Conversion of Heavy Oil with Different Chemical Compositions under Catalytic Aquathermolysis with an Amphiphilic Fe-Co-Cu Catalyst and Kaolin

Abstract

The physical simulation of heavy oil catalytic aquathermolysis with different chemical compositions from deposits located in the Tatarstan Republic, Russia (Ekaterinovsky oil, B 2 type, and Olimpiadovsky oil, A 1 type), was designed. The catalytic aquathermolysis processes were conducted at a temperature of 300 °C in the presence of a rock-forming additivekaolin (the content of montmorillonite was 44%), and catalysts composed of transition metal (Fe, Co, and Cu) carboxylates. The environment of the processes was a mixture of carbon dioxide and water vapor. The distinctive features of hydrothermal-catalytic conversion of various oil types are evaluated by fractional, structural-group, microelement compositions, and H:C ratio changes. These variations are due to initial properties of crude oils and the activation degree of destruction reactions on C−C, C−N, C− O, and C−S bonds leading to different levels of increase of saturated fractions content and decrease of resins and asphaltenes content in the products of experiments. By the thermal analysis method, the assessment of potential content of the oil on a solid sorbent before and after experiments was carried out. The high-molecular-weight components of the naphthene-aromatic B 2 type oil revealed greater adsorption capacity to the rocks, in comparison with the oil of the A 1 type. Therefore, the adsorption of catalyst components on rocks is also greater.

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

“…According to data of the thermal analysis (TG) for the rock samples, mass loss in different temperature ranges from 20 to 1000°С is distinguished ( Table 1). The OM content in rock samples was estimated on base of its mass loss in the temperature range 200-600°C [27]. Significant mass loss at temperatures above 600°C may be associated with dissociation of carbonate The OM content in the studied samples of rocks from different wells varies from 2.39 to 9.12% that indicates on the heterogeneity of their oil-generating potential.…”

“…However, many issues still remain unresolved. Works on finding optimal technologies aimed at increasing the efficiency of developing deposits of heavy oils and natural bitumens using thermal methods are carried out in many research centers and oil-producing companies [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. Difficulties arising from the development of heavy oil fields are associated with two problems: first, unfavorable reservoir properties-low thermal conductivity, low permeability, and lack of reservoir energy; second, the hydrocarbon component of the bituminous reservoirs is in an inactive state [4,7,10,12,13,15,19].…”

The Composition and Structure of Ultra-Dispersed Mixed Oxide (II, III) Particles and Their Influence on In-Situ Conversion of Heavy Oil

“…Using catalysts during steam injection provides many advantages, among which the increasing oil recovery factor is the most significant one. The catalyst accelerates hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, hydrolysis, and cracking reactions that improve the physical, chemical, and rheological characteristics of oil [11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…The transformation of oil residue into light hydrocarbons in the presence of steam and enough iron oxide catalysts is very attractive [15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

“…The aqueous pyrolysis of heavy oil residue on the surface of the natural mineral hematite that contains iron oxides forms light hydrocarbons. The iron oxides interact with water steam and reduce to magnetite and hydrogen, which will further be involved in hydrogenation and hydrocracking reactions [15].…”