Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
of
Hydrodynamic
Cavitation
as
a
Means
of
Natural
Crude
Oil
and
Synthetic
Biofuel
Upgrading
Max
Fomitchev-Zamilov1,2
Sergei
Godin2
1
Quantum Potential Corporation, State College, PA 16803 Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
Abstract
Cavitational
treatment
of
liquid
hydrocarbon
such
as
crude
oil,
fuel
oil,
bitumen,
and
various
biofuels
is
known
to
reduce
their
viscosity
and
increase
the
yield
of
light
fraction
extractable
via
subsequent
atmospheric
and/or
vacuum
distillation.
Such
treatment
of
hydrocarbons
(which
is
not
limited
to
cavitation)
with
the
objective
to
increase
their
quality
is
generally
referred
to
as
upgrading.
The
upgrading
due
to
cavitation
becomes
economically
viable
and
commercially
attractive
if
the
following
three
necessary
conditions
are
met:
1)
the
process
must
produce
energy
densities
that
are
high
enough
to
brake
molecular
bonds
and
create
free
radicals;
2)
when
recombining
the
radicals
must
form
new
chemical
species
with
the
desired
properties,
which
were
deficient
in
the
original
mix;
3)
the
energy
costs
must
be
competitive
compared
to
the
established
upgrading
methods
such
as
thermal,
catalytic,
or
hydrocracking.
Fortunately,
hydrodynamic
cavitation
reactors
satisfy
these
conditions.
When
powered
by
15-200kW
electric
motors
these
devices
can
generate
acoustic
energy
density
in
excess
of
1MW/m2,
which
is
sufficiently
high
to
break
long
hydrocarbon
chains
and
upgrade
crude.
The
problem
of
the
radical
recombination
is
solved
via
the
introduction
of
hydrogen
donors
such
as
water,
naphtha,
gas,
or
light
crude.
1
Although
the
technique
of
cavitational
oil
cracking
has
been
known
in
the
Soviet
Union
since
the
early
sixties,
the
technology
is
virtually
unknown
in
the
West,
and
there
are
only
a
few
small
companies
in
Russia
and
Ukraine
that
develop,
manufacture,
and
export
the
cavitation
equipment
mostly
to
customers
in
China,
India,
Spain,
and
Brazil.
The
U.S.
petroleum
industry
and
the
American
economy
too
stand
to
benefit
from
industrial
applications
of
cavitation
to
hydrocarbon
processing
and
reap
substantial
economical
benefits
such
as
energy
savings,
reduced
fuel
costs,
and
cleaner
emissions.
Because
of
potential
importance
of
the
applications
of
hydrodynamic
cavitation
in
oil
and
gas
industry
we
propose
to
study
the
operation
of
a
hydrodynamic
cavitation
reactor
of
Kladov/Selivanov
design
also
known
as
the
activator
or
the
ultrasonic
activator.
The
Kladov/Selivanov
activator
is
a
representative
member
of
the
family
of
hydrodynamic
cavitation
devices
employed
in
crude
oil
and
fuel
oil
upgrading.
The
ultrasonic
activator
of
Kladov/Selivanov
design
is
a
perfect
experimentation
tool
due
to
availability
of
the
experimental
data,
the
existence
of
the
detailed
design
plans,
relative
ease
of
construction,
and
high
density
of
acoustic
energy
that
it
generates
(up
to
10
MW/m2).
The
objectives
of
the
investigation
are
to
study
the
cavitation-induced
hydrocarbon
cracking,
determine
the
range
of
potential
applications
in
natural
and
synthetic
crude
processing
and
bio-fuel
production,
and
verify
their
economic
viability.
The
long-term
goal
is
to
achieve
better
understanding
of
the
underlying
sonochemical
processes
and
to
design
new
cavitation-based
hydrocarbon
processing
equipment
for
U.S.
petroleum
industry.
refineries are equipped with the state-of-the art catalytic cracking systems as companies often lack capital or incentives to upgrade to the latest technological process. For instance, in Russia only 43% of refineries are outfitted with the latest catalytic cracking technology versus 58% of the U.S. and 76% of Japanese refineries [3]. Typical capital expenditures associated with the construction of state-of-the art refinery outfitted with catalytic cracking could be in excess of $1 billion USD. Clearly, large capital expenditures required for catalytic cracking equipment as well as substantial energy requirements for powering of the catalytic cracking process and high maintenance costs (e.g. the catalyst and the furnaces are susceptible to coking) negatively impact the economics of the light fraction recovery. Moreover the worldwide depletion of light sweet crude reserves forces petroleum companies to extract more and more of heavier crude, which in turn either yields less light fractions during the refining process or requires larger energy input and more expensive technology to recover the same amount of light fractions as from the light crude. Clearly, other economically viable alternatives for boosting the light fraction yield from crude and other opportunities to maximizing the efficiency of the tower bottom residue processing (such as heavy fuel oil, bitumen and asphalt) must be explored. Hydrodynamic cavitation cracking is one such alternative.
