A process for removing metals and sulfur (S)-containing compounds in a crude oil material. The process comprises causing the crude oil material to react with a removing agent which comprises a phosphoric acid ester.

Improved catalytic reforming processes and systems employ reforming reactors in a more efficient manner and can avoid problems associated with yield loss. Aromatics and isoparaffins are separated prior to passing to a reforming unit. An integrated process for producing gasoline blending components includes: separating a naphtha feedstream into an aromatic-rich stream and an aromatic-lean stream; separating the aromatic-lean stream into an isoparaffin-rich stream and an isoparaffin-lean stream; and catalytically reforming the isoparaffin-lean stream to produce a reformate stream.

Improved catalytic reforming processes and systems employ reforming reactors in a more efficient manner and can avoid problems associated with yield loss. Aromatics and isoparaffins are separated prior to passing to a reforming unit. An integrated process for producing gasoline blending components includes: separating a naphtha feedstream into an aromatic-rich stream and an aromatic-lean stream; separating the aromatic-lean stream into an isoparaffin-rich stream and an isoparaffin-lean stream; and catalytically reforming the isoparaffin-lean stream to produce a reformate stream.

An environmentally friendly composition and method which increase the API gravity, increase the solubility, and reduce the viscosity of hydrocarbon materials to provide enhance extraction and removal of the hydrocarbon materials for purposes of recovery or cleaning.

An environmentally friendly composition and method which increase the API gravity, increase the solubility, and reduce the viscosity of hydrocarbon materials to provide enhance extraction and removal of the hydrocarbon materials for purposes of recovery or cleaning.

We disclose a process for purification of hydrocarbons, suitable for a wide range of contexts such as refining bunker fuels to yield low-sulphur fuels, cleaning of waste engine oil (etc) to yield a usable hydrocarbon product, recovery of hydrocarbons from used tyres, recovery of hydrocarbons from thermoplastics etc, as well as the treatment of crude oils, shale oils, and the tailings remaining after fractionation and like processes. The method comprises the steps of heating the hydrocarbon thereby to release a gas phase, contacting the gas with an aqueous persulphate electrolyte within a reaction chamber, and condensing the gas to a liquid or a liquid/gas mixture and removing its aqueous component. It also comprises subjecting the reaction product to an electrical field generated by at least two opposing electrode plates between which the reaction product flows; this electrolytic step regenerates the persulphate electrolyte which can be recirculated within the process. The process is ideally applied in an environment at lower than atmospheric pressure, such as less than 1500 Pa. A wide range of hydrocarbons can be treated in this way. Used hydrocarbons such as engine oils and sulphur-contaminated fuels are prime examples, but there are a wide range of others such as hydrocarbons derived from the pyrolysis of a material having a hydrocarbon content. One such example is a mix of used rubber (such as end-of-life tyres) and used oils (such as engine oils, waste marine oils), which can be pyrolysed together to yield a hydrocarbon liquid which can be treated as above, and a residue that provides a useful solid fuel.

A process is provided for removing a heavy polynuclear aromatic (HPNA) compound from a hydrocarbon oil. The process includes contacting the hydrocarbon oil containing the HPNA compound with a lean hydrocarbon-immiscible liquid stream to produce a mixture comprising the hydrocarbon oil and a rich hydrocarbon-immiscible liquid containing the HPNA compound; and separating the mixture to produce a hydrocarbon oil effluent having a reduced level of the HPNA compound and a hydrocarbon-immiscible liquid effluent containing the HPNA compound. The hydrocarbon-immiscible liquid can be a halometallate ionic liquid, a liquid coordination complex, or a combination thereof.

An improved contactor/separator process is presented where one or more stages of contact and separation is achieved by providing one or more shroud and disengagement device combinations within a vessel, where the disengagement device is connected to the top of the shroud that contains vertically hanging fibers. A liquid admixture of immiscible fluids is directed co-currently upward through the shroud at flooding velocity or greater, where all of the admixture exits the disengagement device through a coalescing material. Tray supports are used to stack additional shroud and disengagement combinations vertically within the vessel. Each tray allows less dense liquids exiting one disengagement device from a lower shroud and disengagement device combination to enter the bottom of a shroud of a shroud and disengagement device combination position vertically above the lower shroud and disengagement device combination.

An improved contactor/separator process is presented where one or more stages of contact and separation is achieved by providing one or more shroud and disengagement device combinations within a vessel, where the disengagement device is connected to the top of the shroud that contains vertically hanging fibers. A liquid admixture of immiscible fluids is directed co-currently upward through the shroud at flooding velocity or greater, where all of the admixture exits the disengagement device through a coalescing material. Tray supports are used to stack additional shroud and disengagement combinations vertically within the vessel. Each tray allows less dense liquids exiting one disengagement device from a lower shroud and disengagement device combination to enter the bottom of a shroud of a shroud and disengagement device combination position vertically above the lower shroud and disengagement device combination.

A method comprises correlatingin a system which comprises a non-aqueous phase comprising a hydrocarbon fluid, and an aqueous phasepartitioning levels of a basic contaminant and/or an acid of interest into the aqueous phase with the pH of the aqueous phase. The partitioning levels of the basic contaminant and the acid of interest, as well as the pH of the aqueous phase, are obtained under conditions which are representative of those used in a partitioning process in which a basic contaminant is removed from a hydrocarbon fluid. The correlations may be used in a method for selecting an acidic environment for use in a partitioning process, for estimating corrosion risk downstream of a partitioning process, or for controlling a partitioning process.