PIONEER ENERGY INC. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20160031776 | Preparation of Butanol from Ethanol Derived from Fermentation - In one embodiment, the present application discloses methods to selectively synthesize higher alcohols and hydrocarbons useful as fuels and industrial chemicals from syngas and biomass. Ketene and ketonization chemistry along with hydrogenation reactions are used to synthesize fuels and chemicals. In another embodiment, ketene used to form fuels and chemicals may be manufactured from acetic acid which in turn can be synthesized from synthesis gas which is produced from coal, biomass, natural gas, etc. | 02-04-2016 |
20160003532 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RECOVERING CARBON DIOXIDE FROM INDUSTRIALLY RELEVANT WASTE STREAMS, ESPECIALLY ETHANOL FERMENTATION PROCESSES, FOR APPLICATION IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE PRODUCTION - A system for recovering CO2 via liquefaction and purification from a vented CO2 gas stream comprising a compressor; a dehydrator; a scrubber; a refrigerator having one or more stages; and a separation subsystem adapted to ensure non-condensable gas content in the final product meets industry standards. The liquid CO2 product is of sufficient purity to be used in applications requiring beverage-grade CO2. The system can be utilized as a single-brewery installation to reduce venting from ethanol fermenters to an absolute minimum, produce a high purity liquid CO2 product for use in-process or external sales, and offset the purchasing of expensive, industrial CO2 of inferior purity. | 01-07-2016 |
20150360168 | Combustion CO2 Recovery System - Novel methods for capturing carbon dioxide from internal combustion engines, gas turbines, and other combustion sources operating on a wide range of gaseous, liquid, or solid fuels are described. Capturing carbon dioxide from combustion exhaust on an absorbent and then regenerating the absorbent for recovery, storage, use, or sequestration of concentrated carbon dioxide are described herein. | 12-17-2015 |
20150353854 | SYNTHESIS OF FUELS AND CHEMICALS FROM SUGARS - Methods to synthesize useful alcohol and aromatic hydrocarbon products from sorbitol derived from sugars are described. Sorbitol is dehydrated to form furans such as 2-acetylfuran which is hydrogenated to form hexanols, ethyl tetrahydrofuran, etc useful as fuels and chemicals for industry and commerce. Sorbitol may also be heated over a dehydrating catalyst to form aromatic hydrocarbons useful as fuels. | 12-10-2015 |
20150267135 | SYNTHESIS OF C3-C7 ALCOHOL FUEL COMPOSITIONS - In one embodiment, the present application discloses methods to selectively synthesize higher alcohols and hydrocarbons useful as fuels and industrial chemicals from syngas and biomass. Ketene and ketonization chemistry along with hydrogenation reactions are used to synthesize fuels and chemicals. In another embodiment, ketene used to form fuels and chemicals may be manufactured from acetic acid which in turn can be synthesized from synthesis gas which is produced from coal, biomass, natural gas, etc. | 09-24-2015 |
20150246862 | PREPARATION OF PENTANOL WITH ETHANOL DERIVED FROM FERMENTATION - In one embodiment, the present application discloses methods to selectively synthesize higher alcohols and hydrocarbons useful as fuels and industrial chemicals from syngas and biomass. Ketene and ketonization chemistry along with hydrogenation reactions are used to synthesize fuels and chemicals. In another embodiment, ketene used to form fuels and chemicals may be manufactured from acetic acid which in turn can be synthesized from synthesis gas which is produced from coal, biomass, natural gas, etc. | 09-03-2015 |
20150025266 | SYNTHESIS OF HIGH CALORIC FUELS AND CHEMICALS - In one embodiment, the present application discloses methods to selectively synthesize higher alcohols and hydrocarbons useful as fuels and industrial chemicals from syngas and biomass. Ketene and ketonization chemistry along with hydrogenation reactions are used to synthesize fuels and chemicals. In another embodiment, ketene used to form fuels and chemicals may be manufactured from acetic acid which in turn can be synthesized from synthesis gas which is produced from coal, biomass, natural gas, etc. | 01-22-2015 |
20140366577 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEPARATING ALKANE GASES WITH APPLICATIONS TO RAW NATURAL GAS PROCESSING AND FLARE GAS CAPTURE - The present invention is a field-deployable system for separating methane and natural gas liquids (NGLs) from a raw gas stream comprising a compressor; a dehydrator; a refrigerator having one or more stages; and a separation subsystem adapted to separate the raw gas stream into three product streams including a methane stream that is at least 80% methane, an ethane-rich stream, and a NGLs stream having a vapor pressure of no more than 250 psia at 38° C. The methane stream is sufficiently lean to be useable in existing natural gas engines without modification. The NGLs stream has a sufficiently low vapor pressure to be transportable in standard propane containers. The ethane-rich stream may be utilized within the system itself to power its own operations. The system can be utilized to reduce flaring from liquids-rich gas production sites to an absolute minimum, produce natural gas liquids for transport, and provide dry methane gas suitable for use in portable field generators. | 12-18-2014 |
20140284066 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING IN-SITU CARBON DIOXIDE DRIVER GAS FOR USE IN ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY - The present invention is an in-situ apparatus for generating carbon dioxide gas at an oil site for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The apparatus includes a steam generator adapted to boil and superheat water to generate a source of superheated steam, as well as a source of essentially pure oxygen. The apparatus also includes a steam reformer adapted to react a carbonaceous material with the superheated steam and the pure oxygen, in an absence of air, to generate a driver gas comprising primarily carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas. A separator is adapted to separate at least a portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the rest of the driver gas to generate a carbon dioxide-rich driver gas and a hydrogen-rich fuel gas. A compressor is used for compressing the carbon dioxide-rich driver gas for use in enhanced oil recovery, and the compressed carbon dioxide-rich driver gas, with substantially no oxygen, is injected to a predetermined depth in order to enhance oil recovery at the oil site. Unlike traditional CO | 09-25-2014 |
