RU2818419C2 - Method for correction of sulphur content in fuel - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: ecology.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to ecology and can be used to reduce emissions in ports. Disclosed is a method for reducing emissions of exhaust gases into the atmosphere at ports or near them, involving: (a) technical analysis of the amount of sulphur or metal emissions per kWh as a result of generation of electricity onshore, supplied to the power grid in the port or near it, (b) technical analysis of the amount of sulphur or metal emissions per kWh as a result of power generation on board the vessel by the vessel itself, when it is in the port at (a), then (a) and (b) are compared, if (b) is less than (a), all or part of on-board power generation is transmitted to the electric grid.

EFFECT: invention ensures reduction of harmful emissions into atmosphere.

6 cl, 2 dwg, 1 tbl

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY TO WHICH THE INVENTION RELATES

The invention relates to methods for reducing sulfur emissions in a port.

PREREQUISITES FOR CREATION OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to a long-standing and well-known difficult environmental problem, previously unsolved, that when ships "offshore" burn low-cost, low-grade heavy fuel oil and other heavy oil residues high in sulfur, nitrogen and metals, oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and metals enter the environment. Such atmospheric emissions occur throughout the world, regardless of national geographic boundaries.

Reports from various third-party organizations indicate that some of the global exhaust gas emissions resulting from the combustion of such heavy fuels at sea for waterborne transport are many times greater than the global emissions resulting from the combustion of gasoline in coastal transport and from the combustion of diesel fuel for vehicles running on diesel fuel. This combustion of fuel at sea results in emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, soot and harmful metals into the atmosphere. Onshore vehicles include cars, trucks and other types of vehicles, many of which now use mandatory "road fuels" with very low sulfur content. Thus, even if transportation by such large ships is efficient based on the concept of "carrying 1 ton of cargo over a distance of 1 mile" and based on fuel consumption, the reality is that such ships produce large emissions of exhaust gases into the atmosphere.

The implementation of certain key provisions requiring ships to burn cleaner marine fuels is dependent on the availability of sufficient quantities of such fuels. But how can you demand the implementation of something that is not feasible or feasible, either from a technical or economic point of view, and yet a solution is still necessary.

For example, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an agency of the United Nations, issues regulations concerning international shipping. The IMO is committed to reducing tailpipe emissions by setting stricter limits for sulfur content in marine fuels, while recognizing technical limitations. The IMO has required that marine fuels burned after 2011 on the high seas have a sulfur content of no more than 3.50% by mass (e.g. fuels burned outside certain Sulfur Emission Control Areas (ECAs), including 200 marine miles from the coast of the United States, Europe and some other areas). In 2015, the IMO revised its regulations on the sulfur content limit in marine fuels, which generally must be less than 0.1% for merchant ships within ECA designated areas.

However, from 2020 onwards, the IMO is again set to reduce the sulfur limit in marine fuels burned on the high seas to 0.50% by mass. However, the IMO notes that such a vigorous reduction in 2020 is dependent "on the outcome of a study on the availability of the required fuel oils, which should be completed by 2018", and it offers the possibility of delaying such a reduction until 2025 if the required fuels are not available. See the provisions on maritime air pollution in the Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), Annex VI.

There is therefore a real possibility that a significant problem will arise due to the lack of supply of low sulfur marine fuel and the lack of technology to obtain such supply. For example, an industry publication stated in 2015 that "there are plans to reduce fuel sulfur limits to levels below the [2014] levels required for Sulfur Emission Control Areas..." but this will take years because existing technology would make the costs of such purposes prohibitive for many shipping companies. This publication further states that "due to the additional costs and potential mechanical problems, these provisions are continually reviewed and phased approaches are being adopted for implementation" since many marine engines are not designed to run on low sulfur gas oil because it is much more thinner than heavy heating oil, and it does not have the lubricating properties of heavy heating oil. Companies use various workarounds to make the engine work, such as cooling the fuel to increase viscosity or injecting additional lubricant into certain parts of the engine." The Quora service published an article entitled “Is it true that the 15 largest ships in the world produce more pollution than all cars?” (Is it true that the 15 biggest ships in the world produce more pollution than all the cars?) Josiah Toepfer, Coast Guard Officer, Ship Inspector/Auditor, Accident Investigator.

Another example is that, in 2015, IMO regulations reduced the maximum sulfur content of marine fuels to 0.1% sulfur for merchant ships within ECA designated areas. Before entering the ECA, ships must switch from low-cost, heavy, high-sulfur bunker heating oil burned on the high seas to low-cost, low-sulfur fuel similar to diesel. The reduction in fuel sulfur content under the ECA from a maximum of 1.00% by weight (for fuel used after July 1, 2010) to 0.10% by weight for fuel used after January 1, 2015, has created challenges for the supply market and prices. The production and supply of such fuel for marine use in accordance with IMO regulations competes with distillate fuel requirements for highway and other onshore diesel applications, and displaces existing preferred feedstock streams as well as existing refining arrangements and supply chains petroleum feedstocks, far removed from highway use of diesel and other low-sulfur distillates. Also, other technical issues arise on board the ship.

Regarding sulfur reduction, in accordance with IMO 2015, within the areas designated by the ECA, the United States Coast Guard has issued warnings that "vessels using higher sulfur content fuels should convert to ultra-low sulfur fuel oil ( ULS) to comply with the new provisions. Vessels are required to use ULS heating oil upon returning from a voyage and when going to sea, in dock, and at any time within areas designated by the ECA, so each vessel that uses higher sulfur heating oil is required to develop and implementation of transition procedures to replace petroleum residues with distillate fuels before entering the ECA. The Coast Guard also warned that "there are many other important technical issues associated with the use of ultra-low sulfur heating oils and the transition to heating oils identified in documents prepared by classification societies, insurers, engine manufacturers and professional associations" and that “The energy content of a given volume of ULS fuel oil may differ from the residual fuel, and as a result, existing engine operating parameters may not produce the desired propeller speed or generator load.” “United States Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Directorate of Inspection and Compliance, March 3, 2015, Safety Notice 2-15, Washington, DC, Ultra-Low Sulfur Heating Oils and MARPOL Pre-Entry Compliance and while operating within Sulfur Emission Control Areas.”

The harsh reality is that oil refineries are expensive enterprises that require significant capital investment for even what appear to be relatively minor changes to the fuel product or process unit or additional plant process steps. During the 2003 period, European refining assessment studies were conducted in anticipation of the need for lower levels of pollutants in marine fuels and the requirements and capabilities to produce them in the quantities required. See, for example, Marine Fuel Byelaw, Potential Price Premium for 0.5% Sulfur Marine Fuel; “Special challenges faced by fuel producers in different parts of the EU”; and “Commentary on the marine fuel market, draft final report under contract number ENV.C1/SER/2001/0063. Order form No. C1/3/2003. European Commission - Directorate for the Environment, October 2003.

Such reports have identified major problems such as rising costs or declining utilization rates or production efficiencies of refineries when they want to produce the required quantities of relevant marine fuels in many countries, including, in some cases, the lack of key equipment on site near major ports for the production and supply of such types of marine fuels locally, as well as the lack of technologies and devices for the production of such types of fuels.

The cited reports offered only three options. The option of "re-blending" (blending heavy heating oils with low sulfur content) was considered as the most inexpensive option for producing low-sulfur bunker fuel, but this option was not suitable as it would involve processing only a very small amount of material without significant cost. This option then involved relatively low logistics costs associated with re-blending the various categories of heavy fuels currently produced in European refineries, but did not provide the required quantities.

A second cost-increasing alternative is to refine lower sulfur crude oil instead of higher sulfur crude oil, such as Arabian Light crude oil, which is noted to contain 1.8% sulfur. , it has been proposed to use crude oils with lower sulfur content, such as African crude oils such as Bonnie Light, which is noted to contain 0.14% sulfur by weight. Preliminary estimates indicate that the additional costs for the production of marine bunker fuel that would be required by such an alternative were considered excessive for the reasons stated in the reports.

Finally, historical reports mention a third, most expensive option for producing low-sulfur marine fuels through vacuum residue desulfurization (VRDS). The report concludes that "it is important to note, however, that unlike the degree of desulfurization required for gasoline or diesel fuel, bottoms hydrotreating (residue desulfurization) is not a process that refineries are currently seeking to implement in their direct form, that is, if it is not associated with some transformation of the oil residue into lighter products. However, if VRDS was carried out for the sole purpose of desulphurizing the vacuum residue, then the cost of this “alternative” would be approximately twice that of the second alternative and would therefore be even more unacceptable.

To meet IMO requirements using state of the art technology, the ship operator may accept both high sulfur fuel intended for marine use and low sulfur fuel within the ECA designated areas; However, this choice may pose challenges related to engine technology, lubricity, and the possible need for different fuel injection systems to ensure optimal performance of installations and technical solutions when switching to different fuels. The operator may add a device to purify the flue gases generated after combustion of the fuel, which can be relatively large, expensive and difficult to maintain performance at the highest level. In some cases, liquefied natural gas (LNG) may be considered for use as a marine fuel, for example where some LNG carriers may choose to use "boil-off gas" as a fuel, but to extend this LNG engine concept to All cargo ships would require widespread LNG fueling station infrastructure, which is very expensive, requiring additional costs for ports in locations where there is no locally produced natural gas supply or liquefaction facility. However, in all cases, the use of LNG in place of liquids carries with it the real risk of methane being released, either during bunkering through refueling vents, incomplete combustion, or otherwise during process operations and maintenance. This methane release is a concern because it is believed that methane, as a greenhouse gas, has environmental impacts that are many times greater than those of sulfur dioxide. Also, there is a similar opinion that it is possible to achieve a reduction in atmospheric emissions of exhaust gases at sea produced by the combustion of natural gas during transportation or in port, due to the presence of a harbor where there is a feed gas loading station. However, from one technical perspective, natural gas still has the problem of methane leakage, and burning natural gas reduces CO2 emissions not because it emits less CO2, but because compared to LNG, natural gas avoids emissions into the atmosphere of CO2 produced when processed into liquefied LNG and reduces CO2 emissions when removing or replacing coal intended for combustion by power plants, which is supplied by ships in port. Development efforts that seek to encourage the substitution of marine fuel liquids with LNG or natural gas are noteworthy, but they do not offer any practical cost-effective solution for marine fuels in situations where shortages exist. global gas infrastructure, and when new fuel infrastructure is needed, with gas distribution infrastructure representing equipment and capital intensity at ports in countries where there is no local gas supply.

It is necessary to solve these global environmental problems associated with the use of marine fuels, which are believed to have existed for many years, and which have not found a cost-effective technical solution. In addition, the availability of new low-cost fuels produced in accordance with new technological configurations and design should encourage shipowners to install high-efficiency combined cycle propulsion systems on their ships, which have higher efficiency than diesel engines due to the efficient use of waste heat recovery , and which do not have the problem of lack of lubricity of the fuel, as do many engines, because they burn more expensive ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, the supply of which is limited.

However, there has long been a technology gap in producing efficient fuels, causing shortages in the supply of large quantities of low-cost, very low-sulfur marine fuels. The need to fill this gap remains.

