US1683826A

US1683826A - Process for treating residual oils

Info

Publication number: US1683826A
Application number: US715827A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lyman C Huff
Original assignee: Universal Oil Products Co
Current assignee: Universal Oil Products Co
Priority date: 1924-05-26
Filing date: 1924-05-26
Publication date: 1928-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1945-09-11

Description

Sept. l1., 1928.

L. c. HUFF` PRocEss 4Ffm TREATING RESIDUAL vons Filled May 25, 1924 2 SheGtS-Sheet 1|.l

Q g uw i I (l l.; L 5| :u I f y) l \l f "H I\|| l f l| l\ l IN l Q S |l'\ lr lr "l 'X l U Hg? fw,

Il l L wfh'fw Mv: MII D I Il J1 L; l

@l am bei' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ILg LLL.

L. c. HUFF yPRocEzss FOR TREATING RESIDUAL OILS Filed May 2S, 1924* Il Il Lwuwvtww QJ o k A WMA Il',

Sept. 1l, 1928.

Patented Sept;v 11, 1928.

UNITED SITA-TES LYMAN o. HUFF,A or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

AssIGNoR To UNIVERSAL OIL yPRODUCTS -GOMPANY, OFCHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATIONF SOUTH DAKOTA.

` 'PROCESS Fon v'rnnlrrmcr mJsInUAI. oIrs.

' 3.! Applicatam. mea Mayas,

My invention rela-tes to process apparatus for treatingresidual oils, and refers more particularly to the idea of utilizing the `residue Obtained from the distillation of hy- 5 drocarbon oils, withparticular reference to destructive `distillation under conditions of vcracking temperatures and pressure. In the particular embodiment of this invention, the residue is withdrawn from the reaction chamber of a cracking plant and passed to an enlarged chamber, the pressure maintained during the cracking Operation being materially reduced. Due to the reduction of pressure and the latent heat retained in the residue, th-e light constituents of said residue will vaporize, said vapors being withdrawn and condensed. The unvaporizcd residue may be withdrawn and forced to the fuel Oil cir` culating system hereinafter described, the eX- cess being returned to the bulk supply maintained in said enlarged chamber.

Many advantages of my invention will occur to those skilled in this art. Among some ofthese advantages are the production of a maximum yield of light hydrocarbons and the utilization of the entire residue as fuel oil in the plant, any excess being ,returned to the supply maintained in the enlarged chamber. The

unvaporized residue is Vcontinually caused to circulate through a fuel system about the rclinery supplying the burners for stills, boilers, etc., and any excessvbeing returned as heretofore described.

In this manner the lighter ends of the re-l y siduum will be removed, leaving a heavy liq-4 Imay befed to the boilers 22, the latter beuid residue which, instead of being reduced to coke as is the present practice in a coking still, is disposed of by utilizing same in a fuel burning system. It will be seen that'the 40 enlarged chamber containing the bulk supplyA acts as a combined ash still and equalizing fuel oil storage or sup-ply.

' In drawings, Fig. lis a side elevational view partly in vertical section, showing in detail the combined iiash still and'bulk supply storage tank. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic showing of the fuel o-il re.circul ating system. j

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 des-V ignates an 4enlarged chamber which, in the present instance, takes the form. of a vertical tower provided with a liquid gauge glass 2, vapor outlet pipe 3, saffety valve 4, residueinlet ypipe 5, controlled by valve 6r The vapor line 3 may be connected with any suitable form 1924. Serial No. 715,827.

of condenser such as shown at 7, which latter 1s connected by pipe 8 to the rundowntank or receiver 9; thechamber 1 is preferably insulated as shown at 10.

The residue preferably from a concurrently Aoperated cracking operation, which may be at a temperatureof from 400 to 700 F., may be Introduced adjacent the topl of the chamber l through the inlet pipe 5, the valve 6' regulating the reduction in p-res'surewhich may be down to, say, atmospheric.` y The inclined baliles 11 may .be provided adjacent the residue inlet for v the purpose of providing releasing surface for the lighter ends which vaporize due to the late'nt heat retained inthe residue and the reduc tion in pressure, these lighter ends'passing off through the vapor outlet pipe 3 to the condenser coil 7 and. discharged to the receiver 9 as explained. A f

