New Visbreaking Process Can Be Used at the Wellhead
Foster Wheeler Corp. (Clinton, N.J.) today announced that Foster Wheeler USA Corp., UOP and Intevep SA have signed a joint development and commercialization agreement for the Aquaconversion Process, a new innovative catalytic thermal conversion process for residues and heavy crude oils.
Developed by Intevep SA, the Aquaconversion process is a homogeneous, catalytic, thermal conversion process that is available for license exclusively from Foster Wheeler USA Corp. and UOP.
Aquaconversion process technology offers two main applications. The first is for the production, at the wellhead, of a syncrude from heavy crudes, such as those found in the Orinoco Basin of Venezuela. The syncrude becomes lighter and less viscous, making it easier to transport and process in a refinery. The second application is for the processing of residues in the refinery in order to reduce fuel oil production. Reducing fuel oil production is economically attractive because it permits more of the stock to be processed to higher-value products such as gasoline, jet and diesel fuels.
The Aquaconversion process, which offers a lower-cost route for the conversion of heavy crude oil reserves than those currently employed or contemplated, can produce a syncrude using relatively mild operating conditions that will meet the required pipeline transportation criteria. The process is sufficiently non-complex so that it can be located near the wellhead in the production field.
In a refinery, significant reduction in fuel oil production can be obtained through operation of the Aquaconversion process. Up to 40 wt% conversion of 500C+ residues can be achieved while maintaining fuel oil stability. Since the process utilizes both equipment and operating conditions similar to the visbreaking process, existing visbreaking units can be readily revamped to enable refiners to take advantage of this new process technology.
The Aquaconversion process has been successfully demonstrated on both pilot plant and commercial scales. Two commercial trials of the new process were successfully completed at the Isla Refinery in Curacao in an 18,000 bbl/stream-day thermal cracking unit.
Intevep SA, located in Los Teques, Venezuela, outside of Caracas, is the research-and-development affiliate of Petroleos de Venezuela SA. UOP, based in Des Plaines, Ill., is an international supplier of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment and technical services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical and gas processing industries.
Foster Wheeler USA Corp. designs, engineers and constructs plant facilities for a wide range of industries including petroleum refiners and chemical and pharmaceutical producers. The company also provides a complete scope of environmental services, including remedial investigations and feasibility studies, together with hazardous waste and toxic substance cleanups.