The International Energy Agency (IEA), Petroleum Industries and Markets Division has produced white papers that describe the processes and device configurations used to produce fuels and describe device configurations, products and margins in conventional petroleum refining. Terms used in this document, unless specifically defined or expressly modified, have the meaning assigned to them in Glossary, Source: United States Energy Information Administration (October 2016). U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct2016)), which is incorporated herein for all purposes. IEA publications define and discuss configurations for crude oil refining, the complete separation of each barrel of crude oil into a large number of products for various applications or for further refining of the oil.

The genetics of the development or growth of traditional oil refineries is a kind of master reserve based on the evolution of society's requirements for products, which have evolved from basic kerosene distillates used for lighting to a large number of products such as gasoline and diesel fuel used for vehicles, and subsequently, aviation fuel, and then petroleum feedstock for the production of chemicals based on its further processing. The technical development of refineries appears to have evolved in stages, moving towards either refurbishment to either maximize the volume of available separated crude oil produced from each barrel dedicated to a specific market segment, or refurbishment to produce different petroleum feedstock streams for production. chemicals based on its further processing, while maintaining the production of a large number of products for various end uses.

Thus, refineries with state-of-the-art designs that utilize crude oil atmospheric distillation and/or vacuum distillation units, solvent separation, hydrotreating, gasification, and many other unit process steps separate each barrel of crude oil into a large number of products, each product has its own technical characteristics, in accordance with different applications or in accordance with further oil processing.

In traditional oil refining, it is counterintuitive to separate crude oil into different effluents and then recombine all of these effluents. As an example, the above IEA defines and describes conventional or typical atmospheric distillation of crude oil, vacuum distillation, solvent fuel deasphalting, catalytic hydrotreating and integrated gasification-combined cycle technology, but not the configuration of these processes to convert substantially all refinery feedstocks to produce liquid monofuels .

Within the scope of traditional petroleum refining processes, units are used for "upgrading", "lighting" or "hydroskimming". When using an oil upgrading plant, the main goal is to convert typically very heavy, highly viscous or particulate-laden materials so that they can be reprocessed in existing conventional refineries that process lighter, fluid materials to produce a full range of fuel products, chemical raw materials and/or petroleum coke. Upgraders simply convert heavier crude oil into lighter-density crude oil in conventional refineries that are individually designed to treat sulfur levels to match the specifications of each respective downstream product, reducing sulfur content or Elimination of metals is not the main goal of oil upgrading plants. The goal is to upgrade extremely high-density feedstocks compared to traditional lower-density crude oil sources. Heavier materials are taken or separated from the feedstocks, so that the resulting density of materials in the upgraded product approaches the density of crude oil processed in refineries using equipment having the existing conventional configuration. In the case of “mini” refineries or light end refineries, they are often located in remote locations or at the source of crude oil. Lighting refineries typically split each barrel of crude oil into multiple fractions to produce naphtha rather than gasoline, with no or minimal downstream processing except, in some limited cases, reforming the naphtha to increase the gasoline's octane rating. and hydrotreating large quantities of distillates to produce a variety of products. The typical purpose of stripping is to create a wide range of directly usable fuel products such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel and heating oil for consumption in local markets. When using some undesirable methods for distilling light fractions and using the products of their distillation, or when improperly processing oil refinery waste, the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere increases rather than decreases. When hydroskimming is used in petroleum refining, crude oil is converted into a large number of products similar to those produced by stripping, but typically some heavy naphtha reformers are added, which also produce the hydrogen used by hydrotreaters to produce diesel fuel. Hydroskimming plants, as well as stripping plants, typically produce a wide range of gasoline, kerosene, diesel and heating oil grades for local consumption, rather than just one product.

Various aspects of hydrotreating adaptation are known in the prior art, including separate rows or zones of parallel hydrotreating units, or zones of complex hydrotreating reactors. PCT/US1999/00478(1998) published by Cashetal and references herein discloses integrated hydrotreating of heterogeneous petroleum feedstocks wherein hydrogen containing streams containing liquid from separate hydrotreating zones are separated or combined in the manner described herein. Various aspects of the use of solvent separation to recover deasphalted oil from asphalt in heavy residue streams and the use of deasphalted oil as a feedstock for hydrotreating are known in the art when used to produce large quantities of petroleum product streams. For example, US Pat. No. 7,686,941 (2010) by Brierleyetal discusses solvent deasphalting to produce deasphalted oil without cracking or degradation by separating crude oil based on solubility in a liquid solvent such as propane or another paraffinic solvent such as butane. pentane and in other solvents up to and including heptane. Asphalt residue contains high levels of metals and sulfur. Deasphalted oil can be hydrotreated to remove sulfur, nitrogen, coke residue and metals as described in this link to produce several products including naphtha, kerosene, diesel fuel and petroleum residue materials.

The global market requires the availability of large quantities of fuels that are low in sulfur and nitrogen, and essentially free of metal impurities, to address global environmental challenges in the high seas or onshore areas where there are few or no natural gas resources, where fuels with high sulfur content or crude oil is used to generate electricity with low efficiency.

Fuel producers require designs that differ from those created for traditional petroleum refining to produce a wide range of product lines. In order to keep costs low, designs must be equipped, at a low capital investment, with only devices that essentially provide large quantities of clean fuel in a cost-effective and thermally efficient manner. Designs should be aimed at producing primarily marine fuel, rather than simply extracting a relatively small fraction of each barrel of crude oil for marine fuel and not using a larger portion of the barrel for other applications.

What the world needs is a new "game changer" process that offers a solution to the technical problems associated with producing large quantities of relatively clean liquid fuels (in an efficient form for use, avoiding wastage of energy, expressed briefly as UK thermal units (BTUs) in a cost-effective manner for marine applications, the minimum required infrastructure and associated capital and operating costs must be provided for such a process, as existing liquid-based marine fuel filling stations (e.g. stations that supply heating oil) high sulfur fuel (HSFO) fuels distributed around the world can be used to distribute such fuels, rather than creating new LNG infrastructures. Any such new process must be targeted to support the efficient production of liquid BTUs at an affordable price, as opposed to diesel fuels. ultra-low sulfur (ULSD) produced primarily for use in automotive and truck transport, with diesel fuel being widely available but not widely used at sea by large ocean carriers due to high costs and lubricity issues when ULSD is used in many existing marine diesel engines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention fills a gap in efficient fuel technology by providing low-cost, high-volume fuel that is very low in sulfur, nitrogen, and substantially metal-free, particularly suitable for marine applications as well as large-scale applications. in ground conditions, for example, in turbines operating on gas combustion products to generate electricity. As used in the specification and claims, the terms “substantially free of metals” or “zero metal content” mean a metal content in the range of zero to less than 100 parts per billion by weight or less, or a content that is so low that it is difficult to accurately measure with common online tools.

In traditional oil refining, refinery feedstock is divided into a large number of parts, and each part is sent to the appropriate market. Unlike presented above, we have found that we can convert the maximum amount of each barrel of refinery feedstock into ultra-clean monofuel while capturing contaminants: sulfur, nitrogen and harmful metals, retaining and eliminating those portions of crude oil destined for process utilities and streams necessary for such transformation and capture. In the present invention, refinery feedstock is separated into only the minimum number of parts necessary to capture and control contaminants, and then the parts are reassembled to form a single fuel product.

Thus, the present invention differs from traditional petroleum refining, in which each barrel of petroleum feedstock is divided into large quantities of marketable products, such as various types of gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil or petrochemical feedstocks for the production or use of chemicals based on their further processing, Moreover, the methods of the present invention are aimed at producing only one, primarily environmentally friendly fuel product. The present invention provides a low-cost crude oil and residual oil purification system that is required to produce large commercial volumes of clean fuels that replace the high sulfur content of bunker fuels and other heavy oil residues used in merchant shipping vessels and fuel-burning power systems. The present invention provides these fuels, as well as methods and apparatus for producing such fuels in order to reduce sulfur content in a cost-effective manner.

These new methods use counterintuitive steps to reduce production costs while controlling the sulfur content of the final product at or below target sulfur levels in an unexpectedly effective manner. The present invention provides new methods for converting the maximum amount of each barrel of refinery feedstock into ultra-clean monofuel while capturing contaminants such as sulfur, nitrogen and harmful metals during fuel production.

In many embodiments of the present invention, substantially all of the amount described in particular embodiments as ninety (90%) by volume or more of each barrel of refinery feedstock is converted into such monofuel, and in such embodiments only a minimum amount of less than Approximately ten percent (10%) of each barrel of crude oil is consumed for the process utilities and streams required for such conversion and capture of contaminants. The methods of the present invention adjust the percentage of petroleum feedstock allocated to the fuel product and the percentage of petroleum feedstock allocated to process utilities and streams required to convert and capture pollutants in order to maintain the balance of hydrogen, meet the demand for asphalt, coke and other petroleum residues in a particular location, taking into account the overall economics of production and other operational considerations, such as local availability of alternative lower-cost process fuels and energy. In embodiments of the present invention, at least seventy percent (70%) by volume of each barrel of refinery feedstock is converted into liquid fractions where they are subsequently processed or unprocessed and combined to form substantially one liquid fuel product, and not a large amount of hydrocarbon products having a sulfur content not exceeding the target sulfur content, and the remaining portion of each barrel of the above refinery feedstock is in oil residues or other streams or products.

Unlike traditional petroleum refining, where the refinery feedstock is divided into a large number of parts and each part is sent to the appropriate market, in the present invention the refinery feedstock is divided into only the minimum number of parts necessary to capture and control contaminants, and then the parts are reassembled to the formation of a single fuel product with very low sulfur and nitrogen content, and essentially free of metals. The process configurations and apparatus of the present invention enable the inexpensive and efficient production of large quantities of low sulfur fuel required by regulation for large scale offshore and onshore turbine applications. These new fuel processing configurations require substantially lower capital and operating costs than alternative conventional crude oil processing, and thus enable large-scale production of very low sulfur, very low nitrogen, and essentially metal free fuels. , in an extremely cost-effective manner. These new methods make it possible to simplify the energy supply chain from the oil field to the ship's engine or shore power station in a very cost-effective manner.

For the shipping industry, the new configurations of the present invention offer low-cost, low-sulfur marine fuel in quantities needed to meet global reduced sulfur goals. The new fuel production methods and apparatus configurations of the present invention have substantially lower capital and operating costs than those of alternative conventional crude oil refining, and thus enable the production of large-scale quantities of very low sulfur marine fuels and substantially metal-free, and with very low nitrogen content, in an extremely cost-effective manner.

The fuel of the present invention replaces low-grade heavy bunker fuel with high sulfur and metal content and significantly reduces emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, soot and harmful metals into the high seas. Instead of sulfur and metals being released into the environment when bunker fuel is burned, in the practice of the present invention, the sulfur, nitrogen and metals are captured and removed during fuel production in an environmentally friendly manner. In some embodiments of the present invention, specific low sulfur alternative fuels are provided that have lower costs than diesel fuel, but these fuels have sufficient lubricity to avoid excessive wear on marine engines, and these new fuels can be used existing bunker fuel infrastructures, unlike other alternatives, do not heat the fuel to make it fluid and can therefore reduce the amount of energy consumed to heat the fuel in tanks on land or on a ship.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fuel also offers an alternative to the combustion of crude oil or heavy oil residues in large onshore gas turbines used by utilities, such as single cycle power plants or combined cycle power plants, such as power generating plants. and demineralized water. Turbines burning fuel according to the present invention produce significantly less emissions of turbine exhaust gases into the atmosphere: nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon dioxide, soot, harmful metals and other combustion by-products, and there is less corrosion or corrosion in their combustion zones. pollution due to ash formation from the combustion of contaminated heavy crude oil or refinery residual oils, depending on the feedstock source.

