Process and device for reducing environmental contaminates in heavy marine fuel oil

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 11492559
  • Patent Number
    11,492,559
  • Date Filed
    Monday, February 12, 2018
    6 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 8, 2022
    2 years ago
Abstract
A process and device for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process involving: mixing a quantity of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the feedstock mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 821 7 for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05% wt. to 0.5% wt. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil can be used as or as a blending stock for an ISO 8217 compliant, IMO MARPOL Annex VI (revised) compliant low sulfur or ultralow sulfur heavy marine fuel oil.
Description
BACKGROUND

There are two marine fuel oil types, distillate based marine fuel oil, and residual based marine fuel oil. Distillate based marine fuel, also known as Marine Gas Oil (MGO) or Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) comprises petroleum fractions separated from crude oil in a refinery via a distillation process. Gasoil (also known as medium diesel) is a petroleum distillate intermediate in boiling range and viscosity between kerosene and lubricating oil containing a mixture of C10-19 hydrocarbons. Gasoil is used to heat homes and is used for heavy equipment such as cranes, bulldozers, generators, bobcats, tractors and combine harvesters. Generally maximizing gasoil recovery from residues is the most economic use of the materials by refiners because they can crack gas oils into valuable gasoline and distillates. Diesel oils are very similar to gas oils with diesel containing predominantly contain a mixture of C10 through C19 hydrocarbons, which include approximately 64% aliphatic hydrocarbons, 1-2% olefinic hydrocarbons, and 35% aromatic hydrocarbons. Marine Diesels may contain up to 15% residual process streams, and optionally up to no more than 5% volume of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (asphaltenes). Diesel fuels are primarily utilized as a land transport fuel and as blending component with kerosene to form aviation jet fuel.


Residual based fuels or Heavy Marine Fuel Oil (HMFO) comprises a mixture of process residues—the fractions that don't boil or vaporize even under vacuum conditions, and have an asphaltene content between 3 and 20 percent by weight. Asphaltenes are large and complex polycyclic hydrocarbons with a propensity to form complex and waxy precipitates. Once asphaltenes have precipitated out, they are notoriously difficult to re-dissolve and are described as fuel tank sludge in the marine shipping industry and marine bunker fueling industry.


Large ocean-going ships have relied upon HMFO to power large two stroke diesel engines for over 50 years. HMFO is a blend of aromatics, distillates, and residues generated in the crude oil refinery process. Typical streams included in the formulation of HMFO include: atmospheric tower bottoms (i.e. atmospheric residues), vacuum tower bottoms (i.e. vacuum residues) visbreaker residue, FCC Light Cycle Oil (LCO), FCC Heavy Cycle Oil (HCO) also known as FCC bottoms, FCC Slurry Oil, heavy gas oils and delayed cracker oil (DCO), polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons, reclaimed land transport motor oils and small portions (less than 20% by volume) of cutter oil, kerosene or diesel to achieve a desired viscosity. HMFO has an aromatic content higher than the marine distillate fuels noted above. The HMFO composition is complex and varies with the source of crude oil and the refinery processes utilized to extract the most value out of a barrel of crude oil. The mixture of components is generally characterized as being viscous, high in sulfur and metal content, and high in asphaltenes making HMFO the one product of the refining process that has a per barrel value less than the feedstock crude oil itself.


Industry statistics indicate that about 90% of the HMFO sold contains 3.5 weight % sulfur. With an estimated total worldwide consumption of HMFO of approximately 300 million tons per year, the annual production of sulfur dioxide by the shipping industry is estimated to be over 21 million tons per year. Emissions from HMFO burning in ships contribute significantly to both global air pollution and local air pollution levels.


MARPOL, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, as administered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was enacted to prevent pollution from ships. In 1997, a new annex was added to MARPOL; the Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships—Annex VI to minimize airborne emissions from ships (SOx, NOx, ODS, VOC) and their contribution to air pollution. A revised Annex VI with tightened emissions limits was adopted in October 2008 having effect on 1 Jul. 2010 (hereafter referred to as Annex VI (revised) or simply Annex VI).


MARPOL Annex VI (revised) established a set of stringent emissions limits for vessel operations in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The ECAs under MARPOL Annex VI (revised) are: i) Baltic Sea area—as defined in Annex I of MARPOL—SOx only; ii) North Sea area—as defined in Annex V of MARPOL—SOx only; iii) North American—as defined in Appendix VII of Annex VI of MARPOL—SOx, NOx and PM; and, iv) United States Caribbean Sea area—as defined in Appendix VII of Annex VI of MARPOL—SOx, NOx and PM.


Annex VI (revised) was codified in the United States by the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). Under the authority of APPS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA), in consultation with the United States Coast Guard (USCG), promulgated regulations which incorporate by reference the full text of MARPOL Annex VI (revised). See 40 C.F.R. § 1043.100(a)(1). On Aug. 1, 2012 the maximum sulfur content of all marine fuel oils used onboard ships operating in US waters/ECA cannot exceed 1.00% wt. (10,000 ppm) and on Jan. 1, 2015 the maximum sulfur content of all marine fuel oils used in the North American ECA was lowered to 0.10% wt. (1,000 ppm). At the time of implementation, the United States government indicated that vessel operators must vigorously prepare for the 0.10% wt. (1,000 ppm) US ECA marine fuel oil sulfur standard. To encourage compliance, the EPA and USCG refused to consider the cost of compliant low sulfur fuel oil to be a valid basis for claiming that compliant fuel oil was not available for purchase. For the past five years there has been a very strong economic incentive to meet the marine industry demands for low sulfur HMFO, however technically viable solutions have not been realized. There is an on-going and urgent demand for processes and methods for making a low sulfur HMFO that is compliant with MARPOL Annex VI emissions requirements.


Because of the ECAs, all ocean-going ships which operate both outside and inside these ECAs must operate on different marine fuel oils to comply with the respective limits and achieve maximum economic efficiency. In such cases, prior to entry into the ECA, a ship is required to fully change-over to using the ECA compliant marine fuel oil, and to have onboard implemented written procedures on how this is to be undertaken. Similarly change-over from using the ECA compliant fuel oil back to HMFO is not to commence until after exiting the ECA. With each change-over it is required that the quantities of the ECA compliant fuel oils onboard are recorded, with the date, time and position of the ship when either completing the change-over prior to entry or commencing change-over after exit from such areas. These records are to be made in a logbook as prescribed by the ship's flag State, absent any specific requirement the record could be made, for example, in the ship's Annex I Oil Record Book.


The Annex VI (revised) also sets global limits on sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and particulate matter and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances, such as hydro-chlorofluorocarbons. Under the revised MARPOL Annex VI, the global sulfur cap for HMFO was reduced to 3.50% wt. effective 1 Jan. 2012; then further reduced to 0.50% wt, effective 1 Jan. 2020. This regulation has been the subject of much discussion in both the marine shipping and marine fuel bunkering industry. Under the global limit, all ships must use HMFO with a sulfur content of not over 0.50% wt. The IMO has repeatedly indicated to the marine shipping industry that notwithstanding availability of compliant fuel or the price of compliant fuel, compliance with the 0.50% wt. sulfur limit for HMFO will occur on 1 Jan. 2020 and that the IMO expects the fuel oil market to solve this requirement. There has been a very strong economic incentive to meet the international marine industry demands for low sulfur HMFO, however technically viable solutions have not been realized. Thus there is an on-going and urgent demand for processes and methods for making a low sulfur HMFO that is compliant with MARPOL Annex VI emissions requirements.


IMO Regulation 14 provides both the limit values and the means to comply. These may be divided into methods termed primary (in which the formation of the pollutant is avoided) or secondary (in which the pollutant is formed but removed prior to discharge of the exhaust gas stream to the atmosphere). There are no guidelines regarding any primary methods (which could encompass, for example, onboard blending of liquid fuel oils or dual fuel (gas/liquid) use). In secondary control methods, guidelines (MEPC.184(59)) have been adopted for exhaust gas cleaning systems; in using such arrangements there would be no constraint on the sulfur content of the fuel oils as bunkered other than that given the system's certification. For numerous technical and economic reasons, secondary controls have been rejected by major shipping companies and not widely adopted in the marine shipping industry. The use of secondary controls is not seen as practical solution by the marine shipping industry.


Primary control solutions: A focus for compliance with the MARPOL requirements has been on primary control solutions for reducing the sulfur levels in marine fuel components prior to combustion based on the substitution of HMFO with alternative fuels. However, the switch from HMFO to alternative fuels poses a range of issues for vessel operators, many of which are still not understood by either the shipping industry or the refining industry. Because of the potential risks to ships propulsion systems (i.e. fuel systems, engines, etc . . . ) when a ship switches fuel, the conversion process must be done safely and effectively to avoid any technical issues. However, each alternative fuel has both economic and technical difficulties adapting to the decades of shipping infrastructure and bunkering systems based upon HMFO utilized by the marine shipping industry.


LNG: The most prevalent primary control solution in the shipping industry is the adoption of LNG as a primary or additive fuel to HMFO. An increasing number of ships are using liquified natural gas (LNG) as a primary fuel. Natural gas as a marine fuel for combustion turbines and in diesel engines leads to negligible sulfur oxide emissions. The benefits of natural gas have been recognized in the development by IMO of the International Code for Ships using Gases and other Low Flashpoint Fuels (the IGF Code), which was adopted in 2015. LNG however presents the marine industry with operating challenges including: on-board storage of a cryogenic liquid in a marine environment will require extensive renovation and replacement of the bunker fuel storage and fuel transfer systems of the ship; the supply of LNG is far from ubiquitous in major world ports; updated crew qualifications and training on operating LNG or duel fuel engines will be required prior to going to sea.


Sulfur Free Bio-fuels: Another proposed primary solution for obtaining compliance with the MARPOL requirements is the substitution of HMFO with sulfur free bio-fuels. Bio-diesel has had limited success in displacing petroleum derived diesel however supply remains constrained. Methanol has been used on some short sea services in the North Sea ECA on ferries and other littoral ships. The wide spread adoption of bio-fuel, such as bio-diesel or methanol, present many challenges to ship owners and the bunker fuel industry. These challenges include: fuel system compatibility and adaptation of existing fuel systems will be required; contamination during long term storage of methanol and biodiesel from water and biological contamination; the heat content of methanol and bio-diesel on a per ton basis is substantially lower than HMFO; and methanol has a high vapor pressure and presents serious safety concerns of flash fires.


Replacement of heavy fuel oil with marine gas oil or marine diesel: A third proposed primary solution is to simply replace HMFO with marine gas oil (MGO) or marine diesel (MDO). The first major difficulty is the constraint in global supply of distillate materials that make up over 90% vol of MGO and MDO. It is reported that the effective spare capacity to produce MGO is less than 100 million metric tons per year resulting in an annual shortfall in marine fuel of over 200 million metric tons per year. Refiners not only lack the capacity to increase the production of MGO, but they have no economic motivation because higher value and higher margins can be obtained from ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for land-based transportation systems (i.e. trucks, trains, mass transit systems, heavy construction equipment, etc . . . ).


Blending: Another primary solution is the blending of HMFO with lower sulfur containing fuels such as low sulfur marine diesel (0.1% wt. sulfur) to achieve a Product HMFO with a sulfur content of 0.5% wt. In a straight blending approach (based on linear blending) every 1 ton of HSFO (3.5% sulfur) requires 7.5 tons of MGO or MDO material with 0.1% wt. S to achieve a sulfur level of 0.5% wt. HMFO. One of skill in the art of fuel blending will immediately understand that blending hurts key properties of the HMFO, specifically viscosity and density are substantially altered. Further a blending process may result in a fuel with variable viscosity and density that may no longer meet the requirements for a HMFO.


Further complications may arise when blended HMFO is introduced into the bunkering infrastructure and shipboard systems otherwise designed for unblended HMFO. There is a real risk of incompatibility when the two fuels are mixed. Blending a mostly paraffinic-type distillate fuel (MGO or MDO) with a HMFO having a high aromatic content often correlates with poor solubility of asphaltenes. A blended fuel is likely to result in the precipitation of asphaltenes and/or highly paraffinic materials from the distillate material forming an intractable fuel tank sludge. Fuel tank sludge causes clogging of filters and separators, transfer pumps and lines, build-up of sludge in storage tanks, sticking of fuel injection pumps (deposits on plunger and barrel), and plugged fuel nozzles. Such a risk to the primary propulsion system is not acceptable for a cargo ship in the open ocean.


Lastly blending of HMFO with marine distillate products (MGO or MDO) is not economically feasible. A blender will be taking a high value product (0.1% S marine gas oil (MGO) or marine diesel (MDO)) and blending it 7.5 to 1 with a low value high sulfur HMFO to create a final IMO/MARPOL compliant HMFO (i.e. 0.5% wt. S Low Sulfur Heavy Marine Fuel Oil—LSHMFO). It is expected that LSHMFO will sell at a lower price on a per ton basis than the value of the two blending stocks alone.


Processing of residual oil. For the past several decades, the focus of refining industry research efforts related to the processing of heavy oils (crude oils, distressed oils, or residual oils) has been on upgrading the properties of these low value refinery process oils to create lighter oils with greater value. The challenge has been that crude oil, distressed oil and residues can be unstable and contain high levels of sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorous, metals (especially vanadium and nickel) and asphaltenes. Much of the nickel and vanadium is in difficult to remove chelates with porphyrins. Vanadium and nickel porphyrins and other metal organic compounds are responsible for catalyst contamination and corrosion problems in the refinery. The sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorous, are removed because they are well-known poisons for the precious metal (platinum and palladium) catalysts utilized in the processes downstream of the atmospheric or vacuum distillation towers.


The difficulties treating atmospheric or vacuum residual streams has been known for many years and has been the subject of considerable research and investigation. Numerous residue-oil conversion processes have been developed in which the goals are same, 1) create a more valuable, preferably distillate range hydrocarbon product; and 2) concentrate the contaminates such as sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorous, metals and asphaltenes into a form (coke, heavy coker residue, FCC slurry oil) for removal from the refinery stream. Well known and accepted practice in the refining industry is to increase the reaction severity (elevated temperature and pressure) to produce hydrocarbon products that are lighter and more purified, increase catalyst life times and remove sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorous, metals and asphaltenes from the refinery stream.


It is also well known in these processes that the nature of the feedstock has a significant influence upon the products produced, catalyst life, and ultimately the economic viability of the process. In a representative technical paper Residual-Oil Hydrotreating Kinetics for Graded Catalyst Systems: Effects of Original and Treated Feedstocks, is stated that “The results revealed significant changes in activity, depending on the feedstock used for the tests. The study demonstrates the importance of proper selection of the feedstocks used in the performance evaluation and screening of candidate catalyst for graded catalyst systems for residual-oil hydrotreatment.” From this one skilled in the art would understand that the conditions required for the successful hydroprocessing of atmospheric residue are not applicable for the successful hydroprocessing of vacuum residue which are not applicable for the successful hydroprocessing of a visbreaker residue, and so forth. Successful reaction conditions depend upon the feedstock. For this reason modern complex refineries have multiple hydroprocessing units, each unit being targeted on specific hydrocarbon stream with a focus on creating desirable and valuable light hydrocarbons and providing a product acceptable to the next downstream process.


A further difficulty in the processing of heavy oil residues and other heavy hydrocarbons is the inherent instability of each intermediate refinery stream. One of skill in the art understands there are many practical reasons each refinery stream is handled in isolation. One such reason is the unpredictable nature of the asphaltenes contained in each stream. Asphaltenes are large and complex hydrocarbons with a propensity to precipitate out of refinery hydrocarbon streams. One of skill in the art knows that even small changes in the components or physical conditions (temperature, pressure) can precipitate asphaltenes that were otherwise dissolved in solution. Once precipitated from solution, asphaltenes can quickly block vital lines, control valves, coat critical sensing devices (i.e. temperature and pressure sensors) and generally result in the severe and very costly disruption and shut down of a unit or the whole refinery. For this reason it has been a long-standing practice within refineries to not blend intermediate product streams (such as atmospheric residue, vacuum residue, FCC slurry oil, etc . . . ) and process each stream in separate reactors.


