
The liquid from the pre-flash drum, stream enters the column, C-131, a few
trays, maybe 4 trays,
from the bottom, while the vapours from V-130, stream (15), enters the column
below the bottom
tray, and provides the vapour flow to the column.
The heavy oil exiting the column, stream (16), is pumped out of the column
with P-133, joins stream
(12), and the combined heavy oil stream (17) is cooled in AC-136, and sent to
storage.
Further up in the column, around tray 7, the gasoil cut, stream (19) is drawn
from the column,
pumped with P-139, air cooled in AC-132, and sent to storage stream (20).
The column overhead vapours, stream (21), are routed to an air cooler, AC-134,
in which the naphtha
cut and the steam are condensed. Stream (22), containing water and liquid
naphtha along with non-
condensable gas enter V-135, a three phase separator. The non-condensable gas,
stream (23), serves
as fuel in the plant.
The naphtha, stream (24), is pumped out of V-135 with P-138. It separates into
two streams: stream
(25) is the reflux to the column, providing the liquid flow in the top section
of the column, while
stream (26) is product naphtha sent to storage and/or serves as fuel in the
pant.
P-137 pumps the water (or condensed steam) to a treatment facility or to
storage, stream (27).
Figure 16 illustrates how all the equipment in figure 1 can be transported on
a flatbed truck, or inside
a container.
The column, C-131, is transported in the horizontal position, sitting on three
supports: Si, S2, and
S3. The supports are 6 feet high and have a semi-circular shape at the top to
hold the column in place.
Support 51 is the pivot around which the column can be raised and lowered. 51
also serves as part of
the column's skirt, when the column is vertical.
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The pumps are on pallets and are put either on the back end of the flatbed or
under the column. The
rest of the space under the column is a storage area for the piping that is
removed for transport, and
will be hooked-up when the plant is on site.
The air coolers are on a rack above the two three phase accumulators, V-135
and V-106. The air
coolers are on supports and rails, and can slide out once the plant is on
site.
A heat exchanger, E-109, is not shown on the simplified flow diagram. It cools
the vapours exiting
the dephlegmator and heats the reactor feed stream, reducing the heat required
in the reactor R-120.
Figure 17 is a plot plan showing the equipment once deployed on site.
A second flatbed or container truck would carry the control room and
instrument switch boards,
along with an enclosed flair and a fork lift truck. The flare would be
installed at a safe distance from
the plant once on site.
ADVANTAGES OF THE USE OF A ROTATING KILN
In order to understand the advantages of the invention, it may be useful to
explain why the invention
was necessary and how it progressed.
In the kiln above, at first, the oil was sprayed on a charge of ceramic balls.
For the reaction to occur,
the kiln had to be over heated because the charge impeded heat transfer to the
reaction sites.
Furthermore, the ceramic balls were too smooth and light to scrape the coke
off the reactor walls. The
balls exploded into dust because of the thermal shock between the cold oil and
the hot reactor wall.
The reactor had to be shut down to remove the coke and ceramic dust that caked
the reactor wall and
bottom. The reactor runs were less than a day long.
The solids charge was changed to a number of coarse granulated solids charges.
They were more
effective in scraping the coke off the reactor walls but soon the coke stayed
trapped within the
charge, again impeding the heat transfer to the reactor sites. The temperature
at the reaction site
varied as the coke built up within the charge. The run times increased to 3 to
4 days before the reactor
had to be shut-down.
The solids charge was replaced by off-spec cultivator blades: equilateral
triangles, with 6" sides,
made of carbon steel. The blades were effective in keeping the reactor walls
clean but the
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temperature in the reactor continued to vary. A shelf was attached to the
reactor wall and the reaction
temperature became steady and easier to control, allowing for a specific slate
of products of
consistent qualities. The reactor walls stayed free of coke and run times
increased to 6 weeks or
more.
Thermal cracking is an endothermic reaction. Since the oil spray was directed
to the hot metals
plates, the coke deposited on the metal plates instead of the reactor walls.
The blades not only
removed the coke that formed on the reactor wall, they protected the reactor
wall from coke
depositing there in the first place. The shelf pushed the metal plates higher
and longer against the
reactor wall. The reaction surface area and its temperature could be increased
without over firing the
kiln.