The present invention relates to the targeted conversion of complex hydrocarbon feedstocks into a single fuel product for use in combustion heated systems, such as marine engines, combustion gas turbines, or combustion furnaces. In the basic embodiment of the present invention, crude oil is supplied first and an ultra-clean fuel mono product with adjusted low sulfur levels, reduced nitrogen levels and no metals is returned. In embodiments of the present invention, the distillation feedstock may be at least one type of crude oil combined with at least one type of high sulfur fuel oil or another type of heavier residual oil, with the addition of shale oil or high sulfur heating oil, or both shale oil and high sulfur heating oil, as part of the stream supplied to at least one process step of the unit, such as vacuum distillation, solvent separation, hydrotreating or gasification.

Depending on the various applications in the field of technology, the term "high sulfur heating oil" or "HSFO" has been assigned to various, often disparate, contradictory and confusing concepts in various technical articles, patents and regulations, some of which are changing with time. As used herein and in the claims, the term “high sulfur fuel oil” or “HSFO” means any material used as a fuel having a sulfur content greater than 0.50% by weight (0.5 wt%). As used herein, the terms "heavy fuel", "heavy residual oil", "refinery waste", "petroleum residue" or "other heavier oils" include petroleum-derived hydrocarbon materials with a sulfur content greater than 0.50% by weight (0. 5 wt.%). The term “high sulfur” means exceeding the target sulfur limit or the regulatory sulfur limit, as applicable, whichever is lower.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sulfur content of the final fuel product is controlled by combining streams having different sulfur contents. In embodiments of the present invention, each stream thus combined is generated to an intermediate target sulfur content by adjusting unit operations and flow rates, by adjusting the addition or removal of very low sulfur content streams, or by blending different grades of petroleum feedstocks with different sulfur contents. Embodiments of the present invention include controlling product sulfur levels by, if necessary, supplying a selected type of crude oil together with at least one other type of (i) crude oil, (ii) bunker fuel, (iii) high content heating oil sulfur or other form of distillate (iv) other petroleum residues with a high sulfur content or with metal impurities from other sources. As used in the description and claims, the terms “substantially free of metals” or “zero metal content” mean a metal content ranging from zero to less than 100 parts per billion by mass or less, or a content that is so low that it is difficult to accurately measure with conventional online tools.

We have determined that we can optimize the production of low sulfur fuels by selecting different distributions of sulfur content in the petroleum feedstock.

We can select (i) when a particular fraction contains only relatively small portions of sulfur in the form of basic forms of H2S or RSH of the marcaptan type (ii) when relatively large portions of sulfur are present in the form of more complex organic structured forms, and then we can adjust the flow rates process and operating conditions based on the assumed break point of the cut at the upper or higher level at which sulfur content begins to increase more rapidly, perhaps even exponentially, compared to the increase in sulfur content at lower cut levels.

We have found that we can create process configurations and apparatus that avoid processing specific streams, and we can avoid such processing as much as possible, and avoid or reduce the processing of streams containing basic less complex forms of sulfur, and process streams containing more complex forms otherwise. This may include selective exclusion of specific streams from the hydrodesulfurization process, and other streams may be fed to different hydrotreaters and adjustments to various hydrotreater operating conditions, or adjustments to removal using solvent and/or reactive chemical treatment using multiple solvents or other agents used for removal, at least one removal unit, each unit adjusting each ratio of removal agents based on the distribution of sulfur in each unit to selectively remove less or more complex sulfur-containing molecules.

The terms "kerosene" and "light distillate" are often given the same, overlapping, or even different meanings in different references, but they are given a uniform definition only in relation to points of temperature intervals in the distillation column intended to produce overheads from the atmospheric distillation of crude oil (for example , from 190°C to 250°C or from 180°C to 230°C, or the like), and are not defined based on sulfur content. Instead, appropriate measurements of sulfur content are made and reported based on temperature interval points to produce the cuts, which are determined by the technical characteristics of each product in conventional petroleum refining. In our opinion, this is not the optimal option.

We have determined that we can optimize the cost reduction of low sulfur fuel production if we change the primary way crude oil is distilled in distillation columns. We have found that we should base our analysis on the sidestream sulfur content of specific distillate cuts when reflecting the sulfur content of the petroleum feedstock or distillation column feed rather than the temperature range specified in the technical specifications of traditional products designed for further historically established uses such as kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuel or the like.

We have established how to determine the "break point" to select the point at which the change (over cycle) in sulfur content per unit change in volume of the product produced is no longer essentially flat, but is at the break point, and since the volume of the stream has increased slightly , then the sulfur content begins to increase rapidly or exponentially, such as a high rate of change in excess per cycle unit. Also at or behind the break point, depending on the type of petroleum feedstock, the type and composition, as well as the complexity of the sulfur containing compound, usually varies. The break point is a guideline separating the separation of streams or portions of streams that require desulfurization from streams for which desulfurization can be minimized or eliminated.

We have found that we can minimize the capital and production costs of producing low sulfur fuels if we maximize the production of the total volume of liquids having a sulfur content at or below the break point so as to directly separate and collect that maximum quantities of materials that have a sulfur content at or below the break point, and avoid or reduce the cost of post-processing them to reduce or remove sulfur.

We have determined that relatively large volumes of such materials occurring at or below the break point, and in some crude oils where those portions within a narrow specific zone are above the break point, will not require treatment or subsequent significant treatment to remove sulfur when they are combined with other shoulder straps that have been treated to remove sulfur. We maximize such raw material production to reduce overall stream desulfurization or other processing costs by creating atmospheric distillation conditions, primarily by increasing feed feed or increasing the temperature profile of the distillation column, and by reducing or eliminating reflux , or reducing the feed rate of the crude oil or mixture, or diluting the crude oil feedstock to change the composition of the hydrocarbon feedstock or sulfur in order to maximize the number of runs to come close to or at the breaking point. The break point is not defined by standard industry classifications or regulations that establish shoulder strap temperature ranges.

We define "break point" for purposes of specifications and claims, by reference to crude oil analysis or other method of determination, by denoting the mass or volume of crude oil in % on the X-axis and sulfur content on the Y-axis as the point at which the sulfur content begins to increase rapidly from or close to a horizontal line, or increases exponentially, in terms of the high rate of change in excess per unit cycle, where delta for cycle represents the unit change in fraction volume and delta for excess represents the unit change in sulfur content, and the slope represents the excess over the cycle. The slope of such an excess over the cycle starts at zero or horizontally, moves quickly to 0.2, quickly moves to 1, towards some exponential break of increasing sulfur content, the break point will vary depending on whether crude oil or other feedstock is supplied into the distillate column. “Break point sulfur” or “break point sulfur” is therefore used to define the separation of hydrocarbon containing liquids that boil at a temperature above the end point of the naphtha range, for example, above the end point of the unstabilized straight run naphtha, but below or at the inflection point of what has been noted is the point at which the sulfur content begins to increase rapidly or increase exponentially, in terms of the high rate of change of excess per unit cycle.

We define the basic "break point sulfur content" or the basic "break point sulfur content" for purposes of the technical specifications and claims to mean, by reference to the sulfur content of the fraction, hydrocarbon containing liquids that boil at a temperature above the end point of the range for unstabilized straight-run naphtha, but below or at the break point, and where such break point is selected so that when a fuel product stream is formed from the combination of all raw streams at or below the break point, and all streams that are above the break point of the stream are selected to be added to such a combination, the combination fuel would have an actual sulfur content that does not exceed the target sulfur content. In embodiments of the present invention, the fuel may be produced such that the target sulfur content is either above or below the sulfur break point, and the combination of streams forming the fuel is carried out in an efficient manner with reference to the break point such such that the actual sulfur content of the above fuel does not exceed the target sulfur content.

For many crude oils, the break point sulfur content for an atmospheric distillation column could include most of the materials in the kerosene range (which are defined in various ways in the art), for example, materials that boil at 180° C. or 190° C. C (or whatever the starting point of the kerosene range is) and for simplicity, it may include materials with a lower or higher temperature range. However, sulfur content, rather than temperature or historical material definitions of the kerosene range, is what determines the end point of the sulfur break point range. The fuel can be produced in such a way that the target sulfur content represents a break point of the sulfur content, and the combination of streams forming the fuel is carried out such that the actual sulfur content of the above-mentioned fuel does not exceed the target sulfur content.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the petroleum feedstock is separated into streams, at least one liquid portion of such individual streams is treated, and the other portions are not processed. The majority volumes of all treated and untreated liquid streams are then recombined to form liquid fuels having an actual sulfur content at or below the target sulfur content. The method steps include (a) separating the crude oil by performing at least one distillation and solvent separation steps into light refinery overhead gases, a metal-enriched petroleum residue insoluble in at least one solvent used for the above solvent separation, gases containing sulfur and liquid fractions above the sulfur break point and liquid fractions at or below the break point, (b) treating by at least one hydrotreating step the liquid fractions above the sulfur break point , but not liquid fractions at or below the sulfur break point, or insoluble petroleum residue to form at least one hydrotreated stream having a reduced sulfur content but leaving other portions untreated and (c) combining the above hydrotreated streams with liquid fractions at or below the break point c to form the above fuel having an actual sulfur content at or below the sulfur break point as the target sulfur content.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for reducing exhaust gas emissions, in accordance with IMO specifications, from a ship on the high seas or in an ECA or in a port when using a fuel produced according to the present invention that has a sulfur content adjusted to less than the maximum applicable IMO technical specification at the place where the said fuel is used by the said vessel, whether at sea or in an ECA or in port. In this way, the ship can exceed IMO requirements and public expectations.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for allowing ships to use the fuel of the present invention while the ship is in port to generate and sell electricity to shore power grids, for example to offset fuel costs at sea or in port.

We have established that we can produce low-cost, ultra-clean marine fuel while addressing and adjusting flash points accordingly, and significantly exceeding IMO expectations for sulfur and metals limits.

Thus, we have established technical ways to benefit from (i) small changes in flash point with (ii) huge environmental benefits (huge reductions in sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides and essentially eliminating harmful metals), especially for large quantities of fuel , consumed by giant cargo ships. Others have failed to make this discovery.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) describes fuel flash points and permitted use on cargo ships. “While the SOLAS minimum flash point of 60°C for general purpose fuels may seem to many to be one of the fundamental principles of maritime law, it only became relevant with the entry into force of the 1981 amendments. The first three SOLAS Conventions (1914, 1929 and 1948) did not limit the flash point of petroleum fuels, and even the 1960 Convention only required that for "new" passenger ships, fuel used by internal combustion engines had a flash point of at least 43°C - a provision substantially carried over into the current 1974 Convention in its original form”, this quote is from the document “Issues of marine distillate fuel oils and implications associated with harmonizing the minimum flash point requirement for marine distillate fuel oils with the requirements of other users.” (2012), by Wright et al., published for the Danish Shipowners' Association by Lloyd's FOBAS (FOBAS - FueloilBunkerAnalysis and Advisory Service).

