A high voltage discharge generating a plasma wave front is disposed within a headspace over an oil-containing liquid in order to create various chemical changes within the headspace, and ultimately within the liquid in order to inactivate various microbes, synthesize new chemicals, speed separation of a mixture, and aid in oil extraction. Such a discharge may be repeated at an optimum duration and duty-cycle to maximize the chemical effects of the non-equilibrium plasma at a substantially lower temperature than for an equilibrium plasma.

The present invention relates to the field of renewable energy. More specifically, the present invention relates to the production of biofuel from biomass including, for example, polymeric materials.

A halides removal washing system for absorbing halides from a process gas within a process gas duct comprising a wash water injection nozzle and anti-precipitation means arranged around the nozzle, injection pipe and within the process gas duct.

A method of producing olefins and/or aromatics is disclosed. The method includes catalyzing a hydrocarbon cracking reaction with a catalyst comprising a mixture of ZSM-5 zeolite and USY zeolite modified with lanthanum. The cracking process includes providing a diluent comprising primarily methane to the reactor, wherein steam is not provided to the reactor as a diluent.

A process for upgrading a hydrocarbon-based composition that includes combining a supercritical water stream with a pressurized, heated hydrocarbon-based composition in a mixing device to create a combined feed stream. The combined feed stream is introduced into a supercritical upgrading reactor to at least partially convert the combined feed stream to an upgraded product. The process includes separating the upgraded product to produce a light fraction and a heavy fraction, and separating the light fraction in the gas/oil/water separator to produce a gas fraction, a liquid oil fraction, and a first water fraction; combining the heavy fraction with at least a portion of one of the liquid oil fraction or the first water fraction to form a diluted heavy fraction; and passing the diluted heavy fraction from the flash drum to a demulsifier mixer to form a demulsified heavy fraction.

Integrated gas oil separation plant systems and methods, one system including a crude oil inlet feed stream; a low pressure production trap (LPPT); a low pressure degassing tank (LPDT); a first heat exchanger, where the first heat exchanger is fluidly disposed between the LPPT and LPDT, and is fluidly coupled to both the LPPT and LPDT, and where the first heat exchanger is operable to heat the LPDT inlet feed stream with compressed gas removed from the crude oil inlet feed stream; a first inline gas mixer preceding the LPPT to directly mix compressed gas from the LPDT into the LPPT inlet feed stream; and a LPDT recycle water stream, where the LPDT recycle water stream is operable to supply recycle water from the LPDT to the LPPT inlet feed stream.

Problems relating to metal corrosion in petroleum exploitation plants are monitored by methods, which include the following steps: i. Modifying the petroleum water content ii. Measuring the metal corrosion of metal in contact with the petroleum of step i. iii. Building, by repeating step i and step 2 several times, a database of water content values and values of metal corrosion corresponding to the respective water content values, and iv. Processing the database to determine an optimum value or an optimum range of values of water content (Mw) of the petroleum when metal corrosion shows a minimum value (M.sup.CR).

In a method for the hydroprocessing of renewable feeds in a hydroprocessing unit (unit A), comprising the use of sour waste water from the same or another unit (unit B), which is processing feeds containing sulfur and nitrogen, as wash water in unit A, thereby changing the pH of the waste water from unit A to lower the risk of carbonic acid corrosion of corrodible steel parts in unit A, the renewable material in unit A is directed to contact a material that is catalytically active in hydrogenating the renewable material in the presence of hydrogen, and the effluent is combined with the wash water stream which contains hydrogen sulfide and/or ammonia.

A process for upgrading a heavy oil, the process comprising the steps of introducing a heavy oil feed to a partial oxidation unit; introducing a water feed to a partial oxidation unit; introducing an oxidant feed to a partial oxidation unit, where the oxidant feed comprises an oxidant; processing the heavy oil feed, the water feed, and the oxidant feed in the partial oxidation unit to produce a liquid oxidation product, where the liquid oxidation product comprises oxygenates; introducing the liquid oxidation product to a supercritical water unit; introducing a water stream to the supercritical water unit; and processing the liquid oxidation product and the water stream in the supercritical water unit to produce an upgraded product stream, the upgraded product stream comprising upgraded hydrocarbons relative to the heavy oil feed.

A process for upgrading heavy oil is provided, which integrates thermal cracking, hydrogenolysis, and catalytic aquathermolysis. A catalytic hydrogen-aquathermolysis reactor receives a heavy oil feed, water and hydrogen. In addition catalytic materials and a viscosity reducing agent are introduced. The catalytic hydrogen-aquathermolysis reactor is operated at conditions effective to produce an upgraded heavy oil product.