Patent ID: 7632394

Claim:
A process for upgrading heavy petroleum materials to produce relatively lighter oils comprising the steps of: providing a carbonaceous bed having first and second portions; introducing into the first portion of the bed a combination of a plasma gas, a heavy-oil containing material, and steam with the combination sufficiently hot to raise the temperature of the bed to promote thermal dissociation of heavy oil to produce lighter oil fractions and to produce carbon particles reacting with steam to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen; allowing the reaction products from the bed first portion to flow to the second bed portion into which is introduced additional heavy-oil containing material and additional steam to promote further reactions including reacting carbon monoxide from the first portion of the bed with steam to produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen and reacting that hydrogen with either or both heavy oil from the additional heavy-oil containing material and the lighter oil fractions from the bed first portion to produce further lighter oil fractions; and withdrawing the lighter oil fractions along with residual carbon dioxide and hydrogen from the vessel.