Process for upgrading tar sand bitumen

Patent · Tue Feb 14 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6226676

Bartholic, D B; Reagan, W J

A process is described for upgrading a charge of a tar sand bitumen concentrate containing metal impurities, colloidal calcium-containing clay and water. It consists of contacting the charge in a riser contacting zone in the presence of a low boiling organic solvent with hot fluidizable attrition-resistant substantially catalytically-inert microspheres, which are 20 to 150 microns in diameter and are composed of previously calcined kaolin clay. The contact takes place at high temperature and short contact time, which permits vaporization of the high hydrogen containing components of the bitumen. The period of time is less than that which induces substantial thermal cracking of the charge. At the end of the time the vaporized produce is separated from the microspheres of calcined kaolin clay, the microspheres of calcined kaolin clay now bearing a deposit of combustible solid, metal impurities and adherent particles of colloidal calcium-containing clay originally contained in the bitumen concentrate, immediately reducing the temperature of the vaporized product to minimize thermal cracking and recovering the product for further refining to produce one or more premium products.

• Assignee: Engelhard Corp., Menlo Park, NJ
• Patent Number(s): US 4804459
• OSTI ID: 6226676
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 25 Jun 1987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
BITUMENS
DEMETALLIZATION
CALCIUM
CHEMICAL REACTORS
CLAYS
COLLOIDS
IMPURITIES
KAOLIN
METALS
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
PARTICULATES
REFINING
REGENERATION
WATER
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENTS
TAR
040404* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Purification