Method for production of synthetic natural gas from crude oil

Claim 1

A method of producing a pipeline gas of high heating value from crude oil comprising the steps of: partially vaporizing a crude oil feed in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of between 600* and 1000*F, introducing the vaporized crude oil feed and hydrogen into a gasification vessel maintained at a temperature in excess of 1000*F wherein the feed stream is gasified producing an effluent consisting essentially of hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, methane, ethane, and residual aromatic hydrocarbons; cooling the effluent gases to room temperature and recovering waste heat therefrom to form water and aromatic condensate; and removing the hydrogen sulfide, water and residual aromatics from said effluent in a purification zone; cryogenically separating the methane and ethane from the hydrogen in a purified effluent stream; reacting steam with the ethane contained in the methane and ethane stream to produce methane and carbon dioxide; and removing the carbon dioxide and discharging methane in a product receiving device.

Claim 2

A method of producing a pipeline gas of high heating value from crude oil comprising the steps of: partially vaporizing a crude oil feed in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of between 600* and 1000*F, introducing the vaporized crude oil feed and hydrogen into a gasification vessel maintained at a temperature in excess of 1000*F wherein the feed stream is gasified producing an effluent consisting essentially of hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, methane, ethane, and residual aromatic hydrocarbons; cooling the effluent gases to room temperature and recovering waste heat therefrom to form water and aromatic condensate; and removing the hydrogen sulfide, water and residual aromatics from said effluent in a purification zone; cryogenically separating the methane and ethane from the hydrogen in a purified effluent stream; reacting steam with the ethane contained in the methane and ethane stream to produce methane and carbon dioxide; and removing the carbon dioxide and discharging methane in a product receiving device.

Claim 10

A method for producing a pipeline gas having a heating value of about 1000 BTU/SCF from crude oil comprising the steps of: subjecting a crude oil stream to a topping operation wherein there is a 360*F end point naphtha separation; partially vaporizing the topped crude oil stream in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of between 600*F and 1000*F thereby admixing the crude oil vapors and hydrogen to form a process stream; gasifying the process stream to form an effluent consisting essentially of methane, ethane, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen and residual aromatic hydrocarbons; removing the residual aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide from the effluent in a purification unit; separating the hydrogen from the methane and ethane in the effluent; reacting the naphtha from the crude oil topping steps and the methane and ethane effluent with steam to produce a carbon dioxide and methane effluent; and separating the carbon dioxide from the methane and introducing the methane into a product pipeline.

Claim 11

A method for producing a pipeline gas having a heating value of about 1000 BTU/SCF from crude oil comprising the steps of: subjecting a crude oil stream to a topping operation wherein there is a 360*F end point naphtha separation; partially vaporizing the topped crude oil stream in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of between 600*F and 1000*F thereby admixing the crude oil vapors and hydrogen to form a process stream; gasifying the process stream to form an effluent consisting essentially of methane, ethane, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen and residual aromatic hydrocarbons; removing the residual aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide from the effluent in a purification unit; separating the hydrogen from the methane and ethane in the effluent; reacting the naphtha from the crude oil topping steps and the methane and ethane effluent with steam to produce a carbon dioxide and methane effluent; and separating the carbon dioxide from the methane and introducing the methane into a product pipeline.

Claim 16

A method of gasifying a crude oil to produce a gaseous effluent consisting essentially of hydrogen, methane, ethane, hydrogen sulfide and uncondensed aromatics comprising the steps of: introducing a liquid crude oil into a vaporization vessel heated to between 800* and 1000*F; maintaining a pool of liquid residual crude oil in said vaporization vessel and introducing warmed gaseous hydrogen into the pool of liquid residual crude oil thereby forming a mixture of vaporized hydrogen and crude oil above the pool of liquid residual crude oil; and withdrawing the vaporized crude oil hydrogen mixture and injecting said mixture into a hydrogasification vessel wherein the mixture is recirculated at a temperature of about 1400*F to cause the mixture to react to form a gasifier effluent consisting essentially of hydrogen, methane, ethane, aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide and lowering the temperature of said effluent and recovering heat thereby thus condensing and separating condensible aromatic hydrocarbons.

Claim 17

A method of gasifying a crude oil to produce a gaseous effluent consisting essentially of hydrogen, methane, ethane, hydrogen sulfide and uncondensed aromatics comprising the steps of: introducing a liquid crude oil into a vaporization vessel heated to between 800* and 1000*F; maintaining a pool of liquid residual crude oil in said vaporization vessel and introducing warmed gaseous hydrogen into the pool of liquid residual crude oil thereby forming a mixture of vaporized hydrogen and crude oil above the pool of liquid residual crude oil; and withdrawing the vaporized crude oil hydrogen mixture and injecting said mixture into a hydrogasification vessel wherein the mixture is recirculated at a temperature of about 1400*F to cause the mixture to react to form a gasifier effluent consisting essentially of hydrogen, methane, ethane, aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide and lowering the temperature of said effluent and recovering heat thereby thus condensing and separating condensible aromatic hydrocarbons.

Claim 18

A METHOD OF GASIFYING A CRUDE OIL TO PRODUCE A GASEOUS EFFLUENT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF HYDROGEN, METHANE, ETHANE, HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND UNCONDENSED AROMATICS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: INTRODUCING A LIQUID CRUDE OIL INTO A VAPORIZATION VESSEL HEATED TO BETWEEN 800* AND 1000*F; MAINTAINING A POOL LIQUID RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL IN SAID VAPORIZATION VESSEL AND INTRODUCING WARMED GASEOUS HYDROGEN INTO THE POOL OF LIQUID RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL THEREBY FORMING A MIXTURE OF VAPORIZED HYDROGEN AND CRUDE OIL ABOVE THE POOL OF LIQUID RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL; AND

Claim 19

A METHOD OF GASIFYING A CRUDE OIL TO PRODUCE A GASEOUS EFFLUENT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF HYDROGEN, METHANE, ETHANE, HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND UNCONDENSED AROMATICS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: INTRODUCING A LIQUID CRUDE OIL INTO A VAPORIZATION VESSEL HEATED TO BETWEEN 800* AND 1000*F; MAINTAINING A POOL LIQUID RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL IN SAID VAPORIZATION VESSEL AND INTRODUCING WARMED GASEOUS HYDROGEN INTO THE POOL OF LIQUID RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL THEREBY FORMING A MIXTURE OF VAPORIZED HYDROGEN AND CRUDE OIL ABOVE THE POOL OF LIQUID RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL; AND