There was a conveyor to transport the coke from the bottom of the reactor to
the exit tube. The
conveyor was enclosed, protecting the coke and hydrocarbon vapours from the
heat source. This
caused the coke to be wetted by the condensing oil, and to agglomerate. This
apparatus resulted in the
formation of coke-oil plugs that obstructed the exit tube and cause over
pressuring of the reactor. The
enclosed conveyor was replaced with scoops, open to the kiln heat, dumping dry
coke into the new
coke exit tube. The coke exit tube was separated from the vapour exit to avoid
re-entrainment of the
fines into the product vapours or plugging of the only exit from the reactor
and over-pressurizing the
reactor.
EXAMPLES - Mobile plant for thermally treating a feed oil, that is a
contaminated oil.
The mobile plant represented on Figure 15, has a capacity of 50 barrels per
day (BPD) for thermally
treating waste oils, and making useful products without environmentally
harmful by-products.
The mobile plant comprises and a rotating reactor having the following
specifications:
= Reactor cylinder internal diameter: 5'
= Reactor cylinder length: 20'
= Heat released: 0.5 MMBtu/hr
= Conic section heights: 2.5'
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= Housing external size: 7' high 6' wide and 26' long
The following examples illustrate some of the operating conditions that could
be used in a mobile
plant:
Examples 1, 2 and 3 were tests performed using dry waste oil drawn from the
same drums to
eliminate test result differences due to variations in feed oil quality as
much as possible.
Example 1 was performed with the injection of 5% weight. water added to the 16
1/h reactor feed oil.
Example 2 kept the same oil feed rate and operating conditions as in example 1
but without water
injection into the reactor.
In example 3, the oil feed rate was increased by 50% to 24 1/h, again without
water in the reactor
feed.
Example 4 was performed on the same kiln but with a different oil sample.
Example 1:
Refer to Table 1 - Example 1 for a summary of the operating conditions and
feed and products rates
and analyses. The waste oil streams tested contained used lubricating oils as
well as other oily
streams such as metal working oils, transmission fluids, greases, form oils,
and any number of
unknown waste oil streams.
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Reactor Size: L = 1.07 m, Diameter 0.47 m
Reactor Temperature: 490C
Reactor Pressure: 124 KPa(a)
Sweep Gas: Steam @5% Weight on Feed
Heavy Oil Recycle: None
Oil Feed Rate: 161/h
Test Method Units Feed Oil Gas Naphtha
Gasoil Heavy Oil Coke
& Solids
Weight % on Dry Oil Feed 100 5.3 8.0 56.5
20.6 9.6
Density @ 15C ASTM D4052 g/ml 0.89 0.758 0.866
0.933 1.4
Molecular Weight g/mole 36.7
Water (1) STM D1533 Volume % 5.7 0.7
Metals Digestion & ICP-IS ppm Weight 2160 3 240
25550
Sulphur LECO 532 Weight % 0.63 0.0037 0.05
0.26 0.91 2.63
Halogens Oxygen Bomb Combustion ppm Weight 470 192 84.3
5 219
Viscosity @ 40C ASTM D445 cSt 33.6 2.11 77.1
Copper Strip Corrosion ASTM D120 1a
Sediments ASTM D2276 mg/ml 0.5 0.05
Flash Point ASTM D92 C 128 48 <100
CCR 0189 Weight % 3.34 1.01
Ash ASTM D4422 &ASTM 0482 Weight % 0.4 0.01
0.05 7.43
pH
Distillation ASTM D2887 Weight %
IBP C 162 30 110 338
10% C 246 47 156 374
50% C 414 98 255 436
90% C 528 133 355 525
EP C 592 157 419 589
Notes: (1) The oil feed is 95% of the reactor feed stream,
while the water entering the kiln makes up the other
The steam injected into the reactor feed stream is condensed in the
distillation column overhead conde
All the product yields are calculated on a dry oil basis.
Notes (1) The oil feed is 95% of the reactor feed stream, while the water
entering the kiln makes up
the other 5%. The steam injected into the reactor feed stream is condensed in
the distillation column
overhead. All the product yields are calculated on a dry oil basis.
A dewatered waste oil stream of 16 L/min is injected in an indirectly fired
rotating kiln, containing
metal shavings at 490 degrees Celsius reactor exit temperature.
The seals on the kiln were changed to permit pressures above atmospheric in
the reaction zone.
Steam was also injected into the reactor at the rate of 5% weight on dry oil
feed.
As shown on Table 6, a 72% conversion of the 350 degrees Celsius+ fraction
into lighter oils, gas
and coke was observed. Over 95% of the metals entering the reactor exits with
the coke.
