Energy-efficient gasification-based multi-generation apparatus, facilities, or systems, and methods of modifying existing gasification-based multi-generation apparatus and the various conventional thermal coupling arrangements, are provided. An exemplary gasification-based multi-generation apparatus includes a gasification system configured to generate the raw syngas feed from a carbon-based feedstock. The gasification system includes a gasification plant or facility, a sour water stripping plant or facility comprising a sour water stripper, a gasification reactor, and a gasification system energy management system. The gasification system energy management system comprises a third gasification system process-to-process heat exchanger unit positioned to receive a wastewater bottom stream from the sour water stripper and to receive at least a portion of an oxygen feed to the gasification reactor to provide heat energy to the at least a second portion of the oxygen feed to the gasification reactor and to cool the wastewater bottom stream from the sour water stripper. The sour water stripping plant or facility is integrated into the gasification plant or facility through at least the wastewater bottom stream from the sour water stripper.

Method of producing ethylene and, optionally, propylene by subjecting a feedstock to steam cracking to produce a first olefin containing stream; heating an ethanol containing stream with heat from a steam cracker; passing the heated ethanol containing stream over a dehydration catalyst at a temperature between 200 C to 500 C preferably 250 C to 450 C to produce a second olefin containing stream; and combining the first and second olefin containing streams to give an initial product stream containing ethylene and optionally propylene. The initial product stream is subjected to purification including at least i) water content reduction ii) hydrogen content reduction iii) reduction of content of molecules containing 4 or more carbon atoms and iv) ethane content reduction.

The present invention provides a process for producing one or more products for use as a transportation or heating fuel. In various embodiments the process comprises treating a cellulosic feedstock, in one or more processing steps that release extractives from the feedstock. A solids-liquid separation is subsequently conducted on the process stream comprising the extractives and solids. An aqueous stream comprising one or more of the extractives may be fed to an anaerobic digester to produce crude biogas from which one or more impurities may optionally be removed. In various embodiments the process further comprises providing a solids stream to a thermal process. A product produced or derived from the thermal process may displace a product made from fossil fuel. One or more products obtained or derived from at least one of the foregoing process steps are provided for use as a transportation or heating fuel. In various embodiments the process enables advantaged fuel credit generation.

Configurations and related processing schemes of direct or indirect inter-plants (or both) heating systems synthesized for grassroots medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries to increase energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste heat sources are described. Configurations and related processing schemes of direct or indirect inter-plants (or both) heating systems synthesized for integrated medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries and aromatics complex for increasing energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste sources are also described.

Configurations and related processing schemes of direct or indirect (or both) intra-plants and thermally coupled heating systems synthesized for grassroots medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries to increase energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste heat sources are described. Configurations and related processing schemes of direct or indirect (or both) intra-plants and thermally coupled heating systems synthesized for integrated medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries and aromatics complex for increasing energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste sources are also described.

For sustainable development, a refinery is required to save energy as much as possible so as to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas. In crude oil operations, oil transportation from storage tanks to charging tanks via a pipeline consumes a large portion of energy. It is vitally important to minimize energy consumption for this process. Since the oil flow resistance is proportional to the square of oil flow rate, the relation between energy efficiency and flow rate is nonlinear, which makes the problem complicated. The present invention addresses this important issue by formulating a linear programming model for the considered problem such that it can be efficiently solved. A real-world industrial case study is used to demonstrate the applications and significance of the proposed method.

A method and apparatus for the oxy-combustion of fuel in an internal combustion engine (ICE) used to power a vehicle includes one or more air separation devices that separate oxygen from the atmospheric air to mix with the fuel and return the nitrogen to the atmosphere and converts the free energy available in the form of waste heat from the engine exhaust gas stream and coolant system on board the vehicle into electrical and/or mechanical energy, which energy is used to separate oxygen from air to eliminate or significantly reduce the volume of nitrogen entering the ICE's combustion chamber, and thereby reduce NO.sub.x pollutants released into the atmosphere and increase the concentration of CO.sub.2 in the engine exhaust stream for capture using an integrated system to compress and increase the density of the captured CO.sub.2 for temporary on-board storage until it is discharged at a recovery station, e.g., during vehicle refueling.

Systems and methods of hydrotreating different naphtha feed stocks destined for a refining reforming unit and other applications with less energy consumption than conventionally possible, while producing less greenhouse gas emissions, and/or using a lesser number of heaters and correspondingly less capital investment in such heaters, air coolers, and water coolers, are provided. According to the more examples of such systems and methods, such reductions are accomplished by directly integrating a naphtha stripping process section with a naphtha splitting process section. Additional reductions can also be accomplished through directly integrating a naphtha hydrotreat reaction process section with the naphtha stripping process section.

A thermal swing reactor including a multi-flight auger and methods for solar thermochemical reactions are disclosed. The reactor includes a multi-flight auger having different helix portions having different pitch. Embodiments of reactors include at least two distinct reactor portions between which there is at least a pressure differential. In embodiments, reactive particles are exchanged between portions during a reaction cycle to thermally reduce the particles at first conditions and oxidize the particles at second conditions to produce chemical work from heat.

A power generation system includes four heating fluid circuits thermally coupled to heat sources from sub-units of a petrochemical refining system. The sub-units include a hydrocracking plant, an aromatics plant, and a diesel hydro-treating plant. Subsets of the heat sources includes hydrocracking plant heat exchangers coupled to streams in the hydrocracking plant, aromatics plant heat exchangers coupled to streams in the aromatics plant, and diesel hydro-treating plant heat exchangers coupled to streams in the diesel hydro-treating plant. A power generation system includes three organic Rankine cycles, each including a working fluid that is thermally coupled to at least one heating fluid circuit to heat the working fluid, and an expander to generate electrical power from the heated working fluid. The system includes a control system to activate a set of control valves to selectively thermally couple each heating fluid circuit to at least a portion of the heat sources.