METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PURIFYING AND ENRICHMENT OF HYDROCARBON MATERIAL

The invention refers to method and device for purifying hydrocarbon material from hetero-organic impurities, metals and mechanical particles.

The invention may be used for internal combustion engines and other devices using hydrocarbon fuel. It may be used at gas and oil fields, where the hydrocarbon raw will be purified from corrosion causing impurities directly prior to transportation over a pipeline or in railway tank-wagons that will significantly reduce the costs for their maintenance and operation, will reduce the ecological load on the environment, flora and fauna.

The work in the oil-refining and chemical industries will be noticeably simplified and the production costs for ultimate gasoline, diesel, kerosene, oils and other fractions will be reduced.

One of the methods for reducing toxic injections in combustion materials is catalytic process based on passing the fuel through the thermocatalytic chamber [1] SU No 1799429 or purification of exhaust gases by free radicals [2] SU No 111522.

The main disadvantages for the catalytic process of purification are as follows: high cost price of catalytic materials and their alloys (platinum, palladium, etc.); complexity of the design; heating of some components up to high temperature; reduce of engine power; fuel over-expenditure; non-occurrence of neutralization of the whole set of toxic injection. There is also well-known the electrochemical method for purification of hydrocarbons from organic impurities [3], WO 9325636 1993, [4] WO No 9749785 1997. One of their disadvantages is the need for neutralization of products of purification.

The prior art of the proposed method is the process for purification of hydrocarbons by electrochemical method, which comprises counterflow of hydrocarbon and electrolyte in electrolytic cell (due to the difference in specific gravities the hydrocarbon is moving over the electrolyte). However, the purification is effected only on the contact surface of hydrocarbon and electrolyte under significant power expenses [5] GE U 1999452 Georgia.

There are known the filters, by means of which the purification of hydrocarbon fuel from mechanical impurities is carried out [6] the USSR No 1586747 23.08.90. But said filters do not purity the fuel from toxic organic impurities and metals.

Another prior art of the proposed device is also the gravitation filter. Said filter provides purification of the fuel only from mechanical impurities [7] the USSR No 1454994 1989.

The technical result of the invention is purification of hydrocarbon material from detrimental and toxic impurities, reduce of fuel consumption, increase in recourse for engine operation, simplification and cheapening of the whole cycle of the turnaround of oil-refining plants, chemical and other enterprises consuming hydrocarbon material, radical solution of the ecological problems concerned.

The technical result is achieved in that the hydrocarbon material is purified from the detrimental impurities through its contact with the short-lived radicals of hydrogen (H*) and oxygen (O**) arising during the electrolysis. In order to increase the efficiency and reduce the power expenses the contact of H* and O** is effected in the whole volume of the electrolyte, through which in order to increase the contact surface the hydrocarbon is moving upwards via the sparger, alternately interacting with positive and negative mesh electrodes, i.e. with H* and O**.

As electrolyte there is used water (of marine, river origin, etc.), alkaline metals hydroxides, sulphate containing aqueous solutions. The Fig.l shows the device, its vertical cross-section.

The device comprises a hermetic body with a sediment box, a power supply connected to the packet of conical or spherical electrodes, the amount and the area of which depends on the amount and the quantity of the cleanable material, a sparger disposed under the lower electrode, a cylinder with the electrodes included therein. The body comprises the electrolyte level controller.

The device operates as follows: the body 1 is filled with the electrolyte 2 from the plug fitting 3 to the level between the plates (A and B) 4. The cleanable material 5 from the capacity 6 by means of the pump 7 is fed to the sprayer 8. From there, broken into small fractions material due to the difference in specific gravities is moving upwards through the electrolyte 2 and the assembly of mesh electrodes 9 and 10 placed therein, alternately interacting with free radicals H* and O** formed in the result of electrolysis. They are very active. Their lifetime is some microseconds only. But they have time to enter into communication with organic impurities and

metals immediately at the moment of their production before they recombine into neutral molecules H ₂ and O ₂ for reaction with which the high temperature up to 500 ⁰ C, the pressure up to 50 atmospheres and the expensive catalysts are required. In the result of this reaction the stable molecular ties are produced. The formed complex mixture gradually precipitates at the bottom of the body 1 and as accumulated is fed to the collector 1 1 for further extraction of useful metals, and other elements therefrom.

The process proceeds under the normal temperature and pressure, without the use of expensive catalysts and at the minimal cost of electric power.

The purified material is saturate with hydrogen and oxygen remaining after the reaction that promotes to more efficient combustion of the fuel and after pass through the control filter 12 by means of the pump 7 arrives to the consumer, in particular to the internal combustion engine 13 and a suppressor 14.

In case of reduce of the electrolyte level in body 1 the level controller - a magnetically operated sealed switch 15 is switched and from capacity 16 the body 1 is filled with electrolyte to the blades level (A and B).

The heater 17 serves for keeping the optimal temperature in body 1. The reverse valve 18 serves for preventing ingress of electrolyte 2 into capacity 6 with hydrocarbon material. The power supply 19 with the voltage regulator 20 provides feeding of voltage to electrodes 9 and 10. For internal combustion engines the voltage may be fed from generator-dynamo. Cylinder 21 provides the bottom-up movement of cleanable material only through the assembly of mesh conical or spherical electrodes 9 and 10.