In summary, since the announcement of the MARPOL standards reducing the global levels of sulfur in HMFO, refiners of crude oil have not undertaken the technical efforts to create a low sulfur substitute for HMFO. Despite the strong governmental and economic incentives and needs of the international marine shipping industry, refiners have little economic reason to address the removal of environmental contaminates from HMFOs. Instead the global refining industry has been focused upon generating greater value from each barrel of oil by creating light hydrocarbons (i.e. diesel and gasoline) and concentrating the environmental contaminates into increasingly lower value streams (i.e. residues) and products (petroleum coke, HMFO). Shipping companies have focused on short term solutions, such as the installation of scrubbing units, or adopting the limited use of more expensive low sulfur marine diesel and marine gas oils as a substitute for HMFO. On the open seas, most if not all major shipping companies continue to utilize the most economically viable fuel, that is HMFO. There remains a long standing and unmet need for processes and devices that remove the environmental contaminants (i.e. sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorous, metals especially vanadium and nickel) from HMFO without altering the qualities and properties that make HMFO the most economic and practical means of powering ocean going vessels. Further there remains a long standing and unmet need for IMO compliant low sulfur (i.e. 0.5% wt. sulfur) or ultralow (0.10 wt. sulfur) HMFO that is also compliant with the bulk properties required for a merchantable ISO 8217 HMFO.


SUMMARY

It is a general objective to reduce the environmental contaminates from a Heavy Marine Fuel Oil (HMFO) in a process that minimizes the changes in the desirable properties of the HMFO and minimizes the unnecessary production of by-product hydrocarbons (i.e. light distillate hydrocarbons having C1-C8 and wild naphtha (C5-C20).


A first aspect and illustrative embodiment encompasses a process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process involving: mixing a quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a Feedstock Mixture; contacting the Feedstock Mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the Feedstock Mixture; receiving said Process Mixture and separating a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.


A second aspect and illustrative embodiment encompasses a process for reducing the environmental contaminants in HMFO, in which the process involves: mixing a quantity of Feedstock HMFO with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the feedstock mixture; receiving said Process Mixture and separating the liquid components of the Process Mixture from the bulk gaseous components of the Process Mixture; receiving said liquid components and separating any residual gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components from the processed Product HMFO; and, discharging the processed Product HMFO.


A third aspect and illustrative embodiment encompasses a device for reducing environmental contaminants in a Feedstock HMFO, the device having a first vessel, a second vessel in fluid communication with the first vessel and a third vessel in fluid communication with the second vessel and a discharge line from the third vessel for discharging the Product HMFO. The first vessel receives a quantity of the Feedstock HMFO mixed with a quantity of an Activating Gas mixture and contacting the resulting mixture with one or more catalysts under certain process conditions to form a Process Mixture. The second vessel receives the Process Mixture from the first vessel, and separates the liquid components from the bulk gaseous components within the Process Mixture. The bulk gaseous components are sent on for further processing. The liquid components are sent to the third vessel separates any residual gaseous component and any by-product hydrocarbon components (principally lights and wild naphtha) from the processed Product HMFO which is subsequently discharged.





DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS


FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of a process to produce Product HMFO.



FIG. 2 is a basic schematic diagram of a plant to produce Product HMFO.



FIG. 3a is a basic schematic diagram of a first alternative variation of the Reactor Section in a plant to produce Product HMFO in the second illustrative embodiment.



FIG. 3b is a basic schematic diagram of a second alternative variation of the Reactor Section in a plant to produce Product HMFO in the second illustrative embodiment.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventive concepts as described herein utilize terms that should be well known to one of skill in the art, however certain terms are utilized having a specific intended meaning and these terms are defined below:

  • Heavy Marine Fuel Oil (HMFO) is a petroleum product fuel compliant with the ISO 8217 :2017 standards for the bulk properties of residual marine fuels except for the concentration levels of the Environmental Contaminates.
  • Environmental Contaminates are organic and inorganic components of HMFO that result in the formation of SOx, NOx and particulate materials upon combustion.
  • Feedstock HMFO is a petroleum product fuel compliant with the ISO 8217 :2017 standards for the bulk properties of residual marine fuels except for the concentration of Environmental Contaminates, preferably the Feedstock HMFO has a sulfur content greater than the global MARPOL standard of 0.5% wt. sulfur, and preferably and has a sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 5.0% wt. to 1.0% wt. sulfur (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754).
  • Product HMFO is a petroleum product fuel compliant with the ISO 8217 :2017 standards for the bulk properties of residual marine fuels and achieves a sulfur content lower than the global MARPOL standard of 0.5% wt. sulfur (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754), and preferably a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05% wt. to 1.0% wt.
  • Activating Gas: is a mixture of gases utilized in the process combined with the catalyst to remove the environmental contaminates from the Feedstock HMFO.
  • Fluid communication: is the capability to transfer fluids (either liquid, gas or combinations thereof, which might have suspended solids) from a first vessel or location to a second vessel or location, this may encompass connections made by pipes (also called a line), spools, valves, intermediate holding tanks or surge tanks (also called a drum). Merchantable quality: is a level of quality for a residual marine fuel oil so that the fuel is fit for the ordinary purpose it is intended to serve (i.e. serve as a residual fuel source for a marine ship) and can be commercially sold as and is fungible with heavy or residual marine bunker fuel.
  • Bbl or bbl: is a standard volumetric measure for oil; 1 bbl=0.1589873 m3; or 1 bbl=158.9873 liters; or 1 bbl=42.00 US liquid gallons.
  • Bpd: is an abbreviation for Bbl per day.
  • SCF: is an abbreviation for standard cubic foot of a gas; a standard cubic foot (at 14.73 psi and 60° F.) equals 0.0283058557 standard cubic meters (at 101.325 kPa and 15° C.).


The inventive concepts are illustrated in more detail in this description referring to the drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows the generalized block process flows for reducing the environmental contaminates in a Feedstock HMFO and producing a Product HMFO according to a first illustrative embodiment. A predetermined volume of Feedstock HMFO (2) is mixed with a predetermined quantity of Activating Gas (4) to give a Feedstock Mixture. The Feedstock HMFO utilized generally complies with the bulk physical and certain key chemical properties for a residual marine fuel oil otherwise compliant with ISO8217:2017 exclusive of the Environmental Contaminates. More particularly, when the Environmental Contaminate is sulfur, the concentration of sulfur in the Feedstock HMFO may be between the range of 5.0% wt. to 1.0% wt. The Feedstock HMFO should have bulk physical properties that are required of an ISO8217:2017 compliant HMFO of: a maximum kinematic viscosity at 50 C (ISO 3104) between the range from 180 mm2/s to 700 mm2/s and a maximum density at 15° C. (ISO 3675) between the range of 991.0 kg/m3 to 1010.0 kg/m3 and a CCAI is 780 to 870 and a flash point (ISO 2719) no lower than 60.0 C. Other properties of the Feedstock HMFO connected to the formation of particulate material (PM) include: a maximum total sediment—aged (ISO 10307-2) of 0.10% wt. and a maximum carbon residue—micro method (ISO 10370) between the range of 18.00% wt. and 20.00% wt. and a maximum aluminum plus silicon (ISO 10478) content of 60 mg/kg. Potential Environmental Contaminates other than sulfur that may be present in the Feedstock HMFO over the ISO requirements may include vanadium, nickel, iron, aluminum and silicon substantially reduced by the process of the present invention. However, one of skill in the art will appreciate that the vanadium content serves as a general indicator of these other Environmental Contaminates. In one preferred embodiment the vanadium content is ISO compliant so the Feedstock MHFO has a maximum vanadium content (ISO 14597) between the range from 350 mg/kg to 450 ppm mg/kg.


As for the properties of the Activating Gas, the Activating Gas should be selected from mixtures of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, gaseous water, and methane. The mixture of gases within the Activating Gas should have an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (pH2) greater than 80% of the total pressure of the Activating Gas mixture (P) and more preferably wherein the Activating Gas has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (pH2) greater than 95% of the total pressure of the Activating Gas mixture (P). It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the molar content of the Activating Gas is another criteria the Activating Gas should have a hydrogen mole fraction in the range between 80% and 100% of the total moles of Activating Gas mixture, more preferably wherein the Activating Gas has a hydrogen mole fraction between 80% and 99% of the total moles of Activating Gas mixture


The Feedstock Mixture (i.e. mixture of Feedstock HMFO and Activating Gas) is brought up to the process conditions of temperature and pressure and introduced into a first vessel, preferably a reactor vessel, so the Feedstock Mixture is then contacted with one or more catalysts (8) to form a Process Mixture from the Feedstock Mixture.


The process conditions are selected so the ratio of the quantity of the Activating Gas to the quantity of Feedstock HMFO is 250 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO to 10,000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO; and preferably between 2000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO; 1 to 5000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO more preferably between 2500 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO to 4500 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO. The process conditions are selected so the total pressure in the first vessel is between of 250 psig and 3000 psig; preferably between 1000 psig and 2500 psig, and more preferably between 1500 psig and 2200 psig The process conditions are selected so the indicated temperature within the first vessel is between of 500° F. to 900F, preferably between 650° F. and 850° F. and more preferably between 680 ° F. and 800° F. The process conditions are selected so the liquid hourly space velocity within the first vessel is between 0.05 oil/hour/m3 catalyst and 1.0 oil/hour/m3 catalyst; preferably between 0.08 oil/hour/m3 catalyst and 0.5 oil/hour/m3 catalyst; and more preferably between 0.1 oil/hour/m3 catalyst and 0.3 oil/hour/m3 catalyst to achieve desulfurization with product sulfur levels below 0.5% wt.


One of skill in the art will appreciate that the process conditions are determined to consider the hydraulic capacity of the unit. Exemplary hydraulic capacity for the treatment unit may be between 100 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 100,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day, preferably between 1000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 60,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day, more preferably between 5,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 45,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day, and even more preferably between 10,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 30,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day


The process may utilize one or more catalyst systems selected from the group consisting of: an ebulliated bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalyst, a fixed bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalyst, and a combination of ebulliated bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalysts and fixed bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalysts. One of skill in the art will appreciate that a fixed bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalyst will be the technically easiest to implement and is preferred. The transition metal heterogeneous catalyst comprises a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier and a transition metal catalyst. The porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is at least one carrier selected from the group consisting of alumina, aluminalboria carrier, a carrier containing metal-containing aluminosilicate, alumina/phosphorus carrier, alumina/alkaline earth metal compound carrier, alumina/titania carrier and alumina/zirconia carrier. The transition metal component of the catalyst is one or more metals selected from the group consisting of group 6, 8, 9 and 10 of the Periodic Table. In a preferred and illustrative embodiment, the transition metal heterogeneous catalyst is a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier and a transition metal catalyst, in which the preferred porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is alumina and the preferred transition metal catalyst is Ni—Mo, Co—Mo, Ni—W or Ni—Co—Mo


The Process Mixture (10) is removed from the first vessel (8) and from being in contact with the one or more catalyst and is sent via fluid communication to a second vessel (12), preferably a gas-liquid separator or hot separators and cold separators, for separating the liquid components (14) of the Process Mixture from the bulk gaseous components (16) of the Process Mixture. The gaseous components (16) are treated beyond the battery limits of the immediate process. Such gaseous components may include a mixture of Activating Gas components and lighter hydrocarbons (mostly methane, ethane and propane but some wild naphtha) that may have been unavoidably foamed as part of the by-product hydrocarbons from the process.


The Liquid Components (16) are sent via fluid communication to a third vessel (18), preferably a fuel oil product stripper system, for separating any residual gaseous components (20) and by-product hydrocarbon components (22) from the Product HMFO (24). The residual gaseous components (20) may be a mixture of gases selected from the group consisting of: nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, gaseous water, C1-C5 hydrocarbons. This residual gas is treated outside of the battery limits of the immediate process, combined with other gaseous components (16) removed from the Process Mixture (10) in the second vessel (12). The liquid by-product hydrocarbon component, which are condensable hydrocarbons unavoidably formed in the process (22) may be a mixture selected from the group consisting of C5-C20 hydrocarbons (wild naphtha) (naphtha—diesel) and other condensable light liquid (C4-C8) hydrocarbons that can be utilized as part of the motor fuel blending pool or sold as gasoline and diesel blending components on the open market.


The processed Product HMFO (24) is discharged via fluid communication into storage tanks beyond the battery limits of the immediate process. The Product HMFO complies with ISO8217:2017 and has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05% wt. to 1.0% wt. preferably a sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05% wt. ppm and 0.7% wt. and more preferably a sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.1% wt. and 0.5% wt.. The vanadium content of the Product HMFO is also ISO compliant with a maximum vanadium content (ISO 14597) between the range from 350 mg/kg to 450 ppm mg/kg, preferably a vanadium content (ISO 14597) between the range of200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg and more preferably a vanadium content (ISO 14597) between the range of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg.


The Feedstock HFMO should have bulk physical properties that are ISO compliant of: a maximum kinematic viscosity at 50C (ISO 3104) between the range from 180 mm2/s to 700 mm2/s; a maximum density at 15 C (ISO 3675) between the range of 991.0 kg/m3 to 1010.0 kg/m3; a CCAI is in the range of 780 to 870; a flash point (ISO 2719) no lower than 60.0 C a maximum total sediment—aged (ISO 10307-2) of 0.10% wt.; a maximum carbon residue—micro method (ISO 10370) between the range of 18.00% wt. and 20.00% wt., and a maximum aluminum plus silicon (ISO 10478) content of 60 mg/kg.


The Product HMFO will have a sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between 1% and 10% of the maximum sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. That is the sulfur content of the Product will be reduced by about 80% or greater when compared to the Feedstock HMFO. Similarly, the vanadium content (ISO 14597) of the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is between 1% and 10% of the maximum vanadium content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the above data indicates a substantial reduction in sulfur and vanadium content indicate a process having achieved a substantial reduction in the Environmental Contaminates from the Feedstock HMFO while maintaining the desirable properties of an ISO compliant HMFO.


As a side note, the residual gaseous component is a mixture of gases selected from the group consisting of: nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, gaseous water, C1-C5 hydrocarbons. An amine scrubber will effectively remove the hydrogen sulfide content which can then be processed using technologies and processes well known to one of skill in the art. In one preferable illustrative embodiment, the hydrogen sulfide is converted into elemental sulfur using the well-known Claus process. An alternative embodiment utilizes a proprietary process for conversion of the Hydrogen sulfide to hydro sulfuric acid. Either way, the sulfur is removed from entering the environment prior to combusting the HMFO in a ships engine. The cleaned gas can be vented, flared or more preferably recycled back for use as Activating Gas.


The by-product hydrocarbon components are a mixture of C5-C20 hydrocarbons (wild naphtha) (naphtha—diesel) which can be directed to the motor fuel blending pool or sold over the fence to an adjoining refinery or even utilized to fire the heaters and combustion turbines to provide heat and power to the process. These by product hydrocarbons which are the result of hydrocracking reactions should be less than 10% wt., preferably less than 5% wt. and more preferably less than 2% wt. of the overall process mass balance.


Production Plant Description: Turning now to a more detailed illustrative embodiment of a production plant, FIG. 2 shows a schematic for a production plant implementing the process described above for reducing the environmental contaminates in a Feedstock HMFO to produce a Product HMFO according to the second illustrative embodiment. An alternative embodiment for the production plant in which multiple reactors are utilized is provided in FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b within the scope of the present invention.


Tables 2 and 3 provide the stream identification and equipment identification utilized in FIG. 2.









TABLE 2







Stream Identifications Utilized in FIG. 2.









Stream ID
Name
Description





A
Feedstock Heavy
The Feedstock HMFO is a hydrocarbon stream with



Marine Fuel Oil
sulfur content greater than 10000 ppmw.



(HMFO)
Hydrocarbons range between C12-C70+ The stream's




boiling range is between 350° F. and 1110+° F.


A′
pressurized Feedstock
Feedstock HMFO brought up to pressure for the



HMFO
process


A″
partially heated and
Feedstock HMFO brought up to pressure for the



pressurized Feedstock
process and partially heated



HMFO



B
Product HMFO
The Product HMFO is a hydrocarbon stream with




Sulfur Content less than 5000 ppmw. Hydrocarbons




range between C12 and C70+. The stream's boiling




range is between 350° F. and 1110+° F.


