A method for preventing or removing water soluble fouling located downstream of an oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) reactor is described. The method employs the introduction of water upstream of fouling locations, either continuously or intermittently, which acts to solubilize and carry away fouling material. The method has the advantage of being applicable for use while an ODH process is ongoing, circumventing the need for a costly shutdown.

A system that includes a fuel treatment system. The fuel treatment system includes a hydrodynamic cavitation reactor that receives a fluid that includes fuel from a fuel supply and water from a water supply. The hydrodynamic cavitation reactor cavitates the fluid. Cavitation of the fluid cracks the fuel and forms radicals that combine with one or more substances in the fuel. A separator receives the fluid and separates the fluid into water, fuel, and one or more substances.

A process to produce a light hydrocarbon fraction from a heavy residue feed, the process comprising the steps of operating the first supercritical reactor such that the heavy residue feed and the supercritical water stream undergo conversion reactions to produce a reactor effluent, introducing the reactor effluent to a top inlet in a top portion of a second supercritical reactor, introducing a supercritical water stream to a bottom inlet in a bottom portion of the second supercritical reactor, operating the second supercritical reactor such that the bottom of the barrel fraction is configured to settle in the bottom portion of the second supercritical reactor, withdrawing an upgraded product stream from a top outlet in the top portion of the second supercritical reactor, and withdrawing a heavy product stream from a bottom outlet in the bottom portion of the second supercritical 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.

A process to produce a light hydrocarbon fraction from a heavy residue feed, the process comprising the steps of operating the first supercritical reactor such that the heavy residue feed and the supercritical water stream undergo conversion reactions to produce a reactor effluent, introducing the reactor effluent to a top inlet in a top portion of a second supercritical reactor, introducing a supercritical water stream to a bottom inlet in a bottom portion of the second supercritical reactor, operating the second supercritical reactor such that the bottom of the barrel fraction is configured to settle in the bottom portion of the second supercritical reactor, withdrawing an upgraded product stream from a top outlet in the top portion of the second supercritical reactor, and withdrawing a heavy product stream from a bottom outlet in the bottom portion of the second supercritical reactor.

A method of separating solids and hydrocarbons from oil sands material has the steps of: mixing the oil sands material with water to create an oil sands slurry, the oil sands slurry comprising hydrocarbons, sand, water and a bubbling agent, the oil sands slurry being free from added surfactants, the bubbling agent comprising metal compounds present in the oil sands material that act as a catalyst; and conditioning the oil sands slurry such that: the bubbling agent produces bubbles within the oil sands slurry; at least a portion of the sand settles out from the oil sands slurry; and the bubbles interact with the hydrocarbons to produce a hydrocarbon froth at a top of the oil sands slurry. Metal compounds may be extracted from the oil sands slurry to be reused as a catalyst or as a source of revenue.

Methods for making sulfide scavenging compositions are provided. The method comprises reducing a settling velocity of the sulfide scavenging composition in a fluid stream by adjusting the specific gravity of the sulfide scavenging composition to within about fifteen percent or less of the specific gravity of the fluid stream. Sulfide scavengers using the above method are also disclosed. Methods for removing sulfides from fluid streams are also provided. The methods include adding the above sulfide scavengers to fluid streams.

The present invention provides methods, reactor systems and catalysts for converting biomass and biomass-derived feedstocks to C.sub.8+ hydrocarbons using heterogenous catalysts. The product stream may be separated and further processed for use in chemical applications, or as a neat fuel or a blending component in jet fuel and diesel fuel, or as heavy oils for lubricant and/or fuel oil applications.

Supercritical upgrading reactors and reactor systems are provided for upgrading a petroleum-based composition using one or more purging fluid inlets to prevent plugging of the catalyst layer in the reactor. Processes for upgrading petroleum-based compositions by utilizing a reactor having at least one purging fluid inlet are also provided.

A system to selectively remove metal compounds and sulfur from a petroleum feedstock includes a mixing zone configured to mix a pre-heated water stream and a pre-heated petroleum feedstock to form a mixed stream, a first supercritical water reactor configured to allow conversion reactions to occur to produce an upgraded stream, a carbon dispersal zone configured to mix carbon with a make-up water stream to produce a carbon dispersed water stream, such that the carbon is dispersed in the carbon dispersed water stream, a make-up mixing zone configured to combine the upgraded stream and the carbon dispersed water stream to produce a diluted carbon dispersed stream, the carbon is operable to trap metals present in the upgraded stream, and a second supercritical water reactor configured to allow conversion reactions to occur to produce a carbon dispersed effluent stream.