Patent ID: 8372347

Claim:
An apparatus, system or device for carrying out the method for upgrading high molecular weight hydrocarbon or extracting acceptable oil or oil precursors from materials bearing high molecular weight hydrocarbon; wherein said apparatus comprises: a single reaction chamber for (a) maintenance of continuously introduced supercritical water and high molecular weight hydrocarbon under pressure at operating temperatures between 250° C. and 450° C., and at operating pressures between 500 and 3000 psi, while the materials are mixed and held therein for a time in excess of 25 seconds and less than 10 minutes, or (b) maintaining said continuously introduced materials at an operating temperature between 250° C. and up to and less than 300° C. at said operating pressures while the materials are mixed and held there within for a time less than 10 minutes; a port for introducing supercritical water into said reaction chamber under pressure in a continuous manner; a port for introducing said high molecular weight hydrocarbon into the reaction chamber under pressure in a continuous manner; an exit port for permitting reaction products to leave the reaction chamber under pressure in a continuous manner, a heat exchanger employing cooling water for cooling the reaction products leaving the reaction chamber under pressure, and means for supplying heated cooling water from the heat exchanger ultimately to the reactor or to a steam generating facility.