C
Activating Gas
Activating Gas is selected from mixtures of nitrogen,




hydrogen, carbon dioxide, gaseous water, and




methane, with an ideal gas partial pressure of




hydrogen (pH2) greater than 80% of the total pressure




of the Activating Gas mixture (P)


C′
Activating Gas Recycle
Provided from Amine Absorber and recompressed for




recycle into process


C″
Activating Gas Make-
Provided from OSBL



up



D
Feedstock Mixture
Mixture of Feedstock HMFO and Activating Gas


D′
Heated Feedstock
Mixture of Feedstock HMFO and Activating Gas



Mixture
heated to process conditions


E
Reactor System
Product mixture from Reactor System



Effluent



E′
partially cooled reactor
Product mixture from Reactor System



System Effluent



F
gaseous components of
Sent to Hot Separator Vapor Air Cooler



the Reactor System




Effluent



F′
cooled gaseous
Gaseous stream sent to Cold Separator



components of the




Reactor System




Effluent.



F″
gaseous components
Gaseous stream sent to Amine Absorber



from the Cold




Separator



G
liquid components of
Hydrocarbon stream sent to Fuel Oil Product Stripper



the Reactor System
System



Effluent



H
Cold Separator
Hydrocarbon stream sent to Fuel Oil Product Stripper



Hydrocarbon liquids
System


I
Condensed liquid water
Sent OSBL for treatment



from Cold Separator



J
Lean Amine
Lean Amine feeds the Amine Absorber to absorb




H2S contained in the recycle hydrogen.


K
Rich Amine
Rich Amine product from the Amine Absorber




contains absorbed hydrogen sulfide.


L
Scrubbed Purge Gas
Scrubbed Purge Gas contains hydrogen,




hydrocarbons, water vapor and ppm levels of




hydrogen sulfide.


M
Fuel Oil Stripper Vent
Fuel Oil Stripper Vent contains hydrogen, hydrogen




sulfide, steam and hydrocarbons sent OSBL.
















TABLE 3







Equipment Identifications Utilized in FIG. 2.









Equipment ID
Name
Description





 1
Oil Feed Surge Drum
Vessel that receives Feedstock HMFO




from OSBL and provides surge volume




adequate to ensure smooth operation of




the unit.


 1b
Feed line from Oil Feed Surge




Drum to Oil Feed Pump



 1c
Water discharge line from Feed
Water discharge line to OSBL



Surge Drum



 3
Oil Feed Pump
Pump that delivers fuel oil at pressure




required for the process.


 3a
Line from Oil Feed Pump to Oil




Feed/Product Heat Exchanger



 5
Oil Feed/Product Heat Exchanger
Cross exchanger that recovers heat from




the oil product to heat the oil feed.


 5a
Line from Oil Feed/Product Heat




Exchanger to Reactor Feed/




Effluent Heat Exchanger



 7
Reactor Feed/Effluent Exchanger
Cross exchanger that recovers heat from




the reactor system effluent to the reactor




feed.


 7a
Line from the Reactor Feed/




Effluent Exchanger to the Mixing




Point (X)



 9
Reactor Feed Furnace
Fired heater that heats reactor feed to




specified reactor inlet temperature.


 9a
Line from Mixing Point (X) to




Reactor Feed Furnace



 9b
Line from Reactor Feed Furnace to




Reactor System



11
Reactor System
System of Vessel(s) loaded with




catalyst(s).


11a
Line from Reactor System to




Reactor Feed/Effluent Exchanger



11b
Line from Reactor Feed/Effluent




Exchanger to Hot Separator



13
Hot Separator
Vessel receiving reactor system effluent




after being cooled in Reactor Feed/




Effluent Exchanger.


13a
Line connecting Hot Separator to




line 17 b and to Hot Separator




Vapor Air Cooler



13b
Line from Hot Separator to Oil




Product Stripper System



15
Hot Separator Vapor Air Cooler
Air Cooled Heat Exchanger that cools




vapor from the Hot Separator.


15a
Line connecting Hot Separator




Vapor Air Cooler to Cold




Separator



17
Cold Separator
Vessel receiving effluent from Hot




Separator Vapor Air Cooler.


17a
Line connecting Cold Separator to




Amine Absorber



17b
Line connecting Cold Separator to




line 13b and Oil Product Stripper




System



17c
Water discharge line from Cold




Separator to OSBL



19
Oil Product Stripper System
Stripper Column and ancillary equipment




and utilities required to remove hydrogen




and hydrogen sulfide from the Product




HMFO.


19a
Vent stream line from Oil Product




Stripper to OSBL



19b
Discharge line for Product HMFO




to OSBL



21
Amine Absorber
Absorber Column that removes hydrogen




sulfide from the vapor from the Cold




Separator to form the Recycle Activating




Gas stream


21a
Lean Amine Feed line from OSBL



21b
Rich Amine discharge line to




OSBL



21c
Activating Gas Recycle line from




Amine Absorber to Recycle




Compressor



21d
Scrubbed Purge Gas Stream line to




OSBL



23
Recycle Compressor
For compressing recycled Activating Gas




to pressure suitable for process




conditions


23a
Activating Gas recycle line from




Recycle Compressor to Make-up




Activating Gas mixing point



23b
Feed line for make-up Activating




Gas (C″) provided OSBL




connected to Activating Gas




Recycle line (23a)



23c
Line for conveying mixture of




Recycle Activating Gas and Make-




up Activating Gas to Mixing Point




(X)









In FIG. 2, Feedstock HMFO (A) is fed from outside the battery limits (OSBL) to the Oil Feed Surge Drum (1) that receives feed from outside the battery limits (OSBL) and provides surge volume adequate to ensure smooth operation of the unit. Water entrained in the feed is removed from the HMFO with the water being discharged a stream (1c) for treatment OSBL.


The Feedstock HMFO (A) is withdrawn from the Oil Feed Surge Drum (1) via line (1b) by the Oil Feed Pump (3) and is pressurized to a pressure required for the process. The pressurized HMFO (A′) then passes through line (3a) to the Oil Feed/Product Heat Exchanger (5) where the pressurized HMFO Feed (A′) is partially heated by the Product HMFO (B). The Product HMFO (B) is a hydrocarbon stream with sulfur content less than 5000 ppmw and preferably less than 1000 ppmw. Hydrocarbons in the Feedstock HMFO and Product HMFO range between C12 and C70+ and the boiling range is between 350° F. and 1110+F. The pressurized Feedstock HMFO (A′) passing through line (5a) is further heated against the effluent from the Reactor System (E) in the Reactor Feed/Effluent Heat Exchanger (7).


The heated and pressurized Feedstock HMFO (A″) in line (7a) is then mixed with Activating Gas (C) provided via line (23c) at Mixing Point (X) to form a Feedstock Mixture (D). The mixing point (X) can be any well know gas/liquid mixing system or entrainment mechanism well known to one skilled in the art.


The Feedstock Mixture (D) passes through line (9a) to the Reactor Feed Furnace (9) where the Feedstock Mixture (D) is heated to the specified process temperature. The Reactor Feed Furnace (9) may be a fired heater furnace or any other kind to type of heater as known to one of skill in the art if it will raise the temperature of the Feedstock mixture to the desired temperature for the process conditions.


The fully heated Feedstock Mixture (D′) exits the Reactor Feed Furnace (9) via line 9b and is fed into the Reactor System (11). The fully heated Feedstock Mixture (D′) enters the Reactor System (11) where environmental contaminates, such a sulfur, nitrogen, and metals are preferentially removed from the Feedstock HMFO component of the fully heated Feedstock Mixture. The Reactor System contains a catalyst which preferentially removes the sulfur compounds in the Feedstock HMFO component by reacting them with hydrogen in the Activating Gas to form hydrogen sulfide. The Reactor System will also achieve demetalization, denitrogenation, and a certain amount of ring opening hydrogenation of the complex aromatics and asphaltenes, however minimal hydrocracking of hydrocarbons should take place. The process conditions of hydrogen partial pressure, reaction pressure, temperature and residence time as measured by time space velocity are optimized to achieve desired final product quality. A more detailed discussion of the Reactor System, the catalyst, the process conditions, and other aspects of the process are contained below in the “Reactor System Description.”


The Reactor System Effluent (E) exits the Reactor System (11) via line (11a) and exchanges heat against the pressurized and partially heats the Feedstock HMFO (A′) in the Reactor Feed/Effluent Exchanger (7). The partially cooled Reactor System Effluent (E′) then flows via line (11c) to the Hot Separator (13).


The Hot Separator (13) separates the gaseous components of the Reactor System Effluent (F) which are directed to line (13a) from the liquid components of the Reactor System effluent (G) which are directed to line (13b). The gaseous components of the Reactor System effluent in line (13a) are cooled against air in the Hot Separator Vapor Air Cooler (15) and then flow via line (15a) to the Cold Separator (17).


The Cold Separator (17) further separates any remaining gaseous components from the liquid components in the cooled gaseous components of the Reactor System Effluent (F′). The gaseous components from the Cold Separator (F″) are directed to line (17a) and fed onto the Amine Absorber (21). The Cold Separator (17) also separates any remaining Cold Separator hydrocarbon liquids (H) in line (17b) from any Cold Separator condensed liquid water (I). The Cold Separator condensed liquid water (I) is sent OSBL via line (17c) for treatment.


The hydrocarbon liquid components of the Reactor System effluent from the Hot Separator (G) in line (13b) and the Cold Separator hydrocarbon liquids (H) in line (17b) are combined and are fed to the Oil Product Stripper System (19). The Oil Product Stripper System (19) removes any residual hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide from the Product HMFO (B) which is discharged in line (19b) to storage OSBL. The vent stream (M) from the Oil Product Stripper in line (19a) may be sent to the fuel gas system or to the flare system that are OSBL. A more detailed discussion of the Oil Product Stripper System is contained in the “Oil Product Stripper System Description.”


The gaseous components from the Cold Separator (F″) in line (17a) contain a mixture of hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide and light hydrocarbons (mostly methane and ethane). This vapor stream (17a) feeds an Amine Absorber (21) where it is contacted against Lean Amine (J) provided OSBL via line (21a) to the Amine Absorber (21) to remove hydrogen sulfide from the gases making up the Activating Gas recycle stream (C′). Rich amine (K) which has absorbed hydrogen sulfide exits the bottom of the Amine Absorber (21) and is sent OSBL via line (21b) for amine regeneration and sulfur recovery.


The Amine Absorber overhead vapor in line (21c) is preferably recycled to the process as a Recycle Activating Gas (C′) via the Recycle Compressor (23) and line (23a) where it is mixed with the Makeup Activating Gas (C″) provided OSBL by line (23b). This mixture of Recycle Activating Gas (C′) and Makeup Activating Gas (C″) to form the Activating Gas (C) utilized in the process via line (23c) as noted above. A Scrubbed Purge Gas stream (H) is taken from the Amine Absorber overhead vapor line (21c) and sent via line (21d) to OSBL to prevent the buildup of light hydrocarbons or other non-condensables.


Reactor System Description: The Reactor System (11) illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises a single reactor vessel loaded with the process catalyst and sufficient controls, valves and sensors as one of skill in the art would readily appreciate.


Alternative Reactor Systems in which more than one reactor vessel may be utilized in parallel as shown in FIG. 3a or in a cascading series as shown in FIG. 3b can easily be substituted for the single reactor vessel Reactor System (11) illustrated in FIG. 2. In such an embodiment in FIG. 3a, each reactor vessel (11, 12a and 12b) is similarly loaded with process catalyst and can be provided the heated Feed Mixture (D′) via a common line 9b. The effluent from each of the three reactors is recombined in common line (11a) and foams a combined Reactor Effluent (E) for further processing as described above. The illustrative arrangement will allow the three reactors to carry out the process in parallel effectively multiplying the hydraulic capacity of the overall Reactor System. Control valves and isolation valves may be used to prevent feed from entering one reactor vessel (11) but not another reactor vessel (12a) or (12b). In this way one reactor (11) can be by-passed and placed off-line for maintenance and reloading of catalyst while the remaining reactors (12a) or (12b) continues to receive heated Feedstock Mixture (D′). It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art this arrangement of reactor vessels in parallel is not limited in number to three, but multiple additional reactor vessels can be added as shown by dashed line reactor (12x). The only limitation to the number of parallel reactor vessels is plot spacing and the ability to provide heated Feedstock Mixture (D′) to each active reactor.


In the embodiment show in FIG. 3b, cascading reactor vessels (14, 16 and 18) are loaded with process catalyst with the same or different activities toward metals, sulfur or other environmental contaminates to be removed. For example, Reactor (14) may be loaded with a highly active demetaling catalyst, reactor (16) may be loaded with a balanced demetaling/desulfurizing catalyst, and reactor (18) may be loaded with a highly active desulfurization catalyst. This allows for greater control and balance in process conditions (temperature, pressure, space flow velocity, etc . . . ) so it is tailored for each catalyst. In this way one can optimize the parameters in each reactor depending upon the material being fed to that specific reactor/catalyst combination. and minimize the hydrocracking reactions. As with the prior illustrative embodiment, multiple cascading series of reactors can be utilized (i.e. 14x, 16x and 18x) in parallel and in this way the benefits of such an arrangement noted above (i.e. allow one series to be “online” while the other series is “off line” for maintenance or allow increased plant capacity).


The reactor(s) that form the Reactor System may be fixed bed, ebulliated bed or slurry bed or a combination of these types of reactors. As envisioned, fixed bed reactors are preferred as these are easier to operate and maintain.


The reactor vessel in the Reactor System is loaded with one or more process catalysts. The exact design of the process catalyst system is a function of feedstock properties, product requirements and operating constraints and optimization of the process catalyst can be carried out by routine trial and error by one of ordinary skill in the art.


The process catalyst(s) comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of the metals each belonging to the groups 6, 8, 9 and 10 of the Periodic Table, and more preferably a mixed transition metal catalyst such as Ni—Mo, Co—Mo, Ni—W or Ni—Co—Mo are utilized. The metal is preferably supported on a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier. The porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is at least one carrier selected from the group consisting of alumina, alumina/boria carrier, a carrier containing metal-containing aluminosilicate, alumina/phosphorus carrier, alumina/alkaline earth metal compound carrier, alumina/titania carrier and alumina/zirconia carrier. The preferred porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is alumina. The pore size and metal loadings on the carrier may be systematically varied and tested with the desired feedstock and process conditions to optimize the properties of the Product HMFO. Such activities are well known and routine to one of skill in the art. Catalyst in the fixed bed reactor(s) may be dense-loaded or sock-loaded.


The catalyst selection utilized within and for loading the Reactor System may be preferential to desulfurization by designing a catalyst loading scheme that results in the Feedstock mixture first contacting a catalyst bed that with a catalyst preferential to demetalization followed downstream by a bed of catalyst with mixed activity for demetalization and desulfurization followed downstream by a catalyst bed with high desulfurization activity. In effect the first bed with high demetalization activity acts as a guard bed for the desulfurization bed.


The objective of the Reactor System is to treat the Feedstock HMFO at the severity required to meet the Product HMFO specification. Demetalization, denitrogenation and hydrocarbon hydrogenation reactions may also occur to some extent when the process conditions are optimized so the performance of the Reactor System achieves the required level of desulfurization. Hydrocracking is preferably minimized to reduce the volume of hydrocarbons formed as by-product hydrocarbons to the process. The objective of the process is to selectively remove the environmental contaminates from Feedstock HMFO and minimize the formation of unnecessary by-product hydrocarbons (C1-C8 hydrocarbons).


