“Pumped” recycle vapor

Details “Pumped” recycle vapor “Pumped” recycle vapor

2000-05-22

2002-06-11

Griffin, Walter D. (Department: 1764)

Mineral oils: processes and products

Refining

Purifying used oil

C208S184000, C208S185000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06402937

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the re-refining of used motor oil.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Extensive work has been reported in the patent literature on use of large amounts of hot, high pressure hydrogen for vaporization of used motor oil (UMO). While such processes are certainly technically feasible, there are significant capital costs associated with the relatively high pressure operation reported (typically 500 psig). Operation at high pressure makes it difficult to vaporize the used lube oil components, so higher hydrogen addition/circulation rates are used to facilitate vaporization, with hydrogen circulation rates of 10,000-18,000 SCFB being reported. Hydrogen helps suppress some condensation coking reactions that otherwise could occur in the heating and vaporization step. The hydrogen is also present in an amount sufficient to supply the hydrogen demand of a downstream hydrotreating reactor. This combination, high-pressure hydrogen coupled with downstream hydrotreating, can produce a liquid product from a UMO fraction which is excellent for use as either a lube stock or as cracker charge.
Representative hot hydrogen UMO processes are listed below:
U.S.
Issue
Pat. No.
Date
Inventor
Title
4,806,233
21 Feb. 1989
James, Jr., et al.
Method Of Separating
a Hot Hydrocarbon-
aceous Stream
4,818,368
 4 April 1989
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating a
Temperature-Sensitive
Hydrocarbonaceous
Stream Containing a
Non-Component to
Produce a Hydro-
genated Distillable
Hydrocarbonaceous
Product
4,840,721
20 June 1989
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating a
Temperature-Sensitive
Hydrocarbonaceous
Stream Containing a
Non-Distillable
Component to Produce
a Hydrogenated
Distillable Hydro-
carbonaceous Product
4,882,037
21 Nov. 1989
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating a
Temperature-Sensitive
Hydrocarbonaceous
Stream Containing a
Non-Distillable
Component to Produce
a Selected Hydro-
genated Distillable
Light Hydrocarbon-
aceous Product
4,923,590
 8 May 1990
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating a
Temperature-Sensitive
Hydrocarbonaceous
Stream Containing a
Non-Distillable
Component to Produce
a Hydrogenated
Distillable Hydrocar-
bonaceous Product
4,927,520
22 May 1990
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating a
Hydrocarbonaceous
Stream Containing a
Non-Distillable
Component to Produce
a Hydrogenated
Distillable Hydrocar-
bonaceous Product
5,004,533
 2 April 1991
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating
an Organic Stream
Containing a Non-
Distillable Component
to Produce an Organic
Vapor and a Solid
5,013,424
 7 May 1991
James, Jr., et al.
Process for the
Simultaneous Hydro-
genation of a First
Feedstock Comprising
Hydrocarbonaceous
Compounds and
Having a Non-
Distillable Component
and a Second Feed-
stock Comprising
Halogenated Organic
Compounds
5,028,313
 2 July 1991
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating a
Temperature-Sensitive
Hydrocarbonaceous
Stream Containing a
Non-Distillable
Component to Produce
a Distillable Hydro-
carbonaceous Product
5,068,484
26 Nov. 1991
James, Jr., et al.
Process for the
Hydroconversion of
a Feedstock
Comprising Organic
Compounds Having
a Tendency to Readily
Form Polymer
Compounds
5,102,531
 7 April 1992
Kalnes, et al.
Process for Treating a
Temperature Sensitive
Hydrocarbonaceous
Stream Containing a
Non-Distillable
Component to Produce
a Distillable Hydro-
carbonaceous Product
5,176,816
 5 Jan. 1993
Lankton, et al.
Process to Produce
a Hydrogenated
Distillable Hydro-
carbonaceous Product
5,244,565
14 Sept. 1993
Lankton, et al.
Integrated Process
for the Production
of Distillate
Hydrocarbon
5,302,282
12 April 1994
Kalnes, et al.
Integrated Process
for the Production
of High Quality Lube
Oil Blending Stock
5,316,663
31 May 1994
James, Jr.
Process for the
Treatment of
Halogenated Hydro-
carbons
5,354,931
11 Oct 1994
Jan, et al.
