The present invention describes a process for the production of fuel of the heavy fuel oil type, this fuel optionally being able to become a marine fuel, from a heavy hydrocarbon-containing feedstock having a sulphur content of at least 0.5% by weight, an initial boiling temperature of at least 350° C. and a final boiling temperature of at least 450° C., a process using a fixed-bed hydrotreatment stage, an intermediate separation and a hydrocracking stage comprising at least one reactor of the hybrid type.

For the shipping industry, these fuels provide solutions to long outstanding technical problems that heretofore hindered supply of low sulfur marine fuels in quantities needed to meet worldwide sulfur reduction goals. Marine shipping use of high sulfur bunker oils is reported as largest source of world-wide transportation SOx emissions. When ships on the open seas burn cheap low grade heavy bunker oils high in sulfur, nitrogen and metals, the SOx, NOx, and metal oxides go to the environment. This invention converts essentially all of each barrel of crude feed to a single ultraclean fuel versus conventional refining where crude feed is cut into many pieces, and each piece is sent down a separate market path meeting various different product specifications. When in port, ships can use these fuels to generate and sell electricity to land based electrical grids to offset fuel cost in an environment-friendly manner.

A multi-stage process for the production of an ISO 8217 compliant Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a Reaction System composed of one or more reactor vessels selected from a group reactor wherein said one or more reactor vessels contains one or more reaction sections configured to promote the transformation of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a Environmental Contaminate level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process for conducting the process is disclosed that can utilize a modular reactor vessel.

For the shipping industry, these fuels provide solutions to long outstanding technical problems that heretofore hindered supply of low sulfur marine fuels in quantities needed to meet worldwide sulfur reduction goals. Marine shipping use of high sulfur bunker oils is reported as largest source of worldwide transportation SOx emissions. When ships on the open seas burn cheap low grade heavy bunker oils high in sulfur, nitrogen and metals, the SOx, NOx, and metal oxides go to the environment. This invention converts essentially all of each barrel of crude feed to a single ultraclean fuel versus conventional refining where crude feed is cut into many pieces, and each piece is sent down a separate market path meeting various different product specifications. When in port, ships can use these fuels to generate and sell electricity to land based electrical grids to offset fuel cost in an environment-friendly manner.

A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process involving: mixing a quantity of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the feedstock mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and the Environmental Contaminants, which are selected from the group consisting of: a sulfur; vanadium, nickel, iron, aluminum and silicon and combinations thereof, have concentration less than 0.5 wt %. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil can be used as or as a blending stock for an ISO 8217 compliant, IMO MARPOL Annex VI (revised) compliant low sulfur or ultralow sulfur heavy marine fuel oil.

Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport. In still other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for reduced incorporation of external streams into the final product for transport while still satisfying one or more target properties.

Processes and systems for upgrading a hydrocarbon-containing feed. The hydrocarbon containing feed and a plurality of fluidized particles can be fed into a pyrolysis reaction zone. The plurality of fluidized particles can have a first temperature that can be sufficiently high to enable pyrolysis of at least a portion of the hydrocarbon-containing feed on contacting the particles. The particles can include an oxide of a transition metal element capable of oxidizing molecular hydrogen at the first temperature. The hydrocarbon-containing feed can be contacted with the particles in the pyrolysis reaction zone to effect pyrolysis of at least a portion of the hydrocarbon-containing feed to produce a pyrolysis effluent. At least a portion of the transition metal element in the particles in the pyrolysis effluent can be at a reduced state compared to the transition metal element in the particles fed into the pyrolysis reaction zone.

Method to improve or maintain stability and/or compatibility of a residual hydrocarbon fuel comprising: (a) blending at least 5-95% m/m of a residual hydrocarbon component with at least 5-80% m/m of a fatty acids alkyl esters component or (b) blending at least 5-80% m/m of a fatty acids alkyl esters component with a stable residual fuel composition comprising (i) at least 5-95% m/m of a residual hydrocarbon component and (ii) up to 90% m/m of a non-hydroprocessed hydrocarbon, a hydroprocessed hydrocarbon or any combination thereof; wherein the fatty acids alkyl esters component is blended with the stable residual fuel composition before at least one other fuel composition that decreases the asphaltenes solvency power of the residual fuel composition is added thereto.

Low sulfur fuel oil blend compositions and methods of making such blend compositions to increase the stability and compatibility of LSFO blends having paraffinic resids that are blended with distillates and/or cracked stocks of higher asphaltenes and/or aromatics content. In one or more embodiments, distillates and/or cracked stocks that incrementally reduce the initial aromaticity of the distillate or cracked stock with the highest aromaticity are sequentially blended prior to resid addition. Such incremental reduction and sequential blending have been found to provide a resulting low sulfur fuel oil blend that is both compatible and stable.

Aging resistant emulsified asphalt compositions and related methods of preparing and applying the same for use in asphalt treatment and paving applications. The aging resistant emulsified asphalt compositions can include an aging resistant asphalt composition, emulsifier, and water. The resulting residue formed when the emulsified asphalt composition has cured is aging resistant and can be resistant to age-induced cracking even after simulated aging of 14 years and 21 years. Appropriate use of emulsifiers in some embodiments can further improve aging resistance in the residues.