US 11,905,470 B1
Methods for reducing coke formation in heavy oil upgrading using supercritical water
Ki-Hyouk R. Choi, Dhahran (SA); Joo-Hyeong R. Lee, Dhahran (SA); and Abdullah Tariq AlAbdulhadi, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Apr. 3, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/194,974.
Int. Cl. C10G 31/08 (2006.01); C10G 9/00 (2006.01)
CPC C10G 31/08 (2013.01) [C10G 9/005 (2013.01); C10G 2300/1033 (2013.01); C10G 2300/206 (2013.01); C10G 2300/4081 (2013.01); C10G 2300/708 (2013.01); C10G 2300/805 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for reducing coke or coke precursor formation in supercritical water comprising:
producing a supercritical water stream by heating and pressurizing a feed water;
mixing the supercritical water stream with pressurized, heated feed oil in a mixing device to create a combined feed stream;
feeding the combined feed stream into a supercritical water (ScW) reactor to produce an upgraded product, where the supercritical water reactor operates at a temperature greater than a critical temperature of water and a pressure greater than a critical pressure of water;
producing a cooled, depressurized upgraded product by cooling and depressurizing the upgraded product;
separating the cooled, depressurized upgraded product in a fractionator into a liquid hydrocarbon stream and a hydrocarbon vapor stream;
condensing the hydrocarbon vapor stream with a cooling device to produce a light hydrocarbon water mixture and a separate gas product; and
recycling the light hydrocarbon water mixture to mix with the feed water upstream of the supercritical water reactor.