Development of New Amphiphilic Catalytic Steam Additives for Hydrothermal Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques

Abstract

In this paper, we propose the synthesis of green amphiphilic catalysts based on two metals: Ni and Al. The amphiphilic characteristics of the obtained catalyst were provided by alkylbenzenesulfonic acid (ABSA). The end product was thoroughly characterized by the FTIR analysis method. The efficiency of both catalysts was tested by modeling the catalytic hydrothermal upgrading of heavy-oil samples from Ashal’cha field (Russia) in a high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) reactor with a stirrer at a temperature of 250 °C. The physical and chemical properties of the heavy oils and their fractions were studied before and after the catalytic hydrothermal upgrading by analytical procedures such as SARA analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, GC–MS, elemental analysis, gas chromatography, etc. The results showed that both catalysts had a different influence on the viscosity-reduction degree. It was revealed that the contribution of Al ABSA to the viscosity reduction was the highest: more than 80% in contrast to the initial crude oil sample. The Al-based catalyst showed the best activity in hydrogenation and decarbonization, and hence the H/C ratio of the upgraded oil was at a maximum in the presence of Al ABSA.

Current Status and Future Trends of In Situ Catalytic Upgrading of Extra Heavy Oil

“…However, a combination of catalysts will lead to more complex reaction processes. Further studies are still needed to characterize the reaction processes of different combination catalysts, clarify the reaction mechanisms, and provide theoretical guidance for the application of amphiphilic catalysts [75][76][77].…”

Efficient Heavy Oil Upgrading with Water-Soluble Nickel and Copper Acetate Catalysts

“…20,21 Moreover, the natural surfactant-like behavior of asphaltenes at oil−water interfaces presents an opportunity to use amphiphilic precatalysts to deliver active metal species directly to the asphaltenes concentrated at these interfaces, as we have shown in previous work. 13,22 Such approaches have proven to be highly effective in altering the structural and compositional nature of heavy oil, leading to substantial viscosity reductions.…”

Rheological properties of polymer solutions and ways to improve the efficiency of development of high-viscosity oil fields in Uzbekistan

“…This task is especially urgent for fields with high-viscosity oil, since the achieved values of GOR at such objects are two or more times lower than at fields with low-viscosity oil [6]. In addition, the design of oil field development and well operation is based on the laws of underground hydraulics [7,8]. Many issues, such as the placement of wells in the reservoir, the sequence of putting them into operation, maintaining reservoir pressure by pumping various working agents into the reservoir, regulation and direction of movement of reservoir fluids, are solved on the basis of the methods of underground hydraulics.…”

“…One of the most important issues in increasing the degree of oil recovery from the subsurface is the study of structural and mechanical properties of polymer solutions, their influence on the filtration process in the reservoir and ways to regulate them. At present, a large amount of theoretical and experimental material has been accumulated to study the structural and mechanical properties and flow characteristics of non-Newtonian oils [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Studies have shown that during the development of wells that have opened deposits of heavy high-viscosity oils, there are complications associated with the difficulty of lifting oil to the surface.…”