Process for Hydro-
treating an Organic
Feedstock Containing
Oxygen Compounds
and a Halogen
Component
5,384,037
24 Jan. 1995
Kalnes
Integrated Process
for the Production
of Distillate
Hydrocarbon
5,401,894
28 Mar. 1995
Brasier, et al.
Process for the
Treatment of
Halogenated Organic
Feedstocks
5,552,037
 3 Sept. 1996
Kalnes, et al.
Process for the
Treatment of Two
Halogenated Hydro-
carbon Streams
5,723,706
 3 Mar. 1998
Brasier, et al.
Process for the
Treatment of
Halogenated Organic
Feedstocks
5,817,288
 6 Oct. 1998
Bauer, et al.
Process for Treating a
Non-Distillable
Halogenated Organic
Feed Stream
5,904,838
18 May 1999
Kalnes, et al.
Process for the
Simultaneous
Conversion of Waste
Lubricating Oil
and Pyrolysis Oil,
Derived from Organic
Waste to Produce a
Synthetic Crude Oil
While this approach is excellent in terms of product quality, the capital and operating expense of such an approach are significant.
While there has been extensive use of high pressure hydrogen for vaporization and subsequent hydrotreating of UMO, such a process has never been used for simple vaporization at relatively low, pressure.
We wanted a process that could be used to thermally process/vaporize UMO by direct injection of superheated vapor. While we wanted to inject vapor, we also wanted to reduce or even eliminate the costly recycle gas compressor.
We discovered a way to reprocess UMO in a relatively low cost and low pressure facility using direct injection of superheated vapor to heat and thermally process the UMO. We were able, by careful choice of the working fluid and process conditions, to condense much or all of the injected vapor to liquid. A relatively low cost, low energy consuming pump then increased the pressure of the condensed liquid. This high pressure liquid was then subsequently heated and vaporized to form superheated, relatively high pressure vapor for re-injection into the UMO process. We were also able, by selection of different working fluids, to reduce the amount of high-grade (high temperature) heat input required and/or reduce the end of run temperature for the UMO reactor/vaporizer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for direct contact heating and vaporization of UMO comprising heating and vaporizing in a UMO vaporization vessel operating at UMO vaporization conditions a liquid UMO feed by direct contact heat exchange with a recycled, superheated, vapor to produce a UMO vapor fraction comprising a mixture of vaporized lubricating oil boiling range hydrocarbons and said recycled superheated vapor and a liquid phase residue fraction; withdrawing, at least intermittently, from said vaporization vessel said residue fraction as a liquid product of said process; withdrawing from said vaporization vessel, and partially cooling and partially condensing, said UMO vapor fraction and charging same into a hot separator operating at hot separator conditions including a temperature below the boiling point of said lubricating oil boiling range hydrocarbons and above the boiling point of said recycled vapor and separating therein a liquid product phase comprising at least a majority of the lubricating oil boiling range hydrocarbons present in said UMO vapor fraction from a vapor phase comprising at least a majority of said injected, superheated vapor; withdrawing from said hot separator, and cooling and condensing, said hot separator vapor to produce a recycle liquid comprising condensed hot separator vapor condensed liquid; pumping at least a portion of said recycle liquid to increase the pressure thereof and produce a pressurized recycle liquid; heating and vaporizing said pressurized recycle liquid by indirect heat exchange or heating in a fired heater to form superheated vapor; and injecting said superheated vapor into said UMO vaporization process to vaporize by direct contact heat exchange, liquid UMO feed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In our process, the used lube oil may be treated either continuously or batch-wise. There is nothing critical about the reactor/thermal vaporizer vessel used—it can be a conventional vapor/liquid contact apparatus such as a modified fractionator, a continuous stirred tank reactor, a turbulent or plug flow reactor, a

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