Abstract
This disclosure describes the GCI #260 Vortex-Acoustic Petro-Module, an open-hardware pre-treatment skid designed to reduce the energy intensity and carbon footprint of petroleum refining. The system utilizes a three-stage mechanical and digital architecture: (1) A J-groove vortex chamber for hydrodynamic de-agglomeration and piezocatalytic desulfurization; (2) An ultrasonic reactor utilizing topological charge (TC = ±1 to ±3) vortices for non-thermal inertial cavitation and viscosity reduction, protected by 30 wt.% Vanadium Carbide (VC) laser-clad sacrificial liners; and (3) A gyroid-lattice molecular sieve for final hydrocarbon stabilization. The process is governed by a Digital Twin employing an LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) neural network for real-time, time-shifted predictive control of crude oil properties. Designed for TRL 5-6 pilot validation (10–100 L/h), this module targets a 15–35% reduction in refinery furnace duty and net CO₂ emissions through physical molecular pre-stressing and cold-cavitation cracking.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Caldwell, Michael Victor Mr., "The Vortex-Acoustic Petro-Module: A Hybrid Pre-Treatment System for Crude Oil Upgrading and Desulfurization", Technical Disclosure Commons, (March 23, 2026)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/9586