20140245658 | SYNTHESIS OF ETHANOL AND HIGHER ALCOHOLS BY HYDROGENATION OF KETENE - Ketene chemistry and hydrogenation reactions are used to synthesize fuels and chemicals. Ketene from acetic acid is hydrogenated to form fuels and chemicals; acetic acid can be synthesized from synthesis gas which is produced from coal, biomass, natural gas, etc. In one embodiment, the present application discloses methods to selectively synthesize higher alcohols and hydrocarbons useful as fuels and industrial chemicals from syngas and biomass. | 09-04-2014 |
20140171691 | Synthesis of Drop-in Liquid Fuels and Chemicals from Methanol, Ethanol or Syngas Using Mixed Catalysts - The present invention discloses a system for converting methanol or synthesis gas to liquid hydrocarbons with comparable energy content to gasoline within a mixed bed single reactor or double reactor systems. Varying catalyst composition and temperature profiles allow for significant tailoring of reaction conditions to the specific feedstocks or the desired products. | 06-19-2014 |
20140065026 | Apparatus and Method for Extracting Petroleum from Underground Sites Using Reformed Gases - Methods and apparatus for removing oil or natural gas from the ground. In one example, the method may include reforming a fuel source by reaction with water to generate driver gas, and injecting the driver gas into the oil well. The reforming operation may include causing the combustion of a combustible material with ambient oxygen for the release of energy; and heating a reforming reaction fuel and water sources, with the energy released from the combustion of the combustible material, to a temperature above that required for the reforming reaction wherein the fuel and water sources are reformed into driver gas. In one example, the amount of the combustible material combusted is sufficient to result in the release of enough energy to heat an amount of the reforming reaction fuel and water sources to the temperature above that required for the reforming reaction to proceed. The driver gas may be used to help extract oil from the ground and especially oil from depleted oil wells. It may also be used to drive natural gas trapped underground or in coal beds to the surface. | 03-06-2014 |
20130232861 | Methods of Higher Alcohol Synthesis - Systems, catalysts, and methods are provided for transforming carbon based material into synthetic mixed alcohol fuel. | 09-12-2013 |
20110203292 | METHODS FOR GENERATING ELECTRICITY FROM CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL WITH SUBSTANTIALLY NO CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS - Disclosed herein is a method for generating “clean” electricity from carbonaceous material, and producing high-pressure CO | 08-25-2011 |
20110046244 | NATURAL GAS STEAM REFORMING METHOD WITH LINEAR COUNTERCURRENT HEAT EXCHANGER - The present invention is a natural gas steam reforming method for generating an output gas mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, including the following steps. (1) Combusting a portion of the natural gas with an oxidizing agent to generate heat, superheated steam, and a gas mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. (2) Steam reforming the gas mixture with additional superheated steam under steam-rich conditions to transform a remaining portion of the natural gas into carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. (3) Water-gas-shifting any residual carbon monoxide into additional carbon dioxide and additional hydrogen by utilizing a water-gas-shift catalyst downstream of the steam reforming step, thereby producing an effluent gas mixture that is predominantly carbon dioxide and hydrogen. (4) Boiling water in a top-to-bottom linear countercurrent heat exchanger to generate the superheated steam by transferring heat released in the water-gas-shifting step, where as the water is gravitationally and thermally stratified from top to bottom with a top portion boiling into steam, the steam continues to rise and is additionally heated in the top-to-bottom linear countercurrent heat exchanger. (5) And, utilizing the superheated steam produced as a reactant in the steam reforming step and the water-gas-shifting step to assist in reformation of the natural gas into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. | 02-24-2011 |
20090236093 | Apparatus and Method for Extracting Petroleum from Underground Sites Using Reformed Gases - Provided herein are methods and apparatus for removing oil or natural gas from the ground. In one example, the method may include reforming a fuel source by reaction with water to generate driver gas, and injecting the driver gas into the oil well. The reforming operation may include causing the combustion of a combustible material with ambient oxygen for the release of energy; and heating a reforming reaction fuel and water sources, with the energy released from the combustion of the combustible material, to a temperature above that required for the reforming reaction wherein the fuel and water sources are reformed into driver gas. In one example, the amount of the combustible material combusted is sufficient to result in the release of enough energy to heat an amount of the reforming reaction fuel and water sources to the temperature above that required for the reforming reaction to proceed. The driver gas may be used to help extract oil from the ground and especially oil from depleted oil wells. It may also be used to drive natural gas trapped underground or in coal beds to the surface. | 09-24-2009 |
20090229815 | Apparatus and Method for Extracting Petroleum from Underground Sites Using Reformed Gases - Methods and apparatus for removing oil or natural gas from the ground. In one example, the method may include reforming a fuel source by reaction with water to generate driver gas, and injecting the driver gas into the oil well. The reforming operation may include causing the combustion of a combustible material with ambient oxygen for the release of energy; and heating a reforming reaction fuel and water sources, with the energy released from the combustion of the combustible material, to a temperature above that required for the reforming reaction wherein the fuel and water sources are reformed into driver gas. In one example, the amount of the combustible material combusted is sufficient to result in the release of enough energy to heat an amount of the reforming reaction fuel and water sources to the temperature above that required for the reforming reaction to proceed. The driver gas may be used to help extract oil from the ground and especially oil from depleted oil wells. It may also be used to drive natural gas trapped underground or in coal beds to the surface. | 09-17-2009 |