US1734880A - Apparatus for refining crude petroleum - Google Patents

Description

N01 5 1929. F. a. FHNG ET AL 1,734,880

APPARATUS FOR REFINING CRUDE ETROLEUM Filed Aug. 27,

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ahdimib ATTORNEYS W/ F. G. RENE ET AL APPARATUS FOR REFIN ING CRUDE PETROLEUM Filed Aug. 27, 1924 Sheets-Sheet 2 Grade-06b 406222142215 wed 15215222101113.

INVENTORS Patented N ov. 5, 1929 UNI-TEDISTATEVS PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK GAR'IHEWAITE RING, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, AND PERCY GEORGE PARIS, F BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID PARIS ASSIGNOR TO BETH- LEHEM STEEL COMPANY arrnnarus ron 'nsrrnmo CRUDE r'nrnotnum Application filed A usta, 1924. Serial at. 734,867.

This invention relates to an apparatus for the continuous removal of low boiling point hydrocarbon oils and water from a crude petroleum, prior to the complete distillation of the main body of the crude product.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus adapted to effect in a simple'and efliclent manner the removal of water and of a certain proportion of light oils from a crude petroleum, prior to submitting said petroleum to fractional distillation in the usual manner. I

A further object of this invention is to effect this removal, without impairing the qualities of the oils removed nor of the residual constituents, due to their prolonged contact with each other at high temperatures.

A further object of this invention is to effect theevaporation of the light oils from a crude petroleum under conditions of heat.

economy, by distributing the oil so as to attain the maximum of exposed surface thereof and by using the waste heat of the products of distillation to preheat the oil to a point substantially equivalent to the vaporizlng temperature of thelight oils to be separated.

Referring to the drawings, we show:

In Fig. 1 an elevation in cross section of the evaporating tower;

In Fig.2 a plan view in cross section of an upper portion of the tower across IIII in F1 1,

I n Fig. 3 a plan view in cross section at IIIIII in Fig. 1;

In Fig. 4.- we show a diagrammatic illustration of the eva orating tower in combination with stills, pre eaters, and a condensing system.

In Fig.6 we show diagrammatically an eva orating tower in combination with a dehy rator or pipe still for removing a large excess of water from the crude oil-prior to fractional distillation. I

Referring to Fig. 1, we show a vertical cylindrical shell 11 of steel plate construction, having upper and lower manholes 12 1 and 13, a vapor outlet 14 in the upper part of the tower and an oil outlet 15in the base thereof. In the tower, at a point slightly above its mid he gh we show a T-shaped crude oil distributor 16 having horizontal slots 17. Below this distributor a seriesof shallow trough plates 21 of rectangular section are arranged in cascadeformatlon, being evenly spaced from each other, so as to'cause 5 the oil to flow downwards from the distributor in a zigzag stream. The shape ofthe V trough plates 21 is such as to provide vapor Y clearances between their lateral edges and the tower 11. In the upper part of the tower above the distributor 16, aseries of perforated circular baffle plates 22 are provided, said plates 21 land the perforated plates 22 are their perforations progressively reduced in diameter the higher their position in the tower. Above the uppermost plate but below the vapor outlet 14 a substantial layer of porous tile packing 20is provided. The trough plates 21 and the perforated plates 22 are suitably supported in the tower by angles 23 and cross members 24. The tower is designed to be supported by four peripheral lugs 18 riveted to it at a point about one-third of its height, two guy lugs 19 riveted to the top of the tower being also provided.

At the bottom of the tower a perforated steam coil 25 is provided for the injection of low pressure exhaust steam, a vacuum relief valve 26 is also shown at the upper end of the tower shell. I

In Fig. 4, we show the tower inlet 16 connected to heat interchangers or preheaters 28, the vapor outlet 14 leading to a surface condenser 29'and the bottom outlet 15 connected to a battery of externally fired stills 30 having pipes 32 for the admission of steam. The vapors of distillation from the stills are condensed in fractional condensers 31 of the usual type. The hot oil residuum from the last still passes through the heat interchangers or residuum coolers 28 and serves to preheat the crude oil. Said crude oil also passes through the surface condenser 29 and the fractional condensers 31.

