Patent ID: 7976695

Claim:
A hydrocarbonaceous material upgrading method comprising the steps of: inputting a first substantially unpumpable at pipeline conditions hydrocarbonaceous feedstock into a reactor, said first substantially unpumpable hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a first viscosity, a first density, and a feedstock weight, wherein said first substantially unpumpable hydrocarbonaceous feedstock has a pour point; heating, in said reactor and at an operating pressure from vacuum to slightly above atmospheric pressure (psig), said first substantially unpumpable hydrocarbonaceous feedstock to a reactor temperature and for a residence time from one to eight hours, wherein said reactor temperature is at least a first hydrocarbonaceous material constituent boiling point temperature; vaporizing, under said operating pressure, at least some of said first substantially unpumpable hydrocarbonaceous feedstock to produce a first mass of hydrocarbonaceous material vapor; producing, through chemical reaction, a second mass of hydrocarbonaceous material vapor whose condensation point temperature is equal to or less than said first hydrocarbonaceous material constituent boiling point temperature; generating a first liquid hydrocarbonaceous material bottoms having a bottoms viscosity that is greater than said first viscosity, and a bottoms density that is greater than said first density; sweeping, with a sweep gas, at least a portion of said first and second mass of hydrocarbonaceous material vapors out of said reactor, at a pressure in said reactor that is from vacuum to slightly above atmospheric; and forming a hydrocarbonaceous material condensate from said at least said first and second mass of hydrocarbonaceous material vapors, wherein said hydrocarbonaceous material condensate has a second viscosity that is less than said first viscosity, and a second density that is less than said first density, wherein said hydrocarbonaceous material condensate has a condensate weight that is at least 30% said feedstock weight, wherein said first liquid hydrocarbonaceous material bottoms does not meet crude oil pipeline specification, wherein said second density and said second viscosity of said hydrocarbonaceous material condensate are each substantially independent of said reactor temperature and said residence time, and wherein said hydrocarbonaceous material condensate substantially matches crude oil pipeline specification, and wherein said first substantially unpumpable hydrocarbonaceous feedstock and said sweep gas are the only inputs into said reactor.