Melting and dissolving waste plastic into vgo

Abstract

A novel process and associated equipment for effectively melting and dissolving waste plastics into petroleum feeds such as VGO are provided. The process can continuously generate a stream of blended plastic and VGO liquids that can be further treated or purified to meet fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) feedstock specifications. The entire stream can then be sent to an FCC unit to convert waste plastics into high quality gasoline fuel. The associated equipment comprises a continuous processing unit with minimum maintenance requirement.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A process for the mixing of waste plastic feedstocks into a petroleum feed comprising:
 a) providing a petroleum feedstock to a processing unit;   b) adding waste plastic to the petroleum feedstock in the processing unit such that the plastic comprises 1-20 wt. % of the blend;   c) mixing the waste plastic into the petroleum feedstock using one or more mixers; and   d) collecting the mixed product from the processing unit.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the petroleum feed comprises VGO. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the petroleum feed comprises light cycle oil (LCO), heavy cycle oil (HCO), hydrotreated oil, hydrocracked oil, reformate oil, atmospheric gas oil (AGO) and Coker Gas Oil (CGO). 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the petroleum feed comprises a pure hydrocarbon, wherein the pure hydrocarbon comprises benzene, toluene, xylene, or C7-C10 aromatic solvent. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of plastic comprises from 5-20 wt. % of the mixed product. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the mixed product is tested with a viscometer. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the process is controlled based on the viscosity of the mixed product. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 5 , wherein controlling the process based on the viscosity of the mixed product further comprises sounding an alarm. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 5 , wherein controlling the process based on the viscosity of the mixed product further comprises ceasing to add waste plastic to the VGO processing unit. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the mixed product undergoes filtration after being collected. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the mixed product is sent to a conversion reactor for reaction. 
     
     
         12 . A processing unit for continuously mixing and melting waste plastic into VGO for use in the process of  claim 1 , the unit comprising a mixing unit for holding liquid with:
 a) internal baffles;   b) overhead mixer with impellers;   c) means for constant N 2  or H 2  purge;   d) an inlet for a petroleum feed;   e) an inlet for waste plastic feed; and   f) a product drain.   
     
     
         13 . The processing unit of  claim 10 , wherein the unit further comprises:
 a) a jacket for temperature control;   b) a shaped bottom;   c) two or more impellers;   d) an on-line viscometer; and   e) a slurry pump.   
     
     
         14 . The processing unit of  claim 11 , wherein the shaped bottom comprises a round shape. 
     
     
         15 . The processing unit of  claim 11 , wherein the shaped bottom comprises a conical shape. 
     
     
         16 . The processing unit of  claim 11 , wherein the two or more impellers comprise a top and bottom impeller. 
     
     
         17 . The processing unit of  claim 14 , wherein a high shear turbine impeller is the bottom impeller. 
     
     
         18 . The processing unit of  claim 10 , wherein the unit further comprises:
 a) separation baffles;   b) radial impellers; and   c) a jacket for temperature control.   
     
     
         19 . The processing unit of  claim 16 , wherein the surfaces of the separation baffles comprise different degrees of coarseness. 
     
     
         20 . The processing unit of  claim 17 , wherein the surface of the top of the separation baffle comprises a coarse grit. 
     
     
         21 . The processing unit of  claim 17 , wherein the surface of the bottom of the separation baffle comprises a fine grit. 
     
     
         22 . The processing unit of  claim 16 , wherein the separation horizontal baffles are set within the unit at an angle. 
     
     
         23 . The processing unit of  claim 16 , wherein the radial impellers comprise a top and bottom impeller. 
     
     
         24 . The processing unit of  claim 21 , wherein a high shear turbine impeller is the bottom impeller. 
     
     
         25 . The processing unit of  claim 16 , wherein the jacket comprises a manway. 
     
     
         26 . The processing unit of  claim 16 , wherein the unit further comprises vertical baffles. 
     
     
         27 . The processing unit of  claim 10 , wherein the unit comprises a rectangular or cylindrical shape. 
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of continuous processing units are connected in series. 
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the mixed product is sent to a fluid catalytic cracking reactor.