Experimental Study on New Ignition Agents Used in Initiating in Situ Combustion

Abstract

To ignite an oil-bearing stratum efficiently and safely at an operating temperature of approximately 250 °C, a new ignition agent, YHN-3, and its injection technique were developed by means of theory and experimental testing. First, YHN-3 was compounded and optimized according to stoichiometry and combustion characteristic parameters. Second, the ignition safety experiments of YHN-3 were performed using a self-made sand-packed model. Finally, the effectiveness of YHN-3 and its injection course were tested using a combustion tube. From the experimental results, it was seen that ignition agents could be carried into oil sand by an air purge technique. Moreover, YHN-3 ignited crude oils successfully and rapidly at about 230 °C, and the reaction of YHN-3 was strongly exothermic and under control. A combustion front was also established and advanced steadily during the combustion tube experiment process. Furthermore, the combustion temperature peak was 514.6 °C, and the combustion front propagation velocity was 0.48 cm/min. In short, YHN-3 and the injection technique were verified to be practical and effective in laboratory.

Compositional Effect on the Low-Temperature Oxidation of Crude Oils Subjected to In Situ Combustion

“…Regarding the use of catalysts in the ignition stage, numerous works have recently developed. In 2015, Jiao et al 30 proposed new ignition agents for initiating ISC under laboratory conditions. On the other hand, Golafshani et al 31 evaluated the performance of titanium oxide nanoparticles on ISC.…”