Petroleum coupled processes

Dusseault, M.B. 2003. Coupled processes tmd petroleum geomechanics. Proceedings GeoProc 2003, Stockholm, Sweden, 14 p Dusseault, M.B., Davidson, B.C., Spanos, T.J.T. 1999, A new workover tool for CHOP wells. Proceedings of the CSPG and Canadian Petroleum Society Annual Technical Mtg., Calgary, paper 99-77, 9 pp. 

The effect of physical processes on reactor performance is more complex than for two-phase systems because both gas-liquid and liquid-solid interphase transport effects may be coupled with the intrinsic rate. The most common types of three-phase reactors are the slurry and trickle-bed reactors. These have found wide applications in the petroleum industry. A slurry reactor is a multi-phase flow reactor in which the reactant gas is bubbled through a solution containing solid catalyst particles. The reactor may operate continuously as a steady flow system with respect to both gas and liquid phases. Alternatively, a fixed charge of liquid is initially added to the stirred vessel, and the gas is continuously added such that the reactor is batch with respect to the liquid phase. This method is used in some hydrogenation reactions such as hydrogenation of oils in a slurry of nickel catalyst particles. Figure 4-15 shows a slurry-type reactor used for polymerization of ethylene in a sluiTy of solid catalyst particles in a solvent of cyclohexane. 

Research into cluster catalysis has been driven by both intrinsic interest and utilitarian potential. Catalysis involving "very mixed -metal clusters is of particular interest as many established heterogeneously catalyzed processes couple mid and late transition metals (e.g., hydrodesulfurization and petroleum reforming). Attempts to model catalytic transformations arc summarized in Section II.F.I., while the use of "very mixed -metal clusters as homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis precursors are discussed in Sections I1.F.2. and I1.F.3., respectively. The general area of mixed-metal cluster catalysis has been summarized in excellent reviews by Braunstein and Rose while the tabulated results are intended to be comprehensive in scope, the discussion below focuses on the more recent results. 

There is some similarity between the cracking of petroleum and the cracking of biomass. However, biomass is more complex chemically both in terms of structrual types and functional groups. In petrochemistry, hydrocarbons are fractionated and they are then functionalized by oxidation, halogenation, nitration and other chemical processes so as to add value. The commodity chemicals are then built up into more complex molecules using such popular synthetic methods as Friedel Craft reactions, Michael and aldol condensations, and Heck and Suzuki couplings. The speciality products of these reactions are then further elaborated into formulations for use in everyday applications ranging from personal care... 

Conventional industrial coatings materials of the thermoset type are usually acrylic, polyester, epoxy, polyurethane or silicone resins dispersed or dissolved in organic or water/ether-alcohol coupling solvents. They are cured with gas convection or electric IR ovens. The raw materials for the polymers come from petroleum feedstocks which are processed or manufactured into a finished coating system. 

It is not difficult to observe that, in this example, we have the coupling of a specific reactor for petroleum fractionation together with a complex distillation column. If we intend to show the complexity of the process that will be simulated. 

The first of the two situation above is occasionally encountered in petroleum processing, where multicomponent mixtures of reactants are common. The second may arise in reactions with coupled parallel steps [14] (see Section 5.3). 

Liquid waste streams containing an insoluble liquid can arise from extraction processes, from steam ejectors operating on solvent distillation systems, or from the loss of heat exchange fluid from a heat exchanger. These should be phase-separated before final disposal measures are undertaken. A simple settler, or a unit such as an American Petroleum Institute (API) separator can be used to accomplish this step. Coupling the initial separator to an entrained or dissolved air flotation unit can reduce the concentration of residual organics further [75]. The recovered organics can be recycled via a further cleanup if required, and the water phase more safely discarded. 

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