The operation of this tower is as follows: The crude oil receives a preliminary heating during its passage through the condenser 29 and the condensers 31. The oil is further heated in the heat interchanger 28 to the va porizing temperature of its more volatile .con-

stituents. It enters the tower through the distributor 16 and spreads over the upper trough 21 from which it overflows in cascade fashion to each lower trough in turn. The exhaust steam entering at the bottom of the towerby the perforated coil 25 helps to maintain the oil at the required temperature. Owing to the arrangement of the rectangular battle troughs the oil presents a substantial area to surface evaporation, with the re sult that the lighter oils and any water present are vaporized and are removed from the crude oil. The vapors ascend the tower in the free space provided between the surface of the flowing oil stream and the tower shell, whereby contact of these vapors'with the oil stream is reduced to the shortest period of time. The unvaporized portion of the crude oil passes through the outlet to the stills 30. The vaporized oil passes up through the perforated plates 22 and the tower packing 20, the scrubbing action of which is intended to effect the separation of any impurities entrained by the vaporized oil. After leaving the tower by the outlet 14 the vaporized oil passes to the surface condenser 29, in which the condensation of the tower vapors and a preliminary heating of the crude oil is effected. As an appreciable degree of vacuum may be created in the tower during the evaporation of the light oils, a vacuum relief valve 26 is provided at the top of the tower.

The distillation of the unvaporized oil from 35 the tower outlet 15 is effected in the usual manner by its passage through a series of externally fired stills 30 at progressively increasing still temperatures in contact with .live steam admitted by the pipes 32. The distillates from each still are separated in the fractional condensers 31 in the usual manner. The final residuum from the last still is passed to the heat interchangers or preheaters 28 in order to provide the heat necessary to effect the subsequent evaporation in the tower 11 of the more volatile constituents of the crude oil. Prior to its passage through said prcheaters the crude oil is circulated through the condensers 29 and the condensers 31 wherein it is substantially heated.

For example, a vaporizing tower embodying the features of this invention may be of fectively utilized in the treatment of a crude oil of approximately 23 Be. This oil enters the system at 70 F. and may be raised to a temperature of 257 F. by heat interchange with the vapors from the tower and from the crude stills, and may be further heated to 362 F. by heat interchange with the final still residuum. Those components of the oil entering the tower at this temperature, volatilizable at and below said temperature, may be removed in the tower promptly and without further contact or admixture with the main body of the oil; the unvolatilized portion collecting at the bottom of the tower and passing from thence to a crude still'battery, where distillation of the main body of the oil may be effected within an approximate range of 400 F. to 575 F., by passing the oilsuccessively to the various members of the still battery maintained at increasing temperatures.

From the above description, it will be readily understood that an evaporating tower of this description is susceptible of application, whenever it be desired to remove comparatively volatile portions from the main body of an oil in process of treatment. It can therefore be combined with apparatus other than that we have specifically described. For example, in the case of a crude oil, containing a substantially large quantity of water, 3% or more, our evaporating toweris susceptible of being connected with the vapor outlet of a pipe still of usual construction, the residual oil from the tower so connected being fed to a series of stills as hereinbefore described, or to a suitable cooling system. I

For example, we show" diagrammatically in Fig. 5 the evaporating tower 11 connected to a dehydrator or pipe still 35, of a kind well known to the art, for the purpose of removing excess water from the crude oil. The crude oil is fed to the pipe still 35 in any convenient manner and is heated there in to a point above the normal boiling point of water. The heated oil is then passed through the evaporating tower 11 in the manner already described, water vapor and a certain proportion of the lighter constituents of the oil passing out at the top of the tower and being condensed in a water cooled condenser 36 which may be of any conven- 105 ient type. The dehydrated oil flowing from the base of the tower is further heated to a temperature suitable for the first still of the battery, by heat interchange with the still vapors in the condensers 31 and with the re- 110 siduum in the interchangers 28, in the mannor already described.

If it be desired to dehydrate the crude oil without effecting its distillation, the oil flowing from the base of the tower may be run 115 directly to an oil cooler of the usual type and thence to storage.

