Method of producing methane and heavy hydrocarbons from marine vessels equipped with UV irradiation process

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A feedstock material containing some carbon is first subjected to conversion to yield a syngas blend, further subjecting blend to ultraviolet irradiation having a wavelength of in the range of between 10 to 400nm to produce a hydrocarbon product having a carbon number of between Ci to Ceo, additionally, the entire method may be implemented onboard a maritime vehicle system (such as a ship, barge, FPSO, tanker, moored structure, etc.) - the vehicle having means to perform ultraviolet irradiation.

PRIOR ART

US Patent 5,720,858,DThe United States of America as represented by the United States

Department of Energy

US Patent 6,267,849, DThe United States of America as represented by the United States

Department of Energy

US Patent 4,199,533, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, there is an unprecedented global demand for energy for industrial and economic development in several high growth regions of the world, and this demand has exceeded in many instances the total capacity of production of fossil-derived energy sources including crude, natural gas, and coal.

When alternative energy sources are factored into the energy supply/demand equilibrium, that is, nuclear, biomass, wind, solar, geothermal and hydro derived energy pools, it is still possible that demand exceeds production capacity. Fossil energy sources are now increasingly explored and mined in far-flung regions that is substantially further away from its demand markets, and in some circumstances, these energy sources are discovered in regions where overall operating environments may be difficult. In the field of natural gas exploration and development, substantial technology has been developed for gas liquefaction to convert natural gas into denser liquefied natural gas (LNG), or directly into hydrocarbons that is easier to transport using marine vessels.

These hydrocarbons may include methanol, light olefins, gasoline, diesel, heavy wax fuels etc.

Upstream technologies developed for the oil industry include marine vessels (offshore oil rigs, submersible platforms, etc.) that can drill to depths that was not possible just one decade ago, and various downstream technologies such as dedicated FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) vessels that can perform a variety of refinery and storage functions.

While the energy environment remains competitive and at times challenging, great potential can be found in still unexplored areas of the world include the Arctic/polar regions where undiscovered oil and gas reserves are estimated at 25% of total world supplies. Significant developments have also been made in the areas of tar sands and shale oil recovery to yield syncrude (synthetic crude).

Additionally, a gradual realization of an apparent acceleration of rising temperatures in almost every major part of the world have convinced many that the continued use and subsequent pollution of heat trapping gases such as carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) cannot be reasonably sustained without dramatic implementation of technologies in the area of environmental regulation, emissions control, carbon sequestration/storage, and simply using fuels that are derived from renewable resources.

It is now estimated that a small elevation in global median temperatures can trigger varying amounts of flooding and sea level readjustments especially to coastal regions, and with large number of urban population centers also located at these places, along with their industrial infrastructure including power generation, transport, factories and manufacturing plants, this presents a potentially massive shift in locating these critical facets of the industrialized states to locations where the mentioned effects are less pronounced.

Marine vessels ranging from container ships that can travel between continents and vast distances to maritime vessels that are simply moored or anchored to body of water, such as storage platforms or ships that can function of depositories for energy assets such as crude oil, or to conduct drilling of energy reserves found deep within the depths of the sea. In addition to ships that either perform transportation of energy, there are vessels that can drill and extract energy, and further "production" vessels that can convert the extracted energy such as natural gas, into denser or more suitable forms, such as methanol, LNG, etc.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For purposes of this specification and claims the following shall mean:

Marine vessel or ship or vessel

Refers to any floatation structure, vehicle, platform, and/or offshore platform. Could be operated in seawater, freshwater, or both. Usually referred to as a ship, ocean-going vessel, barge, hull- vessel, hull, tanker, cargo ship, VLCC (very large crude carrier), FPSO (floating production, storage and off-loading vessel), offshore platforms (semi-submersible, submersible, "rigs") are included in this definition of marine vessel or vessel. Submarines are further included in the definition as same as the term "submersible platform" or vessel.

Plasma producing device, or plasma producing apparatus, or plasma system

Refers to any device or system in which a flowing gas is passed through an electric arc, producing plasma. A plasma is a mixture of ions, electrons and neutral particles produced when stable molecules are dissociated (in this case by an electric arc). The electric arc is formed between two electrodes, the anode (+) and cathode (-). Variations of a plasma-producing device may be in the electrode assembly, the type of flow gas (air, argon, carbon dioxide etc.), use of plasma arc torches, and their power supply requirements (AC versus DC current etc).