The process conditions in each reactor vessel will depend upon the feedstock, the catalyst utilized and the desired final properties of the Product HMFO desired. Variations in conditions are to be expected by one of ordinary skill in the art and these may be determined by pilot plant testing and systematic optimization of the process. With this in mind it has been found that the operating pressure, the indicated operating temperature, the ratio of the Activating Gas to Feedstock HMFO, the partial pressure of hydrogen in the Activating Gas and the space velocity all are important parameters to consider. The operating pressure of the Reactor System should be in the range of 250 psig and 3000 psig, preferably between 1000 psig and 2500 psig and more preferably between 1500 psig and 2200 psig. The indicated operating temperature of the Reactor System should be 500° F. to 900F, preferably between 650° F. and 850° F. and more preferably between 680° F. and 800 F. The ratio of the quantity of the Activating Gas to the quantity of Feedstock HMFO should be in the range of 250 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO to 10,000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO, preferably between 2000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO to 5000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO and more preferably between 2500 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO to 4500 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock HMFO. The Activating Gas should be selected from mixtures of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, gaseous water, and methane, so Activating Gas has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (pH2) greater than 80% of the total pressure of the Activating Gas mixture (P) and preferably wherein the Activating Gas has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (pH2) greater than 95% of the total pressure of the Activating Gas mixture (P). The Activating Gas may have a hydrogen mole fraction in the range between 80% of the total moles of Activating Gas mixture and more preferably wherein the Activating Gas has a hydrogen mole fraction between 80% and 99% of the total moles of Activating Gas mixture. The liquid hourly space velocity within the Reactor System should be between 0.05 oil/hour/m3 catalyst and 1.0 oil/hour/m3 catalyst; preferably between 0.08 oil/hour/m3 catalyst and 0.5 oil/hour/m3 catalyst and more preferably between 0.1 oil/hour/m3 catalyst and 0.3 oil/hour/m3 catalyst to achieve desulfurization with product sulfur levels below 0.1 ppmw.


The hydraulic capacity rate of the Reactor System should be between 100 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 100,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day, preferably between 1000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 60,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day, more preferably between 5,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 45,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day, and even more preferably between 10,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day and 30,000 bbl of Feedstock HMFO/day. The desired hydraulic capacity may be achieved in a single reactor vessel Reactor System or in a multiple reactor vessel Reactor System.


Oil Product Stripper System Description: The Oil Product Stripper System (19) comprises a stripper column and ancillary equipment and utilities required to remove hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide and light hydrocarbons lighter than diesel from the Product HMFO. Such systems are well known to one of skill in the art a generalized functional description is provided herein. Liquid from the Hot Separator (13) and Cold Separator (7) feed the Oil Product Stripper Column (19). Stripping of hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide and light hydrocarbons lighter than diesel may be achieved via a reboiler, live steam or other stripping medium. The Oil Product Stripper System (19) may be designed with an overhead system comprising an overhead condenser, reflux drum and reflux pump or it may be designed without an overhead system. The conditions of the Oil Product Stripper may be optimized to control the bulk properties of the Product HMFO, more specifically viscosity and density.


Amine Absorber System Description: The Amine Absorber System (21) comprises a gas liquid contacting column and ancillary equipment and utilities required to remove sour gas (i.e. hydrogen sulfide) from the Cold Separator vapor feed so the resulting scrubbed gas can be recycled and used as Activating Gas. Such systems are well known to one of skill in the art a generalized functional description is provided herein. Vapors from the Cold Separator (17) feed the contacting column/system (19). Lean Amine (or other suitable sour gas stripping fluids or systems) provided from OSBL is utilized to scrub the Cold Separator vapor so hydrogen sulfide is effectively removed. The Amine Absorber System (19) may be designed with a gas drying system to remove the any water vapor entrained into the Recycle Activating Gas (C′).


The following examples will provide one skilled in the art with a more specific illustrative embodiment for conducting the process disclosed and claimed herein:


EXAMPLE 1

Overview: The purpose of a pilot test run is to demonstrate that feedstock HMFO can be processed through a reactor loaded with commercially available catalysts at specified conditions to remove environmental contaminates, specifically sulfur and other contaminants from the HMFO to produce a product HMFO that is MARPOL compliant, that is production of a Low Sulfur Heavy Marine Fuel Oil (LS-HMFO) or Ultra-Low Sulfur Heavy Marine Fuel Oil (USL-HMFO).


Pilot Unit Set Up: The pilot unit will be set up with two 434 cm3 reactors arranged in series to process the feedstock HMFO. The lead reactor will be loaded with a blend of a commercially available hydro-demetaling (HDM) catalyst and a commercially available hydro-transition (HDT) catalyst. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the HDT catalyst layer may be formed and optimized using a mixture of HDM and HDS catalysts combined with an inert material to achieve the desired intermediate/transition activity levels. The second reactor will be loaded with a blend of the commercially available hydro-transition (HDT) and a commercially available hydrodesulfurization (HDS). Alternatively, one can load the second reactor simply with a commercially hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalyst. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the specific feed properties of the Feedstock HMFO may affect the proportion of HDM, HDT and HDS catalysts in the reactor system. A systematic process of testing different combinations with the same feed will yield the optimized catalyst combination for any feedstock and reaction conditions. For this example, the first reactor will be loaded with ⅔ hydro-demetaling catalyst and ⅓ hydro-transition catalyst. The second reactor will be loaded with all hydrodesulfurization catalyst. The catalysts in each reactor will be mixed with glass beads (approximately 50% by volume) to improve liquid distribution and better control reactor temperature. For this pilot test run, one should use these commercially available catalysts: HDM: Albemarle KFR 20 series or equivalent; HDT: Albemarle KFR 30 series or equivalent; HDS: Albemarle KFR 50 or KFR 70 or equivalent. Once set up of the pilot unit is complete, the catalyst can be activated by sulfiding the catalyst using dimethyldisulfide (DMDS) in a manner well known to one of skill in the art.


Pilot Unit Operation: Upon completion of the activating step, the pilot unit will be ready to receive the feedstock HMFO and Activating Gas feed. For the present example, the Activating Gas can be technical grade or better hydrogen gas. The mixed Feedstock HMFO and Activating Gas will be provided to the pilot plant at rates and operating conditions as specified: Oil Feed Rate: 108.5 ml/h (space velocity=0.25/h); Hydrogen/Oil Ratio: 570 Nm3/m3 (3200 scf/bbl); Reactor Temperature: 372° C. (702° F.); Reactor Outlet Pressure:13.8 MPa(g) (2000 psig).


One of skill in the art will know that the rates and conditions may be systematically adjusted and optimized depending upon feed properties to achieve the desired product requirements. The unit will be brought to a steady state for each condition and full samples taken so analytical tests can be completed. Material balance for each condition should be closed before moving to the next condition.


Expected impacts on the Feedstock HMFO properties are: Sulfur Content (wt %): Reduced by at least 80%; Metals Content (wt %): Reduced by at least 80%; MCR/Asphaltene Content (wt %): Reduced by at least 30%; Nitrogen Content (wt %): Reduced by at least 20%; Cl-Naphtha Yield (wt %): Not over 3.0% and preferably not over 1.0%.


Process conditions in the Pilot Unit can be systematically adjusted as per Table 4 to assess the impact of process conditions and optimize the performance of the process for the specific catalyst and feedstock HMFO utilized.









TABLE 4







Optimization of Process Conditions












HC Feed






Rate (ml/h),
Nm3 H2/m3 oil/
Temp
Pressure


Case
[LHSV(/h)]
scf H2/bbl oil
(° C./° F.)
(MPa(g)/psig)





Baseline
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
372/702
13.8/2000


T1
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
362/684
13.8/2000


T2
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
382/720
13.8/2000


L1
130.2 [0.30]
570/3200
372/702
13.8/2000


L2
 86.8 [0.20]
570/3200
372/702
13.8/2000


H1
108.5 [0.25]
500/2810
372/702
13.8/2000


H2
108.5 [0.25]
640/3590
372/702
13.8/2000


S1
 65.1 [0.15]
620/3480
385/725
15.2/2200









In this way, the conditions of the pilot unit can be optimized to achieve less than 0.5% wt. sulfur product HMFO and preferably a 0.1% wt. sulfur product HMFO. Conditions for producing ULS-HMFO (i.e. 0.1% wt. sulfur product HMFO) will be: Feedstock HMFO Feed Rate: 65.1 ml/h (space velocity=0.15/h); Hydrogen/Oil Ratio: 620 Nm3/m3 (3480 scf/bbl); Reactor Temperature: 385° C. (725° F.); Reactor Outlet Pressure: 15 MPa(g) (2200 psig)


Table 5 summarizes the anticipated impacts on key properties of HMFO.









TABLE 5







Expected Impact of Process on Key Properties of HMFO










Property
Minimum
Typical
Maximum





Sulfur Conversion/Removal
80%
90%
98%


Metals Conversion/Removal
80%
90%
100% 


MCR Reduction
30%
50%
70%


Asphaltene Reduction
30%
50%
70%


Nitrogen Conversion
10%
30%
70%


C1 through Naphtha Yield
0.5% 
1.0% 
4.0% 


Hydrogen Consumption (scf/bbl)
500
750
1500









Table 6 lists analytical tests to be carried out for the characterization of the Feedstock HMFO and Product HMFO. The analytical tests include those required by ISO for the Feedstock HMFO and the product HMFO to qualify and trade in commerce as ISO compliant residual marine fuels. The additional parameters are provided so that one skilled in the art will be able to understand and appreciate the effectiveness of the inventive process.









TABLE 6





Analytical Tests and Testing Procedures
















Sulfur Content
ISO 8754 or ISO 14596 or



ASTM D4294


Density @ 15° C.
ISO 3675 or ISO 12185


Kinematic Viscosity @ 50° C.
ISO 3104


Pour Point, ° C.
ISO 3016


Flash Point, ° C.
ISO 2719


CCAI
ISO 8217, ANNEX B


Ash Content
ISO 6245


Total Sediment - Aged
ISO 10307-2


Micro Carbon Residue, mass %
ISO 10370


H2S, mg/kg
IP 570


Acid Number
ASTM D664


Water
ISO 3733


Specific Contaminants
IP 501 or IP 470 (unless indicated



otherwise)


Vanadium
or ISO 14597


Sodium



Aluminum
or ISO 10478


Silicon
or ISO 10478


Calcium
or IP 500


Zinc
or IP 500


Phosphorous
IP 500


Nickle



Iron



Distillation
ASTM D7169


C:H Ratio
ASTM D3178


SARA Analysis
ASTM D2007


Asphaltenes, wt %
ASTM D6560


Total Nitrogen
ASTM D5762


Vent Gas Component Analysis
FID Gas Chromatography or



comparable









Table 7 contains the Feedstock HMFO analytical test results and the Product HMFO analytical test results expected from the inventive process that indicate the production of a LS HMFO. It will be noted by one of skill in the art that under the conditions, the levels of hydrocarbon cracking will be minimized to levels substantially lower than 10%, more preferably less than 5% and even more preferably less than 1% of the total mass balance.









TABLE 7







Analytical Results










Feedstock HMFO
Product HMFO












Sulfur Content, mass %
3.0
  0.3


Density @ 15 C., kg/m3
990
950 (1)


Kinematic Viscosity @ 50 C., mm2/s
380
100 (1)


Pour Point, C.
20
10 


Flash Point, C.
110
100 (1)


CCAI
850
820 


Ash Content, mass %
0.1
  0.0


Total Sediment - Aged, mass %
0.1
  0.0


Micro Carbon Residue, mass %
13.0
  6.5


H2S, mg/kg
0
0


Acid Number, mg KO/g
1
  0.5


Water, vol %
0.5
0


Specific Contaminants, mg/kg




Vanadium
180
20 


Sodium
30
1


Aluminum
10
1


Silicon
30
3


Calcium
15
1


Zinc
7
1


Phosphorous
2
0


Nickle
40
5


Iron
20
2


Distillation, ° C./° F.




IBP
160/320
120/248


 5% wt
235/455
225/437


10% wt
290/554
270/518


30% wt
410/770
370/698


50% wt
 540/1004
470/878


70% wt
 650/1202
 580/1076


90% wt
 735/1355
 660/1220


FBP
 820/1508
 730/1346


C:H Ratio (ASTM D3178)
1.2
  1.3


SARA Analysis




Saturates
16
22 


Aromatics
50
50 


Resins
28
25 


Asphaltenes
6
3


Asphaltenes, wt %
6.0
  2.5


Total Nitrogen, mg/kg
4000
3000  





Note:



(1) It is expected that property will be adjusted to a higher value by post process removal of light material via distillation or stripping from product HMFO.







The product HMFO produced by the inventive process will reach ULS HMFO limits (i.e. 0.1% wt. sulfur product HMFO) by systematic variation of the process parameters, for example by a lower space velocity or by using a Feedstock HMFO with a lower initial sulfur content.


EXAMPLE 2
RMG-380 HMFO

Pilot Unit Set Up: A pilot unit was set up as noted above in Example 1 with the following changes: the first reactor was loaded with: as the first (upper) layer encountered by the feedstock 70% vol Albemarle KFR 20 series hydro-demetaling catalyst and 30% vol Albemarle KFR 30 series hydro-transition catalyst as the second (lower) layer. The second reactor was loaded with 20% Albemarle KFR 30 series hydrotransition catalyst as the first (upper) layer and 80% vol hydrodesulfurization catalyst as the second (lower) layer. The catalyst was activated by sulfiding the catalyst with dimethyldisulfide (DMDS) in a manner well known to one of skill in the art.


Pilot Unit Operation: Upon completion of the activating step, the pilot unit was ready to receive the feedstock HMFO and Activating Gas feed. The Activating Gas was technical grade or better hydrogen gas. The Feedstock HMFO was a commercially available and merchantable ISO 8217: 2017 compliant HMFO, except for a high sulfur content (2.9 wt %). The mixed Feedstock HMFO and Activating Gas was provided to the pilot plant at rates and conditions as specified in Table 8 below. The conditions were varied to optimize the level of sulfur in the product HMFO material.









TABLE 8







Process Conditions

















Product



HC Feed
Nm3 H2/
Temp
Pressure
HMFO



Rate (ml/h),
m3 oil/scf
(° C./
(MPa(g)/
Sulfur


Case
[LHSV(/h)]
H2/bbl oil
° F.)
psig)
% wt.





Baseline
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
371/700
13.8/2000
0.24


T1
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
362/684
13.8/2000
0.53


T2
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
382/720
13.8/2000
0.15


L1
130.2 [0.30]
570/3200
372/702
13.8/2000
0.53


S1
 65.1 [0.15]
620/3480
385/725
15.2/2200
0.10


P1
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
371/700
/1700
0.56


T2/P1
108.5 [0.25]
570/3200
382/720
/1700
0.46









Analytical data for a representative sample of the feedstock HMFO and representative samples of product HMFO are provided below:









TABLE 7







Analytical Results - HMFO (RMG-380)











Feedstock
Product
Product













Sulfur Content, mass %
2.9
0.3
0.1


Density @ 15° C., kg/m3
988
932
927


Kinematic Viscosity @
382
74
47


50° C., mm2/s





Pour Point, ° C.
−3
−12
−30


Flash Point, ° C.
116
96
90


CCAI
850
812
814


Ash Content, mass %
0.05
0.0
0.0


Total Sediment - Aged,
0.04
0.0
0.0


mass %





Micro Carbon Residue,
11.5
3.3
4.1


mass %





H2S, mg/kg
0.6
0
0


Acid Number, mg KO/g
0.3
0.1
>0.05


Water, vol %
0
0.0
0.0


Specific Contaminants, mg/kg





Vanadium
138
15
<1


Sodium
25
5
2


Aluminum
21
2
<1


Silicon
16
3
1


Calcium
6
2
<1


Zinc
5
<1
<1


Phosphorous
<1
2
1


Nickle
33
23
2


Iron
24
8
1


Distillation, ° C./° F.





IBP
178/352
168/334
161/322


 5% wt
258/496
235/455
230/446


10% wt
298/569
270/518
264/507


30% wt
395/743
360/680
351/664


50% wt
517/962
461/862
439/822


70% wt
 633/1172
 572/1062
 552/1026


90% wt
 >720/>1328
 694/1281
 679/1254


FBP
 >720/>1328
 >720/>1328
 >720/>1328


C:H Ratio (ASTM D3178)
1.2
1.3
1.3


SARA Analysis





Saturates
25.2
28.4
29.4


Aromatics
50.2
61.0
62.7


Resins
18.6
6.0
5.8


Asphaltenes
6.0
4.6
2.1


Asphaltenes, wt %
6.0
4.6
2.1


Total Nitrogen, mg/kg
3300
1700
1600









As noted above in Table 7, both feedstock HMFO and product HMFO exhibited observed bulk properties consistent with ISO 8217: 2017 for a merchantable residual marine fuel oil, except that the sulfur content of the product HMFO was significantly reduced as noted above when compared to the feedstock HMFO.


