US1179001A

US1179001A - Process and apparatus for recovering volatile hydrocarbons from crude oil.

Info

Publication number: US1179001A
Application number: US78881813A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cassius M Gay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1913-09-09
Filing date: 1913-09-09
Publication date: 1916-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 1933-04-11

Description

c. M. GAY.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS FROM CRUDEAOIL.

APPLICATIONPILED SEPT. 9. 1913.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Snom/dto@ GMO-mugs UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

cAssIUs M. GAY, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PRC-)VCESS 4ANZI) APPARATUS FOR RECOVEIRJIING'` VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS FROM CRUDE OIL.

To allwkom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CAssIUs M. GAY, a]

citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented certa-in new and useful Improvements in Processes and Ap-A paratus for Recovering Volatile Hydro-l raised to a high temperature andthe lighter products driven oif are condensed in coolers. The product of this partial distillation' is not sold commercially, but is sent to the refinery,

where it is further treated and gasolene orr other salable volatile hydro-carbons o btained.

An object 0f the present invention is to provide a process of treating the crude oil as it comes from the well, whereby a salable gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbon 4is,

directly obtained. c

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whereby the above process may be carried out and wherein thel natural gas or other carrier gas utilized in the process may be reclaimed and `again used for separating the gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbons from the oil. l

These and other objects will' in part be obvious, and will in part be hereinafter more fully described.

)The figure of the drawings illustrates more 0r less diagrammatically an apparatus embodying my improvement, and for carryingl out the improved process.

In the treating of the oil in order to recover the lighter products by the processes heretofore used, wherein the oil is heated to a high temperature, the distillates are of il low grade.

condens'ers .izing the oil, said Patented Apr. 11, 191e.

The present invention consists gener-y ally in separating the volatile hydro-carbons from the crude oil by a process which does not require a heating of the oil to a high degree, and, therefore, the distillates recovered are of a much higher grade. This is accomplished by atomizing the crude .oil with natural gas which has a great aflinity for gasolene and other volatilel hydrocarbons. Thisl atomized oil is passed to l where it is subject to condensa tion, and the gasolene or other volatilehydro-carbons held in suspension by the natural gas is thrown down and recovered,

, and this volatile hydro-'carbon is of a high grade and a readily salable quality.

.Referring more in detail to the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing, the

process will'be better understood from a descrip'tion thereof. This apparatus consists ,of a saturater 1, which, as heremshown, is 1n the form of a cylindrical metal chamber.

lThe crude oil is drawn from the well or from a reservoir. in which it is stored by an o1 l pump 2. The oil is delivered through a pipe 3 to an oil heater 4, where the oil is subjected only to sulicient temperature to aid in the atomizing of the same. From the oil heater the oil is delivered to the atomizers 5 and 6, which project into the saturatlng chamber 1, at points adjacent the bottom thereof. When natural gas is used for atomgas is .passed from a gas compressor 7, to a gas receiver 8, and from the gas receiver 8 through pipes 9 and 10 to the atomizers. It will be understood that the pipes delivering the oil and the gas to the atomizers are supplied with suitable valves, whereby the. proper amount of gas may be regulated and also the pressure of the gas and oil as delivered to the saturater. At the top of the saturater l, I have provided an outlet pipe 11. Baiile plates 12 and 13 arearranged across the upper end of thesaturater. The'heavier oils, which are not atomized, are held back by the baflie In order to avoid the use of a safet valve, or vacuum valve onl the saturatcr, yextend the drain pipe 14 downward to form a very deep siphon. The discharge end 15 of the siphon is Some distance below the bottom of the saturation chamber, which insures a mediate cooler and gas compressor the saturated gas passes through a pipe 20, to the first condenser 21, and fromI the first condenser 21 upwardly through a second condenser 22. rlhese condensers are preferably arranged one above the other, and the cooling water will pass first over the second condenser and then over the irst condenser, so that the 'second condenser will be given a slightly lower temperature than the iirst condenser.' The irst condenser is provided with an outlet or collecting pipe 23, through which the low grade volatile hydro-carbon is carried oil from the condenser, while the second condenser is provided with a collecting pipe 24, through which the gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbon separated from the gas is drawn. rlhe gas and volatile hydro-carbon not condensed in these two condensers is then passed through a pipe 25, to a third condenser 26. rlhis third condenser-is cooled preferably to a temperature of about zero Fahrenheit, and the gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbon separated from the carrier gas is led through a pipe 27 to a suitable storage receptacle.

