Treatment of crude oil fractions, fossil fuels, and products thereof with sonic energy

Abstract

In crude oil fractions, fossil fuels, and organic liquids in general in which it is desirable to reduce the levels of sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing components, the process reduces the level of these compounds via the application of sonic energy. The process can be performed both with and without the added presence of an oxidizing agent, and with or without elevated temperature and/or pressure. The invention is performed either as a continuous process or a batch process.

1 . A process for treating a crude oil fraction to reduce levels therein of nitrogen-bearing compounds, said process comprising: 
 (a) exposing said crude oil fraction to sonic energy, said sonic energy possessing sufficient magnitude to oxidize a majority of said nitrogen-bearing compounds present in said crude oil fraction; and    (b) separating said oxidized nitrogen-bearing compounds produced in step (a) from said crude oil fraction.    
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein prior to the application of sonic energy in step (a), a hydroperoxide is mixed with said crude oil fraction.  
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said crude oil fraction is a fraction boiling within the diesel range.  
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 3  wherein said crude oil fraction is a member selected from the group consisting of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) cycle oil fractions, coker distillate fractions, straight run diesel fractions, and blends thereof.  
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said crude oil fraction is a fraction boiling within the gas oil range.  
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5  wherein said crude oil fraction is a member selected from the group consisting of FCC cycle oil, FCC slurry oil, light gas oil, heavy gas oil, and coker gas oil.  
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1  wherein said crude oil fraction is a member selected from the group consisting of gasoline, jet fuel, straight-run diesel, blends of straight-run diesel and FCC light cycle oil, and petroleum residuum-based fuel oils.  
     
     
         8 . (canceled)  
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 1  wherein in step (a) said crude oil fraction is exposed to said sonic energy from about 1 second to about 1 minute.  
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 2  further comprising contacting said crude oil fraction with a transition metal catalyst during step (a).  
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 10  wherein said transition metal catalyst is a member selected from the group consisting of metals having atomic numbers of 21 through 29, 39 through 47, 57 through 79.  
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 10  wherein said transition metal catalyst is a member selected from the group consisting of nickel, silver, tungsten, cobalt, molybdenum, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 10  wherein said transition metal catalyst is a member selected from the group consisting of nickel, silver, tungsten, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 2  wherein said hydroperoxide is hydrogen peroxide.  
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 1  further comprising preheating said crude oil fraction to a temperature of from about 20° C. to about 200° C. prior to step (a).  
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 1  further comprising preheating said crude oil fraction to a temperature of from about 40° C. to about 125° C. prior to step (a).  
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 1  wherein step (a) is performed at a pressure of less than 400 psia.  
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 1  wherein step (a) is performed at a pressure of less than 50 psia.  
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 1  wherein step (a) is performed at a pressure within the range of from about atmospheric pressure to about 50 psia.  
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 1  wherein in step (a), said sonic energy possesses a frequency ranging from about 2 kHz to about 19 kHz and further possesses a displacement amplitude ranging from about 10 micrometers to about 300 micrometers.  
     
     
         21 . A process for treating an organic liquid to reduce levels therein of nitrogen-bearing compounds, said process comprising: 
 (a) combining said organic liquid with an aqueous liquid to form an emulsion;    (b) subjecting said emulsion to sonic energy at a sufficient intensity and for a sufficient time to facilitate oxidation of at least a majority of said nitrogen-containing compounds in said organic liquid and to convert olefinic compounds in said organic liquid to paraffins;    (c) permitting said emulsion to separate into aqueous and organic phases of which said organic phase comprises said organic liquid; and    (d) isolating said organic liquid from said aqueous phase.    
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 21  wherein in step (a) comprises combining said organic liquid and said aqueous fluid at an (organic liquid): (aqueous fluid) volume ratio of from about 8:1 to about 1:5.  
     
     
         23 . The process of  claim 21  wherein in step (a) comprises combining said organic liquid and said aqueous fluid at an (organic liquid): (aqueous fluid) volume ratio of from about 5:1 to about 1:1.  
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 21  wherein in step (a) comprises combining said organic liquid and said aqueous fluid at an (organic liquid): (aqueous fluid) volume ratio of from about 4:1 to about 2:1.  
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 21  further comprising contacting said emulsion with a transition metal catalyst while subjecting said emulsion to said sonic energy in step (b).  
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 25  in which said transition metal catalyst is a member selected from the group consisting of nickel, silver, tungsten, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         27 . The process of  claim 1  wherein step (a) is performed in batchwise manner.  
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 1  wherein step (a) is performed in continuous-flow manner.  
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 1  wherein in step (a), said sonic energy possesses a frequency ranging from about 2 kHz to about 19 kHz.  
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 29  wherein said sonic energy possesses a frequency ranging from about 10 kHz to about 19 kHz.  
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 30  wherein said sonic energy possesses a frequency ranging from about 17 kHz to about 19 kHz.  
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 30  wherein said sonic energy possesses a displacement amplitude ranging from about 10 microns to about 300 microns.  
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 32  wherein said sonic energy possesses a displacement amplitude ranging from about 30 microns to about 120 microns.  
     
     
         34 . The process of  claim 1  wherein in step (a), said sonic energy is applied at a power density ranging from about 0.01 watt/cubic cm to about 100.00 watts/cubic cm.  
     
     
         35 - 48 . (canceled)