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Example 2:
Please refer to the Table 2, Example 2 for a summary of the operating
conditions and feed and
products rates and analyses.
Table 2- Example 2
Reactor Size: L = 1.07 m, Diameter 0.47 m
Reactor Temperature: 500 C
Reactor Pressure: 125KPa(a)
Sweep Gas: None
Heavy Oil Recycle: None
Oil Feed Rate: 16 1/h
Test Method Units Feed Oil Gas Naphtha
Gasoil Heavy Oil Coke
& Solids
Weight % on Dry Oil Feed 100 9.8 11.2 46.8
22.6 9.6
Density @ 15C ASTM 04052 g/ml 0.893 0.758 0.865
0.933 1.4
Molecular Weight g/mole 37.4
Water STM 01533 Volume % 0.7
Metals Digestion & ICP-IS ppm Weight 2160 3
Not Done 25510
Sulphur LECO 532 Weight % 0.63 Not Done 0.05
0.26 0.91 2.63
Halogens Oxygen Bomb Combustion ppm Weight 470 192 85
5 219
Viscosity @ 40C ASTM 0445 cSt 33.6 2.1 77.1
Copper Strip Corrosion ASTM 0120 is
Sediments ASTM 02276 mg/ml 0.5 0.05
Flash Point ASTM 092 C 128 <0 48
CCR ASTM 0189 Weight % 3.34 1.01
Ash ASTM 04422 & ASTM D482 Weight % 0.4 0.01
0.05 7.43
PH
Distillation ASTM 02887 Weight %
IBP C 162 30 150 338
10% C 246 47 178 374
50% C 414 98 255 436
90% C 528 133 343 525
EP C 592 157 589
The waste oil streams tested contained used lubricating oils as well as other
oily streams such as
metal working oils, transmission fluids, greases, form oils, and any number of
unknown waste oil
streams.
A dewatered waste oil stream of 16 L/h is injected in an indirectly fired
rotating kiln, containing
metal shavings at 490 degrees Celsius. This stream was drawn from the same
barrel as in Example 1.
The seals on the kiln had been changed to permit pressures above atmospheric
in the reaction zone.
There was no steam injection into the reactor for this test.
As shown on Table 5, a 69% conversion of the 350 degrees Celsius+ fraction
into lighter oils, gas
and coke was observed. Over 95% of the metals entering the reactor exits with
the coke.
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The main difference between these two examples is in the gasoil make: in
example 1, the gasoil in
the products was 56.5% weight, a gain of 30.5% weight on feed oil. In example
2, the gasoil make
was 46.8% weight of the products, a gain of only 20.8% weight on feed oil. The
injection of steam
into the reactor may have impeded the secondary reactions in which the gasoil
present in the reactor
is cracked, producing naphtha and gas. The operation of the reactor during
example 1 was more
stable than for example 2 in that temperatures and pressure swings were
calmed. The wide range
diesel oil produced was lighter in colour and more stable in example 1 than
example 2.
Example 3:
Please refer to the Table 3 - Example 3 for a summary of the operating
conditions and feed and
products rates and analyses.
Table 3 - Example 3
Reactor Size: L =1.07 m, Diameter 0.47 m
Reactor Temperature: 495 C
Reactor Pressure: 125KPa(a)
Sweep Gas: None
Heavy Oil Recycle: None
Oil Feed Rate: 241/h
Test Method Units Feed Oil Gas Naphtha
Gasoil Heavy Oil Coke
& Solids
Weight % on Dry Oil Feed 100 0.6 11.9 54 29
4.5
Density @ 15C ASTM 04052 g/ml 0.889 0.752 0.862
0.931 9.0
Molecular Weight emole 37.6
Water STM 01533 Volume % 0.7 r
Metals Digestion 8, ICP-IS ppm Weight 86.9 0.04
61 (1)
Sulphur LECO S32 Weight % 0.63 0.03 0.26
0.88 2.63
Halogens Oxygen Bomb Combustion ppm Weight 470 190
84.5 45.2 219
Viscosity @ 40C ASTM 0445 cSt 33.6 1.89 66.3
Copper Strip Corrosion ASTM 0120 3b
Sediments ASTM 02276 mg/ml 0.14 0.6 0.05
Flash Point ASTM 092 C 128 <0 41 222 (0C)
CCR D189 Weight % 3.34 0.87
Ash ASTM 04422 g, ASTM D482 Weight % 0.4
0.05 7.43
PH 4.32
Distillation ASTM 02887 Weight %
IBP C 162 30 144 338
10% C 246 45 172 368
50% C 414 94 251 431
90% C 528 126 335 518
EP C 592 146 400 588
Note: (1) Metals in the coke was not done. The ash at 7.43%
wt. is mostly composed of the metals in the coke
The waste oil streams tested contained used lubricating oils as well as other
oily streams such as
metal working oils, transmission fluids, greases, form oils, and any number of
unknown waste oil
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streams. The oil in this test was taken from the same drums as for examples 1
and 2. However, the
analytical data differs a little from the previous examples. This confirms
that waste oil feedstocks can
change in properties, even when pulled from a single tank.
