IMPROVED SEPARATION OF COMPLEX MIXTURES

• Main Author: ZARE, RICHARD, NEIL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 01.12.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE ORUNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; FIRELIGHTERS; FUELS; FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; NATURAL GAS; PEAT; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE

Improved crude oil processing is achieved by viscoelastic shearing of crude oil at an elevated temperature. The shearing provides for an enriched light fraction and an enriched heavy fraction that can be more efficiently separated by distillation. Shearing is achieved using a mobile surface and immobile surface, or other flow geometry, under conditions providing for a transient phase separation. Selon l'invention, le traitement amélioré de pétrole brut est obtenu par cisaillement viscoélastique de pétrole brut à une température élevée. Le cisaillement permet d'obtenir une fraction légère enrichie et une fraction lourde enrichie qui peuvent être séparées de manière plus efficace par distillation. Le cisaillement est obtenu au moyen d'une surface mobile et d'une surface immobile, ou d'une autre géométrie d'écoulement, dans des conditions permettant d'obtenir une séparation de phase transitoire.