One of skill in the art will appreciate that the above product HMFO produced by the inventive process has achieved not only an ISO 8217:2017 compliant LS HMFO (i.e. 0.5% wt. sulfur) but also an ISO 8217:2017 compliant ULS HMFO limits (i.e. 0.1% wt. sulfur) product HMFO.


EXAMPLE 3
RMK-500 HMFO

The feedstock to the pilot reactor utilized in example 2 above was changed to a commercially available and merchantable ISO 8217: 2017 RMK-500 compliant HMFO, except that it has high environmental contaminates (i.e. sulfur (3.3 wt %)). Other bulk characteristic of the RMK-500 feedstock high sulfur HMFO are provide below:









TABLE 8





Analytical Results- Feedstock HMFO (RMK-500)


















Sulfur Content, mass %
3.3



Density @ 15° C., kg/m3
1006



Kinematic Viscosity @ 50° C., mm2/s
500









The mixed Feedstock (RMK-500) HMFO and Activating Gas was provided to the pilot plant at rates and conditions and the resulting sulfur levels achieved in the table below









TABLE 9







Process Conditions

















Product



HC Feed
Nm3 H2/
Temp
Pressure
(RMK-500)



Rate (ml/h),
m3 oil/scf
(° C./
(MPa(g)/
sulfur


Case
[LHSV(/h)]
H2/bbl oil
° F.)
psig)
% wt.















A
108.5 [0.25] 
640/3600
377/710
13.8/2000
0.57


B
95.5 [0.22]
640/3600
390/735
13.8/2000
0.41


C
95.5 [0.22]
640/3600
390/735
11.7/1700
0.44


D
95.5 [0.22]
640/3600
393/740
10.3/1500
0.61


E
95.5 [0.22]
640/3600
393/740
17.2/2500
0.37


F
95.5 [0.22]
640/3600
393/740
 8.3/1200
0.70


G
95.5 [0.22]
640/3600
416/780
 8.3/1200
0.37









The resulting product (RMK-500) HMFO exhibited observed bulk properties consistent with the feedstock (RMK-500) HMFO, except that the sulfur content was significantly reduced as noted in the above table.


One of skill in the art will appreciate that the above product HMFO produced by the inventive process has achieved a LS HMFO (i.e. 0.5% wt. sulfur) product HMFO having bulk characteristics of a ISO 8217: 2017 compliant RMK-500 residual fuel oil. It will also be appreciated that the process can be successfully carried out under non-hydrocracking conditions (i.e. lower temperature and pressure) that substantially reduce the hydrocracking of the feedstock material. It should be noted that when conditions were increased to much higher pressure (Example E) a product with a lower sulfur content was achieved, however it was observed that there was an increase in light hydrocarbons and wild naphtha production.


It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the illustrative embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof. It is understood, therefore, that the inventive concepts disclosed are not limited to the illustrative embodiments or examples disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the scope of the inventive concepts as defined by the claims.

