Asphaltene Microencapsulation of Bitumen as a Means of Solid-Phase Transport

Anita, Anita; Zaheer, Wasif; Douglas, Lacey; Sellers, Diane G.; Gupta, Suraj; Banerjee, Sarbajit

doi:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.0c04305

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The flow stream is mechanically disrupted with an attenuator to enable the formation of uniform microcapsules. The microcapsules are collected in a water bath containing 2 wt % surfactant (poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide)) to prevent coalescence . In the second approach, powdered ground asphaltenes are conformally coated onto hot bitumen droplets jetted from a singular flow nozzle onto a granular powder bath, as shown in Figure B.…”

Section: Solutions For Midstream Transportationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society. Reprinted from Fuel, 302, Anita; Zaheer, W.; Jakhar, K.; Antao, D. S.; Gupta, S.; Banerjee, S., Powder bed coating of bitumen with asphaltenes to obtain solid prills for midstream transportation, 121093, 2021, with permission from Elsevier. , …”

Section: Solutions For Midstream Transportationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For both pipeline and rail transport, there is thus considerable interest in the design of surface modification approaches that will enable less fouling of the infrastructure, reduce the amount of diluents required, and enable transportation at ambient temperatures. Alternative midstream strategies have focused on solid-state transport such as through encapsulation in polymer wastes or through reconstitution of bitumen to form solid prills wherein lighter fractions are coated by asphaltene shells. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Materials Science Perspective of Midstream Challenges in the Utilization of Heavy Crude Oil

et al. 2022

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An increasing global population and a sharply upward trajectory of per capita energy consumption continue to drive the demand for fossil fuels, which remain integral to energy grids and the global transportation infrastructure. The oil and gas industry is increasingly reliant on unconventional deposits such as heavy crude oil and bitumen for reasons of accessibility, scale, and geopolitics. Unconventional deposits such as the Canadian Oil Sands in Northern Alberta contain more than one-third of the world’s viscous oil reserves and are vital linchpins to meet the energy needs of rapidly industrializing populations. Heavy oil is typically recovered from subsurface deposits using thermal recovery approaches such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). In this perspective article, we discuss several aspects of materials science challenges in the utilization of heavy crude oil with an emphasis on the needs of the Canadian Oil Sands. In particular, we discuss surface modification and materials’ design approaches essential to operations under extreme environments of high temperatures and pressures and the presence of corrosive species. The demanding conditions for materials and surfaces are directly traceable to the high viscosity, low surface tension, and substantial sulfur content of heavy crude oil, which necessitates extensive energy-intensive thermal processes, warrants dilution/emulsification to ease the flow of rheologically challenging fluids, and engenders the need to protect corrodible components. Geopolitical reasons have further led to a considerable geographic separation between extraction sites and advanced refineries capable of processing heavy oils to a diverse slate of products, thus necessitating a massive midstream infrastructure for transportation of these rheologically challenging fluids. Innovations in fluid handling, bitumen processing, and midstream transportation are critical to the economic viability of heavy oil. Here, we discuss foundational principles, recent technological advancements, and unmet needs emphasizing candidate solutions for thermal insulation, membrane-assisted separations, corrosion protection, and midstream bitumen transportation. This perspective seeks to highlight illustrative materials’ technology developments spanning the range from nanocomposite coatings and cement sheaths for thermal insulation to the utilization of orthogonal wettability to engender separation of water–oil emulsions stabilized by endogenous surfactants extracted during SAGD, size-exclusion membranes for fractionation of bitumen, omniphobic coatings for drag reduction in pipelines and to ease oil handling in containers, solid prills obtained from partial bitumen solidification to enable solid-state transport with reduced risk of damage from spills, and nanocomposite coatings incorporating multiple modes of corrosion inhibition. Future outlooks for onsite partial upgradation are also described, which could potentially bypass the use of refineries for some fractions, enable access to a broader cross-se...

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Section: Solutions For Midstream Transportationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Solutions For Midstream Transportationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Materials Science Perspective of Midstream Challenges in the Utilization of Heavy Crude Oil

et al. 2022

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Powder bed coating of bitumen with asphaltenes to obtain solid prills for midstream transportation

Anita

Zaheer

Jakhar

et al. 2021

Fuel

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Asphaltene Inhibition and Flow Improvement of Crude Oil with a High Content of Asphaltene and Wax by Polymers Bearing Ultra-Long Side Chain

Lu²,

Niu³

et al. 2021

Energies

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A high content of asphaltene and wax in crude oil leads to difficulties in the recovery and transportation of crude oil due to the precipitation of asphaltenes and the deposition of waxes. Comb-like polymers were found to be capable of inhibiting the aggregation of asphaltenes and crystallization of waxes. In this work, comb-like bipolymers of α-olefins/ultra-long chain (C18, C22 and C28) alkyl acrylate were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectra. The results show that, for a model oil containing asphaltene, the initial precipitation point (IPP) of asphaltene was prolonged by UV, and the asphaltene particle size was reduced after adding the biopolymers, as revealed by dynamitic light scattering (DLS). The bipolymer containing the longer alkyl chain had a better asphaltene inhibition effect. However, DSC and rheological results show that the wax appearance temperature (WAT) of the typical high asphaltene and high wax content of crude oil was obviously reduced by adding bipolymers with shorter alkyl chains. The bipolymer (TDA2024-22) with a mediate alkyl chain (C22) reduced the viscosity and thixotropy of the crude oil by a much larger margin than others. Compared with the previously synthesized bipolymer with phenyl pendant (PDV-A-18), TDA2024-22 exhibited a better performance. Therefore, bipolymers with appropriate alkyl side chains can act as not only the asphaltene inhibitors but also wax inhibitors for high asphaltene and wax content of crude oil, which has great potential applications in the oil fields.

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Asphaltene Microencapsulation of Bitumen as a Means of Solid-Phase Transport

Cited by 3 publications

References 32 publications

A Materials Science Perspective of Midstream Challenges in the Utilization of Heavy Crude Oil

A Materials Science Perspective of Midstream Challenges in the Utilization of Heavy Crude Oil

Powder bed coating of bitumen with asphaltenes to obtain solid prills for midstream transportation

Asphaltene Inhibition and Flow Improvement of Crude Oil with a High Content of Asphaltene and Wax by Polymers Bearing Ultra-Long Side Chain

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