- Chemical reaction acceleration (due to the locally increased temperature in collapsing bubbles and the availability of radicals).
All of these effects have a numerous commercial application from wastewater treatment and sterilization to cement manufacturing and food processing. For the remainder of the discussion we will focus on petrochemical and hydrocarbon applications of cavitation.
)))
Fig.
1.
Depolymerization
of
fuel
under
the
influence
of
ultrasonic
cavitation.
Viscosity, cSt
Temperature, C
Processed crude heated to 90C (best result), Tsolid=-10C Processed crude heated to 90C (worst result), Tsolid=+10C Unprocessed crude, Tsolid=+18C
Fig. 2. Reduction of the viscosity of crude oil after cavitational treatment in the ultrasonic activator [10].
EkoEnergoMash
reports
fuel
20-30%
fuel
oil
viscosity
reduction
and
5-10%
flash
point
temperature
increase
after
cavitational
treatment
[11]
Table
1.
Corroborating
the
claims
by
Kavitus
[9],
EkoEnergoMash
[11]
also
reports
3-5%
reduction
in
soot
and
ash
emission
from
burning
of
the
cavitationally
processed
fuel
oil.
Fuel
Oil
Parameters
Fuel
Oil
Sample
Viscosity
flow
equivalent,
St,
T=60
Start
Karabashsky
Shukrovsky
155
38
Finish
90
23
Delta,
%
42
39
Flash
point,
Start
120
105
Finish
127
115
5
9
Density,
kg/m
Delta,
%
Start
Finish
925
915
920
915
Delta,
%
0,5
0
0
3
Nizhnekamsky 165 120 25 145 135 - 7 920 920 Table 1. Fuel oil viscosity decrease and flash point temperature increase after cavitation treatment.
of the acoustic energy. According to [13] an energy approaching 1MW/m2 will render further increase of acoustic power useless due to vapor cusion formation around the acoustic transducer in contact with the liquid while at lower energy densities the efficiency of the bond breaking process is minuscule (due to insufficient energy of bubble collapse) and economically non-viable. The objection, however, applies only to conventional ultrasonic equipment that relies on piezoelectric transducers or sonotorodes for liquid excitation. To achieve the requisite acoustic energy densities on the order of 1- 10 MW/m2 hydrodynamic cavitation apparata [4, 8] should be used where acoustic excitation is generated by means of a rapidly rotating perforated rotor. Such designs produce high density of acoustic energy over a wide surface area (i.e. around the rotor) thus producing much larger cavitation volume and higher energy density when compared to the traditional piezoelectric transducer or sonotrode-based devices. Nesterenko and Berlizov [14] estimate that even if the cavitation bubbles occupy 10% of the volume of the processed liquid then 360 liters of petroleum products will be necessary to create one mole of lighter hydrocarbons ( = 100-300) equivalent to 100- 300g. Thus highly efficient multiple-stage cavitation processing is required in order to achieve economically attractive cracking. Fortunately, according to [4, 8] such multi-stage processing is possible with the help of loop-back hydrodynamic cavitation devices, especially those of rotary type. Such devices are manufactured by EkoEnergoMash, Russia (Fig. 3), Kavitus, Ukiraine (Fig. 4), ITER, Russia (Fig. 5), and others. The performance of hydrodynamic cavitation cracking varies from 3% to 90% yield of light fractions depending on the feedstock and the technology. E.g. Kavitus reports 3-5% increase in kerosene fraction after cavitation processing of high-viscosity maritime fuel oil with their KAP-300 system (Fig. 6).
Fig.
3.
Commercial
hydrodynamic
cavitation
apparatus
manufactured
by
EkoEnergoMash
(Russia).
Fig.
4.
Commercial
hydrodynamic
cavitation
reactor-homogenizer
KAP-1500
manufactured
by
Kavitus
(Ukraine).
Fig.
5.
Commercial
hydrodynamic
cavitation
and
hydrocracking
pilot
plant
ITER
HYDRO
200
near
Belgorod
(Russia)
powered
by
200kW
electric
motors.
The
plant
was
designed
by
ITER
(Russia)
and
manufactured
by
Belnafta
(Russia).
ITER
HYDRO
200
claims
to
achieve
direct
crude
/
waste
oil
to
diesel
conversion
at
90%
efficiency.
Hydrogen
and/or
water
is
used
as
a
source
of
hydrogen
donors.
Fig.
6.
Kerosene
fraction
increase
in
high-viscosity
maritime
fuel
oil
after
cavitation
processing
with
Kavitus
KAP-300
system.
