Process for removal of contaminants in oil

Abstract

A process for removing color contaminants and non-color contaminants from oil comprising the step of passing an oil feed through a permeable transition metal oxide membrane, wherein said oil that has passed through said transition metal oxide membrane has less color contaminants and non-color contaminants relative to said oil feed.

1 . A process for removing color contaminants and non-color contaminants from oil comprising the step of passing an oil feed through a permeable transition metal oxide membrane, wherein said oil that has passed through said transition metal oxide membrane has less color contaminants and non-color contaminants relative to said oil feed. 
     
     
         2 . A process as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising the step of selecting a used oil for the oil feed. 
     
     
         3 . A process as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said passing step comprises the step of:
 (a) providing a high pressure side on one side of said permeable transition metal oxide membrane, which is at a higher pressure relative to a low pressure side, opposite to said high pressure side; and   (b) introducing used oil to said high pressure side to allow part of said used oil to pass through said transition metal oxide membrane thereby form an oil permeate on said low pressure side, wherein said oil permeate has less contaminants relative to said used oil.   
     
     
         4 . A process according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of selecting titanium oxide as said transition metal oxide. 
     
     
         5 . A process according to  claim 4 , comprising the step of selecting titanium (IV) oxide as said titanium oxide. 
     
     
         6 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein said permeable transition metal oxide membrane comprises a porous metal substrate with a permeable transition metal oxide coating thereon. 
     
     
         7 . A process according to  claim 6 , wherein said metal substrate comprises stainless steel. 
     
     
         8 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the pore size of said permeable transition metal oxide is in the range of 0.001 μm to 0.1 μm or 0.002 μm to 0.01 μm. 
     
     
         9 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the permeable transition metal oxide membrane is a tubular-shaped membrane. 
     
     
         10 . A process according to  claim 9  comprising the step of selecting the tube diameter of said tubular membrane from the range of 0.254 mm (0.01 inch) to 25.4 mm (1 inch) or 6.35 mm (0.25 inch) to 19.05 mm (0.75 inch) 
     
     
         11 . A process according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of heating said oil to a temperature in the range of 30° C. to 300° C. before passing said oil through said permeable transition metal oxide membrane. 
     
     
         12 . A process according to  claim 11 , wherein said heating is in the range of 80° C. to 150° C. 
     
     
         13 . A process according to  claim 3 , comprising the step of maintaining the high pressure side of said permeable transition metal oxide membrane in the range of 3 bars to 25 bars or 4 bars to 15 bars. 
     
     
         14 . A process according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of passing said oil into said permeable transition metal oxide membrane at a feed rate in the range of 1 m/s to 10 m/s or 2 m/s to 6 m/s. 
     
     
         15 . A process according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of passing said oil into said permeable transition metal oxide membrane at a flux rate in the range of 5 L/m 2 /h to 25 L/m 2 /h or 12 L/m 2 /h to 20 L/m 2 /h. 
     
     
         16 . A process according to  claim 1 , comprising the step of providing said oil to said permeable transition metal oxide membrane at a viscosity in the range of 20 cSt to 200 cSt at 40° C. or  40  cSt to 150 cSt at 40° C. 
     
     
         17 . A process according to  claim 1 , comprising, after said passing step, the step of regenerating said transition metal oxide membrane by removing contaminants adsorbed thereon. 
     
     
         18 . A process according to  claim 3 , comprising the step of returning oil that has not passed through said transition metal oxide membrane to said high pressure side. 
     
     
         19 . A process according to  claim 18 , comprising the step of repeating said returning step until a selected contaminant removal level has been achieved. 
     
     
         20 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein at least two transition metal oxide membranes which are in series fluid flow with respect to each other are provided. 
     
     
         21 . A process according to  claim 20 , comprising the step of passing oil that has not passed through one of the transition metal oxide membranes to a subsequent upstream transition metal oxide membrane. 
     
     
         22 . A process according to  claim 20 , comprising the step of passing oil that has not passed through one of the transition metal oxide membranes to a downstream transition metal oxide membrane. 
     
     
         23 . A process according to  claim 20 , comprising the step of passing oil that has passed through one of the transition metal oxide membranes to a subsequent upstream transition metal oxide membrane. 
     
     
         24 . A process according to  claim 20 , comprising the step of passing oil that has passed through one of the transition metal oxide membranes to a downstream transition metal oxide membrane 
     
     
         25 . Use of a permeable transition metal oxide membrane to remove color and non-color contaminants from oil, the process comprising the step of passing an oil feed through a permeable transition metal oxide membrane, wherein said oil that has passed through said transition metal oxide membrane has less color contaminants and non-color contaminants relative to said oil feed. 
     
     
         26 . An oil made in a process comprising the step of passing an oil feed containing color contaminants and non-color contaminants through a permeable transition metal oxide membrane, wherein said oil that has passed through said transition metal oxide membrane has less color contaminants and non-color contaminants relative to said oil feed.