Energy efficient process for converting refinery and petroleum-based waste to standard fuels

Abstract

The present invention is an energy efficient method for processing petroleum-based and other organic waste including sludge or bottoms, by utilizing of heat energy of oil shale ash or of other suitable ashes obtained from burning the solid fuel. The process produces no wasteful by-products like polluted sewage, heavy asphaltenics and tar by-products. Instead, the process eliminates water through selective adsorption by the ashes used as dewatering additives and the process is followed by drying at high temperatures. After skimming the dewatered matter, the remainder is processed by thermo-catalytic cracking by using hot oil shale ash or other ashes as a catalytic active material and as a heat carrier. The process uses equipment that is cost-effective and that is routinely produced. The process and apparatus of the present invention provide a solution for processing refinery and petroleum-based wastes and producing useful and standard liquid fuels.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A process for treating petroleum-based waste material comprising organic matter, water, soluted substances or solid particles, said process comprising the steps of: 
 direction a portion of the hot solid waste material including hot oil shale ash, solid fuel ash or coal ash from the boiler furnace, to process petroleum-based waste;    removing water from the remaining petroleum-based waste by selective adsorption, using dewatering additives,    evaporating the adsorbed water by treating with the hot ash from the boiler furnace, thereby producing dewatered material, skimming the dewatered material by adding hot ash,    decomposing the non-hydrogen components with alkaline-earth oxides of suitable ash additives, inducing cracking with hot catalytic ash material, and desulfurizing the material produced, and collecting the gas vapor and oil fuel after passing the gas and vapors produced through a fractional column.    
     
     
         2 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the dewatering process comprises of the steps of: 
 a) adding sufficient amounts of dewatering grain material to the waste material,    b) mixing and removing the water without contaminating the dewatering material by the petroleum components, and    c) drying the mixture by use of heat supplied by adding boiler's hot ash and directing the formed steam into the boiler, where the oil shale or other solid fuel is burned.    
     
     
         3 . The process according to  claim 2  wherein the dewatering materials are more coarse than the petroleum-based waste particles and the process further comprising the steps of: 
 a) separating by a sieve, said waste particles from the dewatered petroleum-based matter, and  
 b) directing the dewatering material with adsorbed water into the main hot ash flow from the boiler.  
 
     
     
         4 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the dewatered petroleum-based material is heated up to 350° C. in a heat reactor-mixer by the addition of the hot oil shale ash or by the addition of other suitable hot catalytically active material.  
     
     
         5 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the dewatered material is heated by the addition of the hot oil shale ash or of a hot catalyst, and, wherein the reaction matter activation and the decomposing of non-hydrocarbon components is accomplished by heating at 350-380° C.  
     
     
         6 . The process according to  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 catalytic cracking of the remaining material by addition of the hot ash as a catalytically active material and as a heat carrier, removing the solid material, separating, condensing and cooling the vapor and gaseous products.    
     
     
         7 . The process according to  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 directing the gases for use by the boiler assembly where the oil shale or other solid fuel is burned, and catching the sulfur oxide formed by burning of gases by the alkaline-earth components of the formed ash.    
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the catalytically active material for the catalytic cracking includes grain oil shale ash or other suitable ash  
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the dewatering of the petroleum-based waste is done in combination with suitable solid additives in the reactor mixer, by a batch or a continuous regime.  
     
     
         10 . A source of gasoline produced by the process of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         11 . A source of gas oil produced by the process of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         12 . A source of liquid fuel produced by the process of  claim 1.