Process for Purifying Mineral Oil Fractions and an Apparatus Suitable for Carrying Out the Process

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This patent describes a novel process and apparatus for purifying mineral oil fractions, specifically by reducing the sulfur content in liquid fuels such as diesel, gasoline, and kerosene. The method involves first bringing the sulfur-containing fuel into a supercritical state (where it behaves like both a liquid and a gas), enriching it with hydrogen, and then reacting it with a catalyst under high temperature and pressure. This converts the sulfur compounds in the fuel into hydrogen sulfide, which is then removed, resulting in cleaner, low-sulfur fuel.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Producing low-sulfur diesel, gasoline, or kerosene for vehicles and jet engines.
• Preparation of cleaner fuels to comply with environmental regulations on sulfur emissions.
• Use in oil refineries to upgrade high-sulfur crude oil fractions into more valuable, low-sulfur products.
• Supporting fuel preparation for fuel cell systems that are sensitive to sulfur contaminants.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables more efficient removal of sulfur from a range of petroleum fractions, including complex sulfur compounds that are hard to treat by traditional methods.
• Reduces the need for hydrogen recycling and lowers energy consumption compared to conventional hydrotreating, due to better solubility and reaction rates in the supercritical state.
• Allows for smaller reactor sizes thanks to higher reaction speeds, potentially reducing capital and operating costs.
• Helps produce fuels that meet stringent environmental standards, thus reducing air pollution and engine wear caused by sulfur residues.
• Provides a flexible solution that can be adapted to many types of liquid fossil fuels.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a process for reducing the organic sulphur content in a sulphur-containing liquid fuel, which comprises the steps a) the sulphur-containing fuel is brought into contact in a super-critical state with a hydrogen-containing gas, b) the supercritical fuel enriched with hydrogen is brought into contact at elevated temperature and superatmospheric pressure with a catalyst which catalyses conversion of at least part of the sulphur in the fuel into hydrogen sulphide in a reactor c) in a downstream treatment step, the hydrogen sulphide is taken from the liquid fuel so that a sulphur-containing liquid fuel having a reduced sulphur content is obtained at the end. According to the invention, the hydrogen-enriched fuel is brought into contact in the supercritical state with the catalyst in the process.