Wright et al noted that flash point is an empirical value, not an actual global value, and “flash point does not, and never has, represented a safety/unsafe boundary.” Consequently, from the very beginning, flash point has been somewhat misused in the petroleum industry as a means of distinguishing between products that require greater care and attention during storage and use. In reality, in marine applications, combustion of petroleum fuels is initiated by leaking or ruptured pipes that expose the fuel to surfaces that are above the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel rather than the ignition temperature of the vapor. However, flash point has been used as a safety parameter in petroleum safety legislation from the very beginning, although sometimes in conflict with some arbitrary restrictions, or due to the fact that it represented an empirical value.

SOLAS provides an exception for cargo ships. SOLAS stipulates that petroleum fuels with a flash point of less than 60°C should not be used; with the exception of "the use on cargo ships of fuel which has a lower flash point than specified in [SOLAS] Paragraph 2.1 [e.g. 60°C], this may be permitted for e.g.

crude oil, provided that such fuel is not stored in any machinery space and with the approval of the Administration.” It should be noted that some countries do not have a flash point standard and other countries allow relatively low flash points for marine applications.

The flash point of the fuel can be adjusted by processing if necessary. As used in the specification and claims, the term “flash point treatment” means a composition that, when combined with a material, increases the flash point. In one embodiment of the present invention, the flash point treatment reduces the vapor pressure of the material in which it is applied to reduce the risk of vapor ignition. In one embodiment of the present invention, the flash point adjustment is a solid or liquid additive with a flash point of 60° C. or higher that is added to a low flash point fuel in order to increase the flash point of the fuel. These may include various types of particulates and oils. For example, high flash point additives have been invented for treating carbon fuels, such as in US Pat. No. 8,088,184 (2014) to Hughes et al., which describes “high flash point diluents,” such as diluents that are selected from the group , consisting of paraffinic base oils with a flash point of at least 200 ° C and mixtures or combinations thereof, and specifically mentions Calpar 100 (flash point 210 ° C), Calpar 325 (flash point 240 ° C) and Calpar P950 (flash point 257° C) supplied by Calumet Lubricants Co. (CalumetLubricantsCo.) of Indianapolis, Indiana, and paraffinic base oils with a flash point of at least 200° C., and mixtures or combinations thereof.

We have established technical ways to benefit from (i) small changes in flash point with (ii) huge environmental benefits (huge reductions in sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides and essentially eliminating harmful metals), especially in relation to the large amounts of fuel consumed by giant cargo ships. Others have failed to make this discovery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 provides a schematic representation of the sulfur content of various actual and hypothetical crude oils, with ranges indicated.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic drawing of a crude oil processing process to produce a liquid monoproduct suitable for use as a fuel in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF OPTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of converting at least one portion of a hydrocarbon feedstock that is crude oil containing sulfur and metals into a liquid monoproduct comprises (i) separating said crude oil by performing at least one distillation and solvent separation steps into light refinery overhead gases (which may include only refinery gases not condensable under atmospheric distillation conditions, consistent with at least the IEA definition, regardless of whether debutanizer systems are preferred for local conditions, or in other situations, the cost thereof should be eliminated), metal-enriched petroleum residue insoluble in at least one of the solvents used for the above solvent separation, sulfur-containing gases and sulfur-containing liquid fractions that contain distillate (at least , with some portion of kerosene range materials for certain petroleum feedstocks processed within the distillate range) and vacuum gas oil range hydrocarbons (ii) hydrotreating, through at least one hydrotreating step, selected liquid fractions that are above the sulfur content at the break point (where, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, only soluble liquid fractions are selected for hydrotreating), but not liquid fractions in pursuit of sulfur content at or below the break point (and, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, not those portions of any fractions that are insoluble in the above solvents used in solvent separation) to form at least one processed stream having a reduced sulfur content, (iii) combining the above raw fractions with the above processed streams to form a fuel having an actual sulfur content equal to or lower than the target sulfur content. As used herein, the term “steps” or “zone” may refer to a unit process operation or an area having at least one process operation having equipment configurations and/or at least one unit operation segment or sub -zone. The equipment units may include at least one tank, vessel, distillate column, separator, reactor or reactor tank, heater, heat exchanger, stripper, piping, pump, compressor, and controller. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, substantially all of the hydrocarbon compositions of the above petroleum feedstock are separated into fractions, but then recombined to form the above fuel, which is a liquid fuel monoproduct containing a number of hydrocarbons from liquefied petroleum gas derived from the petroleum feedstock, or, in one embodiment of the present invention, naphtha is added to the hydrotreated deasphalted oil without producing large quantities of hydrocarbon products other than hydrocarbon compositions comprising (i) lighter distillation overhead gases, (ii) the aforementioned insoluble petroleum residues, and (iii) streams for extraction of sulfur or metals. This range represents substantially the entire range of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil, from the C3 or C5 cut to those above C20, the above hydrocarbons having an initial boiling point that is the lowest boiling point of any fraction in the crude streams combined in the above fuel , and the highest boiling point is the highest boiling point of the purified stream combined in the above fuel. The term "untreated" as used in the specifications and claims means that the item is not hydrotreated to reduce or remove sulfur, nitrogen, or metals. In one embodiment of the present invention, such fuel contains substantially a range of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil, from the C3 or C5 cut to fractions greater than C20, or a range of hydrocarbons that contain fractions having an initial boiling point in the range of about 35 ° C to about 315 ° C and above, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention - up to the initial boiling point of the deasphalted oil at the end of the cycle and the deasphalted oil residue at the beginning of the cycle, which is insoluble in the solvent selected for solvent separation. In even more preferred embodiments of the present invention, the fuel contains a combination of hydrocarbons ranging from the lowest boiling point portion of the aforementioned raw liquid fraction, which is obtained from atmospheric distillation, to the highest boiling point portion of hydrotreated solutes, which is obtained from solvent distillation. separation. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fuel is contrasted with traditional types of gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene and heating oil, which have been divided into separate sub-ranges and do not have a significant content of the full ranges of such hydrocarbons. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a fuel obtained as a single product resulting from the refining of crude oil, the above-mentioned fuel having an actual sulfur content of 0.5 wt. % or less, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention - 0.1 wt.% or less, which contains essentially the entire range of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil, from the C3 or C5 fraction to fractions exceeding C20, the above-mentioned hydrocarbons having an initial temperature boiling point, which is the lowest boiling point of any fraction of the above-mentioned crude oil under atmospheric distillation conditions, and the highest boiling point is the final boiling point of the portion of petroleum residues of the above-mentioned crude oil, which is insoluble in a solvent suitable for solvent separation. In one embodiment of the present invention, such fuel contains substantially the entire range of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil, from the C3 or C5 fraction to fractions greater than C20, wherein said hydrocarbons have an initial boiling point that is the lowest boiling point of any fraction in the crude oil. streams combined in the above fuel, and the final boiling point is the highest boiling point of the purified stream combined in the above fuel. In one embodiment of the present invention, the crude oil is separated into light refinery overhead gases, a metal-rich residue insoluble in at least one solvent used for the above solvent separation, sulfur-containing gases (including sulfur-containing purge gases), and sulfur-containing liquid fractions containing (i) liquid fractions at or below the sulfur break point and (ii) liquid fractions above the sulfur break point that are either soluble or insoluble in the solvent used in the solvent separations (b) hydrotreating by at least one step of hydrotreating the above-mentioned soluble liquid fractions above the sulfur break point, but not liquid fractions at or below the sulfur break point, or insoluble fractions to form at least at least one treated stream having a reduced sulfur content, (c) combining the above untreated streams with the above treated streams to form a fuel having an actual sulfur content at or below the break point of the target sulfur content.

In embodiments of the present invention, such oil residue is burned in at least one gasifier to generate electricity and at least one portion of hydrogen for the above hydrotreating and to capture at least one portion of the above metals in the gasifier solids, which are removed, or the oil residue is burned in at least one boiler, which captures sulfur and metals from the flue gases to generate electricity and additional process steps of the hydrogen generation unit to maintain the hydrogen supply to the above-mentioned hydrotreating unit. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, all sulfur containing gases are sent to at least one common sulfur recovery unit.

According to the practice of the present invention, the actual sulfur content of the above fuel can be adjusted to meet a target sulfur limit specification, such as an IMO marine fuel specification, or a combustion gas turbine sulfur limit, by adjusting the amount of continuous flow of raw and processed streams into the combination that forms the fuel. For example, the target fuel sulfur content may be adjusted in accordance with at least one IMO target technical characteristic, for example, within or outside the ECA, for example, in accordance with values selected from 3.5 wt.%, 0 .5 wt.%, 0.1 wt.%, or other IMO specifications. The fuel produced in accordance with the methods of the present invention is suitable for use in marine engines, gas turbines, combustion furnaces such as boilers, and other applications.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the above hydrotreated streams is an ultra-low sulfur stream having 10 ppm by weight or less sulfur, which is used to adjust by reducing or adding an amount of such stream to the above combination , formation of the above fuel so that its actual sulfur content is at or below the target sulfur content. In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the hydrotreated streams is an ultra-low sulfur stream having less than 10 ppm by weight sulfur, and the raw fraction has a sulfur content greater than the target sulfur content, and the raw fraction is used in as a balance control, by reducing or adding the amount of such raw fraction to the above combination to form a fuel having an actual sulfur content equal to or lower than the target sulfur content. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, in which the refinery feedstock is converted to a substantially liquid fuel monoproduct rather than a large amount of hydrocarbon products, a first hydrotreated stream is produced that is a reduced sulfur stream having a sulfur content of less than 10 ppm by weight of sulfur, and produces a second hydrotreated fuel fraction that has a reduced sulfur content stream having a sulfur content in the range of 0.12 to 0.18 wt.% sulfur and a raw fraction having a sulfur content that is either at the break point sulfur content, either below or above the target sulfur content, and either the above-mentioned first hydrotreated stream or the second hydrotreated stream, or both of these streams are used as a balance control by reducing or adding a certain amount of such streams to the above combination to producing fuel having an actual sulfur content that is at or below the target sulfur content.

In even more preferred embodiments of the present invention, the sulfur content of at least one crude oil, residual oil and other petroleum feedstock is selected, or the processing conditions are adjusted, until at least 70% by volume of each barrel of the above refinery feedstocks are not converted into liquid fractions when they are subsequently processed or not, but are combined to form a fuel product having a sulfur content not exceeding the target sulfur content, rather than a large quantity of hydrocarbon products having a sulfur content not exceeding the target content sulfur, and no more than 30% of each barrel of the above-mentioned refinery feedstock is used for purposes other than fuel. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, at least 80% by volume of each barrel of refinery feedstock, and in an even more preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least about 90% of refinery feedstock, depending on the composition of the refinery feedstock, hydrogen balance, production economics and other factors, as well as adjustments to process conditions and flow rates, each barrel of hydrocarbon feedstock is converted into a liquid fuel monoproduct rather than large quantities of hydrocarbon products, except for at least one very low sulfur stream that is used as a balance control, by increasing or decreasing the control flow, the sulfur content of the final fuel product so that its level does not exceed the target sulfur content. Excess control flow quantities may be transferred separately for material balance and inventory control purposes. In such preferred embodiments of the present invention, no more than about 10 to 30% by volume of each barrel of the above refinery feedstock is captured in the metal-enriched petroleum residue after atmospheric and vacuum distillation through solvent extraction.