A dewatered waste oil stream of 24 L/h is injected in an indirectly fired
rotating kiln, containing
metal shavings at 490 degrees Celsius. The seals on the kiln were changed to
permit pressures above
atmospheric in the reaction zone. There was no steam injection during this
test.
As shown on Table 6, a 61% conversion of the 350 degrees Celsius+ fraction
into lighter oils, gas
and coke was observed. Over 95% of the metals entering the reactor exits with
the coke.
In this example, the feed rate was increased by 50% over the first two
examples, and there was no
steam injection. Although the conversion of heavy oil is lower than in the
first two examples, 61% of
the 350 degrees Celsius+ oil was cracked, the gasoil gain was 28% weight,
higher than for example
2, and slightly lower than in example 1. See Table 6. Increasing the feed rate
by 50% also reduced
the secondary reactions but operation of the reactor was difficult because of
pressure swings and
decreasing temperatures in the steal chip bed.
Example 4:
Please refer to the Table 4 - Example 4 for a summary of the operating
conditions and feed and
products rates and analyses.
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Table 4 - Example 4
Reactor Size: L = 1.07 m, Diameter 0.47 m
Reactor Temperature: 500 C
Reactor Pressure: 125KPa(a)
Sweep Gas: Steam @0.5% wt on dry oil feed
Heavy Oil Recycle: None
Oil Feed Rate: 6.7 Lihr
Test Method Units Feed Oil Gas
Naphtha Gasoil Heavy Oil Coke
& Solids
Weight % on Dry Oil Feed 100 3 9 70 17 1
Density @ 15C ASTM D4052 g/ml 0.88 0.841 0.889 1.109
2.683
Molecular Weight g/mole 37
Water STM D1533 Volume % 0.53
Metals (1) Digestion & ICP-IS ppm Weight 92.3 0 0
81.6 78540
Sulphur LECO S32 Weight % 0.33 0.063 0.15
0.5 1.97
Halogens Oxygen Bomb Combustion ppm Weight 367 78 75
199
Viscosity @ 40C ASTM D445 cSt 45.3 1.276
Copper Strip Corrosion ASTM D120
Sediments ASTM D2276 mg/ml 0.25
Flash Point ASTM D92 C 91 <7 32.5 220
MCRT ASTM 04530 Weight % 1.25 0.13
Ash ASTM 04422 & ASTM 0482 Weight % 0.61
0 0.02 68.64
pH
Distillation ASTM 02887 Weight %
IBP C 151 25 78 314
10% C 326.6 78 138 355
50%C 429 80 209 442
90% C 558 135 315 612
EP C 750 397
Notes: (1) Metals in this table include only Cadnium, Chrome,
Copper, Iron, Nickel, Lead, and Vanadium
The waste oil streams tested contained used lubricating oils as well as other
oily streams such as
metal working oils, transmission fluids, greases, form oils, and any number of
unknown waste oil
streams. This oil was heavier than the feed oil in the previous three
examples.
A dewatered waste oil stream of 6.7 L/h is injected in an indirectly fired
rotating kiln, containing
metal shavings at 490 degrees Celsius. The seals on the kiln were changed to
permit pressures above
atmospheric in the reaction zone. Steam was also injected into the reactor at
the rate of 0.5% weight
on feed.
As shown on Table 6, a 79.5% conversion of the 350 degrees Celsius+ fraction
into lighter oils, gas
and coke was achieved. The gasoil make was 70% wt., an increase of 57% of the
feed oil. Over 95%
of the metals entering the reactor exits with the coke.
Please refer to the Table 5 for a summary of the heavy oil conversion and
gasoil product gains in the
four test previously described.