Out of all hydrodynamic cavitation equipment manufacturers ITER claims the most impressive results: 90% conversion of heavy crude (or waste oil) directly to diesel (9% amount to bitumen and 1% losses) [28]. During one particular demonstration bituminous crude from Russkoye well (Russia) with the following characteristics: Density @ 20C = 940 kg/m3; Sulfur = 0.8% wt; Distillation yield @ 500C = 40% Density @ 20C = 825 kg/m3; Sulfur = 0.1% wt.
was converted into diesel (160-360C fraction) with the following specs:
ITER
achieves
direct
crude
to
diesel
conversion
by
first
preheating
the
feedstock
to
high
temperature
(420C
in
the
above
example),
mixing
the
feedstock
with
hydrogen
(0.1%
wt
in
the
above
example)
and
passing
the
feedstock
through
the
proprietary
200kW
vortex
cavitation
reactor
(the
reactor
residency
time
is
5
seconds;
pressure
=
5
atmospheres;
rotor
speed
3900
RPM)
[28].
Belnafta
(Russia),
the
commercial
partner
if
ITER
estimates
the
conversion
power
requirements
of
100
kWh/ton.
2012
Quantum
Potential
Corporation
|
www.quantum-potential.com
|
CONFIDENTIAL
9
Another approach to boosting the efficiency of cavitation is to conduct the ultrasonic excitation in the presence of an electric field [15]. Electrostatic charge generated within the bubbles assists radical formation due to covalent bond breaking, which generate chain reactions in hydrocarbons with the end-result being low molecular-weight compounds and aromatics [15]. More recently the use of ultrasound was proposed for the petroleum residue upgrading [17], including asphaltenes [18]. In these studies study ~20% of asphaltenes was converted into smaller molecules after 60-120 minute of processing. These heavy resinous residues are a byproduct of catalytic cracking, which cannot be easily decomposed due to boiling temperatures far in excess of 500-600C used in catalytic cracking. While ultrasonic cracking of these substances is possible economic viability is yet to be demonstrated. Promtov [16] draws the attention to the efficiency of the rotary apparata in breaking C-C bonds under vigorous long-term cavitation conditions and gives the results of the experimental investigation of one such machine at Tambov State University. The study found that ultrasonic processing of a mixture of a heavy fuel oil with small addition of kerosene or light diesel results in a modest decrease of the kinematic viscosity by 1-2 mm2/s and equally small decrease in the flash point temperature by 4-6C. In the same time cavitation cracking of crude allows reducing atmospheric distillation temperature of crude by 10C, while reducing the 50% distillation temperature by 63C, a huge energy saving Table 2.
Table
2.
The
reduction
of
distillation
temperatures
of
the
cavitationally
treated
crude
with
respect
to
untreated
one.
Laboratory findings of Promtov lend some credence to the claims made by other equipment manufacturers: e. g. Kavitus (Ukraine) claims 50-60% pour point temperature reduction and 20-25% of viscosity reduction of heavy fuel oils processed through their KAP-series cavitation reactors [9]; in the end the hydrodynamic cavitation results in 8.3% fuel economy and 30% reduction in harmful emissions as reported by their MobiLine customer (Italy); another customer Zaporozhstal (Ukraine) reported 10.2% fuel economy after cavitational treatment of fuel oil for their diesel locomotive train depot [9]. Independently, another Russian company New Technologies 2000 [10] publicizes the increased light diesel yield from the hydrodynamically activated heavy crude Fig. 7.
10
Fig.
7.
The
increased
yield
of
light
diesel
after
the
installation
of
an
ultrasonic
activator
at
La
Libertad
refinery,
Ecuador
[10].
In
2006-2007
trials
diesel
fraction
output
increases
from
26%
to
40%
or
by
1000-1400
barrels
per
day.
The
increase
was
attained
solely
by
ultrasonic
excitation
of
crude
at
the
expense
of
37
kWh
of
continues
power
required
for
operation
of
the
ultrasonic
activator
pump.
Nikolay
Selivanov
(the
co-founder
of
New
Technologies
2000)
has
obtained
additional
encouraging
data
when
he
was
processing
heavy
heavy
sour
fuel
oil
through
his
rotary
cavitation
apparatus
(the
ultrasonic
activator).
Fig.
8.
shows
that
after
the
hydrodynamic
cavitation
treatment
the
processed
fuel
oil
thermally
cracks
into
lighter
fractions
at
markedly
reduced
temperatures:
e.g.
18%
yield
occurs
for
the
treated
(activated)
fuel
oil
at
much
lower
temperature
of
350C
as
opposed
to
650C
for
the
untreated
oil
[10].
These
intriguing
results
point
to
economic
viability
of
ultrasonically
/
cavitationally
assisted
hydrocarbon
cracking
and
clearly
warrant
further
study
combined
with
an
independent
laboratory
confirmation
of
the
reported
results.
T,C
%
Vol
Fig.
