Treatment of hydrocarbon streams, and in one non-limiting embodiment refinery distillates, with high pH aqueous reducing agents, such as borohydride, results in reduction of the sulfur compounds such as disulfides, mercaptans and thioethers that are present to give easily removed sulfides. The treatment converts the original sulfur compounds into hydrogen sulfide or low molecular weight mercaptans that can be extracted from the distillate with caustic solutions, hydrogen sulfide or mercaptan scavengers, solid absorbents such as clay or activated carbon or liquid absorbents such as amine-aldehyde condensates and/or aqueous aldehydes.

The present invention is directed to vapor suppression of liquids through disposing a layer of surfactant onto the surfaces of liquids for surfactants having a density greater than the liquid and regardless of surface tension spreadability issues, and compositions comprising the surfactants in aerosolized form.

The present invention is directed to vapor suppression of liquids through disposing a layer of surfactant onto the surfaces of liquids for surfactants having a density greater than the liquid and regardless of surface tension spreadability issues, and compositions comprising the surfactants in aerosolized form.

Scavenging compounds and compositions useful in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of municipal waste water, hydrocarbons, crude oil, and natural gas among others are disclosed. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the compounds and compositions as scavengers, particularly in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of hydrocarbons, crude oil, and natural gas.

Scavenging compounds and compositions useful in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of municipal waste water, hydrocarbons, crude oil, and natural gas among others are disclosed. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the compounds and compositions as scavengers, particularly in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of hydrocarbons, crude oil, and natural gas.

Methods for making sulfide scavenging compositions are provided. The method comprises reducing a settling velocity of the sulfide scavenging composition in a fluid stream by adjusting the specific gravity of the sulfide scavenging composition to within about fifteen percent or less of the specific gravity of the fluid stream. Sulfide scavengers using the above method are also disclosed. Methods for removing sulfides from fluid streams are also provided. The methods include adding the above sulfide scavengers to fluid streams.

A process for upgrading a heavy oil, the process comprising the steps of introducing a heavy oil feed to a partial oxidation unit; introducing a water feed to a partial oxidation unit; introducing an oxidant feed to a partial oxidation unit, where the oxidant feed comprises an oxidant; processing the heavy oil feed, the water feed, and the oxidant feed in the partial oxidation unit to produce a liquid oxidation product, where the liquid oxidation product comprises oxygenates; introducing the liquid oxidation product to a supercritical water unit; introducing a water stream to the supercritical water unit; and processing the liquid oxidation product and the water stream in the supercritical water unit to produce an upgraded product stream, the upgraded product stream comprising upgraded hydrocarbons relative to the heavy oil feed.

Compounds of biodegradable surfactants useful for optimizing the separation of impurities typical of hydrocarbons, and designed to intervene and stabilize the molecular structure of crude oil, with no significant alterations of the crude's intrinsic composition are disclosed. The biodegradable surfactants compounds coexist with a non-ionic surfactant and an organic mix in emulsion form with the purpose of isolating crude from the pipeline, reduce friction to improve crude flow and to enter the crude macromolecule to modify the hydrocarbon chain to reduce its density and thus its viscosity; including compounds of biodegradable surfactants that comprise sodium hydroxide 1N, potassium chloride, sulphonic acid, dodecanoic acid, nonylphenol, terpene-1 and water, preferably hard water.

Compounds of biodegradable surfactants useful for optimizing the separation of impurities typical of hydrocarbons, and designed to intervene and stabilize the molecular structure of crude oil, with no significant alterations of the crude's intrinsic composition are disclosed. The biodegradable surfactants compounds coexist with a non-ionic surfactant and an organic mix in emulsion form with the purpose of isolating crude from the pipeline, reduce friction to improve crude flow and to enter the crude macromolecule to modify the hydrocarbon chain to reduce its density and thus its viscosity; including compounds of biodegradable surfactants that comprise sodium hydroxide 1N, potassium chloride, sulphonic acid, dodecanoic acid, nonylphenol, terpene-1 and water, preferably hard water.

The present application provides a one-step refining process of a hydrocarbon feedstock, said process comprising heating said hydrocarbon feedstock with one or more fatty acids or mixtures thereof, at a temperature below 350 C., to obtain a light hydrocarbon product, wherein said light hydrocarbon product obtained in said process contains no heavy hydrocarbons products.