HYDROTHERMAL PURIFICATION PROCESS
A process and system for reducing contaminants contained in a contaminated feedstock comprising mixing the contaminated feedstock with water and at least one of metal scavengers or reactants, to form a feedstock-water-reactant mixture, feeding the mixture under pressure into a hydrothermal purification reactor, wherein the mixture is subject to heat, pressure, and turbulent flow conditions to cause rapid reaction of the inorganic contaminants with the metal scavengers or reactants to form inorganic salts that partition into an aqueous phase and maintaining the temperature, pressure, and turbulent flow conditions of the feedstock-water-reactant mixture for a predetermined space time to prevent the organic portion of the feedstock in the mixture from undergoing a conversion reaction and to form a hydrothermal reactor effluent; and separating the effluent into the aqueous phase containing salts of the inorganic contaminants and an organic phase that contains a lower concentration of inorganic contaminants than the contaminated feedstock.
1 . A hydrothermal cleanup system for reducing contaminants contained in a contaminated feedstock comprising:
a mixing point to mix the contaminated feedstock with a water feed and at least one of metal scavengers or reactants;
at least one pump disposed upstream from the mixing point to pressurize the contaminated feedstock and the water feed;
at least one heating device to heat the contaminated feedstock and the water feed;
a hydrothermal reaction zone disposed downstream from the mixing point operated at temperature, pressure, and turbulent flow conditions at a Reynolds Number of at least 2000 to maintain a liquid, hydrothermal phase that results in rapid reaction of inorganic contaminants with acid and salt scavengers in the feedstock-water-reactant mixture without causing cracking of lipid carbon-carbon bonds or isomerization of the contaminated feedstock,
wherein the hydrothermal reaction zone has an operating pressure within a range of 250 psig to 3,000 psig and an operating temperature within a range 225° C. to 350° C.; and
a separation system for removing a clean oil product stream and water stream containing the inorganic contaminants from an effluent of the hydrothermal reaction zone.
2 . The hydrothermal cleanup system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heating device utilizes heat from the effluent of the hydrothermal reaction zone.
3 . The hydrothermal cleanup system of claim 1 , wherein the separation system comprises a gravity separator.
4 . The hydrothermal cleanup system of claim 3 , wherein one or more demulsifying agents are added to the separation system.
5 . The hydrothermal cleanup system of claim 1 , wherein the operating temperature is within a range of 300° C. to 350° C.
6 . The hydrothermal cleanup system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first equalization tank for the contaminated feedstock,
wherein the first equalization tank allows for equalization of flow of the contaminated feedstock; and
a second equalization tank for the water feed,
wherein the second equalization tank allows for equalization of flow of the water feed.
7 . The hydrothermal cleanup system of claim 6 , wherein the first equalization tank controls a feedstock temperature of the contaminated feedstock and the second equalization tank controls a water temperature of the water feed.
8 . The hydrothermal cleanup system of claim 1 , wherein a water-to-oil weight ratio in the hydrothermal reaction zone is between 1:100 and 3:1.
9 . A system for reducing contaminants contained in a contaminated feedstock comprising:
a first equalization tank to equalize a flow rate of the contaminated feedstock;
a second equalization tank to equalize a flow rate of a water feed;
at least one feedstock pump to pressurize the contaminated feedstock;
at least one water pump to pressurize the water feed;
a first heating device to heat the contaminated feedstock;
a second heating device to heat the water feed;
a mixing point to mix the contaminated feedstock with the water feed and at least one of metal scavengers or reactants, wherein the metal scavengers or reactants comprise acid or salt solutions, or a combination of acid and salt solutions, to form a feedstock-water-reactant mixture;
at least one mixture heat exchanger to heat the feedstock-water-reactant mixture;
a hydrothermal purification reactor system operated at temperature, pressure, and turbulent flow conditions at a Reynolds Number of at least 2000 to maintain a liquid, hydrothermal phase that results in rapid reaction of inorganic contaminants with acid and salt scavengers in the feedstock-water-reactant mixture without causing cracking of lipid carbon-carbon bonds or isomerization of the contaminated feedstock,
wherein the hydrothermal purification reactor system has an operating pressure within a range of 250 psig to 3,000 psig and an operating temperature within a range of 225° C. to 350° C.; and
a separation system for removing an organic phase that contains a lower concentration of the inorganic contaminants than the contaminated feedstock and an aqueous phase containing the inorganic contaminants from an effluent of the hydrothermal purification reactor system.
10 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a treatment system for the aqueous phase containing the inorganic contaminants,
wherein the treatment system comprises at least one of further processing to recover byproducts, applying to land, de-watering and using as an animal feed supplement, and treating in conventional wastewater treatment processes.
11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein greater than 95% of the inorganic contaminants are eliminated from the contaminated feedstock.
12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one mixture heat exchanger utilizes heat from the effluent of the hydrothermal purification reactor system to heat the feedstock-water-reactant mixture before entering the hydrothermal purification reactor system.
13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the operating temperature is within a range of 300° C. to 350° C.
14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein a space time of the feedstock-water-reactant mixture in the hydrothermal purification reactor system is within a range of approximately from 10 seconds to 15 minutes.
15 . A system for reducing contaminants contained in a contaminated feedstock comprising:
a mixing point configured to mix the contaminated feedstock with a water feed to form a feedstock-water mixture;
at least one pump disposed upstream from the mixing point to pressurize at least one of the contaminated feedstock and the water feed;
at least one heating device configured to heat at least one of the contaminated feedstock, the water feed, or the feedstock-water mixture;
a hydrothermal treatment zone disposed downstream from the mixing point and configured to receive the feedstock-water mixture, the hydrothermal treatment zone being operated at temperature, pressure, and turbulent flow conditions at a Reynolds Number of at least 2000 to maintain the feedstock-water mixture in a liquid hydrothermal phase that promotes reaction and partitioning of inorganic contaminants into an aqueous phase while preventing cracking of lipid carbon-carbon bonds or isomerization of the contaminated feedstock,
wherein the hydrothermal treatment zone is operated at a pressure within a range of 250 psig to 3,000 psig and at a temperature within a range of 225° C. to 350° C.; and
a separation system configured to separate an effluent of the hydrothermal treatment zone into an organic phase containing a reduced concentration of inorganic contaminants relative to the contaminated feedstock and an aqueous phase containing the inorganic contaminants.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one heating device utilizes heat from the effluent of the hydrothermal treatment zone.
17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the separation system comprises at least one of a gravity separator, an electrostatic-assisted gravity separator, a coalescer, a hydrocyclone, a centrifuge, or any combination thereof.
18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the hydrothermal treatment zone is operated at an operating temperature within a range of 300° C. to 350° C.
19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein a water-to-oil weight ratio of the feedstock-water mixture is between 1:100 and 3:1.
20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the hydrothermal treatment zone is configured to maintain a space time of the feedstock-water mixture within a range of approximately from 10 seconds to 15 minutes.