A method for desalting produced hydrocarbons includes injecting reduced-salinity water into produced hydrocarbons in a production well or riser, to dilute high-salinity produced water contained in the produced hydrocarbons.

A process to utilize at least one water lean zone (WLZ) interspersed within a net pay zone in a reservoir and produce bitumen from the reservoir, includes using Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage with Oxygen (SAGDOX) to enhance oil recovery, locating a SAGDOX oxygen injector proximate the WLZ, and removing non-condensable gases.

The present invention refers to the processing of a 100% renewable load in FCC units, wherein the load comprises triglycerides of vegetable and animal source, free fatty acids, fatty acid esters, ketones, alcohols and long-chain aldehydes, using catalyst and appropriate operating conditions in order to obtain 100% renewable products with a high content of aromatic compounds, in the range of naphtha, kerosene, diesel and heavy gas oil. The product thus obtained complies with all the properties of the ASTM D1655 standard, even for contents of up to 10% renewable content. In addition, there is no need to reduce the freezing point of the fossil QAV for the introduction of the renewable component, with no impact on the yield and economy of the process.

Systems and methods for cooling and processing materials are disclosed.

Methods and systems for using temperature measurements taken from a compact insulated skin thermowell to optimize a pyrolysis reaction are provided. In the present systems and methods, the upstream temperature and the upstream pressure of a pyrolysis reactor is measured through an adiabatic restriction in the inlet manifold of a parallel tube assembly to provide an absolute upstream temperature and an upstream pressure. The downstream temperature of the pyrolysis reactor is also measured following an adiabatic restriction to provide an absolute downstream temperature. The downstream pressure is then determined by multiplying the absolute upstream pressure with the quotient of the downstream temperature divided by the upstream temperature as taken to the power of k/k−1, where k is the ratio of fluid specific heat at constant pressure (Cp) to fluid specific heat at constant volume (Cv).

A method for heating oil shale underground in situ. Shale oil and fuel gas can be obtained from an underground oil shale seam in situ, and the fuel gas can also be obtained from an underground coal seam in situ. Wells are drilled downwardly reaching an operation region of an underground oil shale ore bed. Electricity for partial discharge of the ore bed is conducted into electrodes, and a plasma channel is formed in the ore bed and subjected to breakdown by the electricity; after the resistance of each of two electrode regions is lowered, the two electrodes are used for conducting currents into the plasma channel in the oil shale ore bed; the oil shale ore bed is heated under the resistance heating function of the plasma channel; and released heat is used for realizing thermal cracking and gasification of fixed organic carbon in the oil shale ore bed.

Disclosed herein are methods for producing hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir that is penetrated by an injection well and a production well. The methods comprise operating the injection well under a set of injection parameters and operating the production well under a set of production parameters to produce a production fluid that has an API gravity that changes over time (ΔAPI) as the method is advanced towards an ultimate recovery factor (RF.sub.o,u) for the reservoir. The methods further comprises modulating the injection parameters, the production parameters, or a combination thereof to decrease or increase the API gravity of the production fluid depending on whether ΔAPI and RF.sub.o,u satisfy a set of requirements as disclosed herein.

It has been discovered that nanoparticles and/or functionalized polymers are effective in removing metal contaminants from a hydrocarbon phase into an aqueous phase. In particular, the nanoparticles and/or functionalized polymers can remove iron contaminants from crude oil into an aqueous phase in a refinery desalter. Suitable nanoparticles can include graphene oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Suitable functionalized polymers include iodododecane-functionalized vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymers, sulfonated-functionalized vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymers, sulfonated polyether ether ketones, imidazole polymers, imidazole copolymers, and/or 3-(1-pyridino)-1-propanesulfonate.

The present invention relates to inhibition of high temperature naphthenic acid corrosion occurring in hydrocarbon processing units. The invention provides an effective novel non-polymeric and non-fouling additive for inhibiting high-temperature naphthenic acid corrosion, comprising an effective corrosion-inhibiting amount of a second phosphate ester wherein said second phosphate ester is obtained by reacting a first phosphate ester with an oxirane compound selected from the group consisting of butylene oxide, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide or any other oxirane compound or a combination thereof, preferably with butylene oxide, capably yielding said second phosphate ester, having a structure A or B, ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of moieties having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be identical or different, X is H, CH.sub.3 or C.sub.2H.sub.5; and n may vary from 1 to 20,
wherein said first phosphate ester is having a structure I or II, ##STR00002##
wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of moieties having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be identical or different, said first phosphate ester being obtained as a reaction product of reaction of an alcohol with a phosphorous pentaoxide.

A method of producing monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons includes bringing a light feedstock oil having a 10 vol % distillation temperature of 140° C. to 205° C. and a 90 vol % distillation temperature of 300° C. or lower, which has been prepared from a feedstock oil having a 10 vol % distillation temperature of 140° C. or higher and a 90 vol % distillation temperature of 380° C. or lower, into contact with a catalyst for monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon production containing a crystalline aluminosilicate, in which a content ratio of monocyclic naphthenobenzenes in the light feedstock oil is adjusted by distillation of the feedstock oil such that the content ratio of monocyclic naphthenobenzenes in the light feedstock oil is higher than a content ratio of monocyclic naphthenobenzenes in the feedstock oil.