| CPC C10G 15/12 (2013.01) [B01D 3/14 (2013.01); C10G 55/04 (2013.01); B01D 2257/60 (2013.01); C10G 2300/4081 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A process for continuously upgrading heavy oil through plasma processing, using spark discharges in a plasma reactor, the process comprising:
passing, through a heavy oil feed, a heavy oil into a heat exchanger to bring the temperature of the heavy oil to first temperature;
forcing the heavy oil from the heat exchanger to an inter-electrode gap inside of the plasma reactor, wherein the inter-electrode gap is defined by a distance between a negative electrode and a positive electrode;
forcing a light hydrocarbon gas into the plasma reactor to mix with the heavy oil therein to form a first mixture in the inter-electrode gap, the first the first mixture comprising the heavy oil and the light hydrocarbon gas;
generating a spark-discharge in the inter-electrode gap to react the first mixture to generate a reacted first mixture;
flowing the reacted first mixture into a separator to separate a light hydrocarbon liquid and light hydrocarbon gas from the reacted first mixture;
adding fresh hydrogen and fresh hydrocarbon gas to the separated light hydrocarbon gas to produce a second mixture and recycling the second mixture to the plasma reactor to increase overall conversion of the heavy oil;
flowing heavy oil from the separator to the heat exchanger to combine with heavy oil from the heavy oil feed to produce combined heavy oil; and
obtaining upgraded oil by performing at least one of (1) removing the combined heavy oil, or (2) blending the combined heavy oil with the light hydrocarbon liquid.
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