In another embodiment of the present invention, high sulfur fuel oil having a sulfur content greater than the target sulfur content is added either alone or with shale oil before or during the combination of all treated and untreated fractions to form the above fuel. The above-mentioned high sulfur content fuel oil may be fed to at least one of the above-mentioned distillation step, solvent distillation step or hydrotreating step. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ultra-low sulfur stream has sulfur in the range of less than 10 ppm by weight or less, and the raw fraction has a sulfur content greater than the target sulfur content, and the above raw fraction is used for adjustment, by reducing or adding an amount of such raw fraction to the above combination to form a fuel having an actual sulfur content equal to or lower than the target sulfur content.

The apparatus for practicing the method of the present invention may have a reduced overall equipment footprint ranging from 20% to 30% of the total apparatus footprint used in conventional petroleum refining where conventional downstream units are present. Thus, capital costs per barrel of refinery feedstock are significantly reduced. For example, in one particular embodiment of the present invention, only at least one of atmospheric distillation, vacuum distillation, solvent separation, hydrotreating and gasification is used using the necessary additional devices for capturing sulfur and metals, and no hydrocarbon processing operations are performed. after hydrotreating, excluding gasification, using the necessary additional device to capture sulfur and metals.

Embodiments of the process configurations of the present invention offer high efficiency and low operating cost by effectively integrating the utility site to meet the process needs of hydrogen, steam and fuel gas as well as electrical power, while offering integration of metals and capture means sulfur. The utility site contains at least one gasification system that treats the heavy metal-enriched petroleum residue to capture and eliminate contaminant metals that are components of potential sources of exhaust gas emissions, and in a preferred embodiment of the present invention uses integrated site and thus reduce capital costs, process off-gases for sulfur containing gas and acid gas from all sulfur capture sources, treat and dispose of them as potential sources of exhaust gas emissions. The site configuration of the present invention allows for the generation of hydrogen for hydrotreating steps, steam and fuel gas for power process and power process through highly efficient combined cycle power generation means using specific streams that would otherwise be waste streams to meet process requirements .

In one embodiment of the present invention, it is stated that shale oil does not contain sufficient heavier hydrocarbons in its bottoms and residues to provide the process balance for hydrocarbon processing and associated hydrogen production to allow such lighter oils to be processed for hydrogenation in order to reduce the content of sulfur and metals for decontamination. This method includes the step of adding the above-mentioned light oil, alone or in mixture with other petroleum feedstocks, to any or all of the heavier petroleum feedstocks for atmospheric distillation, vacuum distillation or solvent separation processing processes.

In one embodiment of the present invention, device designs for vacuum distillation, solvent separation, hydrotreating and gasification process steps following atmospheric distillation are measured to have the additional or auxiliary ability to handle high sulfur fuel oil or additional heavier fuel oil. oil residue obtained from another source located outside the site boundaries of the above-mentioned processing operations to produce a fuel having an actual sulfur content at or below a target fuel sulfur limit and to capture at least a portion of the sulfur and metals from the above-mentioned additional heavy oil residue.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for ships to use the fuel of the present invention while in port to reduce exhaust gas emissions in a particular location and to generate and sell electricity to shore power grids. In one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a technical method for reducing exhaust gas emissions at or near ports, comprising (a) a technical analysis to determine the amount of sulfur or metal emissions per kilowatt hour (kWh). ) that arise from shore-based power generation facilities that generate electricity typically fed into the electrical grid at or near a port (including, for example, exhaust gas emissions associated with the use of a ship's local power supply while it is in port and connected to such network), and (b) a technical analysis to determine the amount of sulfur or metal emissions per kWh that result from the generation of electricity on board a ship by the ship itself while in port at location (a), then compare (a) and (b), and if (b) the ship's emissions to generate electricity are lower than local sources of electricity (a), then the ship reduces its emissions and tenders for sale to the electricity grid, generated on board the ship, in whole or in part. This embodiment of the present invention may be particularly useful for reducing exhaust gas emissions into the environment when the local power supply is derived from certain types of sources using coal combustion, or using heavy crude oil or residual oils to generate electricity where options with lower levels of exhaust emissions are not available for local electricity generation. In the absence of compensation, such a vessel tender for the local power grid may not take place if the cost of the kWh of electricity generated by the ship is greater than the cost of the kWh of the local power grid, or if such a ship tender for the local power grid is is in any way disadvantageous to the ship, except for compensation of port dues or in other cases where compensation for the reduction of exhaust gas emissions is not credited, for example, a subsidy for payment for the generation of electricity with low exhaust gas emissions.

If the ship's tender for the local power grid is profitable, the ship may offset or reduce fuel costs incurred at sea from the proceeds of the tender for the shore power grid while the ship is in port for all or part of electricity generated on board the ship by using the fuel of the present invention while the ship is in port. Such revenue generated by tendering for the electrical grid while the ship is in port could offset the costs of marine fuel used during the voyage, bringing them to the level of the actual costs of marine fuel used during the voyage, since The costs of these new fuels are lower than the high sulfur fuel oil used during voyages, depending on the length of stay in port.

FIGURE 1 shows a plot of the sulfur content of various actual and hypothetical crude oils, indicating breakpoint ranges. Approximate profiles of sulfur content in crude oils, 4,5,6 are plotted based on the center points of the actual data obtained from the publication entitled "Sulfur Compounds in Crude Oils", Washington, published by "UNT" Roll et al. . Hypothetical crude oil sulfur profiles 1,2,3 are derived in part from actual data obtained from various sources, including Refining Process Flowcharts for the Production of Petroleum Products from Crude Oil (1995) by WauquierJ. .P.), published by the French Petroleum Institute (InstitutFrancaisduPetrole).

FIGURE 1 shows how to propose a definition of "breaking point" for various crude oil process configurations of the present invention. FIGURE 1 shows that the break point is the point at which the change (excess per unit cycle) of sulfur content per unit volume of stream produced is no longer substantially horizontal or flat, but is at the break point, and since the volume of the stream is increased slightly, the sulfur content begins to increase rapidly or exponentially to cause a high rate of change in the excess per unit cycle. Also located at or behind the inflection point, depending on the type of petroleum feedstock, the type and composition, as well as the complexity of the sulfur containing compounds, usually vary. The break point allows one to determine, for operational efficiency purposes, how best to avoid costly intensive hydrotreating while still producing fuel that meets the specifications of the target sulfur limit. That is, the break point may be the maximum sulfur content of the fraction resulting from atmospheric distillation of crude oil in a distillation column, which is directed in the direction, or reduced, opposite to subsequent further processing to reduce the sulfur content, for example, directed in the direction opposite to hydrotreating. Fractions above the break point are sent to downstream processing to reduce sulfur content, while fractions at or below the break point are not purified, resulting in significant operational savings. In traditional oil refining, the cuts are fixed by temperature ranges, not by sulfur content. The target sulfur content, for example, according to the end use requirement, may determine the choice of break point. If the break point is set too high, then the excessive amount of higher sulfur raw streams cannot be easily compensated for by increasing the amount of lower sulfur hydrotreated streams.

FIGURE 2 provides a general overview of another embodiment of the present invention and shows in simplified form the main components of a process for producing a liquid monoproduct suitable for use as a fuel. FIGURE 2 illustrates a method for integrating atmospheric and vacuum distillation, solvent distillation, hydrotreating and gasification to produce a substantially metal-free, low sulfur monofuel product.

The contaminated crude oil stream containing sulfur, hydrogen and metals enters the process line 2 after pre-treatment, such as desalting, which is preferred for crude oil. In this example, the petroleum feedstock 2 may be a single crude oil or a mixture of at least one type of crude oil, or a mixture of crude oil and a residual oil, such as high sulfur fuel oil. The raw material 2 is sent to an atmospheric distillation column 100, where the raw material is separated into light overhead gases 4 and a large number of shoulder straps. Light overhead gases 4 include non-condensable refinery gases 6 suitable as process fuels, or they may be captured for other purposes. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the capital costs associated with the stabilization system are eliminated in relation to such overhead gases 4; however, depending on local needs, for example, the technical characteristics of a special marine fuel with a maximum hydrogen sulfide content, the stabilization system may be included. In one embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGURE 2, the multiple streams will include at least one stream within these ranges: (1) unstabilized straight-run naphtha at line 4 at line 16, (2) stream containing sulfur at point break on line 18, (3) light distillate on line 24, (4) middle distillate on line 26, (5) first heavy distillate on line 28, (6) atmospheric oil residue on line 30.

In various applications in the art, different meanings have been assigned to the same or similar shoulder straps in different regions of the world, the meanings of which are often different, duplicative, contradictory and create confusion. In this specification and in the claims, certain terms are assigned the following meanings: (a) “naphtha” means compositions containing carbon ranging from compositions containing a minimum of three (3) C3 carbon atoms, such as propane, to compositions having initial boiling point (IBP) is approximately 175° C (approximately 350° F), and does not include lower boiling compounds such as methane or a lighter compound, (b) “stabilized naphtha” means that the material is naphtha or other naphtha range materials that are used as a stock fuel mixture, that lower boiling compounds, such as butane or propane, or lighter compounds, have been almost completely removed from the naphtha or fuel, where, for example, in conventional oil refining, the bottoms stream from naphtha debutanizer distillate column would be unstabilized naphtha, (c) “unstabilized straight-run naphtha” means naphtha that has not had its C4 or lighter components removed; for example, in a conventional petroleum refining, the feed stream to the naphtha debutanizer will be unstabilized naphtha, (d) “unstabilized straight-run naphtha” means carbon-containing compositions resulting from atmospheric distillation ranging from compositions that have a minimum of three (3) C3 carbon atoms , for example, propane, to compositions that have an initial boiling point (IBP) of approximately 175° C (about 350° F), and do not include lower boiling compounds, such as methane or a lighter compound, which may include refinery gases resulting from atmospheric distillation, (e) "unstabilized naphtha" in the context of hydrotreating means the unstabilized lighter fraction of the hydrotreated stream exiting a distillation column or other separator, the operability of which is considered part of the hydrotreating zone that recovers at least one a heavier fraction at or near the bottom of the separator, such as a distillate range, a heavy oil range, or other heavier than naphtha feed portions into the separator, and unstabilized, (f) the "chase break point" is defined herein to be greater than this specification, and an example is shown in FIGURE 1, (g) "light distillate above break point" or "light distillate" as used herein means a fraction having an initial sulfur content greater than the highest sulfur content at the break point of the overhead, which accordingly has a boiling point (IBP) greater than the highest final boiling point of the distillate break point, (h) "middle distillate" means the fraction located between the light distillate and the heavy distillate, which are separated as a distillate in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the distillate columns; in which, for example, the middle distillate cut may be eliminated and combined with either a light distillate or a heavy distillate, (i) "first heavy distillate" means the heaviest fraction of an atmospheric distillation unit in which the sulfur content and boiling point range are determined by the operating characteristics such as at least one sulfur composition of the distillate unit feedstock, the severity of the crude oil distillation column operations, and subsequent hydrotreating conditions, (j) “first heavy distillate” means the heaviest fraction of the atmospheric distillation unit, which has a sulfur content and a boiling point range that are determined taking into account the sulfur composition of the petroleum feedstock of the distillate unit and the sulfur content at the break point, and taking into account at least one operating characteristic, such as the severity of the processing operations of the distillation column intended to process crude oil, and the severity of the subsequent distillate hydrotreating conditions,

(k) “second heavy distillate” means the lightest fraction of a distillation column intended for vacuum distillation, having a sulfur content and a boiling point range that is determined by reference to the sulfur composition of the distillate unit feedstock and the cut-point sulfur content of the distillate, and by reference to at least one operating characteristic, such as the severity of the crude oil distillation column operations and the severity of the subsequent distillate hydrotreating conditions and (j) "atmospheric residue oil", "vacuum residue oil", "vacuum gas oil", including "light vacuum gas oil" and "heavy vacuum gas oil", "solvent separation" and "hydrotreating" and other terms and variations of such terms are known to those skilled in the art of crude oil refining technology.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the combination of (1) unstabilized straight-run naphtha streams in line 4 at line 16 and (2) a sulfur content at the break point in line 18 is expected to have a sulfur content ranging from less than 0.06 wt. % up to 0.08 wt. % if the target sulfur content of fuel combination 600 is 0.1 wt. % or less and the sulfur content of purified stream 70 is less than 10 ppm by weight, wherein the flow rates of combination streams 10 and 70 are adjusted so that fuel combination 600 does not exceed the target sulfur content.

