US1135506A - Treatment of petroleum. - Google Patents

Description

J. A. DUBBS.

TREATMENT 0F PETROLEUM.l

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, |911.

v ii-us crans i c JESSE A. DUEJBS, OF SANTA MONICA,

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL HYDRO- CARBON COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A GORPORATTON 0F SOUTH DAKOTA.

. TREATMENT OIF PETROLEUM.

il., T35,5OR.

Patented Apr.. T3., lllllo application sied nine 3, 191i. serial No. 631,189.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, Jiis'sn A. DUBBs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Monica, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have inventeda certain new and useful llmprovenient in the Treatment of Petroleum, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process for the distillation of petroleum oils, particularly the asphaltic oils such as produced in California, and to the production of asphalt and asphaltic residues.

It has special reference to the treatment of the crude asphaltic oils for the obtainment of a maximum percentage of distillate and of residual asphaltic products of varying grades, by a process generally consistlng yin subjecting the'oil, having a small amount of moisture either in the form of Water or steam, to a heat and pressure varying according to the density or gravity of the crude,l and the percentage of Water used or naturally present in the oil, and causing the mixture of oil and Water. thus heated, to expand in a vaporizing chamber, from which the distillates, as Well as various grades of as halt, are recoverable.

etroleuni oils have heretofore been subjected to pressure and heat for specic purposes, principally to prevent the liberation l of any vapor while the pressure is being pressure,l break maintained, and thereby to cause a chemical combina-tion. of thed homologous hydrocarbon,y such process being productive of a more homogeneous vapor when the oil is allowed to expand4 in a vaporizing chamber. Such processes require a high heat and an enormous pressure to cause a vaporization of the oil, and even then thel hydrocarbon molecules are not split up to a degree sucient for a complete evolution of the inherent vapors because the expansion per molecule oet oil isV limited, and the diderent hydrocarbons existing naturally inl crude petroleum: will not be acted on by or respond to theexpansive forces caused by the pressure, in equal measures. I do not refer to the unvaporizable constituents o fthe' crude oil, but only to those hydrocarbonV elements Which, in the presence of heat and from the basic or more. solid. constituents.

.sudden liberation of the up and become separated' I have discovered that the subjection of oil, admiXed with an element of moisture having a Wide expansive range When heated,

such as steam or Water, to a temperature ranging according to the density of the crude, from 150 F. to 600, and under a pressure of say 50 to 300 pounds per square inch, will give a far better and'increased yield of distillates, and a residual product 'that may be gaged for penetrability, ductility and tenacity according to the requisites of the use. When the oil thus subjected is liberated in a vaporizing chamber, the particles of oil are broken uo by what may be termed the successive action due to the pressure and the ensuing expansion of the steam and oil. The expansion of the Water being far in excess of the expansion of the oil, it is obvious that ,the disintegration of the oil into finely divided globules is nearly perfect.l Escaping into the vaporizing chamber of the apparatus, to be presently described, in a foamy condition, consisting of globules or vesicles of the viscous cohesive liquid oil, containing the vaporized constituents, these globules or vesicles are'broken up andy dispersed by thev confined vapors, Which are then drawn off and condensed, While the asphaltic residuum falls to thebottom of the chamber. Though there is a thorough disintegration of the oil When .the pressure is removed, the chemical affinity of the hydrocarbon elements is not destroyed, but only suspended controlling the temperature, the' softness o1" hardness of the product sought.

