US1753769A - Process and apparatus for treating petroleum oil - Google Patents

Description

April 8, 1930. A. G. BOGARDUS' I 3,753,76g

I PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING PETROLEUM OIL Original Filed Jan. 30, 1925 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR G. BOGARDU$, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING PETROLEUM OIL Application filed January 30, 1925. Serial No. 5,704. Renewed July 2, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements in method and apparatus for treating petroleum oil, and refers more particularly to the treatment of hydrocarbon oils under heat and pressure to produce substantial yields of commercial products therefrom.

In the particular embodiment of the present invention, it relates to the use of alternate or inter-connected zones of reaction, and contemplates the cutting in and cutting out of the reaction zones from the system, without any danger of leakage of hot oil into the zone cut out of the system, the pressure of course, being gradually reduced after it has been cut out.

The particular method and apparatus for preventing leaka e of hot oil or Vapors past the valves into t e reaction zone in which the pressure has'just been reduced, consists in introducing to the communicating line a balancing liquid for instance, oil which ma be at atmospheric temperature, but whic must be materially below the temperature of the oil in the system, and maintaining a zone of said liquid under such' a temperature at a pressure substantially the same, or slightly above the ressure maintained on the system in order t at any leakage into the zone of reduced pressure will be a leakage of liquid preferably oil, which is maintained at a temperature materially below the temperature of the system.

Various advantages and objects of the invention will appear from the following description, as well as its utility.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view partly in vertical section, illustrating one t pe of system for the treatment of oil embo ying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged detailed view showing the arrangement of the variouszones.

The char 'ng stock to be treated in the system is wit drawn from any suitable source of supply and forced by means of the pump 1 through the inlet line 2 in which is interposed the valve 2', into the upper portion of the dephlegmator 3, or said 0 ar stock ma be introduced directly into t e eating so coi s through the line 4 controlled by valve 5. The charging stock which does not vaporize in the dephlegmator 3 flows down the reflux leg 6, and eitherunder the hydrostatic head pressure of the column of oil in the leg- 6, or by means of a forced mechanical pressure, for instance, a pump, discharges through the line 7 to the heating coils 8 mounted in the side fired furnace 9, which is heated by the burners 10, the gases of combustion being generated in the combustion chamber 11 assing through the flue 12 and downwardly into the cracking chamber 13 counter-current to the flow of oil and passing out through the stack 14. The oil passing through the heating coils 8 is discharged by means of the transfer line 14 into the header 15 which communicates' with alternate or interconnected reaction chambers 16, which preferably take the form ofwvertically disposed enlarged chambers. "lfhese enlarged chambers may be in sulated as shown at 17, for the purpose of preventing undue radiation of heat, It being the preferable form of invention that'these chambers are not heated. The chambers may be mounted on the supports 18 and be provided with the liquid residue drawofls 19.

controlled by valves 20 positioned at various heightsin order that the liquid mayibe continuously drawn ofi.

Each of the chambers is provided with the vapor outlet pipe 21 controlled by valves 22 and 23 joining at the point 24 with the single vapor pipe 25 in which is interposed valve 26, which vapor pipe 25 commumcates with the lower ortion o the dephlegmator.

The vapors disc arged into the lower portionof the dephlegmator pass upwardly therethrough, counter-current to the flow of charging stock, causing a heat interchange, and consequent vaporization of the light fractions of charging stock and condensation of the heavy ends'of the vapors. The reflux condensate and charging stock flow down through the reflux leg 6 and may be returned to the heating coils as explained.

The uncondensed vapors are discharged from the top of the dephlegmator into the vapor line 27, in which is interposed the valve 28, and are condensed in the condenser coil 29 mounted in condenser box 80, the distillate flowing out through line 31 to the receiver 32 equipped with the liquid drawoif line 33 controlle by valve 34, and with the incondensable gas relief line 35 controlled by valve 36; the receiver may also be equip ed with the pressure gauge 37 and sig t glass gauge 38.

Referring now to some of the particular features of the present invention, in the line 15 are a plurality of sets of valves 39 and 40. Between each of the sets of valves and communicating with the line 15, are lines '41 and 42, in which are interposed valves 43 and 44. The lines 41 and 42 communicate with a single line 45 which in turn communicates with a header 46, which latter is connected with the inlet line 47. The inlet 47 is provided with the accumulator 48 and pump 49. The header 46, in addition-to being provided with the communicating pipe 45 terminates in the extensions 50 and 51, in which are interposed respectively valves 52 and 53. The lines 50 and 51 communicate by means of short nipples 54 with the vapor line 21. The lines 41 and 42 are provided with the valves 55, which are adapted to be open in case it is desired to drain the line.

The arrangement thus described, is such that a liquid medium preferably oil at at mospheric temperature, or at a temperature materiallybelow the temperature maintained on the balance of the system, may be forced by means of the pump through the line 47 into the header 46 downwardly through the line 45 and the line 41 into the header 15, and the valves 43 and 39 being slightly open, will discharge into the right hand reaction chamber 16. The function of the arrangement just described, is as follows: Assume that it is necessary to divert the discharge of the heated oil from the heating coil into one of the chambers 16, for instance, where said chamher is partially filled with coke or carbon, and it is desired to clean out same without interrupting the continuous operation of the process. Assume that the ri ht hand chamber is the one being cut out. he valves 39 in the line 15 are then closed, causing all of the heated oil flowin through the transfer line 14 to discharge into the left hand chamber, the valves 40 being open. The pressure which has been maintained on the system is gradually reduced in the right hand chamber 16, by any of the well known methods,.and because of the faulty construction of valves 39,

hot oil ordinarily would leak past these valves into this chamber of reduced pressure, causing combustion, and sometimes explosions. To obviate this dangerous practice and allow for the ready cutting in and out of.

reaction chambers of this character without interrupting the continuous operation, the present invention was designed. A zone of liquid medium preferably oil, is maintained between the two valves 39, said oil being maintained under the same pressure, or slight 1y above the pressure of the cracking system, thus any oil leaking past the valves 39 into the chamber 16 will be relatively cool oil which will not submit itself to combustion or explosion.