Claims
  • 1. A process for reducing Environmental Contaminants in a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process comprising: mixing a quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, wherein the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217:2017 as a residual marine fuel oil, except the Environmental Contaminants content is greater than 0.5% wt. and wherein the Environmental Contaminants are selected from the group consisting of sulfur, vanadium, nickel, iron, aluminum and silicon and combinations thereof, with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture;contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts under reactive conditions to form a Process Mixture from said feedstock mixture, wherein the Process Mixture contains one or more Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components, gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components, and wherein the reactive conditions are selected to achieve a level of hydrocracking of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil of less than 10% of the total mass balance;receiving said Process Mixture and separating the one or more Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture to form a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil; anddischarging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.
  • 2. The process of claim 1 wherein said Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 between the range of 5.0% wt. to 1.0% wt.
  • 3. The process of claim 1 wherein said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has bulk properties that comply with ISO 8217:2017 as a residual marine fuel oil and has a maximum sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 between the range of 0.05% wt. to 0.50% wt.
  • 4. The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more catalysts comprises: a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier impregnated with a transition metal, wherein the porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is at least one carrier selected from the group consisting of alumina, alumina/boria carrier, a carrier containing metal-containing aluminosilicate, alumina/phosphorus carrier, alumina/alkaline earth metal compound carrier, alumina/titania carrier and alumina/zirconia carrier, and wherein the transition metal is one or more metals selected from the group consisting of group 6, 8, 9 and 10 of the Periodic Table.
  • 5. The process of claim 1 wherein said Activating Gas is selected from mixtures of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, gaseous water, and methane, such that the Activating Gas has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (pH2) greater than 80% of a total pressure of the Activating Gas (P), and wherein the reactive conditions include a ratio of the quantity of the Activating Gas to the quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil in the range of 250 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to 10,000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, a total pressure between of 250 psig and 3000 psig; and, an indicated temperature between of 500° F. to 900° F., and, a liquid hourly space velocity between 0.05/hour and 1.0/hour.
  • 6. A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process comprising: mixing a quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, wherein the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217:2017 as a residual marine fuel oil, except the sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 is greater than 0.5% wt., with a quantity of Activating Gas, wherein the Activating Gas has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (pH2) greater than 80% of a total pressure of the Activating Gas (P) to give a feedstock mixture;contacting the feedstock mixture under reactive conditions with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from said feedstock mixture, wherein said Process Mixture includes a liquid Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil component, a liquid by-product hydrocarbon component, a gaseous by-product hydrocarbon component and a bulk gaseous component, and wherein the reactive conditions are selected to achieve a level of hydrocracking of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil of less than 10% of the total mass balance;receiving said Process Mixture in a first separating vessel and separating the liquid Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and liquid by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous by-product hydrocarbon and bulk gaseous components of the Process Mixture;receiving said liquid components in a second separating vessel and separating liquid by-product hydrocarbon component from the liquid Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil component forming the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil; anddischarging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.
  • 7. The process of claim 6 wherein said Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a sulfur content as determined by ISO 14596 or ISO 8754 between the range of 5.0% wt. to 1.0% wt.
  • 8. The process of claim 7, wherein said Activating Gas is selected from mixtures of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, gaseous water, and methane, and wherein the Activating Gas has an ideal gas partial pressure of hydrogen (pH2) greater than 90% of the total pressure of the Activating Gas mixture (P).
  • 9. The process of claim 7 wherein the reactive conditions include a ratio of the quantity of the Activating Gas to the quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil in the range of 250 scf gas / bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to 10,000 scf gas/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil; a total pressure between 250 psig and 3000 psig; an indicated temperature between 500° F. to 900° F.; and a liquid hourly space velocity within the first vessel is between 0.05 /hour and 1.0 /hour.
  • 10. The process of claim 6, wherein said one or more catalysts is a transition metal heterogeneous catalyst selected from the group consisting of: an ebullated bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalyst, a fixed bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalyst, and a combination of ebullated bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalysts and fixed bed supported transition metal heterogeneous catalysts.
  • 11. The process of claim 6, wherein the one or more catalysts comprises: a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier impregnated with a transition metal catalyst, wherein the porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is at least one carrier selected from the group consisting of alumina, alumina/boria, aluminosilicate, alumina/phosphorus, alumina/alkaline earth metal compound, alumina/titania and alumina/zirconia, and wherein the impregnated transition metal catalyst is one or more metals selected from the group consisting of group 6, 8, 9 and 10 of the Periodic Table.
  • 12. The process of claim 6, wherein the one or more catalysts comprises: a porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier and impregnated with a blend of transition metal catalyst materials, wherein the porous inorganic oxide catalyst carrier is alumina and wherein the transition metal catalyst materials are selected from the group consisting of Ni—Mo, Co—Mo, Ni—W or Ni —Co—Mo.
  • 13. The process of claim 6, wherein said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217:2017 as a residual marine fuel oil and has a maximum sulfur content as determined by ISO15596 or ISO8754 between the range of 0.05% wt. to 0.5% wt.
  • 14. The process of claim 6, wherein said Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has: a kinematic viscosity at 50° C. as determined by ISO 3104 between the range from 180 mm2 / s to 700 mm2 / s and a density at 15° C. as determined by ISO 3675 between the range of 991.0 kg / m3 to 1010.0 kg / m3 and a CCAI is in the range of 780 to 870 and a flash point as determined by ISO 2719 no lower than 60.0° C. and a maximum total sediment —aged as determined by ISO 10307-2 of 0.10% wt. and a maximum carbon residue —micro method as determined by ISO 10370 between the range of 18.00% wt. and 20.00% wt.
  • 15. A process for producing a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process comprising: mixing a quantity of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, wherein the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is an ISO 8217:2017 compliant residual marine fuel oil, except for an Environmental Contaminants concentration greater than 0.5 weight %; and wherein the Environmental Contaminants are selected from the group consisting of: sulfur, vanadium, nickel, iron, aluminum plus silicon and combinations thereof, with a quantity of a Activating Gas mixture to give a Feedstock Mixture;contacting the Feedstock Mixture with one or more fixed bed heterogeneous catalysts under reactive conditions selected to hydrodesulfurize and hydrodemetallize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil but hydrocracking of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is less than 10% of the total mass balance, in a Reactor System to form a Process Mixture from said Feedstock Mixture, wherein said Process Mixture is a combination of Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, liquid by-product hydrocarbon components, bulk gaseous components, and residual gaseous components;passing to and receiving said Process Mixture in a first separating vessel and separating a mixture of the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the liquid by-product hydrocarbon components and the residual gaseous components of the Process Mixture from the bulk gaseous components of the Process Mixture, and discharging the mixture of Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the liquid by-product hydrocarbon components and the residual gaseous components of the Process Mixture from the first separating vessel via fluid communication to a second separating vessel;separating in the second separating vessel the residual gaseous components and the liquid by-product hydrocarbon components from the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil of the Process Mixture; and discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from the second separating vessel.
  • 16. The process of claim 15 wherein the step of contacting the Feedstock Mixture with one or more fixed bed heterogeneous catalysts under reactive conditions in the Reactor System further comprises contacting the Feedstock Mixture with at least one hydrodemetallization catalyst under hydrodemetallization conditions and contacting the Feedstock Mixture with at least one hydrodesulfurization catalyst under hydrodesulfurization conditions such that the combined contacting selectively removes the Environmental Contaminants from the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.
  • 17. The process of claim 15 wherein the contacting of the Feedstock Mixture with one or more fixed bed heterogeneous catalysts under reactive conditions are selected to hydrodemetallize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of metals removal greater than 80% of the metal content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and are selected to hydrodesulfurize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to a level of sulfur removal greater than 80% of the sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and are selected to have a hydrogen consumption in the range between 500 and 1500 scf/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.
  • 18. The process of claim 15 wherein the contacting of the Feedstock Mixture with one or more fixed bed heterogeneous catalysts under reactive conditions are selected to: hydrodemetallize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to remove a minimum of 80% of the metal content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil; hydrodesulfurize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to remove a minimum of 80% of the sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil; reduce the micro-carbon residue (MCR) by a minimum of 30%; reduce the asphaltene by a minimum of 30%; convert the nitrogen content by a minimum of 10%; yield a C1 hydrocarbon through naphtha hydrocarbon by a maximum of 4.0% and have a hydrogen consumption maximum of 1500 scf/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.
  • 19. The process of claim 15 wherein the contacting of the Feedstock Mixture with one or more fixed bed heterogeneous catalysts under reactive conditions are selected to: hydrodemetallize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to remove a minimum of 80% and a maximum of 100% of the metal content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil;hydrodesulfurize the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to remove a minimum of 80% and a maximum of 98% of the sulfur content of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil; reduce the micro-carbon residue (MCR) by a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 70%; reduce the asphaltene by a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 70%; convert the nitrogen content by a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 70%; yield a Cl hydrocarbon through naphtha hydrocarbon by a minimum of 0.5% and a maximum of 4.0%; and have a hydrogen consumption in the range between 500 and 1500 scf/bbl of Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil.
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/US2018/017855 2/12/2018 WO
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO2018/148675 8/16/2018 WO A
US Referenced Citations (587)
Number Name Date Kind
3163593 Webster et al. Dec 1964 A
3227645 Frumkin et al. Jan 1966 A
3234121 Maclaren Feb 1966 A
3287254 Paterson Nov 1966 A
3306845 Poll Feb 1967 A
3531398 Adams Sep 1970 A
3544452 Jaffe Dec 1970 A
3562800 Carlson et al. Feb 1971 A
3577353 White May 1971 A
3658681 Wilson et al. Apr 1972 A
3668116 Adams et al. Jun 1972 A
3684688 Roselius Aug 1972 A
3749664 Mickleson Jul 1973 A
3814683 Christman et al. Jun 1974 A
3859199 Gatsis Jan 1975 A
3880598 Van Der Toorn Apr 1975 A
3893909 Selvidge Jul 1975 A
3902991 Christensen et al. Sep 1975 A
4006076 Christensen et al. Feb 1977 A
4017382 Bonnell et al. Apr 1977 A
4054508 Milstein et al. Oct 1977 A
4138227 Wilson et al. Feb 1979 A
4267033 Heck et al. May 1981 A
4306964 Angevine Dec 1981 A
4357263 Heck et al. Nov 1982 A
4404097 Angevine et al. Sep 1983 A
4420388 Bertolacini et al. Dec 1983 A
4460707 Simpson Jul 1984 A
4548710 Simpson Oct 1985 A
4604185 McConaghy, Jr. et al. Aug 1986 A
4645584 Didchenko et al. Feb 1987 A
4925554 Sato et al. May 1990 A
5167796 Didchenko et al. Dec 1992 A
5306419 Harrison et al. Apr 1994 A
5342507 Dai et al. Aug 1994 A
5374350 Heck et al. Dec 1994 A
5389595 Simpson et al. Feb 1995 A
5391304 Lantos Feb 1995 A
5401392 Courty et al. Mar 1995 A
5417846 Renard May 1995 A
5543036 Chang et al. Aug 1996 A
5591325 Higashi Jan 1997 A
5620592 Threlkel Apr 1997 A
5622616 Porter et al. Apr 1997 A
5686375 Iyer et al. Nov 1997 A
5759385 Aussillous et al. Jun 1998 A
5779992 Higashi Jul 1998 A
5827421 Sherwood, Jr. Oct 1998 A
5837130 Crossland Nov 1998 A
5868923 Porter et al. Feb 1999 A
5882364 Dilworth Mar 1999 A
5888379 Ushio et al. Mar 1999 A
5897768 McVicker et al. Apr 1999 A
5917101 Munoz Jun 1999 A
5922189 Santos Jul 1999 A
5928501 Sudhakar et al. Jul 1999 A
5948239 Virdi et al. Sep 1999 A
5958816 Neuman et al. Sep 1999 A
5961709 Hayner et al. Oct 1999 A
5976361 Hood et al. Nov 1999 A
5997723 Wiehe et al. Dec 1999 A
6017443 Buchanan Jan 2000 A
6117306 Morel et al. Sep 2000 A
6160193 Gore Dec 2000 A
6162350 Soled et al. Dec 2000 A
6171477 Morel et al. Jan 2001 B1
6193766 Jordan Feb 2001 B1
6203695 Harle et al. Mar 2001 B1
6207041 Morel et al. Mar 2001 B1
6217749 Espeillac et al. Apr 2001 B1
6251262 Hatanaka et al. Jun 2001 B1
6251263 Hatanaka et al. Jun 2001 B1
6265629 Fava et al. Jul 2001 B1
6299759 Bradway et al. Oct 2001 B1
6303531 Lussier et al. Oct 2001 B1
6306287 Billon et al. Oct 2001 B1
6306289 Hayashi et al. Oct 2001 B1
6328880 Yoshita et al. Dec 2001 B1
6344136 Butler et al. Feb 2002 B1
6383975 Rocha et al. May 2002 B1
6402940 Rappas Jun 2002 B1
6406615 Iwamoto et al. Jun 2002 B1
6531054 Gerritsen et al. Mar 2003 B1
6540904 Gun et al. Apr 2003 B1
6554994 Reynolds et al. Apr 2003 B1
6566296 Plantenga et al. May 2003 B2
6576584 Iijima et al. Jun 2003 B1
6589908 Ginestra et al. Jul 2003 B1
6620313 Soled et al. Sep 2003 B1
6649042 Dassori et al. Nov 2003 B2
6656348 Dassori et al. Dec 2003 B2
6656349 Fujita et al. Dec 2003 B1
6673230 Hagen Jan 2004 B2
6673245 Nasser, Jr. et al. Jan 2004 B2
6712955 Soled et al. Mar 2004 B1
6733659 Kure et al. May 2004 B1
6783661 Briot et al. Aug 2004 B1
6797153 Fukuyama et al. Sep 2004 B1
6827845 Gong et al. Dec 2004 B2
6858132 Kumagai et al. Feb 2005 B2
6860987 Plantenga et al. Mar 2005 B2
6863803 Riley et al. Mar 2005 B1
6929738 Riley et al. Aug 2005 B1
6984310 Ginstra et al. Jan 2006 B2
7001503 Koyama et al. Feb 2006 B1
7108779 Thakkar Sep 2006 B1
7119045 Magna et al. Oct 2006 B2
7166209 Dassori Jan 2007 B2
7169294 Abe et al. Jan 2007 B2
7232515 Demmin et al. Jun 2007 B1
7244350 Martin et al. Jul 2007 B2
7265075 Tsukada et al. Sep 2007 B2
7276150 Nagamatsu et al. Oct 2007 B2
7288182 Soled et al. Oct 2007 B1
7384537 Nagamatsu et al. Jun 2008 B2
7402547 Wellington et al. Jul 2008 B2
7413646 Wellington et al. Aug 2008 B2
7416653 Wellington Aug 2008 B2
7449102 Kalnes Nov 2008 B2
7491313 Toshima et al. Feb 2009 B2
7507325 Gueret et al. Mar 2009 B2
7513989 Soled et al. Apr 2009 B1
7517446 Lott Apr 2009 B2
7534342 Bhan et al. May 2009 B2
7585406 Khadzhiev et al. Sep 2009 B2
7588681 Bhan et al. Sep 2009 B2
7651604 Ancheyta Juarez et al. Jan 2010 B2
7651605 Sahara et al. Jan 2010 B2
7695610 Bolshakov et al. Apr 2010 B2
7713905 Dufresne et al. May 2010 B2
7718050 Gueret et al. May 2010 B2
7754162 Dassori Jul 2010 B2
7901569 Farshid et al. Mar 2011 B2
7938955 Araki et al. May 2011 B2
7943035 Chornet et al. May 2011 B2
8012343 Plantenga et al. Sep 2011 B2
8021538 Klein Sep 2011 B2
8075763 Sneddon et al. Dec 2011 B2
8114806 Bhan et al. Feb 2012 B2
8133446 McGehee et al. Mar 2012 B2
8163166 Wellington et al. Apr 2012 B2
8173570 Maesen et al. May 2012 B2
8193401 McGehee et al. Jun 2012 B2
8241489 Bhan et al. Aug 2012 B2
8268164 Wellington et al. Sep 2012 B2
8318000 Bhan et al. Nov 2012 B2
8318628 Brun et al. Nov 2012 B2
8343887 Maesen et al. Jan 2013 B2
8371741 Hassan Feb 2013 B2
8372268 Ginestra et al. Feb 2013 B2
8394254 Wellington et al. Mar 2013 B2
8394262 Guichard et al. Mar 2013 B2
8475651 Nemec et al. Jul 2013 B2
8506794 Bhan et al. Aug 2013 B2
8546626 Daudin et al. Oct 2013 B2
8563456 Dillon et al. Oct 2013 B2
8608938 Wellington et al. Dec 2013 B2
8608946 Bhan et al. Dec 2013 B2
8613851 Wellington et al. Dec 2013 B2
8652817 Wood et al. Feb 2014 B2
8663453 Wellington et al. Mar 2014 B2
8679319 Milam et al. Mar 2014 B2
8679322 Marzin et al. Mar 2014 B2
8702970 Maesen et al. Apr 2014 B2
8716164 Dillon et al. May 2014 B2
8721871 Dindi et al. May 2014 B1
8722558 Konno et al. May 2014 B2
8722563 Soled et al. May 2014 B2
8722564 Soled et al. May 2014 B2
8741129 Brown et al. Jun 2014 B2
8747659 Kiss et al. Jun 2014 B2
8764972 Bhan et al. Jul 2014 B2
8784646 Sanchez et al. Jul 2014 B2
8795514 Kimura et al. Aug 2014 B2
8821714 Chaumonnot et al. Sep 2014 B2
8877040 Hoehn et al. Nov 2014 B2
8894838 Dindi et al. Nov 2014 B2
8926826 Dindi et al. Jan 2015 B2
8946110 Toledo Antonio et al. Feb 2015 B2
8962514 Seki et al. Feb 2015 B2
8987537 Droubi et al. Mar 2015 B1
8999011 Stern et al. Apr 2015 B2
9057035 Kraus et al. Jun 2015 B1
9074143 McGehee et al. Jul 2015 B2
9102884 Xu et al. Aug 2015 B2
9109176 Stern et al. Aug 2015 B2
9127215 Choi et al. Sep 2015 B2
9127218 Banerjee et al. Sep 2015 B2
9139782 Dindi et al. Sep 2015 B2
9206363 Wu et al. Dec 2015 B2
9212323 Dindi et al. Dec 2015 B2
9216407 Duma et al. Dec 2015 B2
9234145 Banerjee et al. Jan 2016 B2
9260671 Shafi et al. Feb 2016 B2
9278339 Bellussi et al. Mar 2016 B2
9340733 Marchand et al. May 2016 B2
9359561 Bazer-Bachi et al. Jun 2016 B2
9365781 Dindi Jun 2016 B2
9365782 Dindi Jun 2016 B2
9387466 Rana et al. Jul 2016 B2
9434893 Dufresne Sep 2016 B2
9458396 Weiss Oct 2016 B2
9487718 Kraus et al. Nov 2016 B2
9499758 Droubi et al. Nov 2016 B2
9512319 Chatron-Michuad et al. Dec 2016 B2
9540573 Bhan Jan 2017 B2
9546327 Krasu et al. Jan 2017 B2
9605215 Lott et al. Mar 2017 B2
9624448 Joo et al. Apr 2017 B2
9650312 Baldassari et al. May 2017 B2
9650580 Merdrignac et al. May 2017 B2
9657236 Yang et al. May 2017 B2
9675968 Alonso Nunez et al. Jun 2017 B2
9737883 Yamane et al. Aug 2017 B2
9803152 Kar Oct 2017 B2
9896630 Weiss et al. Feb 2018 B2
9908105 Duma et al. Mar 2018 B2
9908107 Osaki et al. Mar 2018 B2
9919293 Rana et al. Mar 2018 B1
9920270 Robinson et al. Mar 2018 B2
10072221 Bazer-Bachi et al. Sep 2018 B2
10138438 Houten Nov 2018 B2
10144882 Dindi et al. Dec 2018 B2
10150930 Houten Dec 2018 B2
10308884 Klussman et al. Jun 2019 B2
10443006 Fruchey et al. Oct 2019 B1
10501699 Robinson et al. Dec 2019 B2
10518251 Matsushita et al. Dec 2019 B2
10533141 Moore et al. Jan 2020 B2
10563133 Moore et al. Feb 2020 B2
10584287 Klussman et al. Mar 2020 B2
10597591 Weiss et al. Mar 2020 B2
10597594 Fruchey et al. Mar 2020 B1
10604709 Moore et al. Mar 2020 B2
10640718 Wohaibi et al. May 2020 B2
10668451 Boualleg et al. Jun 2020 B2
10683461 Wohaibi et al. Jun 2020 B2
10876053 Klussmann et al. Jun 2020 B2
10760020 Kashio et al. Sep 2020 B2
10870804 Wohaibi et al. Dec 2020 B2
10883056 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 B2
10899983 Kar et al. Jan 2021 B1
10920160 Wohaibi et al. Feb 2021 B2
10954456 Moore et al. Mar 2021 B2
10995290 Anderson et al. May 2021 B2
11001768 Liu et al. May 2021 B2
11015133 Wohaibi et al. May 2021 B2
11015134 Wohaibi et al. May 2021 B2
20010001036 Espeillac et al. May 2001 A1
20010013484 Zeuthen et al. Aug 2001 A1
20020037806 Dufresne et al. Mar 2002 A1
20020045540 Bartholdy Apr 2002 A1
20020056664 Chabot May 2002 A1
20020070147 Sonnemans et al. Jun 2002 A1
20020117426 Holder Aug 2002 A1
20020144932 Gong et al. Oct 2002 A1
20020148757 Huff et al. Oct 2002 A1
20020157990 Feimer et al. Oct 2002 A1
20020195375 Chapus et al. Dec 2002 A1
20030042172 Sharivker et al. Mar 2003 A1
20030125198 Ginestra et al. Jul 2003 A1
20030131526 Kresnyak et al. Jul 2003 A1
20030146133 Nagamatsu et al. Aug 2003 A1
20030217951 Marchal-George et al. Nov 2003 A1
20040007501 Sughrue et al. Jan 2004 A1
20040020829 Magna et al. Feb 2004 A1
20040040890 Morton et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040055934 Tromeur et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040134837 Dassori Jul 2004 A1
20040178117 Morton et al. Sep 2004 A1
20040186014 Tsukada et al. Sep 2004 A1
20040209771 Abe et al. Oct 2004 A1
20040232041 Kiser et al. Nov 2004 A1
20040256293 Abe et al. Dec 2004 A1
20050020446 Choudhary et al. Jan 2005 A1
20050101480 Ackerman et al. May 2005 A1
20050109674 Klein May 2005 A1
20050113250 Schleicher et al. May 2005 A1
20050133405 Wellington et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050133406 Wellington et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050133411 Zeuthen et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050133416 Bhan et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050133417 Bhan et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050135997 Wellington et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050139512 Wellington et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050139520 Bhan et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050139522 Bhan et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050145537 Wellington et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050145538 Wellington et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050145543 Bhan et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050148487 Brownscombe et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050150156 Karas et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050150818 Bhan et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050155906 Wellington et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050167321 Wellington et al. Aug 2005 A1
20050167327 Bhan et al. Aug 2005 A1
20050167328 Bhan et al. Aug 2005 A1
20050167329 Bhan et al. Aug 2005 A1
20050167331 Bhan et al. Aug 2005 A1
20050269245 Huve Dec 2005 A1
20060052235 Bai et al. Mar 2006 A1
20060060501 Gauthier et al. Mar 2006 A1
20060060509 Miyauchi et al. Mar 2006 A1
20060060510 Bhan Mar 2006 A1
20060102522 Turaga et al. May 2006 A1
20060115392 Dassori Jun 2006 A1
20060175229 Montanari et al. Aug 2006 A1
20060211900 Iki et al. Sep 2006 A1
20060231456 Bhan Oct 2006 A1
20060231465 Bhan Oct 2006 A1
20060234876 Bhan Oct 2006 A1
20060234877 Bhan Oct 2006 A1
20060249429 Iki et al. Nov 2006 A1
20060281638 Zaid et al. Dec 2006 A1
20060289340 Brownscombe et al. Dec 2006 A1
20070000808 Bhan et al. Jan 2007 A1
20070000810 Bhan et al. Jan 2007 A1
20070012595 Brownscombe et al. Jan 2007 A1
20070072765 Soled et al. Mar 2007 A1
20070084753 Iki et al. Apr 2007 A1
20070105714 Turaga et al. May 2007 A1
20070108098 Flint et al. May 2007 A1
20070131584 Kalnes Jun 2007 A1
20070138055 Farshid et al. Jun 2007 A1
20070170096 Shan et al. Jul 2007 A1
20070175797 Iki et al. Aug 2007 A1
20070284285 Stepanik et al. Dec 2007 A1
20080017551 Kiriyama et al. Jan 2008 A1
20080047875 Karas et al. Feb 2008 A1
20080073247 Bolshakov et al. Mar 2008 A1
20080085225 Bhan et al. Apr 2008 A1
20080135453 Bhan Jun 2008 A1
20080149531 Roy-Auberger et al. Jun 2008 A1
20080167180 Van Den Brink et al. Jul 2008 A1
20080210595 Bolshakov et al. Sep 2008 A1
20080223755 Roy-Auberger et al. Sep 2008 A1
20080230440 Graham et al. Sep 2008 A1
20080245700 Wellington et al. Oct 2008 A1
20080245702 Wellington et al. Oct 2008 A1
20080262115 Calis et al. Oct 2008 A1
20080272027 Wellington et al. Nov 2008 A1
20080272028 Wellington et al. Nov 2008 A1
20080308459 Iki et al. Dec 2008 A1
20090048097 Jones et al. Feb 2009 A1
20090057194 Farshid et al. Mar 2009 A1
20090057197 Bhan et al. Mar 2009 A1
20090062590 Nadler et al. Mar 2009 A1
20090114569 Osaheni et al. May 2009 A1
20090134064 Reynolds May 2009 A1
20090139902 Kressmann et al. Jun 2009 A1
20090166260 Roy-Auberger et al. Jul 2009 A1
20090178951 Balthasar et al. Jul 2009 A1
20090230022 Gorbaty et al. Sep 2009 A1
20090234166 Gorbaty et al. Sep 2009 A1
20090255850 Bhan et al. Oct 2009 A1
20090255851 Bhan et al. Oct 2009 A1
20090275788 Bedard et al. Nov 2009 A1
20090283444 Bhan et al. Nov 2009 A1
20090288987 Bhan et al. Nov 2009 A1
20090288989 Wellington et al. Nov 2009 A1
20090308791 Bhan et al. Dec 2009 A1
20090308812 Osaheni et al. Dec 2009 A1
20090314686 Zimmerman Dec 2009 A1
20100006475 Ginestra Jan 2010 A1
20100018902 Brownscombe et al. Jan 2010 A1
20100025291 Shafi et al. Feb 2010 A1
20100044274 Brun et al. Feb 2010 A1
20100055005 Bhan et al. Mar 2010 A1
20100098602 Bhan et al. Apr 2010 A1
20100155301 Guichard et al. Jun 2010 A1
20100200463 Patron et al. Aug 2010 A1
20100213103 Patron et al. Aug 2010 A1
20100243526 Ginestra et al. Sep 2010 A1
20100243532 Myers et al. Sep 2010 A1
20100264067 Osaheni et al. Oct 2010 A1
20100294698 e Mello et al. Nov 2010 A1
20100326890 Bhan Dec 2010 A1
20110017637 Reynolds et al. Jan 2011 A1
20110079542 Ellis et al. Apr 2011 A1
20110083997 Silva et al. Apr 2011 A1
20110094938 Morel Apr 2011 A1
20110108461 Gabrielov et al. May 2011 A1
20110127194 Zhang et al. Jun 2011 A1
20110146606 Cannella Jun 2011 A1
20110155558 Cardoso et al. Jun 2011 A1
20110155644 Bhattacharyya et al. Jun 2011 A1
20110174681 Milam et al. Jul 2011 A1
20110178346 Milam et al. Jul 2011 A1
20110186477 Milam et al. Aug 2011 A1
20110186480 Milam et al. Aug 2011 A1
20110203971 Kiss et al. Aug 2011 A1
20110218097 Rayo Mayoral et al. Sep 2011 A1
20110240517 Chornet et al. Oct 2011 A1
20110277377 Novak et al. Nov 2011 A1
20120018352 Seki et al. Jan 2012 A1
20120103868 Dindi et al. May 2012 A1
20120116145 Bhan et al. May 2012 A1
20120145528 Myers et al. Jun 2012 A1
20120175285 Bhan et al. Jul 2012 A1
20120175286 Bhan et al. Jul 2012 A1
20120181219 Seki et al. Jul 2012 A1
20130037447 Zimmerman Feb 2013 A1
20130068657 Dindi et al. Mar 2013 A1
20130081977 Woo et al. Apr 2013 A1
20130105357 Bhan May 2013 A1
20130105364 Bhan May 2013 A1
20130126393 Ginestra et al. May 2013 A1
20130161237 Woo et al. Jun 2013 A1
20130171039 Graham et al. Jul 2013 A1
20130186806 Diehl et al. Jul 2013 A1
20130225400 Liang et al. Aug 2013 A1
20130256190 Van Wees et al. Oct 2013 A1
20130267409 Lee et al. Oct 2013 A1
20130277273 Mazyar Oct 2013 A1
20130288885 Domokos et al. Oct 2013 A1
20130306517 Kester et al. Nov 2013 A1
20130319910 Koseoglu Dec 2013 A1
20140001089 Bazer-Bachi Jan 2014 A1
20140027351 Bazer-Bachi et al. Jan 2014 A1
20140061094 Xu et al. Mar 2014 A1
20140073821 Mitsui et al. Mar 2014 A1
20140076783 Bhan Mar 2014 A1
20140097125 Bazer-Bachi et al. Apr 2014 A1
20140166540 Guichard et al. Jun 2014 A1
20140174980 Brown et al. Jun 2014 A1
20140174983 Klein et al. Jun 2014 A1
20140183098 Cooper et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140183099 Ginestra et al. Jul 2014 A1
20140231200 Katayama Aug 2014 A1
20140291200 Weiss et al. Oct 2014 A1
20140291201 Banerjee et al. Oct 2014 A1
20140291203 Molinari et al. Oct 2014 A1
20140299515 Weiss et al. Oct 2014 A1
20140305843 Kraus et al. Oct 2014 A1
20140315712 Smegal Oct 2014 A1
20140323779 Alphazan et al. Oct 2014 A1
20140326642 Tanaka et al. Nov 2014 A1
20140332444 Weiss et al. Nov 2014 A1
20140353210 Graham et al. Dec 2014 A1
20150057205 Morishima et al. Feb 2015 A1
20150108039 Bhan Apr 2015 A1
20150111726 Bhan et al. Apr 2015 A1
20150144531 Ginstra et al. May 2015 A1
20150144532 He et al. May 2015 A1
20150217261 Norling Aug 2015 A1
20150224476 Plecha et al. Aug 2015 A1
20150240174 Kraus et al. Aug 2015 A1
20150273429 Gomez Oct 2015 A1
20150315480 Hanks et al. Nov 2015 A1
20150321177 Rana et al. Nov 2015 A1
20150337225 Droubi et al. Nov 2015 A1
20150337226 Droubi et al. Nov 2015 A1
20150344791 Banerjee et al. Dec 2015 A1
20150353848 Patron Dec 2015 A1
20150353851 Buchanan Dec 2015 A1
20160001272 Daudin Jan 2016 A1
20160017240 Duma et al. Jan 2016 A1
20160024396 Zink et al. Jan 2016 A1
20160060549 Ancheyta Juarez et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160074840 Duma et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160075954 Monson et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160122666 Weiss et al. May 2016 A1
20160129428 Bhan May 2016 A1
20160145503 Xu et al. May 2016 A1
20160145508 Xu et al. May 2016 A1
20160145509 Mukherjee et al. May 2016 A1
20160152901 Dufresne Jun 2016 A1
20160160139 Robinson et al. Jun 2016 A1
20160177205 Evans et al. Jun 2016 A1
20160200990 Mori et al. Jul 2016 A1
20160220985 Osaki et al. Aug 2016 A1
20160220986 Osaki et al. Aug 2016 A1
20160230102 Osaki et al. Aug 2016 A1
20160243528 He et al. Aug 2016 A1
20160250622 He et al. Sep 2016 A1
20160256856 Kester et al. Sep 2016 A1
20160264887 Davydov Sep 2016 A1
20160304794 Majcher et al. Oct 2016 A1
20160312130 Merdrignac Oct 2016 A1
20160340597 Baldassar et al. Nov 2016 A1
20160348012 Zhao et al. Dec 2016 A1
20160348013 Ladkat et al. Dec 2016 A1
20160362615 Ancheyta Juarez et al. Dec 2016 A1
20170002273 Rubin-Pitel et al. Jan 2017 A1
20170002279 Brown et al. Jan 2017 A1
20170009163 Kraus et al. Jan 2017 A1
20170022433 Brown et al. Jan 2017 A1
20170029723 Bazer-Bachi et al. Feb 2017 A1
20170044451 Kar et al. Feb 2017 A1
20170058205 Ho et al. Mar 2017 A1
20170058223 Droubi et al. Mar 2017 A1
20170066979 Lei et al. Mar 2017 A1
20170073592 Nonaka et al. Mar 2017 A1
20170120224 Boualleg et al. May 2017 A1
20170120228 Boualleg et al. May 2017 A1
20170120229 Boualleg et al. May 2017 A1
20170121612 Boualleg et al. May 2017 A1
20170128912 Boualleg et al. May 2017 A1
20170136446 Carati et al. May 2017 A1
20170137725 Boualleg et al. May 2017 A1
20170165639 Klein et al. Jun 2017 A1
20170175012 Schleiffer et al. Jun 2017 A1
20170183575 Rubin-Pitel et al. Jun 2017 A1
20170183582 Hoehn et al. Jun 2017 A1
20170192126 Koseoglu Jul 2017 A1
20170232414 Hassan Aug 2017 A1
20170260463 Schleiffer et al. Sep 2017 A1
20170267937 Schleiffer et al. Sep 2017 A1
20170306250 Ginestra Oct 2017 A1
20170306252 Malek Abbaslou et al. Oct 2017 A1
20170335206 Mukherjee et al. Nov 2017 A1
20170349846 Ding et al. Dec 2017 A1
20170355913 Mountainland et al. Dec 2017 A1
20170355914 Weiss et al. Dec 2017 A1
20170362514 Hanks et al. Dec 2017 A1
20180016505 Matsushita Jan 2018 A1
20180104676 Yamane et al. Apr 2018 A1
20180134965 Brown et al. May 2018 A1
20180134972 Brown et al. May 2018 A1
20180134974 Weiss et al. May 2018 A1
20180147567 Matsushita et al. May 2018 A1
20180154340 Boualleg et al. Jun 2018 A1
20180155647 Robinson et al. Jun 2018 A1
20180195013 Dreillard et al. Jul 2018 A1
20180207622 Boualleg et al. Jul 2018 A1
20180230387 Moore et al. Aug 2018 A1
20180230388 Li et al. Aug 2018 A1
20180230389 Moore et al. Aug 2018 A1
20180251690 Mountainland et al. Sep 2018 A1
20180291291 Brown et al. Oct 2018 A1
20180340126 Klussman et al. Nov 2018 A1
20180346828 Liu et al. Dec 2018 A1
20180355263 Moore et al. Dec 2018 A1
20180371343 Rubin-Patel et al. Dec 2018 A1
20190002772 Moore et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190010405 Moore et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190010406 Moore et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190010407 Moore et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190010408 Moore et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190016972 Moore et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190016974 Moore et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190040329 Moore et al. Feb 2019 A1
20190078027 Deimund et al. Mar 2019 A1
20190093026 Wohaibi et al. Mar 2019 A1
20190136144 Wohaibi et al. May 2019 A1
20190153340 Weiss et al. May 2019 A1
20190153942 Wohaibi et al. May 2019 A1
20190185772 Berkhous et al. Jun 2019 A1
20190203130 Mukherjee Jul 2019 A1
20190233732 Sun Aug 2019 A1
20190233741 Moore et al. Aug 2019 A1
20190256784 Klussman et al. Aug 2019 A1
20190300806 Kashio et al. Oct 2019 A1
20190338203 Umansky et al. Nov 2019 A1
20190338205 Ackerson et al. Nov 2019 A1
20190382668 Klussmann et al. Dec 2019 A1
20200095508 Moore et al. Mar 2020 A1
20200095509 Moore et al. Mar 2020 A1
20200123458 Moore et al. Apr 2020 A1
20200131443 Moore et al. Apr 2020 A1
20200131446 Wohaibi et al. Apr 2020 A1
20200131447 Wohaibi et al. Apr 2020 A1
20200140765 Moore et al. May 2020 A1
20200172819 Wohaibi et al. Jun 2020 A1
20200172820 Wohaibi et al. Jun 2020 A1
20200199462 Klussmann et al. Jun 2020 A1
20200199463 Klussmann et al. Jun 2020 A1
20200199465 Wohaibi et al. Jun 2020 A1
20200199466 Wohaibi et al. Jun 2020 A1
20200199467 Wohaibi et al. Jun 2020 A1
20200216766 Wohaibi et al. Jul 2020 A1
20200224108 Moore et al. Jul 2020 A1
20200231886 Kraus et al. Jul 2020 A1
20200248080 Peer et al. Aug 2020 A1
20200385644 Rogel et al. Dec 2020 A1
20210017458 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210017459 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210017460 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210017461 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210024838 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210024839 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210024840 Wohaibi et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210024842 Fruchey et al. Jan 2021 A1
20210032551 Wohaibi et al. Feb 2021 A1
20210062096 Hodgkins et al. Mar 2021 A1
20210102130 Marques et al. Apr 2021 A1
20210155858 Koseoglu et al. May 2021 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (61)
Number Date Country
1054130 May 1979 CA
1060370 Aug 1979 CA
1248513 Jan 1989 CA
2894610 Jun 2014 CA
101348732 Jan 2009 CN
103695031 Apr 2014 CN
105164233 Dec 2015 CN
105316041 Feb 2016 CN
1041133 Oct 2000 EP
1052015 Nov 2000 EP
2130895 Dec 2009 EP
2947133 Nov 2015 EP
2992070 Mar 2016 EP
2681871 Apr 1993 FR
3011004 Mar 2015 FR
3011004 Mar 2015 FR
3013723 May 2015 FR
3013723 May 2015 FR
3053356 Jan 2018 FR
1324167 Jul 1973 GB
1502915 Mar 1978 GB
1504586 Mar 1978 GB
1505886 Mar 1978 GB
2124252 Feb 1984 GB
2015059220 Mar 2015 JP
20200122450 Aug 2020 JP
2149888 May 2000 RU
2339680 Nov 2008 RU
2372380 Nov 2009 RU
2596868 Sep 2016 RU
2700705 Sep 2019 RU
9113951 Sep 1991 WO
9820969 May 1998 WO
9820969 May 1998 WO
0197971 Dec 2001 WO
0209870 Feb 2002 WO
2004052534 Jun 2004 WO
2004053028 Jun 2004 WO
2005028596 Mar 2005 WO
2005063933 Jul 2005 WO
2009001314 Dec 2008 WO
2011071705 Jun 2011 WO
2012135247 Oct 2012 WO
2013083662 Jun 2013 WO
2014015423 Jan 2014 WO
2014096703 Jun 2014 WO
2014096703 Jun 2014 WO
2014096704 Jun 2014 WO
2014177424 Nov 2014 WO
2015034521 Mar 2015 WO
2015147222 Oct 2015 WO
2015147223 Oct 2015 WO