In FIGURE 2, atmospheric residue is fed via line 30 to vacuum distillate column 200 to produce (1) a second heavy distillate at line 32, (2) a light vacuum gas oil at line 36, (3) a heavy vacuum gas oil at line 38. and (4) a vacuum residue oil, at line 50. The vacuum residue oil is sent through line 50 to a solvent separation 300 to produce (1) deasphalted oil at line 80 and asphalt, which is an asphalt, which is a metal-enriched heavy residue oil at line 90 .

FIGURE 2 shows an integrated hydrotreating system 400 comprising two hydrotreating zones, a distillate hydrotreating zone 430 and a heavy oil hydrotreating zone 460. Integrated hydrogen treating systems are known in the art and are preferred for this application; however, mild hydrotreating conditions at relatively low pressures ranging from about 117 to 138 bar (1700 to 2000 psi) are sufficient for hydrodesulfurization and hydrodemetallization in both zones 430 and 460.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, light distillate 24, middle distillate 26, first heavy distillate 28, and second heavy distillate 32 are supplied to the integrated hydrotreating system 400 and purified with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst under hydrotreating conditions to form a distillate hydrotreating effluent zone 430 at line 60. Such hydrotreated effluent stream 60 contains materials within the range of (1) unstabilized naphtha with an expected boiling range from above C5 (compositions containing five carbon atoms) to about 175° C. (about 350° F.) and ( 2) ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention having a sulfur content of less than 10 ppm by weight, which is a reduced sulfur stream formed from a combination of purified distillate streams containing light distillate 24, middle distillate 26 , a first heavy distillate 28 and a second heavy distillate 32. Those skilled in the hydrotreating art will appreciate that hydrotreating by-products in zone 430 may include sulfur-containing gases such as hydrogen sulfide, a hydrogen-enriched off-gas, at least one portion of which is purified to remove sulfur and recycled by adding hydrogen to either the distillate hydrotreating zone 430 or the heavy fuel hydrotreating zone 460, or both, and typically a small amount of liquid petroleum gases.

Light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 and deasphalted oil 80,

in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is also supplied to the integrated hydrotreating system 400 and purified with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst under hydrotreating conditions to form a heavy vacuum gas oil hydrotreating zone 460 effluent streams 70. Such hydrotreated effluent stream contains materials within the range of (1) unstabilized naphtha with an expected boiling range from above C5 (compositions containing five carbon atoms) to about 175°C (about 350°F) and (2) ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, which, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , has a sulfur content of less than 10 ppm by weight, and is a reduced sulfur stream obtained from the first heavy fuel hydrotreating zone, which is formed from a first portion of a combination of purified distillate streams containing light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 and deasphalted oil 80, (3) a second reduced sulfur content stream which, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, has a sulfur content in the range of 0.12 to 0.18 wt. %, wherein it is formed from a second portion of a combination of purified distillate streams containing light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 and deasphalted oil 80. Those skilled in the art of hydrotreating understand that by-products of hydrotreating in zone 460 may include gases containing sour gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, a hydrogen-enriched off-gas, at least one portion of which is scrubbed to remove sulfur and recycled by adding hydrogen to either the distillate hydrotreating zone 430 or the heavy fuel hydrotreating zone 460 or both, and typically a small amount of liquid petroleum gases

Crude stream 10 and at least one hydrotreated liquid stream through line 60 and line 70 are combined to form a substantially metal-free, low sulfur fuel product in zone 600, where "combine" means formed by linear mixing of the streams, blending or other homogeneous combinations. In one embodiment of the present invention, the unstabilized straight-run naphtha in lines 4 and 16 and the break point sulfur content in line 18 are combined into 100 without further purification, then form fuel in zone 600 by combining with at least one effluent stream from a distillate hydrotreating zone 430 containing unstabilized naphtha and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, and with at least one effluent stream from a heavy fuel hydrotreating zone 460 containing unstabilized naphtha, ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and a second stream with reduced sulfur content that is generated in the heavy fuel oil hydrotreating zone 460. In another embodiment of the present invention where a hydrotreating zone 400 is used, the effluent streams from zones 430 and 460 are combined to form a single stream as if line 60 and line 70 were combined (not shown) ) in such a zone, and this option is suitable when separation of the effluent from hydroprocessing zones 430 and 460 is not preferred. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hydrotreated portion of zone 460 vacuum gas oil has an overhead system stream and a bottom system stream, wherein the portion that flows is diesel boiling range material that may have a relatively small volume compared to combined diesel fuel. added by zones 430 or 460 to pooling zone 600, and a portion of the hydrotreated pooled sidestream diesel fuel of zone 430 also has a sidestream of unstabilized naphtha, either separately or a portion of the top system stream and bottom system stream, including low sulfur diesel fuel sent to the unit 600 or used as flow control or other purposes.

Bottom heavy oil residue 90 obtained from deasphalting agent 300 containing asphalt and metal-enriched heavy oil residue is supplied to an integrated combined cycle gasification system 500 containing at least one gasifier to partially oxidize said heavy oil residue 90 in the presence of steam and oxygen and , optionally, a carbon-containing slurry for cooling to form synthesis gas, at least one portion of which is converted to hydrogen, which is sent through line 502 for use in a hydrotreating system 400 containing a distillate hydrotreater 430 and a heavy fuel hydrotreater 460, and a synthesis gas. gas for combustion in a gas turbine of a combined cycle power plant located in a gasification system 500 to generate electricity within 504 for use in the process and for other purposes, and hot gas of the turbine, and also containing a heat recovery generator for extracting heat from the hot gas produced by the gas turbine to produce steam, which drives the steam turbine, to further generate electrical power, sent as 504 energy. Each gasifier also produces metal-enriched soot, which can be in the form of particulate matter that contains metal impurities derived from the raw material. oil and/or heavy petroleum feedstock, with the solids sent through line 506 from each gasifier to remove metals. The supply systems comprise at least one gas treatment unit to which all gas streams containing sulfur, whether sulfur gas or acid gas, from all process steps of the sulfur removal unit 508 are supplied. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such Sulfur removal systems are part of the utility site, which includes a gasification system. In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one gas stream containing sulfur is sent to industrial production of sulfuric acid as part of overall sulfur removal. The gasification system 500 typically includes an acid gas removal unit and an acid carbon monoxide replacement system that are optimized in capacity and configuration to produce the required hydrogen from at least a portion of the synthesis gas feedstock produced in the gasification system.

In the embodiment of the integrated hydrotreating system 400 shown in FIGURE 2, hydrogen-containing make-up gas 502 from the gasification system 500, in quantities required for hydrotreating, together with hydrogen produced by internal recirculation in the hydrotreating unit 400, is compressed and heated to effective operating temperatures. hydrotreating, pressure, space velocities and pressures, which are adjusted based on the selected catalyst and other conditions known in the art to achieve the desired level of desulfurization and demetalization. This prepared hydrogen 502 (along with recirculated hydrogen) is first placed in the heavy fuel hydrotreating zone 460, a pressurized zone. The effluent of heavy fuel hydrotreating zone 460, containing hydrotreated liquids and hydrogen-containing gas, is separated in a high-pressure separator (not shown), wherein such liquids are collected in zone 460 and the hydrogen content is recovered and passed through line 410 to distillate hydrotreater 430 for hydrotreating purposes. in such a low pressure zone. Hydrotreated liquids and purge gases containing acidic and acidic gases from hydrotreating zone 430 are carried through line 412 to heavy fuel hydrotreating zone 460 where they are substantially combined. Hydrotreated liquids from both zones 430 and 460 may be segregated in lines 60 and 70 and separately used as input streams to the combined fuel 600 or added as a dosage composition to control the sulfur level balance in the combined zone 600 or withdrawn (not shown), depending depending on process needs regarding sulfur balance and material. In the integrated hydrotreating embodiment shown, purge gases 420 from both zones 430 and 460 are routed through line 420 to a utility pad 500, which contains sulfur recovery systems and, if necessary, gasification or boilers. Not shown in FIGURE 2, but known to those skilled in the hydrotreating field, are various auxiliary high, medium and low pressure gas-liquid separators, flow heaters, gas recirculation and purge lines, tanks for spraying gases or fires and separating liquids, compressors, cooling systems, and for other auxiliary uses. If a hydrotreating zone were used instead of using a common area containing utilities, then various amine or other sulfur recovery agent absorbers and stripping systems for acid gas or acid gas treatment could be located in the hydrotreating zone 400.

The parameters for selecting a hydrotreating catalyst and adjusting the hydrotreating process conditions in the hydrotreating zone 400 are within the purview of a person employed in the petroleum refining industry and do not require further explanation of the practical implementation of the technological processes in the hydrotreating segment of the present invention. In the reaction zones of distillate hydrotreater 430 and heavy fuel hydrotreater 460, the hydrotreating catalysts used include any catalyst composition suitable for the catalytic hydrogenation of hydrocarbon feedstocks to increase its hydrogen content and/or remove sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and heteroatomic metal impurities. The types of specific catalysts and the various bed configurations used, and the hydrotreating conditions selected, will depend on the hydrocarbon composition, as well as the sulfur and metal content, and heavy hydrocarbon petroleum residue, each batch of petroleum feedstock being treated with each respective unit to obtain the required reduced sulfur and metal content in the product flow from each zone. Such a catalyst may be selected from any catalyst suitable for hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon petroleum feedstocks; however, operating conditions are adjusted to avoid or minimize ring saturation or hydroconversion in the practice of preferred embodiments of the present invention. Publication number US20140221713A1 (US13/758,429) 2014 by Baldassari et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes various catalysts suitable for hydrotreating, as well as suitable hydrotreating processes, including embodiments of complex hydrotreating devices. Baldassari et al. then provide a summary of catalytic composition options and ranges of conditions for hydrotreating distillates and heavy fuel oils, and provide various conditions for hydrocracking and hydroconversion of petroleum residue, all of which are known to those skilled in the hydroprocessing field. RevampingDieselHydrotreatersForUltra-LowSulfurUsingIsoThermingTechnology by Ackerson et al. discusses unit design, catalyst selection, hydrogen consumption, and other operating conditions for removing sulfur by hydrogenation to produce the product having a sulfur content of less than 8 ppm by weight, using a highly active nickel/molybdenum (Ni/Mo) catalyst. In the work “Optimization of catalyst systems used in hydraulic systems in hydrocracking and diesel fuel hydraulic cleaning, achieving functionality through the use of catalyst” (OptimizinghydropatroCaCRACKINADROCKKINGYDieselHy Flexibilitythroughcatalyst) Schiflet with co -authors (Shifletetal), p. 6 Advanced oil refining technologies, special edition of Catalograms, Issue No. 113 /2013 (AdvancedRefiningTechnologiesCatalagramSpecialEdition) also discusses hydrotreating to levels down to 10 ppm by weight or less using a high activity cobalt/molybdenum (Co/Mo) catalyst to remove unhindered sulfur and a high activity nickel/molybdenum (Ni/Mo) catalyst to remove remaining sterically hindered sulfur.