8.
The
results
of
thermal
cracking
of
the
cavitationally
processed
(red
line)
and
the
original
unprocessed
heavy
fuel
oil
(yellow
line).
The
ultrasonically
treated
compound
yields
6%
of
light
fractions
almost
with
no
heating
(100C)
and
gives
off
19%
of
light
fractions
when
heated
to
440C
(compare
to
over
700C
required
by
the
untreated
oil).
Blue
line
is
a
mixture
of
the
original
and
processed
oil.
11
Selivanov
has
conducted
additional
experiments
on
hydrodynamically
processing
heavy
crude
and
fuel
oil
with
his
ultrasonic
activator
and
conducted
ASTM
D86
distillation
testing
of
the
processed
feedstock.
Typical
results
are
shown
on
Fig.
9
[29].
According
to
the
people
involved
in
the
project,
hydrodynamic
processing
of
heavy
crude
and
fuel
oils
with
Selivanovs
activator
usually
results
in
light
fraction
increase
of
5-20%
depending
on
the
type
of
feedstock
(according
to
ASTM
D86
testing).
400 350 300 250
Temperature, C
200 150 100 50 0 BT 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Yield, %
Fig.
9.
ASTM
D86
distillation
curves
of
the
unprocessed
(blue
curve)
and
hydrodynamically
processed
(red
curve)
fuel
oil.
Note
that
the
unprocessed
fuel
oil
yields
only
22%
at
350C
while
the
processed
fuel
oil
yields
52%
at
the
same
temperature.
12
pumping of crude through the ultrasonic activator under 2-5 MPa pressure and with addition of 2-3% by volume of dispersing gas. The key feature of Kladovs apparatus is the ability to generate enormous sonic energy densities on the order of 1-10MW/m2 by virtue of both ultrasonically and hydrodynamically-induced cavitation. Furthermore, the multi-stage design of Kladovs ultrasonic activator allows repeated processing of the same liquid to maximize the cracking effect. Another clever feature of Kladovs design is the addition of dispersing gas (e.g. hydrogen, carbon dioxide, air, or methane) that facilitates bubble formation and participates in chemical reactions with the cracked hydrocarbon radicals thus preventing them from recombining into their original form. The infusion of H2 or CH4 effectively enables C-H bond formation in place of ruptured C-C bonds. Another key feature of Kladovs design is the claimed resonant mode of operation, which maximizes the conversion of the mechanical energy of rotors mixing the fluid into the ultrasonic energy of cavitating bubbles, which in turn results in cracking of C-C bonds. From the design point of view Kladovs activator is essentially a centrifugal pump where the processed liquid is accelerated by a rapidly rotating perforated rotor wheel (9) and then forced by the impellor (8) through slots (12) in the perforated cylindrical stator (9) Fig. 10 and 11.
Fig. 10. Kladovs ultrasonic activators rotor and stator cross-section (left) and the rotors slots (right). The impeller (8) forces the liquid through the slots (10) in the rotor (9); the accelerated liquid flows through slots (12) in the perforated stator (12).
13
Fig.
11.
Kladovs
four-stage
activator
featuring
a
shaft
with
four
perforated
rotors
mounted
within
each
own
perforated
stator.
En
electric
AC
motor
drives
the
shaft
(not
shown).
Four
impellers
(8)
drive
the
liquid
through
rotors
slots
and
then
through
stators
slots.
The
rotor
and
the
stator
slots
are
of
the
same
size;
the
width
of
blanks
between
the
slots
is
the
same
as
the
width
of
the
slots.
Circulation
line
(13)
with
valve
(17)
can
be
used
to
send
a
portion
of
the
pumped
liquid
into
repeated
processing
through
the
activator.
In addition to four-stage activator a single-stage apparatus is also possible. In the case of a single-stage design sufficient rate of cavitation processing is achieved by looping back portion of the processed fluid back into the activator (e.g. via the loopback line (13) on Fig. 11). In all cases 30-300 kW (depending on the number of stages) 3-phase electric AC motor drives the shaft housing the rotor(s) and the impeller(s). Kladovs design is representative of a wide variety of rotary cavitation machines employed in Russia and Ukraine, and their hydrodynamic and ultrasonic characteristics are described in depth in [4] and [8]. These rotary devices feature perforated rotors and cylindrical or conical stators and are capable of generating of massive amounts of cavitation far in excess (>100 times) of the amounts accessible via conventional ultrasonic excitation via a piezoelectric transducer or sonotrode. Hence if cavitation hydrocarbon cracking is to be economically viable a rotary cavitation machine has to be used.
Technical
Description
The
extremely
interesting
results
of
cavitation-induced
hydrocarbon
cracking
and
oil
upgrading
listed
in
the
previous
sections
of
this
proposal
merit
an
independent
laboratory
confirmation
of
the
results
reported
by
the
manufacturers.
Positive
confirmation
will
justify
the
adoption
of
the
cavitation-induced
oil
cracking
technology
in
the
U.S.
with
the
economic
advantages
amounting
to
the
reduced
power
requirements
for
catalytic
14
cracking and the increased yield of light fractions (e.g. due to heavy crude and heavy fuel oil upgrading).
Fig.
12.
Selivanovs
variant
of
Kladovs
activator
(far
left),
electric
motor
(right)
and
bearing
unit
(middle)
is
also
shown.
In
Selivanovs
version
of
the
activator
the
stator
is
not
perforated
and
corresponds
to
an
entirely
smooth
cylinder
enclosing
the
perforated
rotor.
The
replacement
of
perforated
stator
with
a
smooth
one
is
the
only
principle
modification
from
Kladovs
original
design.
To conduct the study we propose to build an ultrasonic activator, which corresponds to Selivanovs modification of the original Kladovs design [24] Fig. 12. The choice of Selivanovs design was dictated by the following key factors: - - - - - - Availability of detailed construction plans with exact measurements [24]; Relative ease of construction: to recreate the design one can simply retrofit an existing centripetal pump; Consultation and availability of the inventor (Selivanov); Familiarity of our company with this particular design due to our prior involvement with Selivanovs activator and cavitation technology; Availability of proprietary data indicative of the successful activator applications for oil cracking / upgrading projects in Russia, Ecuador and India [10]; The industrial deployment of the Selivanovs activator technology in India backed by Swiss-Indian financiers indicates real savings and clear economical viability of the cavitation-induced upgrading (economic effect from a single refinery is estimated to exceed $150,000/day [27]).
The only principal difference between a single-stage Kladovs and Selivanovs activator is in the replacement of the perforated stator with a smooth cylindrical one in Selivanovs version. From our extensive operational experience this modification does not affect the activators primary function: for many years Selivanov has been building the activators, which differ only by their resonant properties as defined by rotor and stator measurements and have successfully applied the technology for crude oil cracking and petroleum processing in Russia, Ecuador, and India [10]. Overall view of Selivanovs activator in industrial setting is shown on Fig. 13, and a close up of another model
15
highlighting the perforated rotor design is shown on Fig. 14. In a typical implementation the rotor is driven at 3,600 RPM by a 30kW 3-phase electric AC motor. According to Kladov and Selivanovs own work [24] only rotor and stator configuration and rotor revolution speed is critical to activators operation.
Fig.
13.
Slivanovs
activator
in
industrial
setting
at
a
refinery
in
Ecuador.
Fig.
14.
Close-up
of
Selivanovs
activator
demonstrating
perforated
rotor
(top
left)
and
mysterious
marks
on
internal
stator
surface
(top
tight)
probably
caused
by
the
standing
ultrasonic
waves.
Our initial investigation of Selivanovs activator revealed a surprisingly large excess heat. The evidence of extreme heating was present even on the outer surface of the activator: the stator developed thermal discoloration spots evenly distributed along the stators outer surface Fig. 15. While these marks can probably be attributed to the
16
cavitation-induced heating no such marks were present on the inside surface of the stator or rotor. On the other hand the rotor was also perfectly intact.
Fig.
15.
Thermal
oxidization
marks
evenly
distributed
on
the
outer
surface
of
the
activators
stator.
Inner
stator
surface
was
free
of
thermal
oxidization
films,
which
could
have
been
chemically
removed.
Both
the
stator
and
the
rotor
are
made
of
the
same
brand
of
stainless
steal
equivalent
to
U.S.
type
420.
Other unusual phenomena recorded in our initial trials of the activator included: - The presence of substantial magnetic field (10-50 mT) around the operating activator Fig. 16 indicative of charged plasma (charged chemical radicals?) circulating within the activator. We suspect the formation of the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube; Occasional unexpected excess pressure build up within the activator resulting in damage (i.e. cracking) of the activators rotor and stator; Odd coloration marks on the internal surface of the stator. The coloration marks correspond to images of rotor slots and are somehow synchronized to activators ground position and orientation and cannot be disturbed even by a groove machined in the stators surface in attempt to disrupt the pattern Fig. 17. The pattern, however, did shift when the activator was moved to a new location. Our conclusion is that the marks are indicative of a standing acoustic wave possibly locked onto a resonant Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, which is pinned down by magnetic field of the Earth or laboratory.
- -
Fig.
17.
Magnetic
field
generated
by
the
operational
activator.
17
Fig. 17. Mysterious coloration marks on the internal surface of the stator corresponding to rotor slots. Note that the marks are simply changes in color and not indentations. The dark groove in the middle of the picture was machined in attempt to influence the pattern. However, the coloration pattern did not
by pumping mineral oil through the narrow opening in the nozzle at 50 m/s Fig. 14. The presence of the bubble discharge currents is the most likely cause of the magnetic field detected around the activator. Stator
Rotor
Fig. 18. Liquid flow through activators slots. The liquid existing the slots forms resonant vortices. Rotor motion direction is given by V.
Fig. 19. 40 kV/cm discharge (short and thin zigzagging line) between the charged luminous cavitation- induced bubbles (long blue streak) and the grounded nozzle (cone on the right) emitting a 50 m/s flow of mineral oil.
Conclusion
The
ultrasonic
activator
of
Kladov/Selivanov
is
capable
of
highly
efficient
transformation
of
mechanical
energy
into
ultrasonic
energy
with
density
on
the
order
of
1-10
MW/m2.
This
colossal
energy
stimulates
profuse
cavitation,
confined
to
slots
of
the
rotor.
The
massive
sonic
energy
forms
plasma
within
the
bubbles,
the
bubbles
form
Marx
generator-like
discharges,
which
further
contribute
to
molecular
radicalization
and
hydrocarbon
cracking.
To
prevent
recombination
of
radicals
and
reduce
the
formation
of
aromatics
the
addition
of
hydrogen
or
methane
is
required
to
the
processed
mixture.
Fortunately,
the
addition
of
gasses
also
stimulates
cavitation
thus
further
intensifying
the
process.
Therefore,
the
combination
of
all
these
factors
makes
efficient
cavitation-
19
induced hydrocarbon cracking feasible (at least in principle) and thus potentially economically important.
Fig.
20.
Experimental
setup.
20
Additionally we will implement a line to feed the dispersing gases such as H2, air, and CH4 to be mixed into the feedstock pumped through the activator. We will experiment with a broad range of hydrocarbons, including various types of heavy crude and heavy fuel oil. During Phase I funding of the project we plan to achieve the following: 1) Build a replica of the ultrasonic activator according to Kladov and Selivanov using the construction plans in our possession and the inventors consultation; 2) Detect the necessary resonant modes of operation and attune the activator to them my varying rotational frequency of the motor; 3) Measure electromagnetic fields generated by the operating activator; 4) Vary pressure within the activator; 5) Vary gas feed rate and the dispersing gas composition; 6) Determine viscosity and gravity changes in the processed liquid depending on the processing time; 7) Determine hydrocarbon content in the processed liquids (via gas chromatography) depending on the processing time; 8) Measure electric power consumption and calculate the fluid processing rate; 9) Repeat measurements 4-7 for various types of hydrocarbons including common grades of heavy crude and heavy fuel oil. 10) Perform distillation analysis of the processed samples. At the end of Phase I of the project we plan to obtain conclusive data with regard to economical viability of the crude and heavy fuel oil upgrading. During Phase II of the project we plan to launch an expanded inquiry into the application of the cavitation processing to bio-diesel production and engage the U.S. petroleum industry (via our university contacts) in field trials of the activator in order to demonstrate economic viability of the technology in industrial setting. The objective of the Phase II of the project is to develop commercially viable activator prototypes for useful for U.S. petroleum industry.
Potential
Post-Applications
The
confirmation
of
economical
viability
of
hydrodynamic
cavitation
treatment
of
hydrocarbons
will
correspond
to
a
significant
step
towards
the
increased
fuel
economy,
the
increased
light
fraction
yield,
and
the
reduced
energy
requirements
of
the
refining
process,
thus
giving
the
U.S.
petroleum
industry
and
the
American
nation
an
economic
advantage
over
the
global
competition
via
more
efficient
utilization
of
hydrocarbon
resources
while
enabling
the
reduced
carbon
footprint.
2012
Quantum
Potential
Corporation
|
www.quantum-potential.com
|
CONFIDENTIAL
21
1) 2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
References
[1]
Ophardt,
C.E.,
Virtual
Chembook,
Distillation
oil
refining,
Elmhurst
College,
2003,
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/513refining.html
[2]
Izatt,
J.,
Asphalt,
in
Encyclopedia
of
Chemical
Processing
and
Design,
McKett,
J.J.,
editor,
New
York,
1986,
vol.
3,
p.421
[3]
Kovin
et
al.,
Catalytic
Cracking
Development
and
Its
Role
in
Modern
Russian
Refinery,
Ufa
State
Petroleum
Technological
University,
UDK
665.773.5,
2009
[4]
Promptov,
M.A.,
Pulsation
Apparata
of
Rotor
Type:
Theory
and
Practice,
Moscow,
Mashinostroyeniye,
2001
[5]
Flannigan,
D.J.,
Suslick,
K.S.,
Plasma
formation
and
temperature
measurement
during
single-bubble
cavitation,
Nature,
434,
7029,
p.
5255,
2006
[6]
Chen
et
al.,
Time-resolved
spectra
of
single-bubble
sonoluminescence
in
sulfuric
acid
with
a
streak
camera,
Phys.
Rev.
E
78,
035301(R),
2008
[7]
Suslick,
K.S.,
Sonoluminescence
and
Sonochemistry,
in
the
Encyclopedia
of
Physical
Science
and
Technology,
3rd
Edition,
Myers,
R.A.
(editor),
Academic
Press,
2001
[8]
Chervyakov,
V.M.,
Yudayev,
V.F.,
Hydrodynamic
and
cavitation
processes
in
rotor
apparata,
Moscow,
Mashinostroyeniye,
2007
[9]
Zhuk,
V.,
The
Cavitational
Fuel
Depolymerization,
CT
Kavitus,
2008
[10]
Selivanov,
N.I.,
Change
of
Viscosity
of
Oil,
New
Technologies
2000,
2002,
http://www.newtech2000.ru/new_tech_eng1.php
[11]
EkoEnergoMash,
Cavitation
Technologies,
Kazan,
Russia,
2009,
http://www.eemkzn.ru/product/kavitac/
[12]
Suslick
et
al.,
Alkane
Sonochemistry,
J.
Phys.
Chem.,
87,
p.
2299-2301,
1983
[13]
Suslick,
private
communication
[14]
Nesterenko,
A.I.,
Berlizov,
Yu.S.,
The
Possibility
of
Cracking
Hydrocarbons
with
Cavitation,
Chemistry
and
Technology
of
Fuels
and
Oils,
43,
6,
2007
[15]
Besov
et
al.,
Degradation
of
Hydrocarbons
in
the
Cavitation
Region
Activated
by
Aqueous
Electrolyte
Solutions
in
the
Presence
of
Electric
Field,
Technical
Physics
Letters,
29.
3.
P.
207-209,
2003
[16]
Promtov,
M.A.,
Cavitation
Technologies
for
Quality
Improvement
of
Hydrocarbon
Fuels,
Chemical
and
Petroleum
Engineering,
44,
1-2,
2008
[17]
Sawarkar
et
al.,
Use
of
Ultrasound
in
Petroleum
Residue
Upgradation,
The
Canadian
Journal
of
Chemical
Engineering,
87,
3,
pp.
329-342,
2009
[18]
Lin,
J.R.,
Yen,
T.F.,
An
Upgrading
Process
through
Cavitation
and
Surfactant,
Energy
and
Fuels,
7,
pp.
111-118,
1993
2012
Quantum
Potential
Corporation
|
www.quantum-potential.com
|
CONFIDENTIAL
23
[19] Kladov, A.F., Ultrasonic Activator, WO/1994/0009894, 1994 [20] Kladov, A.F., Process For Cracking Crude Oil And Petroleum Products And A Device For Carrying Out The Same, WO/1994/01026, 1994 [24] Selivanov, N.I., Method and Device for Conditioning Hydrocarbon Liquid, WO/2003/093398, 2003 [25] Selivanov, N.I., Private communication, 2010 [26] Flannigan, D.J., Suslick, K.S., Internally confined plasma in an imploding bubble, Nature Phyrics Letters, 6, 2010, DOI:10.1038/NPHYS1701 [27] Rodionov, B.U., Acceleration of ions and nuclear reactions in cavitating liquids, in proceedings of the 3rd All-Russian Conference on Science and Technology, p. 125-127, 2002, http://library.mephi.ru/data/scientific-sessions/2002/3_Konf/1132.html [28] Schukin, V. A., The method for hydrocracking of oil feedstock with vortex reactor, Russian Federation Patent #2448153, Issued 7/30/2010 [29] Selivanov, K. N., Private communication, 2011.
24
Facilities
Quantum
Potential
Corporation
has
necessary
facilities
to
conduct
the
project
work
outlined
in
this
proposal
for
purpose
of
this
project.
Equipment
Quantum
Potential
Corporation
has
necessary
tools
and
equipment
to
conduct
the
project
work
outlined
in
this
proposal,
except
for
the
ModCon
MOD-8000
system,
which
must
be
purchased.