Gasification or pyrolysis

Refers to any thermal heating action or process acting on a material to yield gas blend containing elements originally present in the material prior to thermal heating action. In materials containing carbon and moisture, carbon monoxide and hydrogen is produced from this thermal heating action. This gas mixture of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H ₂ ) (along with other gases such as carbon dioxide etc.) is commonly called "Syngas". Generally, a carbonaceous material/feedstock can be converted by thermal means into a syngas blend. Gasification/pyrolysis can be interchangeably used to describe the process of converting the feedstock into Syngas.

Plasma gasification or plasma pyrolysis

Refers to any thermal heating action performed by a plasma producing device, or plasma producing apparatus, or plasma system (see above), on a material (or feedstock) to yield Syngas.

Carbonaceous feedstock or feedstock

Refers to any material containing some carbon. Material, or feedstock, may be in any form and can be either naturally occurring, or a synthetic material, or both, most forms of matter such as solids, liquids and gases are included in the term feedstock or material or carbonaceous material or carbonaceous feedstock. Biomass, municipal waste, municipal solid waste (MSW), scrap

waste material, sludge, marine sludge, waste oil, waste sludge, scrap metal, wood, coal, lignite, waste coal, carbon black, rubber, scrap rubber material, rubber derived material, wood chips, charcoal, glass, paper, refuse derived waste, refused derived fuel (RDF), sand, soil material, granular particles, tar sands, shale oil, peat, natural gas, petroleum, crude oil, oil wax, sewage, grass, agriculture derived waste, animal derived waste, are all considered as part of this definition of carbonaceous feedstock.

Hydrocarbon, or hydrocarbon product

Refers to a hydrocarbon product comprising a carbon number of between C ₁ to C ₄ , or C ₅ to C ₁₀ , or C ₁₁ to C _2O , C ₂₁ to C ₃₀ , or C ₃₁ to C ₆ o, further includes carbon-based fuels comprising a carbon number of between C ₁ to C ₄ , or C ₅ to C ₁₀ , or Cn to C ₂ o, C ₂ i to C ₃₀ , or C ₃ i to C ₆₀ , further includes gasoline, diesel, kerosene, methane, ethane, propane, butane, synthetic natural gas, methanol, light olefins, oxo-alcohols, ethanol.

Syngas or syn-gas or synthetic gas

Refers to any gas blend comprising of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H ₂ ), and may further contain some portion of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) and other elements. Syngas has a heating value of between 75 to 350 BTU per cubic foot - however, BTU values will vary and may exceed the given range depending on gas element composition ratio.

Electrolysis

Refers to any device or system that can split water, seawater or any liquid or fluid or vapor phase gas mixture into component elements. Method of splitting into component elements may be electric, electrochemical, thermal or a combination.

Electric power or electric current

Refers to a supply of voltage (or electric energy) and can include direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) power. Voltage may further comprise of a particular voltage phase.

Vessel powerplant

Refers to the prime mover device or system or engine of the vessel (marine vessel), usually responsible for supplying propulsion power to the vessel, and may feature a mechanical system

(sometimes called a marine drive) coupling the engine to the propeller shalf. For marine vessels without a propeller driven propulsion, the marine drive would be the interface wherein energy generated from the powerplant is converted into propulsion for the vessel.

Powerplant

Refers to any power generating device or system. The device or system may produce mechanical power, or electric power, or both, depending on the type of powerplant. Includes reciprocating piston engines, gas turbines, steam turbines, auxiliary generator units, fuel cells, a battery system, rotary engines, combustion boiler that is coupled with an energy conversion apparatus (such as a steam turbine).

Induction heating apparatus/electric induction heat furnace

Refers to a device usually comprising a furnace that utilizes an induction coil that is powered from an ac power source. Alternating current flowing through the coil creates a magnetic field that is applied to the electrically conductive charge placed inside of the furnace's crucible. Eddy currents induced by the field in the charge can be used to heat, melt and superheat the charge. Modifications and adaptations may be made to allow the conductive charge to be deployed as heating medium to perform heating of the carbonaceous feedstock according to the embodiments of the present invention.

Thermal conversion plant

Refers to a system that is equipped onboard a marine vessel to perform the conversion of a carbonaceous feedstock into a Syngas blend comprising CO and H ₂ , the thermal conversion plant may be in communication or operationally connected with a variety of parts and sub-systems of the marine vessel, or other related plant system of the overall process of the present invention. The thermal conversion plant uses mainly thermal energy to cause the conversion process, either by convection, radiation, conduction, or a combination thereof.

