US3617469A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Hydrotorting of shale to produce shale oil
Assignee: Texaco Inc
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Filing: 1968-12-26
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Granted: 1971-11-02
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Expires: 1988-12-26
Abstract
Abstract Continuous process for recovering shale oil from a slurry of raw oil shale in shale oil. Water and hydrogen gas are injected under pressure into the raw oil shale-shale oil slurry, and the mixture is immediately introduced into an externally heated noncatalytic tubular retort maintained at an outlet temperature in the range of about 850* to 950* F. and at a pressure in the range of about 300 to 1,000 p.s.i.g., and preferably at 500 p.s.i.g. for maximum yields of shale oil having a minimum nitrogen content. In the tubular retort under conditions of turbulent flow, the raw shale is completely stripped of kerogen in about 1/4 to 3 minutes (preferably less than a minute), and by simultaneous pyrolysis and hydrogenation without added catalyst, the kerogen is converted to a gaseous effluent from which shale oil is separated having a substantially reduced nitrogen and sulfur content. Yields of such shale oil from for example Colorado shale are about 116 percent of the Fischer Assay; however, if desired, still higher yields of shale oil (about 125 percent of the Fischer Assay) containing a greater amount of material in the middle distillate boiling range may be obtained by submitting the prehydrogenated gaseous effluent from the tubular reaction zone to catalytic hydrogenation, after first removing essentially all of the spent shale. Water is also produced by the system in quantities which are in excess of process requirements.
Inventors
- 👤 Warren G Schilinger
- 👤 Dale R Jesse
- 👤 Joseph P Tassoney
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 23:43
CPC Classifications
C; C10; C10G; C10G1/00; C10G1/06; C10G1/065; C10G1/002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
68 words
mixing together in a contacting zone below the vaporization temperature of water the raw oil shale-shale oil slurry of (1), a stream of recycle water as defined hereinafter in an amount sufficient to substantially reduce the decomposition of inorganic carbonates in the raw shale, and a stream of hydrogen rich gas in an amount sufficient to provide substantially all of the hydrogen required in the next hydrotorting step;
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
289 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the raw oil shale is present in the raw oil shale-shale oil slurry of (1) in an amount in the range of about 30 to 80 weight percent, and said slurry is introduced into the contacting zone of (2) at a temperature in the range of about 100* to 500* F.; the hydrogen rich gas injected into the slurry in (2) comprises 45 or more volume percent of hydrogen and is supplied to the contacting zone at a temperature in the range of about 100* to 500* F. and in an amount in the range of about 5,000 to 20,000 s.c.f. of hydrogen per ton of raw shale; the recycle water is injected into the slurry in (2) at a temperature in the range of about 100* to 500* F. and in an amount in the range of about .01 to 0.6 tons of water per ton of raw oil shale; said hydrogen rich gas and said recycle water are introduced into said contacting zone at a pressure in the range of from about 25 to 200 p.s.i. greater than the line pressure and the mixture from the contacting zone of (2) is introduced into the noncatalytic tubular reaction zone at a temperature below the vaporization temperature of water and at a turbulence level, in the range of about 25 to 100,000 where epsilon m is the average apparent viscosity and Nu is the kinematic viscosity; and the reaction zone of (6) comprises a fixed bed of catalyst selected from the group consisting of cobalt-molybdate, cobalt-nickel or nickel-molybdate catalyst at a temperature in the range of about 700* to 1,000* F. and a pressure in the range of about 300 to 1,500 p.s.i.g.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
144 words
introducing the mixture from the contacting zone of (2) into a noncatalytic tubular reaction zone located in immediate juxtapositon to said contacting zone under conditions of turbulent flow and at a pressure in the range of about 300 to 1,000 p.s.i.g., heating said mixture to an outlet temperature in the range of about 850* to 950* F., for a period of about 1/4 to 3 minutes while simultaneously subjecting the raw shale oil particles in said mixture to the disintegrating action of the highly turbulent flow therein and to the volumetric expansion and vaporization of the water and shale oil, thereby simultaneously effecting pyrolysis and hydrogenation of the raw shale and hydrogenation of the shale oil produced and forming a gaseous stream of solid particles of spent shale and ash dispersed in shale oil vapor, unreacted hydrogen, water vapor, H2S, NH3, CO2 and CO;
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
51 words
introducing the gaseous effluent stream from (3) into a gas-solids separating zone, withdrawing substantially all of the spent shale and ash substantially free from organic matter from said gas-solids separating zone, and withdrawing the remainder of the gaseous stream substantially free from spent shale and ash particles from said separating zone;
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
partially cooling the solids-free gaseous effluent stream from (4) in a gas cooling zone to a temperature below the dew point of the tars and heavy shale oil therein but above the dew point of water and product shale oil, and introducing said liquid and uncondensed gaseous materials into a gas-liquid separating zone;
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
withdrawing the stream of uncondensed gaseous materials from the gas-liquid separating zone of (5) and introducing said stream in admixture with a stream of hydrogen as defined hereinafter into a reaction zone containing a hydrogenation catalyst;
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
cooling the gaseous effluent stream from (6) in a gas cooling zone to condense out crude shale oil and water containing dissolved NH3, H2S and CO2, and introducing said liquid and uncondensed gaseous materials substantially comprising unreacted hydrogen containing gas into a gas-liquid separating zone;
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
removing the crude shale oil and water mixture from the separating zone of (7) and introducing said liquid mixture into a crude shale oil-water separation zone;
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
removing the water from the crude shale oil-water separation zone of (8) and introducing said water into a water purifying zone where NH3, H2S, and CO2 are separated from pure water;
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
withdrawing a portion of the pure water from the water purifying zone of (9) and recycling said water under pressure to the contacting zone of (2);
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
withdrawing the hydrogen containing gas from the gas-liquid separating zone of (7), compressing said gas, adding makeup H2 to a portion of said compressed gas, and recycling said gas to the contacting zone of (2) as said hydrogen rich gas;
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
introducing the remainder of the compressed gas from (11) into a gas purifying zone and separating H2 from other gases present;
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
withdrawing hydrogeN from the gas purifying zone of (12), heating said hydrogen to a temperature in the range of 700* to 1,000* F., and introducing said hydrogen into the catalytic reaction zone of (6) as said stream of hydrogen;
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
removing the crude shale oil from the crude shale oil-water separating zone of (8) and introducing said crude shale oil into a fractionation zone where pentane and lighter hydrocarbon fractions are separated from heavier shale oil fractions;
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
distilling the heavier shale oil fractions from (14) in a fractionation zone to produce a product shale oil substantially free from carbon and with reduced nitrogen and sulfur content, and a heavy shale oil bottoms product; and
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
withdrawing a portion of the heavy shale oil bottoms from the fractionation zone of (15) for recycle to the mixing zone of (1) as said heavy shale oil carrier.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-11-01 | 1975-05-03 | 1975-11-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-11-01 | 1979-05-03 | 1979-11-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-11-01 | 1983-05-03 | 1983-11-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |