A process for producing blown asphalt comprising the steps of mixing a heated hydrocarbon stream and a supercritical water in to produce a mixed stream, operating the supercritical water reactor to produce a reactor effluent, reducing the temperature of the reactor effluent in the cooler to produce a cooled effluent, feeding the cooled effluent through a depressurizing device to produce a depressurized stream, separating the depressurized stream in the flash drum to produce a light fraction stream and a heavy fraction stream, the heavy fraction stream contains a maltene fraction, an asphaltene fraction, and water, introducing the heavy fraction stream to a storage tank, withdrawing an oxidizing reactor feed from the storage tank, introducing the oxidizing reactor feed to an oxidation reactor, and operating the oxidation reactor at an oxidation temperature and an oxidation pressure to produce a product effluent that comprises an oxidized asphaltene fraction.

A method to selectively remove metal compounds and sulfur from a petroleum feedstock is provided. The method comprising the steps of feeding a pre-heated water stream and a pre-heated petroleum feedstock to a mixing zone, mixing the pre-heated water stream and the pre-heated petroleum feedstock to form a mixed stream, introducing the mixed stream to a first supercritical water reactor to produce an upgraded stream, combining the upgraded stream and a make-up water stream in a make-up mixing zone to produce a diluted stream, wherein the make-up water stream increases the ratio of water to oil in the diluted stream as compared to the upgraded stream, and introducing the diluted stream to a second supercritical water reactor to produce a product effluent stream. The method can include mixing a carbon with the make-up water stream.

Processes and systems for the above ground extraction of crude oil from a mud-water slurry well bore mined from oil rich diatomite formations. The slurry is separated into liquid and solid factions, the liquid faction having oil, water and small sized solids, and the solid faction having larger chunks of solids. The solids faction is processed to form a slurry mixture which is cooked to disassociate oil therefrom and is centrifuged to yield an oil/solvent faction, a water faction, and a lowered oil content solids faction. The oil/solvent faction is further processed to separate the oil and solvent. Alternately, the mud-water slurry is treated to form an emulsion having a neutral pH, with solids being removed and the remaining emulsion processed to break the emulsion by removal of water as a vapor to recovery crude oil, with remaining crude oil in the solids being further processed.

A device is configured to increase the portion of low-boiling fractions of a liquid, particularly mineral oil. A device includes a pressure wave generator for generating a pressure wave having a first frequency, in which the pressure wave generator is arranged to subject the liquid to the pressure waves in a region of application, at least one pipe which is arranged through which treated liquid flows after the region of application, and means for exciting the at least one pipe through which such treated liquid flows to oscillations of a second frequency, which is the resonance frequency of the excited system.

A method for adjusting the operating point of a pressure wave generator for treating a first liquid, in particular a mineral oil, with pressure waves of a first frequency for increasing the portion of low-boiling fractions in the liquid. The pressure wave generator is communicated with a second liquid, in particular water, via flowed-through pipe(s) (piping(s) and the frequency of application via the pressure wave generator is varied. An operating point is determined as a maximum in temperature rise of the second liquid, after passing the pressure wave generator, as a function of the frequency of application.

The present application relates to a process for production of hydrocarbons comprising the steps ofconverting a feed stream comprising alcohols, ethers or mixtures hereof over a metal-containing zeolite based catalyst, active in dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons, in a conversion step thereby obtaining a conversion effluent, separating said effluent to obtain an aqueous process condensate stream, a liquid hydrocarbon stream and a gaseous stream, removing part of the hydrogen formed in the conversion step, and recycling at least part of the gaseous and/or liquid hydrocarbon stream to the conversion step.

The subject process enhances catalytic activity for demetallization and desulfurization of a residue feed stream by injecting water into the feed and hydrotreating in two stages with interstage separation. Water injection improves the demetallation activity of the HDM catalyst and separating vapor comprising hydrogen sulfide from the demetallized effluent improves the activity of the HDS catalyst. We have discovered that the water injection and hydrogen sulfide removal together provide a profound synergetic effect.

Embodiments of the invention include apparatus and systems for hydrocarbon synthesis and methods regarding the same. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method for creating a hydrocarbon product stream comprising reacting a reaction mixture in the presence of a catalyst inside of a reaction vessel to form a product mixture, the reaction mixture comprising a carbon source and water. The temperature inside the reaction vessel can be between 450 degrees Celsius and 600 degrees Celsius and the pressure inside the reaction vessel can be above supercritical pressure for water. In an embodiment, the invention includes an extrusion reactor system for creating a hydrocarbon product stream. The temperature inside the extrusion reactor housing between 450 degrees Celsius and 600 degrees Celsius. Pressure inside the reaction vessel can be above supercritical pressure for water. Other embodiments are also included herein.

Supercritical upgrading reactors and reactor systems for upgrading a petroleum-based compositions comprising one or more catalyst layers and, in some embodiments, one or more purging fluid inlets, where one or more catalyst layers at least partially sift and convert heavy hydrocarbon fractions to light hydrocarbon fractions to produce an upgraded supercritical reactor product. In some embodiments, upgrading reactor systems comprise one or more supercritical upgrading reactors and one or more supercritical standby reactors alternating functions such that a supercritical upgrading reactor is converted to a supercritical standby reactor and the supercritical standby reactor is converted to a supercritical upgrading reactor, where the supercritical upgrading reactor upgrades a combined feed stream while a supercritical standby reactor delivers a cleaning fluid into the supercritical standby reactor.

A process for operating a thermal or catalytic cracking unit is described, The process entails generating a product that includes cracked hydrocarbon vapor and solid coke-particles from a heavy hydrocarbon input. The product is communicated towards a fractionator and a quench liquid is introduced into the product for creating a two-phase flow of cracked hydrocarbon vapor and the quench liquid with solid coke-particles entrained in the quench liquid. The two-phase flow is introduced into the fractionator and the cracked hydrocarbon vapor are separated from the quench liquid and the solid coke-particles entrained therein by gravity separation. The two-phase flow can reduce or remove the requirement of a wash zone within the fractionator. A recirculation loop is included in a wash-zone circulation system. The recirculation loop bypasses one or more spray headers of the wash zone and returns to a first end of the wash-zone circulation system.