This invention relates to improvements made to a transportable hydrocarbon recovery unit. More specifically, this invention relates to an integral hydrocarbon recovery unit comprising a first evaporation [system] and a condensation system. The actual first evaporation system is comprised of means for supplying the material to be extracted that includes means for controlling supply, means for conveying said material, treatment-chamber means including internal cleaning means, means for heating the material, means for increasing the heat-transfer area, means for removing excess material, including means for increasing hermeticity, and means for conveying the extracted vapors towards the condensation system. The purpose of the invention is to provide a unit for extracting hydrocarbons and other contaminants from impregnated material, at the same time as providing, over a shorter time period and with greater effectiveness, the recovery process.
This invention can be used in areas of oil production, where soils or materials impregnated with hydrocarbon waste must be decontaminated. This requires the presence of the means for this work; consequently, these means must be transported to the decontamination site. The extraction means must then be effectively put to work, and their installation must be equally easy in order to begin their work. In addition, requirements of time and efficacy are more frequent, with the resulting need to improve hydrocarbon-recovery devices.
A variety of devices are currently used to extract hydrocarbons. These current systems are formed of cylinders that rotate to move the materials as heat is introduced to complete the evaporation process. A plurality of internal chains is added to this process to direct the material towards the rear section of the cylinder, towards evacuation of the decontaminated wastes.
These chains are laid out in various sections along and around the cylinder. Said system requires that continuous maintenance be performed on these chains, and the number of chains produces unnecessary transmission loads to move the cylinder.
In addition, state of the art units refer to a configuration that does not allow the extraction of hydrocarbons from the liquids, since the configuration of the cylinder and chains provides an exclusive use for solid materials and does not allow liquid material.
In TPS (THERMAL PROCESS SOLIDS) technology, the contaminated material is carried along a duct (static housing) through the use of two helices (rotational auger), within which sufficient heat is transferred to evaporate liquids. This design of the previous art is one of the least efficient forms with reference to heat transfer; consequently great precision is required (thanks to the diversity of weights and dimensions of the materials treated) between the helices and the housing to prevent solidified material from blocking and acting as a barrier to the heat transfer between the transfer area and the material to be processed. In addition, in that same configuration, a solution is generated whose cleaning is complicated, both for the vanes of the helices as well as the housing, since there is a static system (housing) and a complex dynamic system (auger). As an example, in practice, an air film 1 mm thick can offer the same resistance to the flow of heat as a 25-mm film of water, one of iron 1.7 meters thick or copper 12 meters thick. This concept has been demonstrated and is found in different thermal literature; consequently it can be thought of as a barrier to prevent the transfer of heat from a solidified material over the transfer surface.
In addition, the above systems include gas output lines that are obstructed as a result of the accumulation of solids around the horizontal pipe that leads the vapors from the cylinder to the condensation system. These begin to form from the base of the feed screw housing.
TPS Technology, like others, also includes the need for vacuum treatment of the material. This adds risk. A Technical Consultant for the Swaco Corporation, in his report, recommended an operating vacuum no greater than 0.127 cm of water (0.05 Water Inch). This was an error, since this value is not an operating standard for the different technologies that use the same principle for evaporation, extraction and condensation. The safe and optimum vacuum handled in an evaporation chamber must have a pre-established value for each technology. This is obtained from the prior design of the system, upon theoretically and practically analyzing the pressure loss values, both static and dynamic, along same. This vacuum value should guarantee that the maximum vapor flow is evacuated, without allowing the absolute pressure at the end of the cylinder to drop below atmospheric pressure. This concept prevents safety incidents and optimizes production.
This invention relates to improvements to a transportable hydrocarbon-recovery unit. More specifically, this invention relates to an integral hydrocarbon-recovery unit that is comprised of an evaporation system and a condensation system. The actual first evaporation system includes a means for supplying the material to be extracted that includes means for controlling the supply, means for conveying said material, treatment-chamber means including means for internal cleaning, means for heating the material, means for increasing the heat-transfer area, means for removing excess material including means for increasing hermeticity, and means for conveying the extracted vapors towards the condensation system.
To further clarify the invention and its advantages compared with the known art, following is a description, with the help of the attached drawings, of possible forms of embodiment, including but not limited to the application of said principles.
According to the invention, an integral unit of hydrocarbon recovery that includes the evaporation system is provided.
As seen in
In addition, to transfer the material for its evaporation, transportation means 4 must allow the material to be laid out horizontally. This means can include a worm or conveyor belts.
From transportation means 4 the material moves to a rotary cylinder 5, isolated in an equally cylindrical structure 6. This rotary cylinder 5 must be inclined in a downstream direction, so that the liquid material is moved assisted by gravity. The cylinder inclines at an angle of between 2 and 25°, preferably between 5 and 16°.
Internally this rotary cylinder 5 holds the treatment-chamber means 7, including a plurality of internal cleaning means 8, arranged and distributed at an equal distance throughout the rotary cylinder 5.
On the other hand, rotary cylinder 5 contains means of rotation within the cylindrical structure 6. These means of rotation can include roller, pulley and belt systems or similar and can be propelled by electrical or mechanical systems.
Heating the material requires heating means. These heating means include burners or conventional heat transfer means (not shown). This heat must be sufficient to evaporate the hydrocarbons present in the material, and should be distributed along the entire rotary cylinder 5.
The invention also includes means for increasing the heat-transfer area 9. These means, with each revolution of the rotary cylinder 5, close the final trajectory of the material, accumulating it and thus increasing the heat-transfer area.
Once the material has been treated, it reaches the means used to remove excess material, which includes the means to increase hermeticity 10.
To remove the decontaminated material, the unit presents means for removing excess material. This means is a substantially internally and externally cylindrical body that includes a discharge chute 11 provided in its base. This body of the excess material removal means is subject to cylindrical structure 6, which is immobile in relation to the rotary cylinder 5.
Vapors are captured from the upper area of the rotary cylinder and are taken by ducts to a condensation system (not shown). These vapor transportation means are connected with the condensation means for processing hydrocarbon recovery.
The evaporation system is normally arranged in a way to be conveyed over a trailer structure 12 for transfer.
In this way, the cleaning means 8 are kept immobile and suspended in the central axle 15, which is laid along the length of the rotary cylinder 5.
The lower scraper arms 16 end in a cleaning plate 18, which is supported over an axle. This cleaning plate 18 scrapes the wall of the cylinder, guaranteeing that the material does not adhere to the internal wall of the cylinder. The arm can also have a spring mechanism to make this plate 18 more rigid. Each plate is arranged on each arm in such a way that the scraping profile is congruent with the turn of the cylinder.
The upper arm used for balance 17, for its part, provides the harmony necessary to make these cleaning means 8 relatively immobile.
As seen in
Once the material has been treated, it arrives at the means used to remove the excess material, which includes hermeticity increase means 10.
As seen in
The opening and closing means 22 include a skid that rolls over the internal cylindrical wall of the body of the excess material removal means, where said body of excess material removal means remains immobile in relation to the rotary cylinder 5. In this way, said skid travels the internal wall and as it passes the discharge chute 11 of the excess material removal means, said rotary doorway 21 opens by gravity, discharging the excess material in connection with the discharge chute 11 and as it passes this discharge chute 11, the skid retakes the internal wall of the body of the removal means, closing the rotary doorway 21.
On the other hand the vapors are captured from the upper area of the rotary cylinder and led through ducts towards a condensation system, for the hydrocarbon recovery process.
The condensation process can include a conventional condensation system, with suction and transfer means that suction the vapors from the rotary cylinder and send them to the heat transfer means where the heat of these vapors is extracted by cooling means for later condensation and storage in the condensate reception tank.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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06-38720 | Apr 2006 | CO | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/IB2007/050889 | 2/15/2007 | WO | 00 | 8/6/2009 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2007/122520 | 11/1/2007 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1533866 | Kent | Apr 1925 | A |
1573824 | Griffiths | Feb 1926 | A |
2466297 | Edward et al. | Apr 1949 | A |
4374704 | Young | Feb 1983 | A |
4872954 | Hogan | Oct 1989 | A |
5082534 | Breu | Jan 1992 | A |
5927970 | Pate et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
20060076224 | Ku | Apr 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1235163 | Jun 1971 | GB |
2025589 | Jan 1980 | GB |
Entry |
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International Search Report issued in PCT/IB2007/050889, mailed on Jan. 14, 2008, w/translation, 6 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100092355 A1 | Apr 2010 | US |