There is described a process and an apparatus for purifying a mixture and related products. In particular, there is described a process and an apparatus for purifying a mixture comprising fats, oils and greases as are typically found in sewer waste. The process involves heating, acidifying and separating the mixture. The apparatus used includes a heating and separation device for separating into a solid fraction, an organic liquid fraction and an aqueous liquid fraction. Apparatus such as a three phase separation unit and a rotary vacuum filter may also be used.

The present invention relates to a saturator. The present invention further relates to a method for reusing a waste water stream from a Fischer-Tropsch reactor. The invention further relates to system for recycling waste water from a Fischer-Tropsch reactor preferably within a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant.

The present disclosure provides for processes for producing light hydrocarbons. In an embodiment, a process includes pressurizing the hydrocarbon feed in one or more pumps producing a pressurized hydrocarbon feed and heating the pressurized hydrocarbon feed in one or more heat exchangers to produce a heated hydrocarbon feed. The process includes mixing the heated hydrocarbon feed with water and separating an inter-stage hydrocarbon feed from interstage water. The process includes mixing the inter-stage hydrocarbon feed with water and separating a desalted hydrocarbon feed from outlet water. The process includes pyrolysing the desalted hydrocarbon feed in a steam cracker.

Processes for preparing a low particulate liquid hydrocarbon product are provided and includes blending a tar stream containing particles with a fluid to produce a fluid-feed mixture containing tar, the particles, and the fluid, and centrifuging the fluid-feed mixture at a temperature of greater than 60° C. to produce a higher density portion and a lower density portion, where the lower density portion contains no more than 25 wt % of the particles in the fluid-feed mixture.

Processes for preparing a low particulate liquid hydrocarbon product are provided and includes blending a tar stream containing particles with a fluid to produce a fluid-feed mixture containing tar, the particles, and the fluid, where the fluid-feed mixture contains about 30 wt % or greater of the fluid based on a combined weight of the tar stream and the fluid. The method also includes separating, e.g., by centrifuging, from the fluid-feed mixture a higher density portion and a lower density portion, where the lower density portion contains no more than 25 wt % of the particles in the fluid-feed mixture, based on the weight of the particles in the fluid-feed mixture.

The invention relates to removing contaminants from oil using solid sorbents that are comprised primarily of carbon and preferably of coke particles. The coke particles have an affinity for contaminants in oil and are sized to be filtered from oil without plugging. Most contaminants have such a small size that they tend to plug up filters. As the contaminants agglomerate onto the solid sorbent, the resulting particles form a filter cake on conventional filter materials in such a way as to allow the oil to pass on through without significant pressure drop or delay.

The present invention provides A process for preparing Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction, comprising: a) providing a Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock containing one or more contaminants; b) providing the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock to a pretreatment zone to be pretreated to remove at least part of the one or more contaminants in the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock; c) retrieving from the pretreatment zone a purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil, which purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil is contaminant-depleted with respect to the Fischer-Tropsch-derived gasoil feedstock; and d) providing the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil to fractionation zone and fractionating the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil into two or more high purity Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fractions. The invention further provides for the use of the purified Fischer-Tropsch gasoil fraction.

The present inventions are related to oil and gas recovery, and in particular to enhanced oil and gas separation during oil and gas recovery.

A methodology for the removal of the harmful components of ash from urban/industrial wastes and sludges from the sewage treatment plants is invented. The harmful components are alkaline metals, chlorine, sulphur, zinc, lead, and chromium. They are removed before the thermochemical conversion and therefore the corrosion problems, scaling/deposition, ash agglomeration, dioxin and furan emissions, alkaline metal, chlorine, sulphur emissions are minimized if not diminished. The emissions of heavy metals such as zinc, lead, copper, and chromium are reduced. The removal is achieved with prepyrolysis/pregasification at 250-320° C. for 5 min to 2 h of urban/industrial wastes and sludges from the sewage treatment plants. Then the prepyrolyzed/pregasified sample is washed with a 0.5%-5% weight basis aqueous calcium acetate and/or magnesium acetate and/or aluminum acetate solution. These acetate salts can be mixed in a proportion of 0% to 100% to form an active salt which is used for the preparation of the aqueous solution.

The invention includes a gas processing system for transforming a hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into outflow gas products, where the system includes a gas delivery subsystem, a plasma reaction chamber, and a microwave subsystem, with the gas delivery subsystem in fluid communication with the plasma reaction chamber, so that the gas delivery subsystem directs the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the plasma reaction chamber, and the microwave subsystem directs microwave energy into the plasma reaction chamber to energize the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas, thereby forming a plasma in the plasma reaction chamber, which plasma effects the transformation of a hydrocarbon in the hydrocarbon-containing inflow gas into the outflow gas products, which comprise acetylene and hydrogen. The invention also includes methods for the use of the gas processing system.