Chemical reaction unit/chemical reaction plant

Refers to a system that is equipped onboard a marine vessel to perform the conversion, or forming of a predetermined hydrocarbon product from a Syngas blend. The chemical reaction unit is in communication or operationally connected with the thermal conversion plant. Conversion process utilizes ultraviolet irradiation to cause formation of hydrocarbon product from the syngas

blend (CO and H ₂ ). Ultraviolet irradiation may be performed at the following wavelength bands: 280 - 400nm, 200 - 400nm, 320 - 400nm, 280 - 320nm, 10 - 200mn, 10 - 280nm. The present invention may further perform ultraviolet irradiation at wavelengths that may differ from the ultraviolet bands above. Ultraviolet irradiation may further be performed to convert syngas into a hydrocarbon product at UVA, UVB, and UVC bands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Process of manufacture and distribution of a hydrocarbon product to at least one remote site, using a marine vessel wherein manufacture and distribution are implemented onboard.

A marine vessel (such as a suitably adapted floatation vehicle) performs intake and loading of a carbonaceous feedstock up to a predetermined load tonnage, from a first remote site, which may be a port terminal facility, a second marine vessel, or a flotation terminal/structure such as an offshore platform, or a land-based/terrestrial facility. The feedstock may be pre-treated including reducing or increasing its moisture content, either by heat drying (reducing moisture), or fluid spraying or steaming (increasing moisture). The feedstock may also be reduced in physical size by means of a grinder device, or be pulverized into a suitable sieve size. The reduction of the feedstock will enlarge surface area that can be converted into the Syngas blend during conversion stage in the thermal conversion plant.

The pre-treated feedstock is then passed into the thermal conversion plant to allow for the feedstock to be thermally converted into a Syngas blend comprising CO and H ₂ , however, the Syngas blend may further comprise of additional gases such as CO ₂ etc, depending on the proximate/ultimate analysis and composition of the feedstock used. (The present invention may use a mixture of different feedstock types depending on the location where the feedstock is collected for conversion).

The syngas blend may undergo a gas "clean-up" stage where the additional gases are removed to an acceptable level, and passed into the chemical reaction unit/plant, where the syngas is converted into a hydrocarbon product

The syngas is converted into the hydrocarbon product by ultraviolet irradiation in a suitable irradiation plant device.

The hydrocarbon product is then isolated, or collected for storage onboard the vessel, which is then subsequently delivered and distributed to a remote site. The marine vessel is simultaneously

performing delivery of the predetermined product to a remote site while converting the carbonaceous feedstock into the said product using the onboard thermal conversion plant, the chemical reaction unit and the marine vessel's system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic of the present invention comprising a marine vessel, a first remote site and a second remote site. The marine vessel performs intake of a carbonaceous feedstock from the first remote site into the vessel, and converts the feedstock into a syngas blend comprising CO and H ₂ , and then converting syngas into a predetermined hydrocarbon product that is delivered and distributed to the second remote site.

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic of the present invention comprising a marine vessel, the vessel further comprising at least one thermal conversion plant, and at least one chemical reaction unit. The thermal conversion plant converts the carbonaceous feedstock into a syngas blend comprising CO and H ₂ ; the chemical reaction unit converts the syngas into a predetermined hydrocarbon product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1 , a marine vessel (2) performs intake and loading of a carbonaceous feedstock (A), from a first remote site (1). The first remote site (1 ) may be a land-based terrestrial facility, or a second marine vessel, or an offshore platform, or a floating terminal platform. Once the feedstock (A) is completely and satisfactorily loaded onto the vessel (2), it begins the journey to a designated second remote site (3). The vessel (2) will also simultaneously convert the carbonaceous feedstock (A) into a hydrocarbon product (B), which is delivered and distributed to the second mote site (3). The vessel (2) may conduct a second intake of additional carbonaceous feedstock (A) from the second remote site (3), to replenish the feedstock (A) that is consumed to produce the hydrocarbon product (B). Additionally, the marine vessel (2) may also conduct replenishment of the feedstock (A) while at the same time, distributing the hydrocarbon product (B) to the second remote site (3).

With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a marine vessel (4) FIG. 2 converts a carbonaceous feedstock (A) FIG. 1 into a hydrocarbon product (B) FIG. 1 , by sending the feedstock (A) FIG. 1 into the thermal conversion plant (5) FIG. 2, and converting the feedstock (A) FIG. 1 into a syngas (7) FIG. 2, this syngas (7) FIG. 2, comprises CO, H ₂ , and is an industrially valuable product by itself. The syngas (7) FIG. 2, is passed into a chemical reaction unit (6) FIG. 2, to convert the

syngas (7) FIG. 2 into the hydrocarbon product (B) FIG. 1.

Modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled in the art. It is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example hereinabove.