Process for upgrading heavy oil and bitumen products

Abstract

A process for upgrading bitumen recovered from an oil reservoir without hydrogen production is particularly useful in field upgrading applications. In this process, recovered bitumen enters a fractionator and is contacted with heated gases from a fluidized bed reactor. The bitumen and heated gases are fractionated into segregated products including at least a liquid pitch, unstable fractions, and an upgraded liquid product. The liquid pitch is introduced into the reactor to produce a vapor phase liquid product; the reactor comprises solid particles moving through the reactor and a fluidizing gas fluidizing the solid particles at a conversion temperature which is suitable for facilitating the conversion of at least some of the liquid pitch into the vapor phase liquid product. The heated gases comprising the vapor phase liquid product and fluidizing gas are directed from the reactor to the fractionator to contact the bitumen stream. In this process, enough of the segregated unstable fractions are burned that the liquid product and any remaining unstable fractions meets pipeline specifications without hydrogen treatment of any of the remaining unstable fractions.

1 . A process for upgrading bitumen recovered from an oil reservoir without hydrogen treatment comprising:
 (a) in a fractionator, contacting the recovered bitumen with heated gases from a fluidized bed reactor and fractionating the bitumen and heated gases into segregated products including at least a liquid pitch, unstable fractions, and an upgraded liquid product;   (b) introducing the liquid pitch into the reactor to produce a vapor phase liquid product, the reactor comprising solid particles moving through the reactor and a fluidizing gas fluidizing the solid particles at a conversion temperature which is suitable for facilitating the conversion of at least some of the liquid pitch into the vapor phase liquid product;   (c) directing the heated gases comprising the vapor phase liquid product and fluidizing gas from the reactor to the fractionator to contact the bitumen stream; and   (d) burning enough of the segregated unstable fractions that the liquid product and any remaining unstable fractions meets pipeline specifications without hydrogen treatment of any of the remaining unstable fractions.   
     
     
         2 . A process as claimed in  claim 1  wherein during the step of fractionating the bitumen and heated gases, there is also produced a non-condensable gas at least some of which is used as the fluidizing gas in the reactor. 
     
     
         3 . A process as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the reactor produces coke when the liquid pitch is converted into the vapor phase product liquid, and the process further comprises using at least some of the coke to generate steam for use in recovering the bitumen. 
     
     
         4 . A process as claimed in  claim 1  wherein in the step of burning unstable fractions, steam is generated for use in recovering the bitumen. 
     
     
         5 . A process as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the unstable fractions include cracked naphtha at least some which is recovered as liquid naphtha for use as an upgraded liquid product. 
     
     
         6 . A process as claimed in  claim 3  or  4  wherein the bitumen is recovered by steam assisted gravity drainage or cyclic steam stimulation. 
     
     
         7 . A process as claimed in  claim 3  or  4  wherein the steam is generated by a circulating fluidized bed steam generator and clean up facility. 
     
     
         8 . A process as claimed in  claim 7  further comprising partially oxidizing at least some of the coke to generate heat, directing flue gas generated as a result of the partial oxidation to the circulating fluidized bed steam generator and clean up facility, and contacting the flue gas with lime to clean the flue gas. 
     
     
         9 . A process as claimed in  claim 8  further comprising partially oxidizing at least some of the coke to generate heat, and wherein the heat is used to heat one or more of the solid particles, fluidizing gas, and low grade steam. 
     
     
         10 . A process as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the reactor output is selected such that the amount of coke or naphtha produced is sufficient to meet all the energy requirements of the circulating fluidized bed steam generator and clean up facility. 
     
     
         11 . A process as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the reactor output is selected such that the amount of coke or naphtha produced is sufficient to meet all the energy requirements for sufficiently heating the solid particles and fluidizing gas for use in the reactor. 
     
     
         12 . A process as claimed in  claim 1  wherein in the fractionator, the heated gases are contacted with the bitumen such that the boiling temperature of volatile material in the bitumen is reduced, thereby enabling fractionation without use of atmospheric and vacuum columns. 
     
     
         13 . A process as claimed in  claim 1  wherein oil is recovered from an oil sands reservoir. 
     
     
         14 . A process as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the reactor is a cross-flow fluidized bed reactor. 
     
     
         15 . A process as claimed in  claim 1  wherein all of the unstable fractions are burned that only liquid product remains which meet pipeline specifications.