Process and device for reducing environmental contaminates in heavy marine fuel oil

Abstract

A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process involving: mixing a quantity of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the feedstock mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 % wt. to 0.5 % wt.. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil can be used as or as a blending stock for an ISO 8217 compliant, IMO MARPOL Annex VI (revised) compliant low sulfur or ultralow sulfur heavy marine fuel oil. A device for conducting the process is also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A process for reducing Environmental Contaminants in a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process comprising:
 mixing a quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, wherein the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217:2017 as a Table 2 residual marine fuel oil, except the Environmental Contaminants content is greater than 0.5 %wt and wherein the Environmental Contaminants are selected from the group consisting of sulfur, vanadium, nickel, iron, aluminum and silicon and combinations thereof, with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture;   contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts under reactive conditions to form a Process Mixture from said feedstock mixture, wherein the Process Mixture contains one or more Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components, wherein the reactive conditions are selected to achieve a level of hydrocracking of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil of less than 10% of the total mass balance;   separating the one or more Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the Process Mixture to form a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil; and   discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 between the range of 5.0 %wt to 1.0 %wt. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has bulk properties that comply with ISO 8217:2017 as a Table 2 residual marine fuel oil and has a maximum sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 between the range of 0.05 %wt to 0.50 %wt. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the contacting of the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts under reactive conditions are selected to hydrodemetallize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of metals removal greater than 80% of the metal content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and are selected to hydrodesulfurize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of sulfur removal greater than 80% of the sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and are selected to have a hydrogen consumption in the range between 500 and 1500 scf/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said Activating Gas mixture is selected from mixtures of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, gaseous water, and methane, such that the Activating Gas mixture has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (p H2 ) greater than 80% of a total pressure of the Activating Gas mixture (P), and wherein the reactive conditions include a ratio of the quantity of the Activating Gas mixture to the quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil in the range of 250 scf gas / bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to 10,000 scf gas / bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, a total pressure between of 250 psig and 3000 psig, and an indicated temperature between of 500° F. to 900° F., and, a liquid hourly space velocity between 0.05 /hour and 1.0 /hour. 
     
     
         6 . A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process comprising:
 mixing a quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, wherein the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217:2017 as a Table 2 residual marine fuel oil, except the sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 is greater than 0.5 %wt, with a quantity of Activating Gas, wherein the Activating Gas has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (p H2 ) greater than 80% of a total pressure of the Activating Gas (P) to give a feedstock mixture;   providing the feedstock mixture to at least one reactor vessel and contacting the feedstock mixture under reactive conditions in said at least one reactor vessel with one or more hydrotreating catalysts to form a Process Mixture from said feedstock mixture wherein said Process Mixture includes a liquid Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil component, wherein the reactive conditions are selected to achieve a level of hydrocracking of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil of less than 10% of the total mass balance;   receiving said Process Mixture in at least one separating vessel and separating the liquid Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil components of the Process Mixture from the Process Mixture;   discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil components from the at least one separating vessel.   
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein said Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 between the range of 5.0 %wt to 1.0 %wt. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil components have a sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 less than 0.5 %wt, a kinematic viscosity at 50° C. as determined by ISO 3104 and a density at 15° C. as determined by ISO 3675 to give a CCAI in the range of 780 to 870, a flash point as determined by ISO 2719 no lower than 60.0° C., and a maximum total sediment - aged as determined by ISO 10307-2 of 0.10 %wt. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein the receiving said Process Mixture in at least two separating vessels and separating the liquid Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil components of the Process Mixture from the Process Mixture. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 7  wherein the reactive conditions include a ratio of the quantity of the Activating Gas to the quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil in the range of 250 scf gas / bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to 10,000 scf gas / bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, a total pressure between 250 psig and 3000 psig, an indicated temperature between 500° F. to 900° F., and a liquid hourly space velocity within the at least one reactor vessel is between 0.05 /hour and 1.0 /hour. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the contacting of the Feedstock Mixture with one or more metal heterogeneous catalysts under reactive conditions are selected to hydrodemetallize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of metals removal greater than 80% of the metal content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and are selected to hydrodesulfurize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of sulfur removal greater than 80% of the sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and are selected to have a hydrogen consumption in the range between 500 and 1500 scf/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one reactor vessel contains one or more transition metal heterogeneous catalysts and is configured to include at least two reactor vessels, wherein each reactor independently selected from the group consisting of: an ebulliated bed reactor, a fixed bed reactor, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more transition metal heterogeneous catalyst comprises: a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier and impregnated with a blend of transition metal catalyst materials, wherein the porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is alumina and wherein the transition metal catalyst materials are selected from the group consisting of Ni—Mo, Co—Mo, Ni—W or Ni — Co—Mo. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217:2017 as a Table 2 residual marine fuel oil and has a maximum sulfur content as determined by ISO15596 or ISO8754 between the range of 0.05 %wt to 0.5 %wt. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has: has a maximum sulfur content as determined by ISO15596 or ISO8754 between the range of 0.05 %wt to 0.5 %wt, a kinematic viscosity at 50° C. as determined by ISO 3104 and a density at 15° C. as determined by ISO 3675 to give a CCAI is in the range of 780 to 870 and a flash point as determined by ISO 2719 no lower than 60.0° C., and a maximum total sediment - aged as determined by ISO 10307-2 of 0.10 % wt. 
     
     
         16 . A device for reducing environmental contaminants in a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the device comprising:
 at least one first vessel for receiving a quantity of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil mixed with a quantity of an Activating Gas and contacting the mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture;   at least one second vessel in fluid communication with the first vessel, said second vessel for receiving said Process Mixture from said first vessel, wherein said second vessel separates the liquid components of the Process Mixture from the Process Mixture; and   means for discharging a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.   
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one first vessel is comprised of two or more reactor vessels, wherein each of the two or more reactor vessels is independently selected from the group consisting of an ebulliated bed reactor, a fixed bed reactor, and combinations thereof and wherein each of the two or more reactor vessels contains one or more transition metal heterogeneous catalysts under reactive conditions that are selected from the group of reactive conditions consisting of hydrodemetallization the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of metals removal greater than 80% of the metal content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, hydrodesulfurization the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of sulfur removal greater than 80% of the sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, and combinations thereof; and wherein the reactive conditions are selected to have a hydrogen consumption in the range between 500 and 1500 scf/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more transition metal heterogeneous catalysts comprises: a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier and a transition metal catalyst, wherein the preferred porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is alumina and wherein the preferred transition metal catalyst is Ni—Mo, Co—Mo, Ni—W or Ni — Co—Mo. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein said Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has bulk properties that comply with ISO 8217:2017 as a Table 2 residual marine fuel and has a sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 5.0 %wt to 1.0 %wt. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) of said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is between 1% and 10% of the maximum sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.