Oil Recovery from Hydrocarbonaceous Solids

Abstract

A thermal method and apparatus are provided for recovering hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon-containing solids such as oil shale, tar sands and other hydrocarbonaceous solids. The method includes combusting a pre-determined fraction of the hydrocarbon bearing aggregate solid in a closed reactor, thereby providing exothermic heat and gaseous combustion products which raise the temperature and pressure of the aggregate in the reactor causing the remaining solid hydrocarbon to undergo pyrolysis, phase changes and composition changes simultaneously upgrading the hydrocarbon product. The products of the operation are then produced and condensed.

1 . A thermal method for treating hydrocarbonaceous solids to extract hydrocarbons therefrom; the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) crushing the hydrocarbonaceous solids to form an aggregate;    (b) loading the crushed aggregate into a closed reactor vessel;    (c) treating the aggregate material in a reactor to obtain a mixture comprising vaporized hydrocarbon products, enriched gas, and spent solids by: 
 (i) injection of an oxidizer into the reactor,  
 (ii) providing an ignition source,  
 (iii) combustion of a fraction of the solid hydrocarbon in the aggregate to provide heat energy inside the reactor,  
 (iv) allowing the combustion heat to raise the temperature and pressure inside the reactor,  
 (v) pyrolyzing the remainder of the solid hydrocarbon in the reactor vessel,  
 (vi) controlling the temperature within the reactor vessel,  
 (vii) controlling the pressure within the reactor vessel, and  
 (viii) allowing the contents of the reactor to equilibrate for a given residence time to allow the vaporization of the products of combustion and pyrolysis;  
   (d) removing the produced mixture from the said reactor.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature within the reactor ranges between 500 deg. F. and 1500 deg. F.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure is controlled as a function of temperature, or the temperature is controlled as a function of pressure and the pressure ranges from 15 psi to 5,000 psi.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing heat from the combustion reaction to the aggregate hydrocarbon material comprises the sub-step of: 
 burning a selected quantity (Q) of the hydrocarbon material, such that the heat of combustion per unit mass of the hydrocarbon material is (H c ), and the heat energy produced causes a phase change in at least some hydrocarbons within the reactor; and    wherein heat energy provided to the reactor is equal to or less than Q*H c  and the said heat is available to heat the remaining material and to raise the temperature of the contents of the reactor wherein an average composite heat capacity of the material is C m , and wherein the resultant temperature rise is less than Q*H c /(M*C m ), where M is the total mass of material in the reactor.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein combustion of the crushed hydrocarbonaceous solids occurs at a temperature between 900.deg. F. and 1300.deg. F.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the aggregate solids have a residence time ranging between 1 minute and 60 minutes in the reactor.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the treated hydrocarbon solid is tar sand hydrocarbon material.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the treated hydrocarbon solid is oil shale hydrocarbon material.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the produced mixture comprises condensable hydrocarbons having an API gravity of at least 15° API.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the produced mixture comprises non-condensable hydrocarbons and the total molar fraction of C 1  to C 4  non-condensable hydrocarbon components is greater than 0.001.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of treating the aggregate material further comprises the sub-steps of: 
 providing a specified quantity of hydrogen gas to the combustion process to hydrogenate hydrocarbons within the aggregate mixture, and    heating a part of the aggregate by the heat of hydrogenation reaction.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of treating the aggregate material further comprises the sub-step of: 
 providing a catalyst which is added to the aggregate to control the sulfur reactions in the combustion and pyrolysis process within the aggregate mixture.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the catalyst is a plurality of chemical compounds comprising a mixture of calcium and magnesium compounds.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of treating the aggregate material further comprises the sub-step of: 
 providing a gas re-circulating system operatively associated with the reactor to circulate a gas through the combusted aggregate material within the reactor.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the circulated gas is a hydrocarbon gas.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the circulated gas is an inert gas.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the circulated gas is flue gas.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the circulated gas is air.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the circulated gas is a combination of a plurality of gases comprising hydrocarbon gases and non-hydrocarbon gases.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the circulated gas scavenges, entrains, accumulates and transports the hydrocarbon products present in the aggregate pore spaces.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the gas is circulated for a finite time equal to or greater than the time required to circulate at least 5 pore volumes of the reactor volume.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the oxidizer comprises a combination of gases containing oxygen in the range of 1 mol % oxygen to 100 mol % oxygen.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the oxidizer comprises a combination of chemicals capable of producing a gas containing oxygen in the range of 1 mol % oxygen to 100 mol % oxygen.  
   
   
       24 . An apparatus for carrying out a thermal method for treating hydrocarbonaceous solids to extract hydrocarbons therefrom; the said apparatus comprising: 
 (a) a pressurized reactor having a materials handling system for feeding the aggregate into the reactor and removing the spent material from the reactor;    (b) means for supplying oxidizer material for the reactor operatively connected to the reactor and containing oxidizer material;    (c) means for igniting the combustion process in the reactor;    (d) means for enhancing the initiation of the combustion process by using a fuel pack containing highly combustible material;    (e) means for disposing a vertical combustion tunnel axially and operatively in the center of the aggregate column;    (f) means operatively connected to the reactor for circulation of a gas through the reactor contents, so that the hydrocarbons products produced in the combustion process can be entrained in the circulating gas stream;    (g) means for storing a hydrogen gas supply which is available for injection into the reactor;    (h) means operatively connected to the reactor for injecting hydrogen gas into the reactor;    (i) a coolant system;    (j) a heat recovery and pre-heat system;    (k) means operatively connected to the reactor for injecting low molecular weight hydrocarbon material into the reactor;    (l) means for condensation and separation of products of the combustion process; and    (m) means for rapidly releasing the ends or caps of the reactor vessel so that the reactor can be either filled with aggregate feed or emptied of spent material in less than 15 minutes.    
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the ignition means is implemented by a plurality of separate devices disposed at intervals throughout the reactor device.  
   
   
       26 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the combustion tunnel is implemented with a variety of regular or irregular cross-sections so that greater combustion efficiency of the aggregate material occurs.  
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein a plurality of combustion tunnels are implemented so that combustion efficiency can be maximized.  
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the condensation means allow the produced fluids to be condensed to a liquid state.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the separation means allow the solids in the produced fluids to be separated from the liquids in the produced fluids.  
   
   
       30 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , further comprising a heat recovery unit operatively associated with the reactor for recovery of heat from spent solids to preheat incoming feed material.  
   
   
       31 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the fuel pack extends substantially throughout the length of the combustion tunnel.  
   
   
       32 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the fuel pack fuel comprises a highly combustible material.  
   
   
       33 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the fuel pack comprises a solid material.  
   
   
       34 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the fuel pack comprises a gel material.  
   
   
       35 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the fuel pack comprises an encapsulated liquid material.  
   
   
       36 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the fuel pack comprises a combination of solid, liquid and gel materials.  
   
   
       37 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the reactor vessel is substantially spherical in shape.  
   
   
       38 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the reactor vessel is cooled by a circulating fluid.  
   
   
       39 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the reactor vessel is wrapped by a reinforced cement sheath.  
   
   
       40 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the reactor vessel is wrapped by a reinforced fiber sheath.  
   
   
       41 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the reactor vessel is substantially vertical in shape.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reactor vessel is substantially vertical in shape.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reactor vessel is substantially spherical in shape.