The unvaporized portion ofthe residuum Y falls to the lower portion of the enlarged ,chamber 1 and may be withdrawn through the suction line 12.` The suction line 12 may. be connected to the pump 14, which may dis charge residue through the strainer or filtering member 15, the valves 1 6 and by-pass valve 17 being provided. A The residue is then forced into the circulating fuel oil header 18 which encircles fthe refinery supplyin fuel oil to furnaces of the various stills,-boi ers, cracking plants, etc. In the header 18 the oilis preferably.-v maintainedunder the pump Ipressure land' may'befed to the stills 19 connected to the header by theconnecting lines 20, the lattei' having interposed therein valve`s21. The

vthrough-fa centinuation `of the headerlS and .may dlscharge intothe lower portionof the enlargedv chamber .h1 through the inlet pipe 25,

'in which is interpsed the valve 26. As shown clearly inFig.' 2, the extremity of this pipe 25 is preferably curved, as shown as 27, to conform. with the curvature ofthe chamber l and assist inmaintaining the oil' in the bottom of Asaid chamber in a constant state of swirling motion or agitation, and preventing settling of any carbon or other foreign matter sus- 'pended therein. The pump 14 may be l equipped with the usual pressure governor to maintain a constant pressure on the header Ico 18, and by the manipulation of the valve 26 a definite quantity of oil can be caused toveir-V oulate through the system.

It may beldesirable to assist the vaporization within the chamber 1 lto. obtain a higher yield of the lighter ends. For this reason a pipe 28 connected to any. source of steam supply may discharge into the interior of the lchamber 1 where it mixes with the oil therein, this steam is preferably superheated to a temperature higher than the incoming oil. Steam may also be mixed with the hot residuum at a` point adjacent the reaction chamberwhere said residue is released from the cracking operation; the steam thus acting to convey the heavy residuum into the enlarged separating chamber 1. When there is an excess of residue in the chamber 1 other than what is being consumed by the furnaces o f the stills 19 and boilers 22,' this excess may be diverted from the continuation of the header 18 into storage tank 29 through the pipe connection 30' in which is interposed valve 31, the valve 26 being then closed, vif desired. On the other hand, when the demand for `fuel oil in the system is in excess of the amount of oil maintained in the bulk supply in the chamber 1 the deficiency can be remedied by withdrawing oil from the storage tank 29 through the pipe connection 32, in which latter is interposed the valve 33. The oil withdrawn from the storage tank 29 may have a suction imposed on it by the pump 14, and this oil diverted into the fuel-burning system., the valve 34 in the line 35 connected to the pipe 32 being"preferably closed. A

drain 36 provided with valve 37 may be provided adjacent the bottom of the chamber 1. It is to be noted that in the preferred method of operation the upper portion only of the chamber 1 may b'e insulated as shown at l0, in order to reduce the temperature of the liquid oil inthe lower portion, ifsame is desirable, before it is sent to the fuelburning system. It must Vhe understood, of cou-rse, that the chamber may be entirely in' sulated. Also the chamber 1 instead of being vertical may lie in a horizontal plane. In the preferred form of operation it -is vto be noted that the chamber l is unheated either internally or externally. A steam spray 38 may be .positionedbelow the liquid level of the oil to further assist in the distillation of the lighter ends.. I do not wishv to limit myself to effecting a distillation within the chamber 1 at atmospheric pressure, as inplace of the rundown tank 9 a receiver may be provided,rand a vacuum created therein by means of a vacuum pump which would maintain a vacuum in tie condensing coil 7 and enlarged chamber 1 to promote further distillation. v

f The oil` level is preferably maintained at the level shown at 39 although this is, of course, Within the option of the operator.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an economic process and apparatus for commercially utilizing the residue obtained from the cracking or distillation of hydrocarbon oils, at the same time producing a maximum yield of light hydrocarbons. By returning the excess residue from the stills and boilers to the combination flash still.

and bulk supply storage, it is possible to yutilize 100% of the residue as fuel oil. The economic value of this will be appreciated without any further enumeration of its many advantages. `The residue in the header 18 being in a heated liquid condition will not clog thev circulating system, therefore allowing the use of ,residues which are more or less naturally viscous.