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Table 5
Heavy Oil Conversion and Gasoil Gain
Example 1 2 3 4
Heavy Oil ¨ 350 C+
% weight in Feed oil 74 74 73 83
% weight in Products 20.6 22.6 29 17
A Converted 72.2 69.5 61 79.5
Gasoil ¨ 185C to 350 C
% weight in Feed oil 26 26 26 12
% weight in the Products 56.5 46.8 54 51.7
% weight Gain on feed oil 30.5 20.8 28 39.7
These examples show that the injection of a sweep gas, in this case steam,
results in a more efficient
conversion of the heavy oil into gasoil, or wide range diesel fuel. A more
stable operation and
constant reaction temperature are obtained when the reactor is operating under
pressure, instead of a
vacuum. Also, conversion of the heavy oil into gasoil is increased when a
sweep gas is injected into
the reactor.
The following two examples illustrate how the heavy oil, produced from used
lubricating oil treated
with the process, surprisingly proved to be effective in cleaning fouled
equipment.
Example 5:
Used lubricating oil was being treated in a unit with a rotating kiln and heat
exchangers became
plugged. The exchangers were too hot to open or to treat with acetone. It was
decided to try back
washing the exchangers using the heavy oil, directly from the bottom of the
wash column, because
that oil, at 350 degrees Celsius, was hot and the pump could develop up to two
atmospheres in
pressure. The heat exchangers were unplugged and clean in a matter of minutes.
The fouling
material, along with the heavy oil, were routed back to the dehydration vessel
where they mixed with
fresh used oil feed and became reactor feed oil.
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Example 6:
When the same heavy oil was first tested as a component in a flotation oil,
although the flotation oil
tanks had been cleaned prior to the test, the oil arrived at the flotation
cells very dark and containing
gums and solids. Although the lines had been flushed before the test, the new
oil had cleaned the
remaining deposits out of the flotation oil feed system. The new oil proved to
be more effective than
hot water and steam as a defouling agent.
Advantages of the Process
This waste oil thermal cracking process has many advantages over other waste
oil cracking or reuse
processes.
- It is simple and easy to operate.
- It is flexible and can treat a wide variety of waste oils, not just used
lubricating oils from
service stations and the like.
- About 99% of the metals and 75% of the sulphur, present in waste oil,
exit the process with the
non-leachable coke before the vapours exiting the reactor are condensed. The
sulphur and metals
do not enter into the finished oil products.
- All the products from this process are safe and can be sold in current
markets. There is no
product or by-product to dispose of in incinerators or industrial waste dumps.
- The heavy oil produced can be used to back-flush and clean heat
exchangers and other
equipment on site. There is no need to pre-treat the waste oil feedstock to
prevent equipment
fouling. Therefore, the laboratory analyses and chemicals required by the
waste oil feed pre-
treating unit are not needed, neither is their spent chemicals disposal.
- The oil used to clean equipment on site and containing fouling material
can be processed in the
mobile plant and reused.
This waste oil thermal cracking process has many advantages over waste oil
recycling processes:
- It is simple and easy to operate.
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- It is flexible and can treat a wide variety of waste oils, not just used
lubricating oils from
service stations and the like.
- The products do not need to meet the stringent specifications of
lubricating oil base stocks. This
eliminates the need for careful selection of feedstocks, leaving most waste
oils to be disposed of
into the environment.
- The additives in the waste oil feedstocks are destroyed and about 99% of
the metals and 75% of
the sulphur, present in waste oil, exit the process with the non-leachable
coke before the vapours
exiting the reactor are condensed. There is no need to dispose of the heavy
oil fraction,
containing most of the metals and sulphur.
- All the products from this process are safe and can be sold in current
markets. There is no
product or by-product to dispose of in incinerators or industrial waste dumps.
- The heavy oil produced can be used to back-flush and clean heat
exchangers and other
equipment on site. There is no need to pre-treat the waste oil feedstock to
prevent equipment
fouling. Therefore, the laboratory analyses and chemicals required by the
waste oil feed pre-
treating unit are not needed, and neither is their spent chemicals disposal.
The resulting soiled
back-flushing oil can be recycled to the dehydration unit, and/or to the
reactor, and reused. There
is no need to treat waste water and/or to dispose of oily wastes in industrial
dumps or landfills.
- It is viable in smaller plants, with a smaller collection radius and does
not need to be subsidized
by governments.
