초록 ▼

A process is provided to produce, stabilize, dedust and upgrade synthetic oil, such as shale oil. In the process, synthetic fuels, such as oil shale, tar sands and diatomite are retorted with heat carrier material to liberate an effluent product stream comprising hydrocarbons and entrained particula

A process is provided to produce, stabilize, dedust and upgrade synthetic oil, such as shale oil. In the process, synthetic fuels, such as oil shale, tar sands and diatomite are retorted with heat carrier material to liberate an effluent product stream comprising hydrocarbons and entrained particulates of dust. In order to minimize polymerization of the product stream and agglomerate the dust, the product stream is stabilized, upgraded, and pretreated prior to dedusting, in a hydroprocessor, such as an ebullated bed reactor, with a hydroprocessing gas in the presence of a catalyst. The hydroprocessing gas can be hydrogen, scrubbed fractionator gases, or hydrocarbon-enriched hydroprocessor off gases.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A process for producing syncrude, comprising the steps of: (a) feeding raw oil shale into a surface retort selected from the group consisting essentially of a screw conveyor retort with a surge bin, a rotating pyrolysis drum with an accumulator having a rotating trommel screen, a fluid bed ret

1. A process for producing syncrude, comprising the steps of: (a) feeding raw oil shale into a surface retort selected from the group consisting essentially of a screw conveyor retort with a surge bin, a rotating pyrolysis drum with an accumulator having a rotating trommel screen, a fluid bed retort, a static mixer retort with a surge bin, and a gravity flow retort; (b) feeding solid heat carrier material at a temperature ranging from 1000° F. to 1400° F. into said retort; (c) retorting said raw oil shale by contacting said raw oil shale with said solid heat carrier material in said retort at a temperature to liberate an effluent product stream comprising hydrocarbons, trace metals, and entrained particulates of raw, retorted an combusted oil shale dust ranging in size from less than one micron to 1000 microns; said trace metals comprising arsenic, iron, vanadium, and nickel; (d) withdrawing said product stream from said retort; (e) partially dedusting said product stream in at least one gas-solids separation device selected from the group consisting essentially of a cyclone and a filter; (f) separating a shale oil fraction of normally liquid shale oil containing a substantial portion of said trace metals and from 1% to 65% by weight of said shale dust and a gaseous fraction comprising hydrocarbon gases and carbon dioxide from said partially dedusted product stream in at least one separator selected from the group consisting essentially of a fractionator, scrubber, and quench tower; (g) feeding said shale oil fraction to a hydroprocessor; (h) feeding a hydroprocessing catalyst to said hydroprocessor; (i) injecting a hydroprocessing gas into said hydroprocessor; (j) stabilizing, limiting polymerization, and partially upgrading said shale oil fraction while simultaneously removing a substantial portion of said trace metals from said shale oil fraction and agglomerating a substantial portion of said shale dust by contacting said shale oil fraction with said hydroprocessing gas in the presence of said hydroprocessing catalyst in said hydroprocessor under hydroprocessing conditions to form a stabilized shale oil fraction containing agglomerated shale dust and a hydrocarbon-enriched gaseous stream containing shale oil vapors leaving a spent hydroprocessing catalyst containing a substantial portion of said trace metals; (k) removing said spent hydroprocessing catalyst from said hydroprocessor; (l) removing said stabilized shale oil fraction from said hydroprocessor; (m) withdrawing said hydrocarbon-enriched gaseous stream from said hydroprocessor; (n) condensing and removing said stabilized shale oil vapors from said hydrocarbon-enriched gaseous stream; (o) mixing said condensed stabilized shale oil vapors with said shale oil fraction to form a stream of stabilized shale oil; (p) dedusting said stabilized shale oil by separating said stabilized shale oil in at least one deduster into a dedusted stream of stabilized shale oil and a dust enriched water stream of sludge containing most of said agglomerated dust; (q) feeding and combusting said retorted shale and said dust enriched water stream of sludge to at least one combustor selected from the group consisting of a lift pipe combustor, a generally horizontal combustor, and a fluid bed combustor, to form combusted shale and sludge, respectively, for use as solid heat carrier material in steps (b) and (c); and (r) removing nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur from said dedusted stream in at least one upgrading reactor selected from the group consisting of a hydrotreater, hydrocracker, and catalytic cracker in the presence of an upgrading catalyst under high severity upgrading conditions to form syncrude. 2. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein step (j) includes changing the characteristics of said shale dust from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. 3. A process in accordance with claim 2 including emulsifying said stabilized shale oil containing said hydrophilic shale dust by injecting water into said stabilized shale oil and dedusting said emulsified shale oil in at least one desalter. 4. A process in accordance with claim 1 including substantially drying said sludge in a dryer before said combustion. 5. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein step (j) comprises saturating free radicals olefins, diolefins, and other hydrogen deficient molecules in said shale oil. 6. A processs in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hydroprocessor is an ebullated bed reactor and said shale oil fraction is ebullated with said hydroprocessing gas and said hydroprocessing catalyst in said ebullated bed reactor. 7. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said hydroprocessing gas and said shale oil are heated to at least 400° F. prior to startup of said ebullated bed reactor before step (i). 8. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said hydroprocessing gas comprises hydrogen. 9. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said hydrogen-enriched gaseous stream is injected into said ebullated bed reactor after step (m) as part of said hydroprocessing gas. 10. A process in accordance with claim 9 wherein: said hydrocarbon enriched gases stream further contains ammonia and hydrogen sulfide; and step (n) comprises cooling said hydrogen enriched gaseous stream in a cooler and separating said shale oil vapors from said cooled stream in a flash drum. 11. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said gaseous fraction is scrubbed of carbon dioxide and said scrubbed gaseous fraction is injected into said ebullated bed as part of said hydroprocessing gas. 12. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said dedusted stream is mixed with refinery feedstock before step (h). 13. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said hydroprocessing catalyst comprises a hydrogenating component selected from the group consisting of a Group VIB metal, a Group VIII metal, phosphorous, vanadium, and combinations thereof, on a support selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, and combinations thereof, said support having a sufficient pore size to trap said trace metals. 14. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said hydroprocessing gas in injected into said shale oil fraction upstream of said ebullated bed reactor and said hydroprocessing gas and said shale oil fraction are fed together into said ebullated bed reactor. 15. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein step (r) includes contacting said dedusted stream with an upgrading gas in the presence of said upgrading catalyst in said upgrading reactor. 16. A process in accordance with claim 15 wherein said upgrading gas comprises hydrogen. 17. A process in accordance with claim 15 wherein said upgrading gas comprises at least some of said hydrocarbon-enriched gaseous stream from said hydroprocessor. 18. A process in accordance with claim 15 wherein step (r) includes emitting hydrogen-rich off gases in said upgrading reactor and recycling said hydrogen-rich off gases for use as part of said hydroprocessing gas in said hydroprocessor. 19. A process in accordance with claim 1 including feeding said gaseous fraction from said separator into said hydroprocessor. 20. A process in accordance with claim 1 including separating a C 4 + cut from said gaseous fraction and feeding said C 4 + cut to said hydroprocessor. 21. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said shale oil in said shale oil fraction consists essentially of whole shale oil. 22. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said shale oil in said shale oil fraction consists essentially of heavy shale oil.