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Self-compatible heavy oil streams are produced from converted and/or desulfurized fractions. In a preferred embodiment, an incompatibility stream is added to the converted and/or desulfurized stream to reduce the solubility number of the stream. After using a water wash to remove incompatible materi

Self-compatible heavy oil streams are produced from converted and/or desulfurized fractions. In a preferred embodiment, an incompatibility stream is added to the converted and/or desulfurized stream to reduce the solubility number of the stream. After using a water wash to remove incompatible material, a lighter fraction is removed from the stream to increase the solubility number.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A process for producing a stable self-compatible hydrocarbon product stream, comprising: performing a conversion process on a heavy oils feedstream with an API gravity of less than about 19 to produce a conversion product stream comprised of a conversion product stream having an API gravity of at

1. A process for producing a stable self-compatible hydrocarbon product stream, comprising: performing a conversion process on a heavy oils feedstream with an API gravity of less than about 19 to produce a conversion product stream comprised of a conversion product stream having an API gravity of at least about 20;adding an incompatibility stream having a T5 boiling point of at least 80° F. and a T95 boiling point less than about 450° F. (232° C.) to the conversion product stream to form a mixed conversion stream;washing the mixed conversion stream with water to remove precipitated solids from the mixed conversion stream thereby forming a washed product stream;separating the washed product stream into a self-compatible product stream and a light ends fraction; andstoring at least a portion of the light ends fraction in a vessel; wherein the incompatibility stream is comprised of at least a portion of the light ends fraction and the light ends fraction comprises at least a lowest boiling 2% by volume of the washed product stream and having a T5 boiling point of at least 80° F. and a T95 boiling point less than about 450° F. (232° C.). 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the API gravity of the self-compatible product stream is at least about 2 greater than the API gravity of the conversion product stream. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversion process comprises a desulfurization process using an alkali metal salt reagent. 4. The process of claim 3, wherein the alkali metal salt reagent comprises potassium hydroxide, potassium sulfide, potassium hydrogen sulfide, or a mixture thereof. 5. The process of claim 3, wherein an aqueous spent alkali metal stream is also separated from the mixed conversion stream in the water washing step. 6. The process of claim 1, wherein the conversion process also produces an overhead stream comprised of hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide. 7. The process of claim 1, wherein the amount of the incompatibility stream added to the conversion product stream is sufficient to lower the solubility blending number (SBN) of the combined incompatibility stream and conversion product stream by at least 10. 8. The process of claim 7, wherein the solubility blending number (SBN) of the self-compatible product stream is at least about 20 greater than the solubility blending number (SBN) of the conversion product stream. 9. The process of claim 8, wherein the solubility blending number (SBN) of the self-compatible product stream is about 20 greater than the insolubility number (IN) of the self-compatible product stream. 10. The process of claim 1, wherein the amount of the incompatibility stream (by mass flow rate) added to the conversion product stream is at least about twice the amount of the light ends fraction (by mass flow rate) separated from the washed product stream. 11. The process of claim 1, wherein the conversion process comprises a visbreaking process, a coking process, an alkali metal desulfurization process, a catalytic desulfurization process, a thermal cracking process, or a combination thereof. 12. The process of claim 1, wherein the conversion process further comprises introducing hydrogen into the conversion process. 13. The process of claim 1, wherein the mixed conversion stream is contacted with the water in a water wash vessel, and an aqueous phase stream comprised of water and spent alkali metal salts is removed from the bottom portion of the water wash vessel. 14. The process of claim 13, wherein aqueous phase stream is further comprised of asphaltenes, coke, and metals. 15. The process of claim 1, wherein the heavy oils feedstream has a sulfur content of at least 3 wt % and the self-compatible product stream has a sulfur content of less than 1 wt %. 16. The process of claim 1, wherein the reaction conditions of the conversion process comprise a pressure of from about 50 to about 3000 psi (345 to 20,684 kPa), and a temperature from about 600° F. to about 900° F. (316° C. to 482° C.). 17. The process of claim 1, further comprising contacting the heavy oil feedstream with the alkali metal salt reagent in the presence of hydrogen, the hydrogen partial pressure being from about 100 to about 2500 psi (689 to 17,237 kPa). 18. A process for producing a stable self-compatible hydrocarbon product stream, comprising: performing a conversion process on a heavy oils feedstream with an API gravity of less than about 19 to produce at least a liquid conversion product stream with an API gravity of at least about 20;washing the liquid conversion product stream with water to remove at least a portion of the precipitated solids from the liquid conversion product stream to form a washed liquid conversion product stream; andfractionating the washed liquid conversion product stream to form a self-compatible product stream and a light ends fraction, the light ends fraction comprising at least a lowest boiling 2% by volume of the washed liquid conversion product stream and having a T5 boiling point of at least 80° F. and a T95 boiling point less than about 450° F. (232° C.), wherein the self-compatible product stream has a solubility blending number (SBN) that is at least about 10 greater than the insolubility number (IN) of the self-compatible product stream. 19. The process of claim 18, wherein the conversion process further comprises introducing hydrogen into the conversion process. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the conversion process comprises a desulfurization process using an alkali metal salt reagent. 21. The process of claim 20, wherein the alkali metal salt reagent comprises potassium hydroxide, potassium sulfide, potassium hydrogen sulfide, or a mixture thereof. 22. The process of claim 20, wherein the reaction conditions of the conversion process comprise a pressure of from about 50 to about 3000 psi (345 to 20,684 kPa), and a temperature from about 600° F. to about 900° F. (316° C. to 482° C.). 23. The process of claim 22, wherein the hydrogen partial pressure in the conversion process is from about 100 to about 2500 psi (689 to 17,237 kPa).