A water-based extraction process for extracting bitumen from mined oil is provided comprising providing a water-based mixture containing bitumen; and introducing nanobubbles to the mixture to attach to bitumen and, thereby, extract the bitumen from the water-based mixture, wherein a nanobubble has a diameter of less than 5,000 nm.

Processes using mid-column reboilers in at least one benzene separation columns to reduce the heat duty in alkylation processes are provided. The feed to the aromatics removal zone may exchange heat in a mid-column reboiler in the benzene separation column in the alkylbenzene separation zone followed by exchanging heat in a mid-column reboiler in the benzene separation column in the aromatics removal zone. This arrangement minimizes the hot oil duty on the reboilers in both benzene separation columns

The present invention relates to delayed coking of heavy petroleum residue producing petroleum coke and lighter hydrocarbon products. The invented process utilize a pre-cracking reactor for mild thermal cracking of the feedstock and an intermediate separator, before being subjected to higher severity thermal cracking in delayed coking process, resulting in reduction in overall coke yield.

Systems and methods are provided for fixed bed hydroprocessing of deasphalter rock. Instead of attempting to process vacuum resid in a fixed bed processing unit, vacuum resid is deasphalted to form a deasphalted oil and deasphalter residue or rock. The rock can then be hydroprocessed in a fixed bed reaction zone, optionally after combining the rock with an aromatic co-feed and/or a hydroprocessing solvent. This can allow for improved conversion of the deasphalter rock and/or improved combined conversion of the deasphalter rock and deasphalted oil.

Processes herein may be used to thermally crack various hydrocarbon feeds, and may eliminate the refinery altogether while making the crude to chemicals process very flexible in terms of crude. In embodiments herein, crude is progressively separated into at least light and heavy fractions. Depending on the quality of the light and heavy fractions, these are routed to one of three upgrading operations, including a fixed bed hydroconversion unit, a fluidized catalytic conversion unit, or a residue hydrocracking unit that may utilize an ebullated bed reactor. Products from the upgrading operations may be used as feed to a steam cracker.

A process is disclosed for removing sulfides from liquid fossil fuel comprising mixing the liquid fossil fuel with an oxidizer and catalyst to form a multiphase reaction medium and producing a fluid flow of the multiphase reaction medium. Ultra sound may be applied to the multiphase reaction medium to cause oxidation of sulfides in the liquid fossil fuel to sulfones; and extracting the sulfones to yield an organic phase and aqueous phase. The ultra sound is performed by generating vibrations parallel to the fluid flow of the multiphase reaction medium. The organic phase substantially consists of desulfurized fuel.

A process is disclosed for removing sulfides from liquid fossil fuel comprising mixing the liquid fossil fuel with an oxidizer and catalyst to form a multiphase reaction medium and producing a fluid flow of the multiphase reaction medium. Ultra sound may be applied to the multiphase reaction medium to cause oxidation of sulfides in the liquid fossil fuel to sulfones; and extracting the sulfones to yield an organic phase and aqueous phase. The ultra sound is performed by generating vibrations parallel to the fluid flow of the multiphase reaction medium. The organic phase substantially consists of desulfurized fuel.