Presently water is used to clean ships bunker reservoir, tank farm bottoms and
other equipment that is
fouled by heavy oils and/or other hydro-carbon residue. This means that the
water used has to be
separated from the oily residues and then the residues treated or burned in
cement kilns. The burning
of the oily residues is bad for the environment and a waste of the hydrocarbon
resources.
The present invention can take the residues and produce diesels, additives for
asphalt and heavy oils
that can be used to clean the residues. By using these oils to clean the tank
bottoms and other
reservoir the cleaning process is more efficient and there is no need to
separate water from the
residue. All the residue and the oil can then be pumped out and treated.
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By having a mobile plant it would be possible to produce the heavy polarized
oils to clean the tanks
and equipment and then treat the residue and heavy oils to obtain commercial
products and more oil
to continue the cleaning process. Thus the mobile plant permits more effective
periodic cleaning of
tank farms and refinery equipment and other places with reduced transport of
waste oils which are
hazardous material.
Also a mobile plant can also be used to treat waste oils in regions with low
density of population,
near out of the way mines or industrial complexes and where the volumes of
oils to be treated at any
given time is low and the cost of transporting the oils is high or could lead
to ecological disasters
during the transport. Presently, most of the waste oils in these regions are
burned or thrown away
which is very bad for the environment. A mobile plant would be transported on
a periodic basis in
these regions to treat the oils and sell the product in the region.
The mobile plant could be built within a standard 45 feet high cube container
and thus could be easily
transported by truck, rail or boat.
In summary some of the advantages of the new thermal processing apparatus
include:
- A steady and controllable reaction temperature,
- A specified product slate of consistent quality,
- Protection of the reactor wall from stress and failure due to thermal
shock or hot spots,
- Preventing coke from depositing and sticking on the reactor walls and
internals,
- Longer run times, shorter shut-downs, less maintenance cost,
- Safer operation,
- A steady and controllable reaction pressure, and
- Minimizing of the thermal stress on the reactor walls and/or on the
internals.
Some of the major advantages of the mobile plant of the invention is:
- the short residence time of the treated oil in the reactor; and
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- the production of polarized mixture having a high cleaning power in respect
of heavy oils.
The use of a mobile plant, including a rotating kiln, allows the treating of
waste oils on site,
producing a hot oil that can be used to clean equipment and tanks at the site.
The resulting stream of
hot oil with fouling material is then fed into the mobile plant.
The treated oils thereby obtained may be directly used with no cool down or
only with a slight cool
down.
Due to the original configuring of the mobile plant only one or 2
distillations towers(s) are needed
and moreover only distillation with a reduced height are necessary; this
feature is of a particular
importance if the distillation tower is transported with the mobile plant;
however the necessary
distillation plant may be fixed for example in or nearby the collecting area.
The mobile plant is particularly efficient in cleaning tanks and equipment in
remote areas since it can
use the waste oil to be treated to produce the oil used to clean the equipment
, and treat the resulting
stream on site. It allows the treating of waste oils, into useful products
without having to transport
possibly hazardous liquids.
Some embodiments of the invention may have only one of these advantages, some
embodiments may
several advantages and may have all of simultaneously.
ADVANTAGES OF THE PROCESS OF THE INVENTION
This is a simple process that can treat a wide variety of waste oils and make
useful and
environmentally friendly products.
It has been surprisingly found that the sweep gas allow to the control of the
reaction rate and the
quality of the treated oil thereby obtained.
This process is in energy equilibrium. When used lubricating oils are
processed, the produced gas and
naphtha are consumed on site, and there is little or no need to purchase fuel,
or to use the more
valuable wide range diesel or heavy oil products from the plant. There is also
no naphtha to dispose
of.
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When produced, the wide range diesel is a light amber colour. The produced
diesel is unstable and
will darken with time or when exposed to air. The diesel deteriorates much
faster, within days instead
of months, if there is no inert gas injection into the reactor inlet.
Injection of inert gas results in a
higher yield of diesel oil (from 78% vol. to 82% vol. of the total liquid
product) and lower yield of
naphtha (from 10% vol. to 6% vol. of the total liquid product).
Depending on the sulphur content in the feed oil, the sulphur in the diesel
produced could be below
the 0.1% wt., now specified in Europe for home heating oil.
