Application of Water in Hydrothermal Conditions for Upgrading Heavy Oils: A Review

Abstract

The use of water in hydrothermal and supercritical conditions as a medium to upgrade heavy oil fractions has shown promising results and presents an interesting alternative for heavy oil processing. Water at these conditions improves transport properties increasing the solubility in the medium and reducing the viscosity of the oil, which facilitates the upgrading process. This review focuses on the use of water as a medium to recover and upgrade heavy oils. An analysis of the main reactions occurring, effect of process conditions, and role of water in the reaction mechanism is carried out based on experimental results found in the literature. Studies performed with model compounds that have enabled a proper understanding of the reaction mechanisms, kinetics, and effect of process conditions in the upgrading of heavy oil in near critical or supercritical water are included. An overview of the main challenges of the technology such as corrosion and salt deposition as well as some innovative reactor designs to solve them is provided. Information regarding research carried out in this field has been linked to the growing industrial interest in the technology showing recent developments and registration of patents on reactor designs and processes involving heavy oil upgrading in near and supercritical water.

The Oil-Bearing Strata of Permian Deposits of the Ashal’cha Oil Field Depending on the Content, Composition, and Thermal Effects of Organic Matter Oxidation in the Rocks

“…Scanning Calorimetry. In almost all physical and chemical processes of extraction and processing of hydrocarbons, changes in the amount of heat occur [41][42][43]. The magnitude of these changes is determined by the properties of the substance and environmental conditions.…”

“…The magnitude of these changes is determined by the properties of the substance and environmental conditions. When the steamthermal effect on the oil reservoir together with air, the water 8 Geofluids injected in certain quantities evaporates and transfers heat to the oil-gas propagation front area as a gas-vapor mixture [3,[12][13][14]42]. For the successful implementation of thermal and steam-thermal effects on the formation, it is necessary to know and determine the thermal effects caused by the material composition of the rocks and to be able to determine and select the optimal conditions for the implementation of technological processes of influence on the formation, namely, temperature and pressure.…”

Sustainability Effect of Water Gas Shift Reaction (Syngas) in Catalytic Upgrading of Heavy Crude Oil and Bitumen

“…The best method of heavy crude oil and bitumen upgrading in line with sustainability is in-situ generation of hydrogen considering economic and environmental footprint [55][56][57]. Applications of syngas by way of water gas shift reaction have produced tremendous results in heavy oil upgrading.…”

Heavy Oil Upgrading in the Presence of Water

“…Вследствие этого облагораживание ТНС в СКВ характеризуется высокой эффективностью, которая повышается при использовании катализаторов [51]. Способность СКВ смешиваться с угле-водородами и возможность диспергировать трудно-либо нерастворимые в СКВ высоко-молекулярные углеводороды с образованием эмульсий с ними приводит к снижению вы-хода кокса и увеличению выхода жидких продуктов [52]. Кроме того, СКВ используют для одновременной экстракции и облагораживания битуминозных песков и нефтесланцев [50].…”