Budget
Justification
1. ModCon
MOD-8000:
$75,000
2. Activator
Construction
costs:
$50,000
3. ASTM
D-86
automatic
distillation
station:
$20,000
Funds
sought:
$250,000-400,000
25
Dr. Fomitchev-Zamilov is a leading force behind Quantum Potential Corporation. Primary mission of the company is design, development and sales of cavitation equipment and high-risk/high-payoff research in science and technology. Physicist and computer engineer by training, Dr. Fomitchev-Zamilovs designs the equipment produced by Quantum Potential Corporation. Dr. Fomitchev-Zamilovs relevant experience includes theoretical and experimental physics, molecular dynamics, high-performance computing, ultrasonic pulse shaping and piezoelectric transducer frequency control. Education 2001 1999 1997 Employment 2002-present President, Quantum Potential Corporation 2006-present Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Pennsylvania State University 1997-2001 Software Engineer, LeapNet, Inc. Selected Patents and Publications Fomitchev, M. (2001). Ultrasound Imaging Device that Uses Optimal Lag Pulse Shaping Filters, US Patent #6,167,758, Fomitchev, M., Grigorashvily, Yu., & Volkov S. (1999). Ultrasonic Pulse Shaping with Optimal Lag Filters. International Journal of Imaging Systems and Technology, 10 (5), 397- 403 Grigorashvily, Yu., & Fomitchev, M. (2000). Ultrasound System with Pulse-Shape Control, Izvestija vuzov, 2, 70-74 Fomitchev, M. (1998). Introduction to Wavelets, Matematicheskaja Morfologija, 3 (1), 1998 Fomitchev, M., Grigorashvily, Yu., & Volkov S. (1999). Cost-Effective Ultrasound Imaging Apparatus that Uses Optimal-Lag Pulse Shaping Filters, 1999 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings, 1, 691-694 Grigorashvily, Yu., & Fomitchev, M. (2000). Ultrasound System with Pulse-Shape Control, International Conference Sensor-2000 Proceedings, Sudak, 112 PhD in Computer Engineering, Moscow Institute of Electronic Engineering PhD Candidate in Computer Science, University of Tulsa MS in Computer Engineering, Moscow Institute of Electronic Engineering
26
Sergei
Godin
Chief
Engineer
200
Innovation
Blvd,
Suit
254,
State
College,
PA
16803,
814-325-0148,
sergei@quantum-potential.com
Biographical
Sketch
Mr.
Godin
is
an
experienced
practitioner
and
an
exceptional
experimentalist.
He
will
be
responsible
for
mechanical
design
and
for
designing
electronic
circuits
and
control
systems
for
the
experiment.
Mr.
Godin
is
an
expert
in
electrical
engineering,
digital
/
analog
electronics,
measurement
devices
and
experimentation
in
general.
He
has
vast
experience
working
with
both
hydrodynamic
and
acoustic
cavitation.
Prior
to
joining
Quantum
Potential
Mr.
Godin
has
worked
as
an
engineer
at
the
Central
Research
Institute
for
Communications
(Moscow),
then
as
a
research
associate
at
IMASH
(Moscow)
and
for
the
following
12
years
as
a
research
associate
at
the
Institute
for
High
Temperatures
(IHT)
of
the
Russian
Academy
of
Sciences.
During
his
tenure
at
IHT
Mr.
Godin
was
a
key
investigator
in
a
number
of
research
projects
focused
on
sonoluminescence,
cavitation,
plasma
discharges,
and
nuclear
fusion.
Mr.
Godin
has
a
valuable
experience
of
research
commercialization
and
has
a
knack
for
discovering
multiple
practical
applications
of
scientific
ideas.
He
leads
a
diverse
group
of
cross-disciplinary
researchers.
Besides
his
duties
at
Quantum
Potential
Mr.
Godin
servers
as
a
consultant
on
a
oil
cracking
research
project
for
a
large
Russian
oil
and
gas
company.
Mr.
Godin
has
co-authored
a
book
on
fundamental
physics,
numerous
research
papers
and
holds
several
patents.
Education
1989
PhD
Candidate
in
Mechanics
and
Mathematics,
Moscow
State
University
1983
Certificate
in
Signal
Processing,
Moscow
Institute
of
Radio-engineering
Electronics
1981
MS
in
Electrical
Engineering,
Moscow
Institute
of
Communications
and
Informatics
Employment
2010-present
Research
Associate,
Quantum
Potential
Corporation
1996-2008
Research
Associate,
Institute
for
High
Temperatures
of
Russian
Acad.
of
Sci.
Selected
Publications
Karimov,
A.,
&
Godin,
S.
(2009).
Coupled
radialazimuthal
oscillations
in
twirling
cylindrical
plasmas,
Physica
Scripta,
80
(3),
035503
Godin,
S.,
&
Botvinsly,
V.
(2009).
Measurements
of
displacement
current
with
fammeter,
Radiotechnology
&
Electronics,
54
(9),
1049-1152
Godin,
S.,
Rodionov,
B.,
&
Savvatimova,
I.
(2007).
Inspection
method
to
check
quality
of
nuclear
transmutation
media,
13th
International
Conference
on
Condensed
Matter
Nuclear
Science,
Dagomys
2012
Quantum
Potential
Corporation
|
www.quantum-potential.com
|
CONFIDENTIAL
27
Roschin, V., & Godin, S. (2004). Orbiting Multi-Rotor Homopolar System, US Patent #6,822,361 Klimov et al. (2004). On the possibility of electrostatic relativistic dynamo, Radiotechnology & Electronics, 49 (11), 1237-1243
28