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Gold/Mining/Energy : Big Dog's Boom Boom Room -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ed Ajootian who wrote (49700)	9/22/2005 2:08:32 PM
From: Elroy Jetson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 206116

Chevron has a lot of money, so I can see why they took an interest in this company. The information Chevron gains from this collaboration could have wide applications in many areas where SulphCo does not have patents. So there is a lot of upside for Chevron, even if the SulphCo process does not work or is not economic. The SulphCo process claims to use high-intensity ultrasound to mix water with heavy/sour crude oil at ambient temperature and reduced pressure, resulting in hydrogen sulfide and who knows what happens to the liberated oxygens? - they seem to be suggesting nitrogen oxides. Currently oil is de-sulfured by mixing hydrogen gas into the crude with heat and or pressure to create hydrogen sulfide which is itself de-sulfured and reused. Hydrogen tends to be loosely bound to oil, so an ultrasound process sounds possible to me. It seems likely that ultrasound might improve the efficiency of the current hydrogen process. Can you use ultrasound and water instead of hydrogen? I don't know, but that is what SulphCo has patented. The question is whether an ultra-sound and water process is both possible and less expensive. As for converting heavy oil and residuum into light oil. . . Currently heavy oil is mixed with a hydrogen donor like natural gas, hydrogen, or water with catalysts at a high temperature to form light distillates like gasoline. It seems less likely to me that this process could be obtained with ultra-sound. But then they don't claim light refined products, but simply lighter oil. Chevron Energy Technology Company is an investment arm of Chevron investing in everything from windmill technology to solar energy. If SulphCo were working with Chevron Research Company, it would indicate Chevron is serious about commercializing this process, but they're not yet at that point. .

To: Ed Ajootian who wrote (49700)	9/22/2005 10:43:45 PM
From: schrodingers_cat	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 206116

I'm 99% sure this is is scam. Ultrasound has never found a big application in chemistry, although a few scientists seem to have studied the possibility. There is a phenomemon called sonoluminescence. High frequency sound waves (ultrasound) can create tiny vapor bubbles in water, and when those bubbles implode temperatures in a small region at the center of the implosion can reach thousands (some say millions) of degrees Celsius. This produces a faint blue light. Some have speculated that this might be a way to make nuclear fusion work. At present it remains a laboratory curiosity. I'm not sure this would work in oil, and while it might possibly speed up the reaction a little you are still going to need hydrogen to supply the energy to remove the sulphur by bonding to it, creating hydrogen sulphide gas which can then be readily separated from the liquids. The result would be no real cost reduction. I don't think it would be possible to remove the hydrogen from water. Chemistry aside, there are a couple of other things that bother me about the website. They are claiming too much for their process, and it all strikes me as too good to be true. Did you notice that the "inventor" has his brother involved in the company? Finally I wonder if Chevron has ever really heard of this company, and what exactly their relationship is?