The accompanying drawing represents the prefered form of a still for carrying out the i proces herein-before deifned. l[t consists of a vaporizing chamber 1, of necessary height, with which a fire box 2 is in communication. In the said re box2 is a coil 3, connected with a supply pipe 4 through which crude oil is delivered from a pump to nthe coil; a steam pipe 6 is connected with said supply pipe,'as is also a Water pipe 7, such pipes serving to give to the'crude oil the necessary moisture'before it enters the coil 3. The mixture of oil and water in the coil 3, is heated, preferably by an oil burner 8, to a temperature sufficient to cause a free liberation of the hydrocarbon distillates, and a conversion of the Water into steam., Such temperature ranges from 15()o F. to 600o F., according to the density of the crude, and While the evolution of vapors occurs in proportion to the heat, -there occurs concurn rently a pressure as a result of such evolution of vapors, such pressure increasing proportionately with the increase in Vheat Vand the generation of vapors. rlhe oil thus admixed, would ordinarily in cylinder distillation, foam to a considerable extent, but being confined, and under a steadily increasing pressure, no such action takes place during the subjection of the oil to pressure, until it is caused to discharge, when by the suddenness of the liberation of pressure the oil bursts forth, dissipating the volatile constituents.l Such discharge occurs in the vaporizing chamber 1, through. the rose 9, which is connected with the pipe 10, leading from the coil 3. On said pipe 10 is a pressure valve 11, fulcrumed in a lever 12, which is pivotally supported on said pipe, and on which is mounted a Weight 12 adjustable relatively thereto. The adjustment of the Weight on the said lever 12 regulates the pressure of the oil and Water that is necessary to overcome the Weighted valve 11, such pressure being indicated by the gage 13 on the pipe 10. When from the distillates or residual products it is found that additional heat is required to either vaporize the steam or decrease the penetrability yof the asphalt, the damper 14 in the fire'bo'x 2 is opened and the damper 15 in the stack or flue 16 is closed. In this manner the products of combustion from the heat producing medium, are let into the vaporizing chamber to meet in their ascent the unvolatilized particles or remnants of oil that have not succumbed'to complete disintegration by the original eX- pansive force of the pressure. This is found desirable especially Where the crude oil subjected topressure is very dense and on accountof such vdensitythe expansion ensuing upon liberation is not as great as with lighter crudes, even thoughthe pressure is increased to meet this difiiculty. Ordinarily the still is runwith the damper 14 closed and flue damper 15 opened, whereby the heat or gas produced from combustionk escapes to the atmosphere. In some cases it may be desirable to use superheated steam or hot air in the vaporizing chamber 1, when a finer distilled product and a more tenacious asphalt is desired from the oil, that is obtainable by the rupture of the bubbles or vesicles upon removal of the high pressure. Superheated steam may be delivered to the vaporizing chamber through the nozzle 17 extending in the bottom of the still, such nozzle forming the terminus of a pipe 18 leading from a superheater 19 disposed within the fire box 2, and receiving heat from a suitable source such as an oil burner 20. Air may be delivered to the vaporizing chamber through the same nozzle 17, by closing the valve 21 in the pipe 18 and opening the valve provided on an air pipe 23, which is connected with any suitable supply not shown. Obviously both valves 21 and 22 may be simultaneously opened to admit steam and air, where this is found necessary, in case of oxidation of the oils.

Should the delivery of the compressed oil body to the nozzle 17 be too great for ready discharge, the overfiow or surplus oil will travel through pipe 24 to a collecting tank,

after the valve 25 thereon has been opened.

The distillates are drawn off from the vaporizing chamber 1, through a pipe 26, a suction being maintained by steam sprays issuing from jets 27 and 28. Said distillate conveying pipe 26 connects with a. condenser in the form of a coil 29 submerged in a body of Water, the condensed distillate being drawn off through a trap 30 and pipe 31 leading from the trap, which serves to prevent the passage of any uncondensed vapor into the collector. Such uncondensed vapor may be allowed to escape to the atmosphere through pipe 32, or the same may be drawn off by means of a suction pump 33, which also serves to draw the vapors from the vaporizing chamber 1. The asphaltic residuum is drawn off through the outlet pipe 34, leading from the bottom of the still.

According to the process described, the proportions of Water added to the crude which does not naturally contain Water, should preferably be from 1% to 3%, Where an increased yield of distillates is desired. But Where a residual product is sought, the percentage of Water added should vary from 1% to 5%, according to experiments which show that these proportions are most economically eiiieient to thoroughly atomize the oil. It will be understood that a larger percentage of water added or naturally contained in the crude, will not vary the final results of the process in point of quality or quantity, but the .time of treatment will be changed, that is lessened or prolonged according to temperature. These proportions will change, as shown by experiments, only as the gravity of the oil changes, so that for instance, Where a 20 gravity oil is treated vary in accordance with the proportions of water, which if it be from 1% to 3%, will require a temperature of from 300 F. to', Li60 F. For distillates and residues, the

' temperature is increased to properly vaporize the mixture, it ranging then from 300 F. to 600 F. f

What ll claim is:

l. 'llhe process of treating petroleum which consists in mixing with petroleum water, under pressure, then subjecting the vmixture to a vaporizing temperature and a pressure 'of from 50 to 600 pounds .per square inch, and thereupon allowing the vaporized mixture to escape in a vaporizing chamber. v

2. The process of treating or vaporizing petroleum which consists in intimately mixing with the petroleum, underpressure, a quantity of water determinable by the gravity of the petroleum, then subjecting the mixture to heat sufficient to -vaporize kthe same and to pressure above atmospheric pressure, then allowing the vaporized mixture to expand in a heated chamber, and finally separating and condensing the vapors.

3. The process of treating petroleum or its derivatives which consists in mixingl from water mixed therewith, comprisingl confining a mixture of oil and water, heating the same under pressure, said pressure in part being produced by the volatilization of the mixture, the steam generating from 'the water interacting in confinement with the oil and increasing the volatilization thereof, and thereafter relieving the pressure and discharging the mixture into a 'vaporizing chamber in the vtorm of a finely divided spray, the steam thereupon'Lby its expansive energy, acting to additionally break up the oil into vapors.

ln testimony whereof I have set my hand in thepresence of two witnesses.

' JESSE A. DUBBS. Witnesses:

FRANK NEWNHAM, F. J. MCCLARY.

Images