I have shown herein a pipe 23, connected to the' pipe 24, and the pipe 27, and, therefore, the different grades of gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbon separated from the atomized oil may be blended and conveyed to the shipping tanks.

rlhat portion of gas used for atomizing the oil which still resists condensation" under the combined pressure and low temperature obtained in the condenser 26, is passed to a receiver 28. The condenser 26 may be cooled by a suitable ice machine 29. Suitable pipes 3() and 31 carry the refrigerating fluid from the ice machine to the condenser 26. The

ice machine 29, the oil pump 2, and the gas .compressor may all be driven from a suitable gas. engine 32. The vgas utilized in connection with the engine may be drawn from the dry gas receiver 28.

The gas for atomizing the oil may be taken `directly from the well when natural gas is used, or may betaken from the receiver 28 by a pipe 33, which connects therewith.

From the above it will be apparent that ll have provided an apparatus wherein the crude oil may be heated sufliciently to assist in the atomizing of the same, after which the crude oil is atomized by a suitable lgas, preferably natural gas, the topped oil collected and delivered to a' storage tank, while the atomized oil carrying the lighter volatile hydro-carbons passes through condensers, and the gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbons are separated from the gas, and the dry gas may be again utilized for atomizing the oil. I have, therefore, provided an apparatus in which the gas used for separating gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbons from the crude oil may be used overl and over again, and, in eilect, becomes the active medium for separating the gasolene from the crude oil, and carrying the same to a point where the gasolene may be condensed and recovered.

While my inventionis especially intended and adapted for the recovering of gasolene, it is also obvious that. it may be utilized for recovering other lighter volatile hydro-carbons, as has already been referred to in the description of the process.

While I have also described an apparatus for carrying out my process, it will be obvious that other devices may be utilized for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

,1. The process of reclaiming gasolene from crude oil, consisting in heating the oil 5 only sufficiently to assist in atomizing the same, and atomizing said oil with natural gas, and subsequently separating the gasolene from the atomized oil by condensation.

2. The process of reclaiming gasolene from crude oil, consisting in heating the oil only sufficiently to assist in atomizing the same, but not suiiciently to drive ofi distillates,and atomizing the oil with natural substantially at atmospheric pressure and finally separating the gasolene lfrom the atomized oil by condensation.

3. An apparatus for treating crude oil, consisting of a saturating chamber, an oil heater, means whereby gas may be utilized for drawing the oil from the oil heater, and for atomizing the oil as it is delivered to the saturater, whereby said gas becomes saturated with the lighter volatile hydro-carbons contained in said oil, and condensers connected with said saturating chamber for separating the volatile hydro-carbons from the atomized oil.

4. ,An apparatus for treating crude oil,

consisting of a saturating chamber, an oil isa heater, means whereby gas may be utilized for drawing the oil from the oil heater, and for atomizing the oil as it is delivered to the saturater, whereby said gas becomes saturated with the lighter volatile hydro-carbons contained in said oil. and condensers connected with said saturati-ng chamber for separating the volatile hydro-carbone from the atomized oil, and means whereby the gas may be reclaimed and again utilized for 10 atomizing the oil.

ln testimony whereof, I ailix in v signature. in the presence of two witnesses.

CASSIUS M. GAY.

Witnesses NORMAN H. GAY, ELLA Sco'r'r.