2017168312 Oct 2017 WO
2018073018 Apr 2018 WO
2018075017 Apr 2018 WO
2018053323 Mar 2019 WO
2019104243 May 2019 WO
2019125674 Jun 2019 WO
2019133880 Jul 2019 WO
2019178701 Sep 2019 WO
2021066265 Apr 2021 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (92)
Entry
Alvarez, A., et al, Comparison of Quench Systems in Commercial Fixed-Bed Hydroprocessing Reactors, 2007, Energy & Fuels, vol. 21, pp. 1133-1144. (Year: 2007).
Search Report dated Jan. 14, 2020, issued by the Patent Office of the Russian Federation in corresponding Russian Patent Application No. 2019126421, with Google English translation (5 pages).
Request for Substantive Examination (Office Action) dated Jan. 16, 2020, issued by the Patent Office of the Russian Federation in corresponding Russian Patent Application No. 2019126421 (5 pages), with partial English translation (2 pages).
International Search Report issued in International Application No. PCT/US18/17855 dated Apr. 9, 2018 (3 pages).
Written Opinion issued in International Application No. PCT/US18/17855 dated Apr. 9, 2018 (9 pages).
International Search Report issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2018/017855 dated Apr. 27, 2018 (3 pages).
International Search Report issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2018/017863 dated Apr. 27, 2018 (3 pages).
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co. Material Safety Data Sheet—Fuel Oil, pp. 1-10, Jul. 26, 2012, San Antonio, Texas, US.
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co. Material Safety Data Sheet—Marine Gas Oil, pp. 1-11, Nov. 17, 2012, San Antonio, Texas, US.
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co. Material Safety Data Sheet—Resid pp. 1-10, Apr. 6, 2015, San Antonio, Texas, US.
Coutrymark Refining and Logistics, LLC, Material Safety Data Sheet—No. 6 Fuel Oil, Dec. 2012, pp. 1-4, Mt. Vernon, Indiana US.
Valero Marekting & Supply Company, Material Safety Data Sheet—Residual Fuel Oil, Dec. 4, 2010, pp. 1-14, San Antonio, Texas US.
Oceanbat SA. Material Safety Data Sheet—Marine Fuel Oil, Jul. 2013, pp. 1-7, Guayaquil Ecuador.
ExxonMobilCorporation, Material Safety Data Sheet—Marine Fuel Oil, pp. 1-12, Sep. 18, 2013, Fairfax Virginia US.
Shell Trading (US) Company, Material Safety Data Sheet—Ultra Low Sulfur Fuel Oil, pp. 1-21, Jun. 19, 2018, Houston, Texas US.
Suncor Energy Inc., Material Safety Data Sheet—Heating Fuel Oil Type 6 / Residual Marine Fuel, pp. 1-11, Jun. 7, 2018, Calgary Alberta Canada.
Marathon Petroleum Company LP, Material Safety Data Sheet—Marathon No. 6 Fuel Oil, Dec. 7, 2010, pp. 1-14., Findlay, Ohio US.
BP Australia Pty Ltd., Material Safety Data Sheet—BP380 Marine Fuel, Oct. 27, 2011. pages 1-6, Docklands, Victoria Australia.
U.S. Oil & Refining Co., Material Safety Data Sheet—Residual Fuel Oil, Dec. 18, 2008, pp. 1-11. Tacoma, Washington US.
American Bureau of Shipping, Publication 31 Notes On Heavy Fuel Oil, 1984, pp. 1-68, Houston Texas US.
American Bureau of Shipping, Notes Use of Low Sulphur Marine Fuel for Main and Auxiliary Diesel Engines, Jan. 1, 2010, pp. 1-68, Houston Texas US ( https://www.eagle.org/eagleExternalPortalWEB/ShowProperty/BEA%20Repository/pdfs/Regulatory/Docs/LowSulphurNote_Engine).
Shuyi Zhang, Dong Liu, Wenan Deng, Guohe Que, A Review of Slurry-Phase Hydrocracking Heavy Oil Technology, Energy & Fuels, vol. 21, No. 6, Nov. 2007, pp. 3057-3062, American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
Peiman Pourmoghaddam, Susan Davari, Zahra Delavar Moghaddam, A Technical And Economic Assessment of Fuel Oil Hydrotreating Technology For Steam Power Plant SO2 and NOx Emissions Control, Advances in Environmental Technology vol. 2, Issue 1, Accepted Oct. 3, 2016, pp. 45-54, Iranian Research Organization For Science and Technology, Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran.
Dawoud Bahzad, Jamal Al-Fadhli, Ayyad Al-Dhafeeri, Ali Abdal, Assessment of Selected Apparent Kinetic Parameters of the HDM and HDS reactions of Two Kuwaiti Residual Oils, Using Two Types of Commercial ARDS Catalysts, Energy & Fuels, vol. 24, Jan. 8, 2010, pp. 1495-1501, American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
A. Marafi, A. Hauser, A Stanislaus, Atmospheric Residual Desulfurization Process for Residual Oil Upgrading: An Investigation of the Effect of Catalyst Type and Operation Severity on Product Oil Quality, Energy & Fuels, vol. 20, Apr. 4, 2006, pp. 1145-1149, American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
M.M. Boduszynki, C.E. Rechsteiner, A.S.G. Shafzadeh, R.M.K. Carlson, Composition and Properties of Heavy Crudes, No. 1998.202 UNITAR Centre for Heavy Crude and Tar Sands, 1998, pp. 1-12, Canada.
Gard AS, Bunkers and Bunkering—A selection of articles previously published by Gard AS, Jan. 2014, pp. 1-53, Arendal Norway.
Monique B. Vermeire Everything You Need to Know About Marine Fuels, Jun. 2012, pp. 1-32, Ghent Belgium.
Chevron Lummus Group, Product web page—RDS / VRDS, 2013-2018, pp. 1-2, http://www.chevrontechnologymarketing.com/CLGtech/rds_vrds.aspx.
T.M. Saleh, H. Ismail, J.E.Corbett, R.S. Bali, Commercial Experience in the Operation of Atmospheric Residue Desulfurization Unit in Kuwait national Petroleum Company At Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery, Catalyst in Petroleum Refining, 1989, pp. 175-189, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam The Netherlands.
Victor S. Semeykina, Ekaterina V. Parkhomchuk, Alexander V. Polukhin, Pavel D. Parunin, Anton I. Lysikov, Artem B. Ayupov, Svetlana V. Cherepanova, Vladislav V. Kanazhevskiy, Vasil V. Kaichev, Tatyana S. Glazneva, Valentina V. Zvereva, CoMoNi Catalyst Texture and Surface Properties in Heavy Oil Processing. Part I: Hierarchical Macro / Mesoporous Alumina Support, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 55, Feb. 29, 2016, pp. 3535-3545 American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
Victor S. Semeykina, Ekaterina V. Parkhomchuk, Alexander V. Polukhin, Pavel D. Parunin, Anton I. Lysikov, Artem B. Ayupov, Svetlana V. Cherepanova, Vladislav V. Kanazhevskiy, Vasil V. Kaichev, Tatyana S. Glazneva, Valentina V. Zvereva, CoMoNi Catalyst Texture and Surface Properties in Heavy Oil Processing. Part II: Macroporous Sepiolite-Like Mineral, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 55,Aug. 1, 2016, pp. 9129-9139 American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
Andre Hauser, Abdulazim Marafi, Adel Almutairi, Anthony Stanislaus, Comparative Study of Hydrodemetallization (HDM) Catalyst Aging by Boscan Feed and Kuwait Atmospheric Residue, Energy & Fuels, vol. 22 Aug. 27, 2008, pp. 2952-2932, American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
Criterion Catalysis & Technologies LP, Residue Upgrading Using Fixed-bed Hydroconversion Product Brochure , pp. 1 & 2, downloaded Jan. 9, 2018, web page https://s06.static-shell.com/content/dam/royaldutchshell/documents/corporate/criterion-fixed-bedfactsheethires.pdf.
Criterion Catalysts & Technologies LP, Residue Upgrading Product Information Sheet, pp. 1 & 2, Aug. 2008, Houston Texas US.
John-Laurent Tronche, Jelena Grigorjeva, Annie Siebert (editor), How Are Refiners Preparing For 2015 Marine Fuel Spec Changes?, pp. 1-2, Jun. 6, 2014, S&P Global Platts. Houston Texas US.
DNV GL Maritime, Hong Kong Requires Ocean-Going Vessels to Comply with 0.50% M/M Sulphur Limit While at Berth, Statutory Update No. 1, Mar. 2015, p. 1, DNV GL Maritime, Hamburg Germany.
Mike Stockle, Tina Knight, Impact of Low-Sulphur Bunkers on Refineries, Catalysis 2009, p. 1-7, www.digitalrefining.com/article/1000090, article based on presentation from the Nov. 2008 ERC Annual Meeting, Vienna Austria.
Ekaterina V. Parkhomchuk, Anton I. Lysikov, Alexey G. Okunev, Pavel D. Parunin, Victoria S. Semeikina, Artem B. Ayupov, Valentina A. Trunova, Valentin N. Parmon, Meso / Macroporous CoMo Alumina Pellets for Hydrotreating of Heavy Oil, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 15 Nov. 13, 2013, pp. 17117-17125 American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
Cristian J. Calderon Jorge Ancheyta, Modeling of Slurry-Phase Reactors for Hydrocracking of Heavy Oils, Energy & Fuels, vol. 30 Jan. 28, 2016, pp. 2525-2543, American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
DNV GL Maritime, Notice for Low Sulphur “Hybrid” Fuel Operation, Technical Update No. 3, Mar. 2015, p. 1&2, DNV GL Maritime, Hamburg Germany.
Abdul Waheed Bhutto, Rashid Abro, Shurong Goa, Tauqeer Abbas, Xiaochun Chen, Guangren Yu, Oxidative Desulfurization of Fuel Oils Using Ionic Liquids: A Review, Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, vol. 62, Feb. 28, 2016, pp. 84-97, Elsevier B.V. Amsterdam The Netherlands.
I.V. Babich, J.A. Moulijn, Science and Technology of Novel Processes for Deep Desulfurization of Oil Refinery Streams: A Review, Fuel, vol. 82 ,Nov. 14, 2002, pp. 607-631 Elsevier B.V. Amsterdam The Netherlands Published first on the web via fuelfirst.com—http://www.fuelfirst.com.
A. Hauser, A. Marafi, A. Stanislaus, A. Al-Adwani, Relation Between Feed Quality and Coke Formation in a Three Stage Atmospheric Residue Desulfurization (ARDS) Process, Energy & Fuels, vol. 19 Feb. 8, 2005, pp. 544-553, American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
A Marafi, H. Al-Bazzaz, M. Al-Marri, F. Maruyama, M. Absi-Halbi, A. Stanislaus, Residual-Oil Hydrotreating Kinetics for graded Catalyst Systems: Effect of Original and Treated Feedstocks, Energy Fuels, vol. 17(5), Jul. 2, 2003 pp. 1191-1197 American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
Himaza Al-Bazza, Jia-Lin Kang, Dduha Chehadeh, Dawoud Bahzad, David Shan-Hill Wong, Shi-Shang Jang, Robust Predictions of Catalyst Deactivation of Atmospheric Residual Desulfurization, Energy Fuels, vol. 29, Oct. 21, 2015 pp. 7089-7100 American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
A.G. Okunev, E.V. Parkhomchuk, A.I. Lysikov, P.D. Parunin, V.S. Semeykina, V.N. Parmon, Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Heavy Oil Feedstocks, Russian Chemical Reviews, vol. 84, Sep. 2015, pp. 981-999, Russian Academy of Sciences and Turpion Ltd. Moscow, Russia.
Ernest Czermanski, Slawomir Drozdziecki, Maciej Matczak, Eugen Spangenberg, Bogusz Nisnicki, Suplphur Regulation—Technology Solutions and Economic Consequences, Institute of Maritime transport and Seaborne Trade, University of Gdansk, 2014, pp. 1-76, University of Gdansk, Gdansk Poland.
Charles Olsen, Brian Watkins, Greg Rosinski, The Challenges of Processing FCC LCO, Catalagram 110 Special Edition, Fall 2011, pp. 6-8, W.R. Grace & Co. Advanced Refining Technologies, Columbus Maryland, US.
Yanzi Jia, Qinghe Yang, Shuling Sun, Hong Nie, Dadong Li, The Influence of Metal Deposits on Residue Hydrodemetallization Catalyst in the Absence and Presence of Coke, Energy Fuels, vol. 30 Feb. 22, 2016 pp. 2544-2554 American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
James G. Speight, Upgrading Heavy Oils and Residua: The Nature of the Problem, Catalysis on the Energy Scene, 1984, pp. 515-527, Elsevier Science Publishers B V. Amsterdam, The Nethedands.
Blessing Umana, Nan Zhang, Robin Smith, Development of Vacuum Residue Hydrodesuphurization—Hydrocracking Models and Their Integration with Refinery Hydrogen Networks, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, vol. 55, Jan. 27, 2016, pp. 2391-2406, American Chemical Society, Washington DC US.
Mike Stockle, Tina Knight, Impact of Low Sulphur Bunkers on Refineries, Catalysis, 2009, pp. 1-7, downloaded from website: www.digitalrefining.com/article/1000090.
James G. Speight, The Desulfurization of Heavy Oils and Residua, 2nd Ed. 1999, Chapter 5, pp. 168-205, Marcel Dekker Inc. New York NY US.
James G. Speight, The Desulfurization of Heavy Oils and Residua, 2nd Ed. 1999, Chapter 6, pp. 206-253, Marcel Dekker Inc. New York NY US.
James G. Speight, The Desulfurization of Heavy Oils and Residua, 2nd Ed. 1999, Chapter 8, pp. 302-334, Marcel Dekker Inc. New York NY US.
James G. Speight, The Desulfurization of Heavy Oils and Residua, 2nd Ed. 1999, Chapter 9, pp. 335-385, Marcel Dekker Inc. New York NY US.
Office Action issued in Chinese Application No. 201880019191.2, dated May 19, 2021 (11 pages).
Office Action issued in corresponding CO Application No. NC2019/009832 dated Jan. 18, 2022 (9 pages).
Mohammad Farhat Ali, et al. A review of methods for the demetallization of residual fuel oils, Fuel Processing Technology, Mar. 8, 2006, pp. 573-584, vol. 87, Elsevier B.V.
Mohan S. Rana, et al., A review of recent advances on process technologies for upgrading of heavy oils and residua, Fuel, Available online Sep. 7, 2006, pp. 1216-1231, vol. 86, Elsevier B.V.
Carolina Leyva, et al., Activity and surface properties of NiMo/SiO2—Al2O3 catalysts for hydroprocessing of heavy oils, Applied Catalysis A: General, Available online Feb. 28, 2012, pp. 1-12, vol. 425-426, Elsevier B.V.
Oliver C. Mullins et al., Asphaltenes Explained for the Nonchemist, Petrophysics, Jun. 2015, pp. 266-275, vol. 56, No. 3.
M. Ghasemi, et al., Phase Behavior and Viscosity Modeling of Athabasca Bitumen and Light Solvent Mixtures, SPE165416, Jun. 2013, pp. 1-26, Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Marten Ternan, Catalytic Hydrogenation and Asphaltene Conversion of Athabasca Bitumen, The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Oct. 1983, pp. 689-696, vol. 61.
Jeremi´as Marti´nez, et al.,Comparison of correlations to predict hydrotreating product properties during hydrotreating of heavy oils, Catalysis Today, Available online Dec. 5, 2009, pp. 300-307, vol. 150, Elsevier B.V.
Luis C. Castn{tilde over ( )}eda, et al., Current situation of emerging technologies for upgrading of heavy oils, Catalysis Today, Available online Jul. 4, 2013, pp. 248-273, vol. 220-222, Elsevier B V.
C. Ferreira, et al., Hydrodesulfurization and hydrodemetallization of different origin vacuum residues: Characterization and reactivity, Fuel, Available online Apr. 14, 2012, pp. 1-11, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2012.03.054, Elsevier B.V.
C.V. Philip, et al. GPC Characterization for Assessing Compatibility Problems with Heavy Fuel Oils, Fuel Processing Technology 1984: pp. 189-201., Elsevier B.V.
Muhammad A. Altajam & Marten Ternan, Hydrocracking of Athabasca bitumen using Co—Mo catalysts supported on wide pore carbon extrudates, Fuel, Aug. 1989, pp. 955-960, Butterworth & Co. Publishers Ltd.
J.W. Holmes & J.A. Bullin, Fuel Oil Compatibility Probed, Hydrocarbon Processing, Sep. 1983: pp. 101-103.
Charles J. Glover, & Jerry A. Bullin, Identification of Heavy Residual Oils by GC and GCMS, Journal of Environmental Science and Health A24(1), 1989: pp. 57-75.
H. Puron, et al., Kinetic analysis of vacuum residue hydrocracking in early reaction stages, Fuel, Available online Sep. 27, 2013, pp. 408-414, vol. 117, Elsevier B.V.
Yanet Villasna, et al. Upgrading and Hydrotreating of Heavy Oils and Residua, Energy Science and Technology, vol. 3, Oil and Natural Gas, 2015, pp. 304-328, Stadium Press LLC, Houston TX USA.
Phillips 66, Phillips 66, Petitioner v MagēmāTechnology LLC, Patent Owner, Petition for Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01168, U.S. Pat. No. 10,308,884 B2, Dated Jul. 7, 2021, All pages.
Phillips 66, Phillips 66, Petitioner v MagēmāTechnology LLC, Patent Owner, Petition for Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01173, U.S. Pat. No. 10,584,287 B2, Dated Jul. 12, 2021, All pages.
Phillips 66, Phillips 66, Petitioner v MagēmāTechnology LLC, Patent Owner, Petition for Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01174, U.S. Pat. No. 10,604,709 B2, Dated Jul. 13, 2021, All pages.
Phillips 66, Phillips 66, Petitioner v MagēmāTechnology LLC, Patent Owner, Petition for Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01175, U.S. Pat. No. 10,533,141 B2, Dated Jul. 14, 2021, All pages.
International Organization for Standardization. Petroleum products—Fuels (class F)—Specifications of marine fuels (ISO Standard No. 8217:2017(E)), 2017. pp. 1-30 as presented in Petitioner's Exhibit 1003 in IPR2021-01168; IPR2021-01173; IPR2021-01174; IPR2021-01175.
Phillips 66, Petitioner's Exhibit 1015 Defendants Supplemental Preliminary Invalidity Contentions pp. 1-50, as presented in IPR2021-01168; IPR2021-01173; IPR2021-01174; IPR2021-01175.
Mafalda Silva, Life Cycle Assessment of Marine Fuel Production, Jul. 2017, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, pp. 16-18, 32-35, 66 as presented Petitioner's Exhibit 1055 in IPR2021-01168; IPR2021-01173 IPR2021-01174; IPR2021-01175 and Petitioner's Exhibit 1015 in IPR2021-01168; IPR2021-01173 PR2021-01174; IPR2021-01175.
Cambiaso Risso Group, Challenges of IMO's 0.5% Global Bunker Sulfur Cap, Dec. 12, 2016, p. 9, as presented in Petitioner's Exhibit 1057 in IPR2021-01168; IPR2021-01173; IPR2021-01174; IPR2021-01175 and Petitioner's Exhibit 1015 in IPR2021-01168; IPR2021-01173; IPR2021-01174; IPR2021-01175.
Phillips 66, Petitioner's Exhibit 1082 Declaration of Edward L. Sughrue II, pp. 1-84 as presented in IPR2021-01168; IPR2021-01173; IPR2021-01174; IPR2021-01175.
Surinder Parkash, Petroleum Fuels Manufacturing Handbook, 2010, R.R Donnelley, Publisher, pp. 82, 83, 84, 94, 95, 96 as presented in Petitioner's Exhibit 1102 in IPR2021-01174.
Patent Owner's Preliminary Response, Case IPR2021-01168, U.S. Pat. No. 10,308,884 B2, Dated Oct. 27, 2021, All pages.
Patent Owner's Preliminary Response, Case IPR2021-01173, U.S. Pat. No. 10,584,287 B2, Dated Oct. 26, 2021, All pages.
Patent Owner's Preliminary Response, Case IPR2021-01174, U.S. Pat. No. 10,604,709 B2, Dated Oct. 28, 2021, All pages.
Patent Owner's Preliminary Response, Case IPR2021-01175, U.S. Pat. No. 10,533,141 B2, Dated Oct. 28, 2021, All pages.
Decision Denying Institution of Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01168, U.S. Pat. No. 10,308,884 B2, Dated Jan. 21, 2022, All pages.
Decision Denying Institution of Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01173, U.S. Pat. No. 10,584,287 B2, Dated Jan. 21, 2022, All pages.
Decision Denying Institution of Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01174, U.S. Pat. No. 10,604,709 B2, Dated Jan. 21, 2022, All pages.
Decision Denying Institution of Inter Parties Review, Case IPR2021-01175, U.S. Pat. No. 10,533,141 B2, Dated Jan. 21, 2022, All pages.
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20190382668 A1 Dec 2019 US
Provisional Applications (2)
Number Date Country
62589479 Nov 2017 US
62458002 Feb 2017 US