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This paper deals with the effect of radio-frequency electromagnetic (RF-EM) fields and electrical heating on the mass-and heat-transfer processes in a multi-component hydrocarbon system flowing in porous media. The more specific objective was to determine the major differences between the RF-EM effects and electric heating and eventually to propose the application conditions toward their field-scale applications. Critical parameters, including the viscosity reduction, that affect the recovery of heavy oil under the influence of these heating options with the emphasis on resolving the asphaltene precipitation problem were clarified. It was observed that the EM field influence on the residual oil recovery factor was more critical, and a greater recovery was obtained from the RF-EM case. This was attributed to the fact that the RF-EM field influences polar components of the oil, desorpting these components from the surface of the rock and adding to the production, as indicated by the scanning atomic force microscopy images. This critical role of the RF field on the adsorptive process during the displacement of high-viscosity oils eventually resulted in less asphaltene precipitation and pore plugging.

This paper investigates the problem of destroying highly stable water-in-oil emulsions. The high stability of water-inoil emulsions is primarily caused by the presence of heavy, high-molecular-weight polar components in oil that envelope water droplets and that prevent these droplets from combining (coalescing). Using conventional techniques in this case yields no positive results. Employing electromagnetic energy is one way to address this problem. This paper presents the results of experimental studies of the effects of radio frequency and microwave radiation on water-in-oil emulsion samples. In addition to the experimental research, a mathematical model is proposed that describes the effect of electromagnetic radiation on water-in-oil emulsions.

A mathematical model is developed to numerically predict the heating of heavy hydrocarbon systems. A comparative analysis of numerical and experimental data is performed. It is found that the thermal conductivity of a hydrocarbon system under study heated from an initial temperature of 24 • C to 100 • C increases by a factor of 40 and, with allowance for free convection, an additional substantial (up to 16 times) increase in heat transfer due to enhanced effective thermal conductivity is observed.

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