Nova Patents
USRE38366E

Oil re-refining method and apparatus

Claim Score by NHIP

Read claim 1, the broadest

Abstract

This record has no abstract on file.

Term

Term ended

Expired 19 September 2020, 6 years ago.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Granted
  4. Expired
  5. Today

30 claims: 7 independent, 23 dependent

  1. 1
    Broadest claimClaim Score 89, very broad(NHIP)A method of re-refining used oil wherein the used oil is processed in at least one cyclonic vacuum evaporator comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber into which feedstock is substantially tangentially injected, and wherein a fraction of the feedstock is condensed in a spray condenser communicating with the evaporation chamber.
  2. 5
    A cyclonic vacuum evaporator provided with temperature and pressure control and comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber, means for injecting feedstock substantially tangentially into said evaporation chamber, and a spray condenser in communication with said evaporation chamber in which a distillate is obtained.
  3. 10
    A plant suitable for re-refining used oil, the plant comprising at least two cyclonic vacuum evaporators each provided with temperature and pressure control and each comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber into which, in use, feedstock is substantially tangentially injected, and each being provided with a spray condenser in communication with the evaporation chamber in which spray condenser a distillate may be collected, wherein the evaporators are linked together such that feedstock which has been processed in a first evaporator may be passed as feedstock to the at least one other evaporator for further processing.
  4. 12
    A cyclonic vacuum evaporator provided with a temperature and pressure control and comprising an evaporation chamber defining an interior space substantially void of baffles or other means to impart a cyclonic motion to the feedstock, means for injecting feedstock substantially tangentially into said evaporation chamber, and a spray condenser in communication with said evaporation chamber in which a distillate is obtained.
  5. 13
    A method of re-fining used oil wherein the used oil is processed in at least one cyclonic vacuum evaporator, the cyclonic vacuum evaporator comprising an evaporation chamber which is substantially free of moving parts and/or labyrinthine structures, said method comprising (a) tangentially injecting a primary feedstock into a first evaporator, the first evaporator having a temperature of from 160 to 180° C. and a pressure of from 400 mbar to atmospheric, wherein a fraction of the feedstock is condensed in a spray condenser communicating with the first evaporation chamber, and a further fraction of the feedstock is collected as a first bottoms product at a lower end of the first evaporating chamber;(b) tangentially injecting a proportion of the first bottoms product into a second evaporator, the second evaporator having a temperature of from 260 to 290° C. and a pressure of from 40 to 100 mbar vacuum, wherein a fraction of the first bottoms product is condensed in a spray condenser communicating with the second evaporation chamber, and a further fraction of the first bottoms product is collected as a second bottoms product at a lower end of the second evaporation chamber;(c) tangentially injecting a proportion of the second bottoms product into a third evaporator having a temperature of from 290 to 330° C. and a pressure of from 15-25±10% mbar vacuum, wherein a fraction of the second bottoms product is condensed in a spray condenser communicating with the third evaporation chamber, and a further fraction of the second bottoms product is collected as a third bottoms product at a lower end of the third evaporation chamber;and (d) tangentially injecting a proportion of the third bottoms product into a fourth evaporator having a temperature of from 320 to 345° C. and a pressure of from 5 to 15 mbar vacuum, wherein a fraction of the third bottoms product is condensed in a spray condenser communicating with the fourth evaporation chamber, and a further fraction of the third bottoms product is collected as a fourth bottoms product at a lower end of the fourth evaporation chamber.
  6. 22
    A method for re-fining used-oil, comprising:injecting a primary feedstock into at least two cyclonic vacuum evaporators connected in series, the evaporators comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber, a substantially tangential inlet, and a spray condenser in communication therewith, passing a distillate from each of the at least two cyclonic vacuum evaporators to the spray condensers;and controlling a temperature and pressure of each evaporator independently.
  7. 26
    A method for re-fining used-oil, comprising:injecting a primary feedstock into a first cyclonic vacuum evaporator having a substantially tangential inlet and a spray condenser in communication therewith, the first evaporator comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber;injecting at least a portion of a bottoms product of the first evaporator into a second cyclonic vacuum evaporator having a substantially tangential inlet and a spray condenser in communication therewith, the second evaporator comprising a substantially void evaporation chamber;passing a distillate from the first and the second evaporators to the spray condensers;and controlling a temperature and pressure of each evaporator independently.