In another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGURE 2, the sulfur content of petroleum feedstock 2 is measured using an analysis that shows the exponential break point of the sulfur profile and the rate of increase, for example, the break point of the sulfur content in the range of 0.06 to 0.08 wt. % (or higher, taking into account the relative flow rates of crude and hydrotreated vapors, and the corresponding sulfur content thereof), and use such a profile to control adjustments to the atmospheric distillation 100 in order to maximize the available amount of unstabilized straight-run naphtha 16 and sulfur-containing overhead. at the break point 18, the streams of which can flow to be combined by mixing the streams or by blending in the product collection zone 600, and these streams have not been purified, and determine or reduce, if necessary, the number of (1) light distillate streams 24, middle distillate 26 , first heavy distillate 28 or second heavy distillate 32 in the zone of distillate hydrotreater 430 or (2) streams of light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 or deasphalted oil 80 in heavy fuel hydrotreater 460, which flow in the direction of hydrotreating, in increased or decreased quantities , to undergo purification to form a fuel product 600 having an actual sulfur content at or below the target sulfur limit. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, analysis may be used to control the maximum number of streams other than the crude unstabilized straight-run naphtha 16 and the crude sulfur content at break point 18 to determine the number of streams to be sent to hydrotreating to form fuel 600 , having an actual sulfur content level at or below the target sulfur content limit. That is, different flow rates directed to hydrotreater 400 of any number of (1) light distillate streams 24, middle distillate 26, first heavy distillate 28 or second heavy distillate 32 sent to the zone of distillate hydrotreater 430, or (2) light vacuum gas oil streams 36 , heavy vacuum gas oil 38 or deasphalted oil 80 sent to heavy fuel hydrotreater 460 may be increased or decreased to control in hydrotreating zone 400 the sulfur content of effluent streams 60 or 70 or both, which are combined in zone 600 with crude streams 10.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a fuel product 600 having an actual sulfur content at or below a target sulfur limit is produced by adjusting the actual sulfur level in the final product 600 by increasing or decreasing the amount sent to pooling zone 600 by at least , any one stream from (a) unstabilized straight-run naphtha 16 or a cut containing sulfur at break point 18, each of which may have some sulfur content because they are not purified by sulfur removal, or (b) streams entering or leaving the distillate hydrotreater 430, e.g., refined light distillate 24, middle distillate 26, first heavy distillate 28, and second heavy distillate streams 32, or (c) streams entering or exiting a heavy fuel hydrotreater, e.g., refined light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 and deasphalted oil 80, where such adjustment is based on measuring the relative sulfur content contribution of each stream 60 or 70 to be combined in combination 600.

In one embodiment of the present invention, light tight reservoir oil or condensate, or a combination of light tight reservoir oil or the like, for example, condensate produced from natural gas and shale gas development, having low metal content and sulfur content that is less than the target limit level sulfur content of fuel 600 is combined with at least one of the following: (a) petroleum feedstock supplied to atmospheric distillation 100 or vacuum distillation 200, solvent separation 300, any petroleum feedstock that is the source of light distillate 24, middle distillate 26 , first heavy distillate 28 or second heavy distillate 32 sent to distillate hydrotreater 430, or any petroleum feedstock source of light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 or deasphalted oil 80 sent to heavy fuel hydrotreater 460 for purification or (b) stream 10 formed from unstabilized straight-run naphtha 16 and a cut containing sulfur at break point 18 without further purification, or (c) a stream formed in a distillate hydrotreater containing unstabilized naphtha and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, or (d) streams formed in a heavy fuel hydrotreater containing unstabilized naphtha, ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and a second reduced sulfur stream, or (e) a combined effluent stream 70 generated in hydrotreater 400 sent to end fuel product zone 600, or (f) otherwise added in a manner to fuel produced by a system within or outside the location of such fuel production system to form the final product.

In one embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGURE 2, the sulfur content of fuel product 600 is controlled to be at or below a target sulfur limit by: (a) feeding combination 600 with unstabilized straight-run naphtha 16 and a sulfur content at break point 18 without further purification or such flow through line 10, and then (b) adjusting the actual sulfur level of product 600 by increasing or decreasing the amount sent to a combination of at least one of any of the following: (1 ) streams of light distillate 24, middle distillate 26, first heavy distillate 28, or second heavy distillate 32 sent to the distillate hydrotreater zone 430 or (2) streams of light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 or deasphalted oil 80 sent to the heavy oil hydrotreater 460 and (c) then reducing the amount sent to a combination of at least one of any of the following: (1) streams obtained from the distillate hydrotreater zone 430 via line 60, which were formed from light distillate 24, middle distillate 26, first heavy distillate 28 or second heavy distillate 32, (2) streams obtained from the heavy fuel oil hydrotreater zone 460 via line 70, which are formed from light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38, and deasphalted oil 80, if in any or all of these streams need to increase, for any reason, the actual sulfur level of product 600 to the target sulfur level or (d) increase the amount sent to a combination of at least one of the following: (1) the above streams derived from distillate hydrotreater 430 through line 60, or (2) streams obtained from heavy fuel hydrotreater 460 through line 70, if necessary, for any reason, to reduce the actual sulfur content of product 600 so that it meets the target sulfur content limit level at or below him. Due to this simplification, large quantities of sulfur grades can be efficiently produced, such as grades of sulfur used to produce fuels with a target sulfur content of 500 ppm or less that are used for offshore and onshore gas turbines, or different ranges for the same applications. in different locations where different levels of sulfur are required.

In embodiments of using a high sulfur heating oil having a sulfur content greater than the target fuel sulfur limit in combination 600, the high sulfur heating oil is provided as a portion of at least one petroleum feedstock selected from various types of petroleum feedstock in at least one technological operation of each unit. High sulfur fuel oil may be added to (a) feed line 2 for atmospheric distillation 100, or line 30 for vacuum distillation 200, or (b) line 50 for solvent separation 300, or (c) line 20 for distillate hydrotreater 430, either alone or in combination with at least one light distillate 24, middle distillate 26, first heavy distillate 26, or second heavy distillate 32 fed to said distillate hydrotreater 430 or to (d) line 40 in heavy fuel hydrotreater 460, either alone or in combination with at least one light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38, and deasphalted oil 80 to form a fuel combination 600 having an actual sulfur content at or below the target sulfur limit him. Those skilled in the petroleum refining art will appreciate that in practice, in at least one such embodiment, the use of high sulfur heating oil as a petroleum feedstock and the selection of its feed point must take into account its sulfur content, asphaltene content and other factors related to to the nature of the high sulfur fuel oil supplied, and compatibility with crude oil or other petroleum feedstocks used in co-processing, vessel dimensions and energy consumption, asphaltene content, insoluble component content, tar formation and other efficiency issues.

In another embodiment of the present invention, clean fuel in the pooling zone 600 is formed by adding high sulfur fuel oil, which may have a sulfur content exceeding the target sulfur limit level, to at least one of the following: (a) streams 10, formed from unstabilized straight-run naphtha 16 and sulfur content at break point 18 without further purification, depending on the sulfur content of the high sulfur fuel oil, or by adding it to (b) stream 60 formed in distillate hydrotreater 430 containing unstabilized naphtha and materials having a range of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, or to (c) stream 70 formed in heavy fuel hydrotreater 460 containing unstabilized naphtha, ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and a second reduced sulfur content stream, or a combined effluent stream 70 from hydrotreating zone 400, resulting in fuel 600 having an actual sulfur content at or below the target sulfur limit.

In one preferred embodiment of using a high sulfur fuel oil in the manufacture of fuel composition 600, the sulfur content of such high sulfur fuel oil is determined, then the high sulfur fuel oil is either supplied as a portion of the petroleum feedstock 50 to a solvent separation unit to form portions of the deasphalted oil stream 80 are either combined with at least one distillate stream of light distillate 24, middle distillate 26, first heavy distillate 26, or second heavy distillate 32, and as part of the petroleum feedstock 20 is fed to the above distillate hydrotreater 430 or combined with at least one heavy fuel stream of light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil 38 and deasphalted oil 80 or both distillate streams and heavy fuel streams to form a slug of petroleum feedstock in either distillate hydrotreater 430 or heavy fuel hydrotreater 460, or in both hydrotreaters, taking into account the determination of the sulfur content of high sulfur fuel oil in order to optimize the control of hydrotreating conditions in zones 430 or 460, or for control in both zones to produce fuel having an actual sulfur content corresponding to the target limit level sulfur content or lower.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a clean fuel with a sulfur content level at or below the sulfur limit specifications may be produced using a heavy residual oil, including a high sulfur fuel oil, which is typically atmospheric petroleum residue or heavier petroleum residue which may have a density or sulfur or metal content beyond the specifications or within normal standards for high sulfur heating oil. Often, due to market factors, such heavy residual oil can be obtained from another supply source located outside the boundaries of the site where the fuel production plant is located. A heavy petroleum residue with a sulfur content exceeding the target fuel sulfur limit 600 is fed to at least one of the following: (a) vacuum distillate column 200 alone or in combination via line 30 with an atmospheric residue petroleum feedstock to the vacuum column 200 for producing at least a portion of any or all of the above second heavy distillate 32, light vacuum gas oil 36, heavy vacuum gas oil, or vacuum residue 50 or (b) to solvent separation 300 alone or in combination via line 50 with vacuum the remaining petroleum feedstock to a solvent separation 300 to obtain at least a portion of deasphalted oil 80 or asphalt 90 having a metal-enriched petroleum residue, which is transferred to a gasification system 500 for gasification, sulfur recovery and other auxiliary processing. Such heavy residual oil may also be combined with the asphalt via line 90 as an oil feedstock supplied to the site containing the utilities 500. In embodiments of the present invention, when the crude high sulfur heating oil having a relatively high sulfur content (above 0.5 wt.%) or high metal content is used without purification to control the adjustment of sulfur content in the fuel 600 of the present invention, then a relatively small amount of such fuel oil is used without purification to ensure such a combination 600 is not exceeded target sulfur limit.

