Heavy oil cracking method

Abstract

A method for cracking heavy oil is disclosed. The method uses a first heating stage, a second heating stage, a first cracking stage and a second cracking stage to produce cracked distillates from the residual heavy oil.

1 . A method for cracking heavy oil comprising at least one heating stage and at least one stage selected from the group consisting of a second heating stage and a temperature maintenance stage. 
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said at least one stage is a second heating stage. 
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said at least one stage is a temperature maintenance stage. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein up to four of each one at least one heating stage and at least one stage selected from the group consisting of a second heating stage and a temperature maintenance stage are present. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said heating stage occurs in a heating pressurized combustor. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein an oxidation reaction occurs in said heating stage. 
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein heating gas formed in said heating pressurized combustor is fed to an atomizer along with a residual heavy oil feed. 
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 7  wherein said residual heavy oil feed contains at least 25% of species having a boiling point great than 524° C. 
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8  wherein said residual heavy oil is partially hydrogenated prior to atomization. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 9  wherein said atomized residual heavy oil feed is fed to a contactor and maintained for a residence time sufficient to convert the atomized residual heavy oil to distillates. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein reactions occurring in said contactor are at a temperature between 650° and 850° C. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 6  wherein reaction products from said contactor are fed to an inertial vapor-liquid separator to separate said reaction products into vapor and liquid portions. 
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 12  wherein said inertial vapor-liquid separator is a cyclone. 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 13  wherein remaining residual oil liquid is fed to said temperature maintenance stage. 
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 14  wherein said temperature maintenance stage is a reactor for cracking said residual oil liquid. 
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 15  wherein said temperature maintenance stage is at a temperature of 1000° to 1600° C. and 2 to 10 bar. 
     
     
         17 . The method as claimed in  claim 15  wherein said cracked residual oil reaction products are fed to said inertial vapor-liquid separator containing the distillates. 
     
     
         18 . The method as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said cracked residual oil reaction products and distillates are separated into a liquid portion and a vapor portion. 
     
     
         19 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said heating stage comprises an atomizer, a contactor and an inertial vapor-liquid separator. 
     
     
         20 . The method as claimed in  claim 19  wherein said atomizer is selected from the group consisting of conical and cylindrical convergent-divergent nozzle atomizers. 
     
     
         21 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said temperature maintenance stage comprises a reactor and an inertial vapor-liquid separator. 
     
     
         22 . The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said second heating stage comprises an atomizer, a contactor and an inertial vapor-liquid separator. 
     
     
         23 . A method for cracking heavy oil comprising feeding residual heavy oil first to a heating stage comprising an atomizer, a contactor and an inertial vapor-liquid separator, and then to at least one stage selected from the group consisting of temperature maintenance stage comprising a reactor and an inertial vapor-liquid separator, and a second heating stage comprises an atomizer, a contactor and an inertial vapor-liquid separator 
     
     
         24 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said at least one stage is a second heating stage. 
     
     
         25 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said at least one stage is a temperature maintenance stage. 
     
     
         26 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein up to four of each one at least one heating stage and at least one stage selected from the group consisting of a second heating stage and a temperature maintenance stage are present. 
     
     
         27 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said heating stage occurs in a heating pressurized combustor. 
     
     
         28 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein an oxidation reaction occurs in said heating stage. 
     
     
         29 . The method as claimed in  claim 28  wherein heating gas formed in said heating pressurized combustor is fed to an atomizer along with a residual heavy oil feed. 
     
     
         30 . The method as claimed in  claim 29  wherein said residual heavy oil feed contains at least 25% of species having a boiling point great than 524° C. 
     
     
         31 . The method as claimed in  claim 30  wherein said residual heavy oil is partially hydrogenated prior to atomization. 
     
     
         32 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said atomized residual heavy oil feed is fed to a contactor and maintained for a residence time sufficient to convert the atomized residual heavy oil to distillates. 
     
     
         33 . The method as claimed in  claim 32  wherein reactions occurring in said contactor are at a temperature between 650° and 850° C. 
     
     
         34 . The method as claimed in  claim 32  wherein reaction products from said contactor are fed to an inertial vapor-liquid separator to separate said reaction products into vapor and liquid portions. 
     
     
         35 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said inertial vapor-liquid separator is a cyclone. 
     
     
         36 . The method as claimed in  claim 29  wherein remaining residual oil liquid is fed to said temperature maintenance stage. 
     
     
         37 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said temperature maintenance stage is a reactor for cracking said residual oil liquid. 
     
     
         38 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said temperature maintenance stage is at a temperature of 1000° to 1600° C. and 2 to 10 bar. 
     
     
         39 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said cracked residual oil reaction products are fed to said inertial vapor-liquid separator containing the distillates. 
     
     
         40 . The method as claimed in  claim 32  wherein said cracked residual oil reaction products and distillates are separated into a liquid portion and a vapor portion. 
     
     
         41 . The method as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said atomizer is selected from the group consisting of conical and cylindrical convergent-divergent nozzle atomizers.