I claim as my invention:

1. An improved method for utilizing the liquid residue from a hydrocarbon oil crack'- ing process. which comprises wthdrawing the residual oil from a pressure cracking still, while at a temperature in excess of 400 A F., lowering the pressure on the liquidy resi-y due', introducing the same to an enlarged zone, taking off vapors from said enlarged zone which have been evolved from the residual oil therein, in maintaining a body of the heated residual oil in said enlarged zone, continuously circulating the het residual oil through a closed ring, including said enlarged zone, and supplying' regulated quantities of the hot residual oil from said closed ring to selected furnaces positioned adjacent the ring, to constitute the fuel consumed therein. l

2. An improved method for utilizing the heavy residual` oil from aA hydrocarbon oil cracking process as a fuel, which comprises forcing the hot residual oilr produced in a con currently operated cracking still from said still into an enlarged zone, wherein a substantial body of the hot residual oil collects, continuously circulating the hot residual oil in a closed ring, including said, enlarged zone, 'in removing regulated quantities of the hot residual oil from said closed ring, and introducing the same in a heated condition to selectedk furnaces positioned Vadjacent the ring, to supply the fuel consumed in such furnaces.

3. Animproved method for utilizing the liquid residue from a hydrocarbon oil cracking process, which comprises withdrawing the hot residue from -a cracking still, at a temperature in excess of 400 F., introducing such hot residues to an enlarged zone, maintained under a lower pressure than that employed in the cracking process, taking off va pors evolved from the oil as a result of the reduction in pressure from said enlarged zone for condensation, in maintaining a substantially constant volume of the heated residual oil in said enlarged zone, in continuously circulating hot residual oil through a closed ring, including said enlarged zone, and supplying regulated quantities of the hot re- Y ring, to supply sidual oil from said closed ring to Selected furnaces positioned adjacent said ring, to constitute the fuel consumed in such fui naces, and applying additional heat .to the body of oil maintained in said enlarged zone.

Ll. An improved method for utilizing the heavy residual oil from a hydrocarbon oil cracking process as" a fuel, which consists in forcing the hot residual oil produced in a con vcurrently operated cracking stillfroin said still into an enlarged Zone, wherein a substantial body of the hot residual oil collects, in continuously circulating the hot residual oil in a closed ring, including said enlargedzone, in removing regulated -quantities of the hot residualoil from said closed ring and in introducing the same ina heated condition to selected furnaces positioned adjacent the the fuel'consumed insuch furnaces, and in introducing steam into said enlarged Zone, at a temperature above the temperature of the oil in said enlarged lZone, to elevate the temperature of the oil in said enlarged zone.

5.,An improved method for utilizing the heavy residual oil resulting from the cracking of hydrocarbon oil in a concurrently operated cracking stillwhich consists in forcing the liot residual oil, under t-he pressure employed in the cracking process from said cracking still, into an enlarged Zone, maintained under a lower pressure than the pressure employed in the cracking process, in collecting a substantial body ofy hot residual 'oil in saidi enlargedzone, in maintaining a forced cyclic circulation of the hot residual oil through a closed ring, including said enlarged zone, in removing 'regulated quantities of the hot residual oil at spaced points in the ring, in supplying such regulated quantitiesV of the residual oil removed from the ring to Jfurnaces positioned adjacent the ring, to constitute the fuel consumed in such furnaces. i

6. An improved method for utilizing the ,liquid residual oil resulting from the cracking of hydrocarbon oil in a concurrently7 operated cracking process, which comprises introducing the residual oil directly from a in temperature, into an enlarged zone, maintaining a lower pressure in said enlarged zone i i than that maintained on the residual oil in the cracking still, in taking oil' vapors evolved from the residual oil as a result of the decrease in pressure from said enlarged Zone for condensation,.in collecting a substantial body of the hot residual oil in said enlarged Zone, in continuously circulating the hot residual oil, under a mechanically applied pres-V sure, through a closed ring, including said en-A 7 An improved method for utilizing ther.

heavy= residual oil from a hydrocarbon oil cracking. process, which consists in removing the hot `'residual oil from 'a cracking process, in introducing theremoved residual oil, with- 'out substantial drop in temperature, into an enlarged zone, wherein a substantial volume of the hot residual oil is maintained, in continuously withdrawing hot residual oil from said enlarged zone, in placing the same under a mechanically applied pressure, in passing the same, While moving under a mechanically applied pressure, through a filter, in delivering regulated quantities of the oil, While moving under a mechanically applied pressure, to selected furnaces, to supply the fuel consumed therein and in returning the remaining oil which has been placed under a mechanically applied pressure to the body of oil in said enlarged zone, and in so controlling the introduction of such oil to the enlarged zone that the body of oil therein is maintained in a turbulent condition.

LYMAN o; H'Uru.