The heavy oil is a low sulphur fuel. It can be sold as bunker fuel, or as a
specialty oil. It is also used
as backwash oil in the process plant. Plants that process waste oils face
constant fouling of their
equipment. Used lubricating oil re-refining facilities usually pre-treat their
feedstock with chemicals
to remove as much of the metals and solids as possible. They have to test each
truck load entering the
plant and must add the purchase of chemicals and the disposal of spent
chemicals to their operating
costs. Thermal cracking units that treat used lube oils, are usually much
smaller than re-refiners.
They have frequent shutdowns to remove coke deposits and clean heat
exchangers. In this process,
heat exchangers can be cleaned while the plant is on stream using the backwash
oil on site. The solids
exit the plant with the coke.
The sulphur and metals, released in the cracking reactions, are attached to
the coke. The coke is
removed from the vapour oil stream as it leaves the reactor. Therefore the
sulphur and metals are not
present when the oil is condensed into liquid fuels. This is why the oil
products leaving the plant are
low in sulphur and metals, when compared to products from other used oil
thermal cracking facilities.
The metals in the coke are thought to act as catalysts in the deterioration of
the oil products. The
diesel oil produced with this process are more stables than oils produced in
other thermal cracking
units. The coke is non-leachable and can be disposed of in landfills. It can
also be blended in asphalts
or cements.
This is a dry process: there is no liquid level in the reactor. The reactor
temperature is not limited to
the boiling point of the oil feed. This process can treat a much wider variety
of waste oils than the
conventional thermal cracking units. As an example: synthetic oils are
increasingly used as base oils.
They are more stable than conventional base oils and do not need to be changed
as often to keep
engines in good running order. Less oil changes mean less feedstock to used
lube oil plants and the
feedstock they get contains more contaminants. In a conventional plant, since
the reactor temperature
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is limited to the boiling point of the oil, the more stable oil will require a
longer residence time to
crack, which limits the plant throughput and profitability.
The process is very flexible. Since the reactor temperature can be changed to
suit, this process can be
used to treat waste oils that are not necessarily used lubricating oils such
as refinery tank bottoms. It
can also treat oils that have a high propensity to form coke such as bitumen
or marpol.
The reactor in the process is under pressure which results in a more stable
operation, and consistent
product quality and quantity. A rotating kiln under positive pressure is safer
because there will be no
oxygen ingress into the reactor, which, if left undetected, could result in an
explosion. In the event of
a leak, oily vapours would exit into the firebox and would burn in an
environment designed to
contain flames.
One of the safety features of this process is that there is no vessel
containing large amounts of oil in
this process. Residence times are low.
The only vessel that might contain large amounts of oil is the dewatering
flash drum. It is under a
steam atmosphere. In an emergency the equipment can be drained within minutes,
and steam or
another inert gas, is already present in the reaction and product separation
units.
The present invention can take the residues and produce diesels, additives for
asphalt and heavy oils
that can be used to clean the residues. By using these oils to clean the tank
bottoms and other
reservoir the cleaning process is more efficient and there is no need to
separate water from the
residue. All the residue and the oil can then be pumped out and treated.
By having a mobile plant it would be possible to produce the heavy polarized
oils to clean the tanks
and equipment and then treat the residue and heavy oils to obtain commercial
products and more oil
to continue the cleaning process. Thus the mobile plant permits more effective
periodic cleaning of
tank farms and refinery equipment and other places with reduced transport of
waste oils which can be
hazardous material.
Also a mobile plant can also be used to treat waste oils in regions with low
density of population,
near out of the way mines or industrial complex and where the volumes of oils
to be treated at any
given time is low and the cost of transporting the oils is high or could lead
to ecological disasters
during the transport. Presently, most of the waste oils in these regions are
burned or thrown away
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which is very bad for the environment. A mobile plant would be transported on
a periodic basis in
these regions to treat the oils and sell the product in the region.
The mobile plant could be built within a standard 45 feet high cube container
and thus could be easily
transported by truck, rail or boat.
Also cleaning with oil is better for corrosion purposes and leaves no water
residues in the equipment,
which could become safety hazards when the equipment is put back into service.
Among the products are cracked heavy oils that can be used to dissolve and
clean the fouling agents
deposited in equipment. The cleaning oil, along with the foulants removed from
the equipment can be
treated in the mobile plant, making useful products
Although the present invention has been described with the aid of specific
embodiments, it should be
understood that several variations and modifications may be grafted onto the
embodiments and that
the present invention encompasses such modifications, usages or adaptations of
the present invention
that will become known or conventional within the field of activity to which
the present invention
pertains, and which may be applied to the essential elements mentioned above.
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