US 11,920,088 B2
Low temperature homogeneous charge continuous oxidation pyrolysis of carbon ores
James Patten, Salt Lake City, UT (US); James Bunger, Salt Lake City, UT (US); John Faull, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and Jeremy Pearson, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Assigned to Red Leaf Resources, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed by Red Leaf Resources, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed on Dec. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/554,163.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/176,645, filed on Apr. 19, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0333014 A1, Oct. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. C10B 57/04 (2006.01); B01J 19/00 (2006.01); C10B 57/14 (2006.01)
CPC C10B 57/04 (2013.01) [B01J 19/0013 (2013.01); C10B 57/14 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00033 (2013.01); B01J 2219/0004 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00123 (2013.01)] 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of continuously recovering hydrocarbons from carbon ores, comprising:
providing a first vessel containing rubblized carbon ore and a second vessel containing rubblized carbon ore, wherein a gas outlet of the first vessel is connected to a gas inlet of the second vessel to allow gas to flow from the first vessel to the second vessel, and wherein a gas outlet of the second vessel is connected to a gas inlet of the first vessel to allow a recycle gas to flow from the second vessel to the first vessel;
introducing a cooling fuel gas into the first vessel, wherein the cooling fuel gas comprises the recycle gas mixed with oxygen, wherein the recycle gas comprises hydrocarbons and oxidation products;
consuming the oxygen through oxidation in an oxidation zone at an oxidation temperature in the first vessel, thereby producing an hot oxidation product gas at the oxidation temperature;
controlling the oxidation temperature of the oxidation zone by limiting an oxygen concentration in the cooling fuel gas;
heating rubblized carbon ore in a pyrolysis zone downstream of the oxidation zone using the oxidation product gas, wherein the pyrolysis zone is at a pyrolysis temperature that is less than the oxidation temperature, thereby producing gaseous and vapor hydrocarbon pyrolysis products and a heated pyrolyzed carbon ore;
condensing the vapor hydrocarbon pyrolysis products on rubblized carbon ore in a condensing zone downstream of the pyrolysis zone to form condensed hydrocarbon pyrolysis products, wherein the condensing zone is at a condensing temperature below a boiling point of the vapor hydrocarbon pyrolysis products;
collecting the condensed hydrocarbon pyrolysis products; and
recycling remaining gaseous hydrocarbons and oxidation products from the gas outlet of the second vessel as the recycle gas;
wherein the oxidation zone and pyrolysis zone continuously move through the rubblized carbon ore in a downstream direction.