Method of preparing stabilized fuel oil and the same produced therefrom

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for preparing an asphaltene-stabilized fuel oil comprising (i) mixing an asphaltene-containing oil fraction(s) and a high-saturated hydrocarbon oil fraction(s) to obtain a mixture of oil fractions; and (ii) filtering the obtained mixture through a filtering medium, and the asphaltene-stabilized fuel oil obtained therefrom.

1 . A method for preparing an asphaltene-stabilized fuel oil, comprising: (i) mixing an asphaltene-containing oil fraction and a high-saturated hydrocarbon oil fraction to obtain a mixture of oil fractions; and (ii) filtering the oil fraction mixture through a filtering medium to remove precipitates therein and recover the asphaltene-stabilized fuel oil. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the asphaltene-containing oil fraction is selected from the group consisting of crude oil, atmospheric residue oil, vacuum residue oil, residue desulfurization oil, residue catalytic cracking oil, residue pyrolysis oil, residue hydrocracking oil, residue solvent extraction oil, pitch, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the high-saturated hydrocarbon oil fraction is selected from the group consisting of oil distilled from crude oil, pyrolysis oil, catalytic cracking oil, hydrocracking oil, hydrodesulfurized oil, alkane oil and derivatives thereof, iso-alkane oil and derivatives thereof, cycloalkane oil and derivatives thereof, polycyclic naphthenic oil and derivatives thereof, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the alkane oil is selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, heptane, heptane, octane, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the iso-alkane oil is selected from the group consisting of iso-propane, iso-butane, iso-pentane, iso-heptane, iso-heptane, iso-octane, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the cycloalkane oil is selected from the group consisting of cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the filtering medium has a mesh opening diameter of 0.1 to 20 μm. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein in the filtering step (ii), the mixture is filtered at a pressure difference between the upstream and downstream of the filtering medium of 1 mbar to 100 bar, and a temperature of 30 to 200° C. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising standing of the oil fraction mixture obtained in the mixing step (i) before the filtering step (ii). 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the standing step is performed by leaving the oil fraction mixture stand for a period of 10 minutes to 72 hours at a temperature of 0 to 100° C. under the atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
         11 . An asphaltene-stabilized fuel oil prepared by the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         12 . The asphaltene-stabilized fuel oil according to  claim 11 , wherein the fuel oil has a sulfur content of 0.5 weight % or less.