초록 ▼

A process for upgrading an oil feedstock includes reacting the oil feedstock with a quantity of an alkali metal, wherein the reaction produces solid materials and liquid materials. The solid materials are separated from the liquid materials. The solid materials may be washed and heat treated by heat

A process for upgrading an oil feedstock includes reacting the oil feedstock with a quantity of an alkali metal, wherein the reaction produces solid materials and liquid materials. The solid materials are separated from the liquid materials. The solid materials may be washed and heat treated by heating the materials to a temperature above 400° C. The heat treating occurs in an atmosphere that has low oxygen and water content. Once heat treated, the solid materials are added to a solution comprising a polar solvent, where sulfide, hydrogen sulfide or polysulfide anions dissolve. The solution comprising polar solvent is then added to an electrolytic cell, which during operation, produces alkali metal and sulfur.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A process for upgrading an oil feedstock comprising: reacting an oil feedstock with a quantity of an alkali metal, wherein the reaction produces solid materials and liquid materials; separating the solid materials from the liquid materials; heat treating the solid material to a temperature above

1. A process for upgrading an oil feedstock comprising: reacting an oil feedstock with a quantity of an alkali metal, wherein the reaction produces solid materials and liquid materials; separating the solid materials from the liquid materials; heat treating the solid material to a temperature above 400° C. in an atmosphere that has a low oxygen and water content and causing the solid material to lose mass, wherein the heat treated solid material has an increased carbon to hydrogen ratio and wherein said atmosphere comprises one more of the following gases: nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon, methane or another hydrocarbon and mixtures thereof; adding the solid materials to a solution comprising a polar solvent, wherein at least some sulfide hydrogen sulfide, or polysulfide anions found in the solid material dissolve in the solution comprising polar solvent; adding the solution comprising polar solvent to an electrolytic cell, wherein during operation, the electrolytic cell produces an alkali metal, polysulfide's and sulfur. 2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the solution comprising polar solvent has a boiling temperature above 130° C. and specific gravity of less than 2 g/cc. 3. The process according to claim 2, wherein the polar solvent comprises one or more solvents selected from group consisting of: formamide, methyl formamide, dimethyl formamide, acetamide, methyl acetamide, dimethyl acetamide, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,2-ethanediol, 1,2-propanediol, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, N-methyl pyrrolidone, tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (tetralglyme), acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide, liquid ammonia, methyl amine methyl formamide, 1,3-Dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (DMPU), and combinations thereof. 4. The process according to claim 1, wherein during operation, the electrolytic cell is heated to a temperature that is below the melting temperature of the alkali metal. 5. The process according to claim 4, wherein the electrolytic cell comprises: a cathode;a catholyte compartment comprising a catholyte;an anode;an anolyte compartment comprising an anolyte;an alkali ion conductive membrane that is substantially impermeable to sulfide, hydrogen sulfide or polysulfide anions, the catholyte, the anolyte, and sulfur,wherein the solution comprising polar solvent is added to the anolyte compartment;wherein during operation of the electrolytic cell, anions in the anolyte compartment are reacted to form polysulfide anions and elemental sulfur; and wherein alkali metal ions in the catholyte compartment are reacted to form the alkali metal. 6. The process according to claim 5, wherein the alkali ion conductive membrane allows alkali metal ions to pass through the alkali metal ion conductive membrane from the anolyte compartment to the catholyte compartment, wherein the alkali ion conductive membrane is selected from the group consisting of: alkali metal conductive ceramic;a glass ceramic; anda solid MSICON (Metal Super Ion CONducting) material, where M is Na or Li. 7. The process according to claim 6, wherein the cathode comprises molten alkali metal, wherein the molten alkali metal is removed from the catholyte compartment. 8. The process according to claim 5, wherein the catholyte comprises an alkali metal ions and corresponding anions; anda catholyte solvent selected from group consisting of tetraglyme, diglyme, dimethyl carbonate, dimethoxy ether, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, and diethyl carbonate. 9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the alkali metal ions are reduced to form the alkali metal at a temperature below the melting temperature of the alkali metal. 10. The process according to claim 5, wherein the cathode in part is in contact with the catholyte within the catholyte compartment and the cathode in part is outside the catholyte compartment. 11. The process according to claim 10, wherein the part of the cathode within the catholyte compartment can be transferred outside the catholyte compartment and the part of the cathode outside the catholyte compartment can be transferred inside the catholyte compartment. 12. The process according to claim 10, wherein the cathode consists of a metal band following the path of rollers. 13. The process according to claim 10, wherein the alkali metal plates onto the part of the cathode that is inside the catholyte compartment and the alkali metal is removed from the cathode from the part of the cathode that is outside the catholyte compartment. 14. The process according to claim 1, wherein during operation, the cell is maintained at a temperature at or above 115° C. such that the produced sulfur is in the liquid phase. 15. The process according to claim 14, wherein anolyte is removed from the bottom of the electrolytic cell, wherein the removed anolyte comprises a portion of the sulfur, wherein the sulfur is separated from the anolyte and the anolyte is returned to the electrolytic cell. 16. The process according to claim 1, wherein the anolyte comprises the solution comprising polar solvent. 17. The process according to claim 1, wherein prior to heat treating the solid materials, the solid materials are washed with hexane, heptane, toluene, or mixtures of these substances, or natural gas condensate, or other hydrocarbon liquid. 18. The process according to claim 17, wherein after the solid materials are added to the solution comprising polar solvent, any remaining solid materials are removed from the solution comprising polar solvent prior to the solution comprising polar solvent being added to the electrolytic cell. 19. The process according to claim 1, wherein during the reaction between the oil feedstock and the quantity of the alkali metal, a gas comprising a hydrocarbon or hydrogen is added. 20. The process according to claim 1, further comprising filtering the liquid materials formed from the reaction of the oil feedstock with the quantity of the alkali metal. 21. The process according to claim 20, wherein a second solution comprising polar solvent is added to the filtered liquid materials. 22. The process according to claim 21, wherein the second polar solvent comprises water. 23. The process according to claim 21, wherein the second polar solvent is separated from the filtered liquid materials. 24. The process according to claim 23, wherein the separation of the filtered liquid materials from the second polar solvent uses electrostatics. 25. A process for upgrading an oil feedstock comprising: obtaining solid materials that were formed from the reaction of an oil feedstock with a quantity of an alkali metal;heat treating the solid materials, wherein heat treating the solid materials comprises heating the solid materials to a temperature above 500° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere, wherein the heat treating causes the solid materials to lose mass;dissolving the heat treated solid materials in a solution comprising polar solvent, thereby forming a liquid material, wherein the polar solvent has a boiling temperature above 130° C. and specific gravity less than 2 g/cc;separating out any remaining solid materials from the liquid material;adding the liquid material to an anolyte compartment of an electrolytic cell;electrolyzing the electrolytic cell to produce sulfur and an alkali metal, wherein the electrolyzing occurs at a temperature of 115° C. or greater. 26. The process according to claim 25 further comprising: washing the solid materials with toluene, heptane, hexane, or mixtures of these substances, or natural gas condensate, or another hydrocarbon liquid, wherein the washing of the solid materials is performed prior to the solid materials being heat treated.