Systems and methods for renewable fuel
View Patent ↗The present application generally relates to the introduction of a renewable fuel oil as a feedstock into refinery systems or field upgrading equipment. For example, the present application is directed to methods of introducing a liquid thermally produced from biomass into a petroleum conversion unit; for example, a refinery fluid catalytic cracker (FCC), a coker, a field upgrader system, a hydrocracker, and/or hydrotreating unit; for co-processing with petroleum fractions, petroleum fraction reactants, and/or petroleum fraction feedstocks and the products, e.g., fuels, and uses and value of the products resulting therefrom.
1. A method for powering a vehicle, comprising: combusting a fuel in an internal combustion engine of the vehicle, the fuel formed by an approved fuel pathway under U.S. renewable fuel standard program regulations for generating one or more the cellulosic renewable identification numbers, comprising: processing a liquid biomass and a petroleum fraction in the presence of a catalyst, the liquid biomass derived from a non-catalytic thermo-mechanical conversion comprising:
i) grinding a dried cellulosic biomass; and
ii) liquefying at least 60 wt. % of the ground dried cellulosic biomass to form the liquid biomass.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is a cellulosic renewable identification number qualifying-gasoline.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is a cellulosic renewable identification number qualifying-diesel fuel.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is associated with a cellulosic renewable identification number.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel is a D-code 7-compliant fuel.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processed liquid biomass has a weight in the range of 1-5 wt. % of the combined weight of the processed liquid biomass and the processed petroleum fraction.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-catalytic thermo-mechanical conversion comprises pyrolysis.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-catalytic thermo-mechanical conversion comprises rapid thermal processing.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the liquid biomass further comprises:
i) a carbon content in the range of 35-80 wt. % on a moisture-free basis;
ii) an oxygen content in the range of 20-50 wt. % on a moisture-free basis; and
iii) a water content in the range of 10-40 wt. %.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the liquid biomass has a solids content of less than 0.5 wt. % and an ash content of less than 0.1 wt. %.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the petroleum fraction and the liquid biomass are co-processed in a continuous fluidized catalytic cracking unit.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the solid biomass comprises a wood, wood residue, or agricultural residue.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid biomass is an unenriched renewable fuel oil.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing occurs in a continuous unit.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the continuous unit is a fluidized catalytic cracking unit.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the petroleum fraction is VGO.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing and the non-catalytic thermo-mechanical conversion are conducted in the same refinery site.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processed liquid biomass weighs less than 10% of the total weight of the processed liquid biomass and the process petroleum fraction.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
i) 93-99.95 wt. % of the total weight of the processed liquid biomass and the processed petroleum fraction comprises the weight of the processed petroleum fraction; and
ii) 0.05-7 wt. % of the total weight of the processed liquid biomass and the processed petroleum fraction comprises the weight of the processed liquid biomass.