Emulsion fuel from sonication-generated asphaltenes

Abstract

An emulsification method for converting deasphalted oil and/or asphaltenes into more suitable products for market demands and utilization in self sufficient energy production treatments plants is disclosed. Asphaltenes and residues from sonication of heavy oil feedstocks, as well as de-asphalted oil, may be used in combination with water and other chemical additives for conversion into a suitable fuel which may be stored, handled, and transported.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of converting asphaltenes into emulsion fuel comprising:
 combining a first batch of heavy oil feedstock with a solvent to form a mixture;   performing sonication on the mixture using a sonic reactor to separate deasphalted oil from asphaltenes;   determining a number of mixing cycles or a mixing time for the emulsion based on a predetermined stability of emulsion, wherein the stability of the emulsion increases with additional mixing cycles or longer mixing time; and   forming emulsion by mixing a fluid and a chemical additive with the asphaltenes for the determined number of mixing cycles or the determined mixing time to enhance designated characteristics of the emulsion.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein sonication applies a low frequency, high-amplitude, high-vibrational energy to the mixture 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 recovering solvent from the deasphalted oil and the asphaltenes by separating the solvent from the deasphalted oil and the asphaltenes; and   combining a second batch of heavy oil feedstock with the recovered solvent.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid is water. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the designated characteristics may be one or more from the group consisting of viscosity, oiliness, sulfur levels, flash point, and heavy metal concentrations. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the chemical additive has a concentration in the range of 0.1% to 2% in emulsion. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 applying heat while mixing the asphaltenes with the fluid and the chemical additive.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the emulsion further comprises deasphalted oil. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein mixing the fluid and the chemical additive to the asphaltenes is performed by static mixing, recirculation mixing, mixing by convection, or mixing by sparkling. 
     
     
         10 . A method of converting deasphalted oil into emulsion fuel comprising:
 combining a first batch of heavy oil feedstock with a solvent to form a mixture;   performing sonication on the mixture using a sonic reactor to separate deasphalted oil from asphaltenes;   determining a number of mixing cycles or a mixing time for the emulsion based on a predetermined stability of emulsion, wherein a stability of the emulsion increases with additional mixing cycles or longer mixing time; and   forming emulsion by mixing a fluid and a chemical additive with the deasphalted oil for the determined number of mixing cycles or the determined mixing time to enhance designated characteristics of the emulsion.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein sonication applies a low frequency, high-amplitude, high-vibrational energy to the mixture 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 recovering solvent from the deasphalted oil and the asphaltenes by separating the solvent from the deasphalted oil and the asphaltenes; and   combining a second batch of heavy oil feedstock with the recovered solvent.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the fluid is water. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the designated characteristics may be one or more from the group consisting of viscosity, oiliness, sulfur levels, flash point, and heavy metal concentrations. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the chemical additive has a concentration in the range of 0.1% to 2% in emulsion. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 applying heat while mixing the asphaltenes with the fluid and the chemical additive.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the emulsion further comprises asphaltenes. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein mixing the fluid and the chemical additive to the deasphalted oil is performed by static mixing, recirculation mixing, mixing by convection, or mixing by sparkling. 
     
     
         19 . An emulsion generating system comprising:
 an in-line mixer configured to receive heavy oil feedstock and solvent and mix the heavy oil feedstock and solvent to form a mixture;   a sonicator configured to receive the mixture from the in-line mixer and apply a low-frequency, high-amplitude, high-vibrational energy to the mixture to separate deasphalted oil from asphaltenes comprising the mixture;   a first reservoir configured to store the asphaltenes received from the sonicator and output the asphaltenes when a first control valve is activated;   a second reservoir configured to store water and output the water when a second control valve is activated;   a third reservoir configured to store a chemical additive and output the chemical additive when a third control valve is activated;   a mixer configured to mix the asphaltenes, the water, and the chemical additive to form emulsion; and   a recirculation valve configured to control a mixing time or a number of mixing cycles for the emulsion, wherein a stability of the emulsion increases with additional mixing cycles or longer mixing time.   
     
     
         20 . The emulsion generation system of  claim 19 , wherein the first reservoir also stores deasphalted oil.