Disclosed herein are extraction methods and systems to remove contaminants in subterranean formation, including a method of contaminant removal comprising: introducing one or more organic acids and one or more organic acid surfactant boosters into a hydrocarbon-containing stream; recovering the hydrocarbon-containing stream from a subterranean formation; and separating at least a portion of contaminants from the hydrocarbon-containing stream, wherein at least the one or more organic acids and/or the one or more organic acid surfactant boosters interact with the contaminants in the hydrocarbon-containing stream.

Compounds for inhibiting corrosion are provided that include a pyridinium substituent and a hydroxy substituent. Also provided are methods of making the compounds. Also provided are corrosion inhibitor formulations including the compounds. Also provided are processes for inhibiting corrosion of a metallic surface using the corrosion inhibitor formulations.

System and method for mixing a catalyst precursor into heavy oil using a high boiling hydrocarbon diluent to form a diluted precursor mixture, which is mixed with the heavy oil feedstock to form a conditioned feedstock, which is subsequently heated to decompose the precursor and form dispersed metal sulfide catalyst particles in situ. Because the high boiling hydrocarbon diluent is typically at a temperature above the decomposition temperature of the catalyst precursor, it is first feed through a cooler to reduce its temperature to avoid premature decomposition of the catalyst precursor. The high boiling hydrocarbon diluent may include a portion of the heavy oil feedstock, a portion of the conditioned feedstock, a vacuum tower bottoms product, or other high boiling hydrocarbon material having a boiling point higher than 524° C. A portion of the diluent may optionally include a medium boiling hydrocarbon material having a boiling point less than 524° C.

This invention relates to a process for determining the suitability of pyrolysis tar, such as steam cracker tar, for upgrading using hydroprocessing without excessive fouling of the hydroprocessing reactor. A pyrolysis tar is sampled, the sample is analyzed to determine one or more characteristics of the tar related to tar reactivity, and the analysis is used to determine conditions under which the tar can be blended, pre-treated, and/or hydroprocessed.

A method is presented of thermal decomposition to crack ethane and/or higher alkane hydrocarbon feed or the mixture of any of these hydrocarbons to break down into component elements or simpler constituents using heat from a hot metal agent from a chemical looping combustion process.

A method for treating an emulsion emanating from a quenching process in production of ethylene that includes online monitoring of zeta potential of the hydrocarbon/water emulsion in a quench water tower and/or a quench water loop. In response to the online monitoring of zeta potential, the method changes the amount of demulsifier being added to the hydrocarbon/water emulsion such that the amount of demulsifier is effective in breaking the emulsion.

A method of scavenging ammonia and amines, the method having the steps of (i) providing an aldehyde-based scavenger composition; and (ii) adding the aldehyde-based scavenger composition to a hydrocarbon.

The furnace of a delayed coking unit which is utilized for heating residue feeds to high temperatures can suffer from decrease in run length and fouling caused by caustic carryover from the upstream desalter unit. An antifoulant additive for preventing caustic induced fouling of thermal cracker furnace tubes is disclosed. The described antifoulant additive acts by converting the inorganic caustic compound such as NaOH to naphthenate salt of the metal as well as by reducing the fouling tendency of the whole feedstock, thereby making it ineffective in causing coking reaction. The additive finds application in thermal residue upgradation furnaces such as delayed coking unit, visbreaker, etc.

In a process for monitoring the operation of hydrodeoxygenation of a feedstock, comprising the steps of directing the feedstock to contact a material catalytically active in hydrotreatment, monitoring the temperature in multiple locations of said catalytically active material, and providing an indication in a means for process monitoring when the difference between the temperature in a first location of said catalytically active material and the temperature in a second location of said catalytically active material is above a specified threshold value, the difference between the temperature in said first location of the catalytically active material and the temperature in said second location of the catalytically active material is below the specified threshold value during an initial operation time.

A process for removing or reducing the accumulation of foulant within furnaces and heat exchangers in industrial systems such as an oil refinery by introducing a periodic steam blast. The steam blast is directed into the fluid stream from which the foulants form on to the heat exchanger surfaces. The steam blast increases the flow rates, creates turbulence and increases the temperature within the heat exchanger to dislodge foulant in both a soft and hardened states from internal surfaces upon which foulants have adhered and accumulated.