FIGURE 2 is a process flow diagram showing various intermediate individual products that serve for purposes of example and understanding of the major products and by-products found in the effluent streams of each unit process step depicted. The selected separation or purification option for each unit process step depends on the crude oil and petroleum feedstocks selected, and the optimization of intermediate products produced to produce fuel at or below the target sulfur content specification. For example, both effluent streams 60 and 70 that exit hydrotreaters 430 and 460 may be combined in hydrotreater zone 400 using a common gas-liquid separator (not shown) if the ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel produced in zone 430 is not separated. and all hydrotreated materials are combined at line 70, as shown in FIGURE 2, only gases are removed. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, if the purpose of the process is to separate or remove some of the unstabilized naphtha or ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel to control the sulfur balance of the fuel in the final pooling zone 600 or for other reason, effluent streams 60 and 70 that exiting hydrotreaters 430 and 460 may be sent, either alone or in combination, to a stripper or distillation column to effect removal of the unstabilized naphtha or ultra-low sulfur diesel fraction.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that they are intended for explanatory purposes only and not for limitation. For example, when the flash point of the fuel is not considered, crude light tight reservoir oil or condensate, or crude light tight reservoir oil or condensate with low metal content and lower sulfur content than the target sulfur content, is added as a portion of a combination of the above crude fractions with the above purified streams to form a fuel having an actual sulfur content at or below the target sulfur content. The term “light tight oil” or “LTO” as used herein means wellhead condensate or condensate produced from shale gas production having (i) a sulfur content in the ranges of 0.1 to 0.2 wt.% and ( ii) gravity, API (deg) ranging from 38 to 57 and (iii) wide variety of sources based on hydrocarbon ranges. LTO typically has potential overlapping distillate fraction fraction ranges, in mass fractions, of (a) 5 to 20 mass fractions. % liquefied petroleum gas range, (b) 10 to 35 wt. % naphtha, (c) 15 to 30 wt.% kerosene, (d) 15 to 25% diesel fuel, (e) vacuum gas oil and (f) zero (0%) to 10% heavy oil residues.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the co-processing of (i) crude oil having the quality of crude light reservoir oil or condensate, or a combination of light reservoir oil or condensate, is contemplated, for example, when reservoirs of produced oil are available that are located outside the boundaries of site where the fuel production plant of the present invention is located, and (ii) at least one other type of crude oil, which are fed into the process of the present invention to produce low-cost fuel with low metal content and less than target sulfur content sulfur content. Such light low-permeability reservoir oils containing no (e.g., 0% or very little heavy oil residues) are likely to have sufficient quantities of heavier hydrocarbons within their lower fractions with the oil residue ranges required to balance processing for desulfurization or other purposes. hydroprocessing, and also free from associated petroleum residues, in quantities sufficient to support the hydrogen production process in order to enable cost-effective processing of such light oils for hydrogenation in order to reduce the sulfur and metal content for decontamination or to provide sufficient lubricity so that ensure application in certain types of engines.

Embodiments of the new fuels of the present invention are best evaluated with reference to the ISO 8217 standard issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO 8217 describes categories and detailed specifications for a range of marine residual fuels for consumption on board ships. Technical characteristics are considered the basis for their development, changes in crude oil supplies, refining methods and other conditions. These specifications indicate that they take into account various international requirements for properties such as sulfur content. Currently, the most stringent ISO 8217 standard is RMA 10, on which the interpretation of the technical specification and claims must be based. Based on the simulated compositions of the new fuels of the present invention (made by a simulation model that separates crude oil into fractions, some of which are hydrotreated and eliminates the oil residue that is not dissolved during solvent separation, and then reconfigures such crude and refined segments), These new fuels meet and/or exceed all ISORMA 10 specifications except flash point, which for cargo ships is within the SOLAS exceptions to flash point requirements for cargo ships using fuels with new characteristics or improvements , which we claim differentiates these new fuels from marine fuels produced from petroleum residues.

In one embodiment of the present invention, we provide an improved fuel that meets or exceeds ISORMA 10 (ISO 2817-10) specifications except flash point and has any or all of the following distinguishing characteristics: (a) sulfur 0.50% by weight (wt.%) or lower, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention - in the range from 0.05 to 0.20 by weight (wt.%), (b) metals 5.0 mg/kg (ppm by weight) or lower, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, 1.0 mg/kg (1.0 ppm by weight) or lower, for example, 0.2 mg/kg (0.2 ppm by weight), and ( c) a flash point of not more than 60°C, and other improved characteristics according to ISORMA 10 technical characteristics. In embodiments of the present invention, these new fuels have at least one of these additional distinguishing characteristics: (a) a viscosity of not more than 10 cSt, (b) pour point 0 (zero)º C or less, (c) density in the range of 820-880 kg/m ^3, (d) CCAI not more than 800, (e) sodium 20 mg/kg or below, in in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, 10 mg/kg or lower. All of the above are determined by means of the test methods or calculations specified in ISO 2817-10. Such fuels contain a number of hydrocarbons having an initial boiling point of naphtha, and the highest boiling point is the highest boiling point of its component that is soluble in a solvent suitable for solvent separation, such as heptane. Metal content can be reduced to 100 ppm by weight, depending on the composition of the crude oil and adjustment of operating conditions.

We have found that we can economically produce fuels with extremely low sulfur and metal contents that fall within the SOLAS exception for flash point requirements for cargo ships. If adjustment of the flash point is required for other purposes, the flash point is adjusted to 60° C. or higher, or to such required value as is known in the art.

The use of the low viscosity, low pour point fuel of the present invention in marine engines avoids or reduces the energy consumption required in connection with heating traditional residual oils to enable their pumping and processing, either in port at fueling stations or at sea. Heavy residual oils are thick and must be heated and kept hot due to their relatively high pour point and high viscosity during storage, pumping and supply to marine engines, which consume energy when heated.

Table 1 below shows two fuel options of the present invention, with one fuel option having an extremely low sulfur content of 0.1 wt.%, and the other fuel option having an even lower sulfur content of 0.05 wt.%. ISORMA 10 data given in Table 1 below:

Such fuel embodiments of the present invention, having the properties shown in Table 1, are further distinguished in that they contain substantially the entire range of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil, from C3 or C5, to more than C20, the aforementioned hydrocarbons having an initial boiling point , which is the lowest boiling point of any fraction of the above crude oil under atmospheric distillation conditions, and the highest boiling point is the final boiling point of a portion of the petroleum residue of the above crude oil which is insoluble in a solvent suitable for solvent separation. In contrast to the above, petroleum residues, whether vacuum distillation residues, solvent deasphalting residues, other coking products and the like, do not contain such a wide range of hydrocarbons, but are limited to only very heavy materials.

Based on the invention disclosed in the specification and claims, the present invention can produce ultra-clean fuels that meet or exceed compatibility standards with currently available marine reciprocating engines, but are also compatible with advanced combustion gas turbines that can be used for use in marine conditions. Such advanced turbine engines are available today, but are typically located on land. These improved turbine engines, once placed on board ships, can have a great advantage in terms of efficiency by having less corrosion or ash production due to the combustion of the fuel of the present invention during voyage. In addition, depending on the prevailing fuel economics at the port, ships may gain efficiency benefits by bringing these new fuels into the port to generate electricity and transfer such energy to the local electrical grid to generate revenue. This revenue from in-port power generation offsets the cost of marine fuel and can more significantly reduce the actual total cost of marine fuel used on a ship compared to the cost of high sulfur heating oil, and thus offsets the cost of fuel. low sulfur content of the present invention if it turns out to be a more expensive marine fuel. The overall environmental benefit, when compared to some mainstream options, is that more than ninety-five percent (95%) reductions in sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides and possibly more than ninety-five percent (95%) reductions in harmful metal emissions can be achieved while sailing. by 99% (almost 100%). In addition, the environment can be benefited by reducing CO2 emissions in two ways: (i) using efficient, advanced gas turbine engines on ships and (ii) increasing the efficiency of power generation in ports by replacing the inefficient combustion of coal, crude oil, residual oils or some other types of fuel.

Thus, it is obvious that the present invention has wide application for the production of fuels having reduced sulfur content, low levels of sulfur and other pollutants, and the use of such fuels. Certain features may be changed without departing from the principle or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments or examples discussed, but only to those defined in the appended claims or the substantially equivalent claims.

Claims (19)

1. A method for reducing emissions of exhaust gases into the atmosphere at or near ports, including: (a) a technical analysis of the amount of sulfur or metal emissions per kWh resulting from onshore electricity generation fed into the grid at or near the port, (b) a technical analysis of the amount of sulfur or metal emissions per kWh resulting from the generation of electricity on board a ship by the ship itself while in port at location (a), then compare (a) and (b), if (b) is less than (a), transfer all or part of the on-board electricity generation to the power grid, where the generation of electricity on board a ship by a ship in port is carried out by burning fuel that contains hydrocarbons from C3 to more than C20, said hydrocarbons having (i) the initial boiling point of stabilized naphtha or from a lower unstabilized straight-run naphtha ranging from C3 hydrocarbons to hydrocarbons having an initial boiling point of about 175°C, being the lowest boiling point of any fraction of said hydrocarbons under distillation conditions, and (ii) a highest boiling point, being the highest boiling point of the residual portion of said hydrocarbons insoluble in a solvent suitable for solvent separation . 2. The method according to claim 1, in which the generation of electricity on board the ship by the ship in the port is carried out by burning fuel obtained as a result of processing feedstock from crude oil, characterized in that said fuel has an actual sulfur content of 0.50% by weight (wt .%) or less, density at 15°C ranging from 820 to 880 kg/m ³ , pour point 0°C or less, viscosity 10 cSt, and includes a range of crude oil-derived hydrocarbons from C5 to greater than C20, specified hydrocarbons having (a) an initial boiling point, being the lowest boiling point component of any fraction in crude streams at or below the break point of the sulfur combined in the specified fuel, where the break point is determined in accordance with the analysis of the specified crude oil feedstock by plotting the % mass or volume of crude oil on the x-axis, and sulfur content on the y-axis, as the point at which the sulfur content begins to increase rapidly from or near a horizontal line, or increases exponentially, in terms of the high rate of change of increase in sulfur content per unit time in % mass or volume, where the delta for cycle is the change in unit mass or volume fraction, and the delta for excess is the change in unit sulfur content, and the slope is the excess over the cycle, and where the specified slope of such excess over the cycle starts from zero or horizontal quickly moves to 0.2, quickly moves to 1 and (b) the highest boiling point, being the highest boiling point component of the liquid fraction, above the sulfur break point, that has been hydrotreated after removing the metal-enriched petroleum residue insoluble in one or more solvents suitable for solvent separation and incorporated in said fuel . 3. The method according to claim 1, in which the generation of electricity on board the ship by the ship in the port is carried out by burning fuel that has a maximum pour point of 0°C, a viscosity of 10 cSt and a density at 15°C in the range from 820 to 880 kg/m ³ . 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generation of electricity on board the ship by the ship in port is carried out by burning a fuel that meets or exceeds all ISO RMA 10 (ISO 8217-10) specifications, except flash point, characterized in that such fuel contains a series of hydrocarbons having an initial boiling point of naphtha and a highest boiling point being the temperature of its highest boiling point component soluble in a solvent suitable for solvent separation, said fuel having: (a) sulfur with a content of 0.50% by mass (wt%) or less, (b) metals at or below 5.0 mg/kg (parts per million by weight), and (c) flash point less than 60°C. 5. The method according to claim 1, in which the generation of electricity on board the ship by the ship in port is carried out by burning fuel having one or more of these additional distinctive characteristics: (a) viscosity less than 10 cSt, (b) pour point 0 (zero) ºC or less, (c) density at 15°C in the range from 820 to 880 kg/m ³ , and (d) CCAI less than 800. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generation of electricity on board the ship by the ship in port is carried out by burning fuel that falls within the SOLAS exception for flash point requirements for cargo ships.