As a further feature of the invention, the cold oil zone may be maintained not only between the two reaction chambers but also in the vapor line of the system from the zone of reaction being cut out of the system. Thus,

the flow of vapors which ordinarily would.

flow backwards through the valves 23 and 22 into the chamber 16, will be prevented'on account of the zone of relatively cool oil under pressure.

This latter function is accomplished by closing the valves 22 and 23 in the vapor line leading from the chamber, from which the supply of oil has been diverted, and in supplying the cool oil to the neutral zone between the closed valves 22 and 23, either through the line 50 or line 51 and the associated line 54, depending on whether the right or left, hand chamber is being cut out of the system, the supply of cool oil to the neutral zones between the valves 22 and 23 being controlled by the valves 52 and 53 positioned in the lines 50 and 51 respectively.

In the enlarged detailed illustration in Fig. 2, A designates the zone in which the pressure of the system is maintained on the heated oil. Zone B represents a zone in which is maintained a pressure of cool liquid equal to or slightly above the pressure maintained in A. Zone C is the zone of reduced pressure. It is of course, understood that the valves in the cool oil lines are closed as tightly as is possible, it being the object of this invention not to introduce the cool oil or liquid into the zone of reduced pressure in any substantial amount, but merely to replace the usual leakage of hot oil into said zone of reduced pressure with cool oil.

It is to be noted that I have provided a plurality of sets of valves to insure safer operation. It is to be understood that the pressure maintained by the pump 49 may be supplied by means of the usual raw oil feed pump, a reflux pump, any auxiliary pump, or any other means of pressure supply with or without a ressure accumulator.

It is to be urther understood that the essence of my invention is directed to cover oil at any temperature, and also hydrocarbon or other vapor at any temperature or pressure, and also any combination of liquid; vapor, or gas. The functionof course of the accumulator 48 is to take care of the fluctuation and result in the maintenance of a more uniform pressure, and also to provide reserve pressure in case the oil pump stops operating. 7

Referring to Fi 2, assume that the cold liquid being supp ied to the zone B comes transmitted directly to zone B would be higher than the process pressure by the difference between pipe frictions directly through the tubes as compared to the pipe friction directly to zone B; This point merely simplifies the practical use of the idea.

I claim as my invention:

1. A method of treating etroleum oil, consisting in heating the oil, discharging said heated oil into one of a plurality of interconnected zones of reaction,.where separation of vapors and precipitation of carbon takes place, removing the vapors, dephlegmating, condensing and collecting same, maintaining a superatmospheric pressure on the said zone,

, interrupting the discharge of heated oil into said zone of reaction and diverting same to another of the interconnected zones, gradually reducin the pressurein the first mentioned zonew ile simultaneously causing the flow of oil has been diverted to said first mentioned zone.

4. An apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oils in a continuous manner under superatmospheric pressure comprising oil heating tubes disposed within a furnace, means for passing 011 through said heating tubes, a plurality of reaction chambers, a conduit interconnecting said reaction chambers for alternate use, means connecting said conduit and said oil heating tubes, a pair of spaced apart valves positioned in said conduit between said connecting means and each of said reaction chambers, each air of said valves ada ted when closed to lsolate the section of sai conduit extending between the valves of the pair which is closed, and to prevent flow of oil into one of said reaction chambers, a drain opening in the section between each pair of valves for removing material from said section when isolated without permitting material removed through said drain 0 en ing from re-entering the apparatus, an independently operable valves for controlling said drain openings.

ARTHUR G. BOGARDUS.

' system pressure to be' imposed on the zone into which the discharge of heated oil has been diverted, preventing leakage of heated oil into the zone'of reduced pressure by maintaining a neutral zone of oil in the vapor connection between the zones of reaction at temperature materially below the temperature of the oil being treated, under a pressure substantially the same as the pressure on the j system.

for heating and 2. In an apparatus for treating oils, the combination with interconnected zonesof reaction having va or discharges, of means discharging heated oil to said zones of reaction, valved passageways communicatingwbetween the zones of reaction, and also tween the vapor discharges,

leads communicating with the valved passageways, means including a pump for introducing and maintaining a body of liquid,

materially below the temperature of the heated oil, under pressure in said leads to provide a balancing zone when one of the zones of reaction is cut out of the system.

3. A method of the class described, con-' sisting in introducing oil to one of alternate reaction zones, in diverting the flow of oil from said zone to the other of said alternate reaction zones, in maintaining a superatmospheric pressure on the oil in the last mentioned reaction zone, in isolating a section of the transfer line to and a section of the vapor line from said first mentioned reaction zone, and in introducing to said isolated sections a medium under pressure, to prevent the flow of oil or vapors from the zone to which the

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