Evidently a tower having the characteristic features we have disclosed, may be utilized at any desired stages in a process of dis- 120 tillation, where it is desired to effectively reiove the components of the oil volatile at the temperature ruling at said stages, the

main body of the oil being then submitted to further distillation at suitable temperatures.

While we have shown our invention in but one form it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and5130 modifications without departing' from the spirit thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art, or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Ina separator for removing the more volatile constituents of a preheated crude oil prior to the charging thereof into stills, the combination of a substantially closed shell body, baflles with their lateral edges upstanding to extend the passage of said preheated oil in a tortuous continuous stream therethrough, said batfie's being disposed transversely in the shell with their longitudinally terminal edges in staggered relation to one another and their lateral edges 'in substantially vertical alignment, a heating coil to maintain said volatile constituents at their vaporizing temperature, a scrubber for the vapors evolved, an inlet means for the crude oil, and independent outlet means for each of V the separated products.

. 2. A separator for removing the more volatile constituents of a hydrocarbon oil prior to its introduction into a battery of stills,

g said separatorcomprising a tower having a lower vaporizing zone and an upper scrubbing zone, an oil distributor between said zones, a steam coil below the vaporizing zone, oil troughs disposed in vertically staggered relation to each other between the distributor and the steam coil, said troughs being laterally spaced from the tower to provide vapor spaces therebetween, a vapor outlet in the j scrubbing zone, said outlet connecting with a condenser, and a liquid outlet in the vapor-' izing zoneto convey unvaporized oil to a battery of stills.

- 3. In a vaporizin chamber for reheated oils containing fractions of low boiling point, wherein the temperature of preheat maybe used to effect the removal-of said fractions prior to the normal distillation of the oil, the combination of a plurality of trou hs equidistantly disposed one below the ot er transversely of the chamber, with their longitudinally terminal edges in staggered relation to one another and their lateral edges in substantially vertical alignment, said lateral edges being spaced from the chamber so as to provide uninterrupted clearance for vapors therebetween, means 'tofeed oil to the upper trough, a plurality of perforated diaphragms placedtransversely of the ch'am ber above said means, a' vapor outlet at the top of the chamber, an-oil outlet at the botthe base of the chamber below the lowest trough. I v

4. In a surface evaporator tor refining pre- 86 heated crude oils, the combination of a substantially closed tower, an inlet for the pre- I heated crude oil, a distributor connecting with the inlet, staggered trough-shaped batfies equidistantly disposed below the distributor, in such a manner as to effect a tortuously cascading downward flow of the crude oil in a thin continuous stream, the baffles being laterally spaced from the tower wall so as to define therewith clearances on each side-of the troughs for the escape of vapors evolved along the'eXtended surfaces of the oil stream, a perforatedsteam coil at the base of the tower, a Vapor collecting space above the distributor, perforated circular plates horizontally disposed in the vapor collecting space, said plates having their perforations progressively, reduced in diameter, in such a manner that the perforations of an u per plate are smaller than those of a lower p ate, a tower packing above the' uppermost plate, a vapor outlet above said acking, and a liquid outlet at the bottom 0 the tower.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures this 18th and 23d day of August, 1924, respectively.- v

' FREDERICK GARTIIEWAI'I'E RING.

PERCY' GEORGE PARIS. I

tom there'bfiand means to inject steam into v i eemmexre ee CORRECTEON.

Patent N0. 1,734,880. v Granted November 5, l929, to

FREDERICK GARTHEWAETE RHNG ET AL.

It' is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the. above numbered patent requiring eerrectien as 0Uewsz Page 1, line 63, strike out "21 and the perferate plates 22 are" and insert finsiead "being equidis'tantly spaced and having; page 2, line 4-9, far the ward "candenseis" read"'c0ndenser"; and than the said Excite-Is Patentshmid be eead with these corrections therein that the same may eenferm to the reeerd 0f flxe case in the Patent Gffice.

Signed seaied this 3rd day of December, A. D. 1929.

943. EL Meeae (Seal) 1, Acting Gemmfissiener m Patems.

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