Cavitation Technologies, Inc. Filed a Patent for Rapid Modification of Crude Oil

January 7, 2009 Filed Under: Oil and Gas  

Cavitation Technologies, Inc. has filed a patent for rapid modification of crude oil. It is proven that cavitation in fluids provide superior mixing and may significantly accelerate rates of chemical reactions and processes. By applying this concept to oil refining industry the company was able to increase the efficiency of refining crude petroleum to gasoline, kerosene, diesel, jet fuel and other valuable hydrocarbon-based products. The company has developed a unique concept and created the efficient flow-through hydrodynamic cavitation device that does not have an equivalent in the market. The technology is very robust; it allows the prompt alteration of both physical and chemical properties of crude oil and petroleum products. The developed cavitation generator can be used as a feed injector/mixer and can be easily coupled to a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) or any other refining facility to maximize the refinery’s profitability.

“We look forward to productive collaboration with a number of the oil mining and refining companies. Oil refining is a multi-billion dollar industry and we are very excited to become part of it. We are certain that our systems will increase profitability by cutting refining costs, saving energy, and increasing efficiencies,” said Roman Gordon Chairman and CEO of Cavitation Technologies. “During our testing 5 to 15% more diesel and gasoline was produced from the same barrel of crude oil using our technology.”

Crude oil is converted into many useful products. One barrel of crude oil gives the following percent yield: gasoline 46.7%, fuel oil 28.6%, jet fuel 9.1%, petrochemicals 3.8%, coke 3.5%, asphalt and road oil 3.1%, liquefied gases 2.9%, lubricants 1.3%, kerosene 0.9%, and waxes 0.1%. Cavitated oil increases the output of light fractions at lower temperatures. Cavitation heats crude oil, disrupts its matrix, and improves API gravity and viscosity by 10 -15%. The process breaks down hydrocarbons and facilitates their fragmentation which results in creation of more valuable by-products. There are several potential benefits of using cavitation on crude oil such as, but not limited to: Reducing energy consumption by minimum of 10%, facilitates cracking of hydrocarbons and increases gasoline/diesel yield by 5-15%, reduces sulfur content, raises octane number in the straight run benzene and diesel fractions, and facilitates separation of water from the petroleum. For instance, in our trials, oil cavitation in the absence of hydrogen gas has increased the Br-number (ASTM D1159-07) by 6-16%.