Article
Energy & Fuels
Syed Imran Ali, Shaine Mohammadali Lalji, Javed Haneef, Usama Ahsan, Syed Mohammad Tariq, Syed Talha Tirmizi, Ramsha Shamim
Summary: The main goal of Petroleum Exploration and Production (E&P) companies is to achieve sustainable hydrocarbon production throughout the oil field life, but asphaltene precipitation and deposition pose a major challenge to this goal. Proper screening of asphaltene stability in crude oils can help predict stability accurately and plan preventive measures. Different dead and live oil screening techniques have their own limitations, risks, and advantages, and a detailed analysis and comparison can help in selecting the best technique for monitoring asphaltene stability in crude oils.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Murray R. Gray, Harvey W. Yarranton, Martha L. Chacon-Patino, Ryan P. Rodgers, Brice Bouyssiere, Pierre Giusti
Summary: The molecules in petroleum asphaltenes form nanoaggregates in solution with debated size distribution, impacting phase behavior, physical properties, and processing of heavy petroleum fractions. The molecular weight ranges high with sizes below 100 nm, and large aggregates play a significant role in phase separation and emulsion stabilization. Average properties of asphaltene fraction can predict phase separation, gravity segregation, and other properties.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mingxuan Li, Yupeng Tian, Chuangye Wang, Cuiyu Jiang, Chaohe Yang, Longli Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the effect of temperature on asphaltene precipitation during crude oil production. The results revealed that the solubility of asphaltene increased with temperature and smaller particle size led to higher dispersion rate. Different asphaltenes showed different sensitivity to temperature. The aggregate structure was found to be an important factor for asphaltene stability. X-ray diffraction and molecular dynamics simulation were used to support the findings.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Muhieddine A. Safa, Shayan Enayat, Abeer M. Rashed, Mohammad Tavakkoli, Ebtisam F. Ghloum, Ridha Gharbi, Sriram Santhanagopalan, Francisco M. Vargas
Summary: In this study, advanced technologies were used to investigate the stability of asphaltenes in different Kuwaiti oils, revealing that characteristics such as H/C ratios, aromaticity, and degree of condensation significantly affect asphaltene precipitation. Additionally, low molecular weight alkanes were found to have a higher tendency to precipitate a wider range of soluble asphaltenes in crude oil. The least stable asphaltenes exhibited the lowest asphaltene onset point detected by the indirect method.
PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Syed Imran Ali, Shaine Mohammadali Lalji, Zahoor Awan, Muhammad Qasim, Thamraa Alshahrani, Firoz Khan, Sami Ullah, Almas Ashraf
Summary: The main aim of this study is to predict asphaltene stability in crude oil as a function of its SARA values using machine learning algorithms. Four machine learning algorithms, Linear discriminant analysis (LDA), Linear regression (LR), decision tree (DT), and random forest (RF) were applied to predict the asphaltene stability of 95 crude oils. SARA values of these oil samples were taken as input parameters and visualized comprehensively using different plots. The overall accuracy of LDA was observed to be the highest and the Resins feature was found to be the most important parameter in predicting asphaltene stability.
CHEMOMETRICS AND INTELLIGENT LABORATORY SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jessica V. Fuentes, Edgar B. Zamora, Anirban Chakraborty, Gerardo Zavala, Zhenghe Xu, William McCaffrey, Zuoli Li, Flavio Vazquez, Cesar A. Flores
Summary: A novel random acrylic terpolymer based on butyl acrylate, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate, and 2-carboxyethyl acrylate monomers showed efficient demulsifying properties in heavy crude oils with stable water-in-oil emulsions. The best water removal performance was achieved with terpolymers containing 90-80% of the hydrophobic monomer B and small amounts of the hydrophilic monomers Ae and Ce. The correlation between molecular parameters of the terpolymers and physicochemical parameters of the crude oils allows for accurate prediction of water removal efficiency, aiding in selecting the best demulsifier for a specific petroleum stream.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Syed Imran Ali, Shaine Mohammadali Lalji, Muhammad Rizwan, Zahoor Awan, Saud Hashmi, Syed Danish Rasool
Summary: The flow properties of crude oil can be improved by increasing temperature or diluting the oil with lower molecular weight hydrocarbons. However, these operational changes often lead to asphaltene deposition problems. In this study, a two-level full factorial design was applied to investigate the effect of three experimental parameters on the yield of asphaltene weight percentage. The results showed that dilution ratio has a significant positive effect, while molecular weight of precipitant and temperature have a moderate negative effect on the response variable. The study provides a useful methodology for optimizing production parameters.
ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zeinab Hosseini-Dastgerdi, Ashkan Maleki, Ebrahim Elyassi, Alimorad Rashidi
Summary: This study evaluates the potential application of silica-polyacrylamide nanocomposites in inhibiting asphaltene precipitation. The nanocomposites delay the onset of asphaltene precipitation and control the size of aggregates through adsorption. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of silica-polyacrylamide nanocomposites in handling asphaltene precipitation.
PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Caiua Araujo Alves, Jose Francisco Romero Yanes, Filipe Xavier Feitosa, Hosiberto Batista de Sant'Ana
Summary: This study compares the effects of asphaltene stability from two different crude oil samples on water-model oil interfacial tension and emulsion stability. The size of molecules in the feedstock has a predominant effect on reducing interfacial tension, while larger molecules are responsible for emulsion stability.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
M. Daniela Contreras-Mateus, Francisco H. Sanchez, Diana M. Canas-Martinez, Nashaat N. Nassar, Arlex Chaves-Guerrero
Summary: This article investigates the adsorptive phenomena of nanomaterials and asphaltenes, focusing on magnetite nanoparticles/asphaltene systems and the effect of resins as stabilizing colloidal agents. The results show rapid asphaltene adsorption following the external mass transfer model and equilibrium adsorption described by the monolayer Langmuir model. The research also discovered that the adsorbed asphaltenes create a steric repulsive barrier between particles, reducing interaction intensity.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Cesar Ovalles, Estrella Rogel, Janie Vien, Harris Morazan, Lante Carbognani-Ortega, Francisco Lopez-Linares, Thomas Rea, Tao Wei, Toni Miao, Eddy Lee, Michael E. Moir
Summary: The use of NiO nanoparticles as asphaltene co-precipitant additives was studied to improve the properties of upgraded oil. Results showed that the addition of NiO nanoparticles increased the amount of asphaltenes and improved the properties of upgraded crude oil. Elemental analysis and spectroscopic techniques revealed that the nanoparticles acted as nucleation sites and interacted with the asphaltene fraction.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Syed Imran Ali, Shaine Mohammadali Lalji, Javed Haneef, Clifford Louis, Abdus Saboor, Nimra Yousaf
Summary: This research study compares the performance of different scaling equations and non-scaling models in modeling asphaltene precipitation, finding that all scaling equations are reasonably accurate in predicting asphaltene weight percentage. However, they are less accurate in predicting critical dilution ratio compared to non-scaling models.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Dongxu Zhang, Qiyu Huang, Rongbin Li, Huiyuan Li, Wei Wang, Haimin Zheng, Xiangrui Zhu, Xun Zhang
Summary: This study found that asphaltenes have significant effects on hydrate formation in water-in-oil emulsions, inhibiting hydrate nucleation and decreasing the amount of formed hydrates. The study also showed that factors such as water cut, stirring rate, and reformation process can influence the nucleation and growth rates of hydrates in asphaltene-containing emulsions. The results suggest that a high stirring rate promotes hydrate formation, while hydrates nucleate more easily during the reformation process compared to the initial formation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Syed Imran Ali, Shaine Mohammadali Lalji, Javed Haneef, Syed Mohammad Tariq, Muhammad Junaid, Syed Muhammad Aun Ali
Summary: The main goal of this study is to monitor the stability of crude oils in terms of both precipitation and deposition magnitude with respect to time. Experimental techniques, including a deposit level test and a spot test, were integrated and applied simultaneously on six crude oils. The study found that all crude oils exhibited potential for both asphaltene precipitation and deposition, with crude oil B being the riskiest and crude oil E being the least risky. Sensitivity analysis showed that time had a strong positive correlation with deposition level, while specific gravity had a moderate negative correlation with precipitation intensity and deposition level.
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Krzysztof Bambinek, Andrzej Przyjazny, Grzegorz Boczkaj
Summary: This paper discusses the challenges of processing variable composition crude oil, especially crude oil blends obtained from different sources. It reviews the methods for determining the stability of crude oils and their blends, along with a critical assessment of their effectiveness.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Emilio Leal, Pablo Torres-Mancera, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: This article discusses a technology of placing different catalysts in multibed configurations to produce a synergistic effect and proposes it as a viable low-investment solution for ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) production. However, the synergistic effect between the catalysts is not fully understood yet, and designing the best stacking system is challenging. Therefore, further research on the influences of variables and the development of new mathematical models are necessary.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jose A. D. Munoz, Jorge Ancheyta, Luis C. Castaneda
Summary: The study focused on the technological selection for upgrading heavy crude oils to produce light oil, where the price differential between feed and product proved to be a key factor. Four methodologies for calculating crude oil prices were compared, with the yield-based method showing the most accuracy. Economic analysis also indicated higher profits when processing heavier crude oil.
PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
J. Garcia Cardenas, J. Ancheyta
Summary: The deasphalting process was modeled and predicted using continuous thermodynamics and the perturbed hard chain theory equation of state. The results showed that the model can accurately predict the product yields, quality, and distribution in the deasphalting process.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Guillermo Felix, Juan J. Rios, Alexis Tirado, Mikhail A. Varfolomeev, Chengdong Yuan, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: A methodology to estimate kinetic parameters using the Monte Carlo algorithm and sensitivity analysis is described. The approach is applied to the experimental data reported in the literature for slurry-phase hydrocracking of heavy oil with ionic liquids. It is demonstrated that the reported values of kinetic parameters can be optimized to reduce the average absolute error. Simulations with the Monte Carlo algorithm help find the best initial guess for further optimization of parameters.
Article
Energy & Fuels
P. Schacht-Hernandez, R. Quintana-Solorzano, O. Morelos-Santos, I Soto-Escalante, J. Ancheyta
Summary: The availability of conventional light or medium crude oils is decreasing worldwide, leading refineries to face the challenge of processing more heavy crude oils. This research explores the use of liquid catalysts to upgrade heavy crude oil in situ, resulting in improved properties.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Javier Jurado, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: A quasi-dynamic one-dimensional pseudohomogeneous trickle-bed reactor model for hydrotreating of heavy vacuum residue was developed, which takes into account catalyst deactivation, impurities concentration in heavy oil, and coke and vanadium deposition. The model successfully predicted the typical S shape profiles during time-on-stream.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Guillermo Felix, Alexis Tirado, Mikhail A. Varfolomeev, Chengdong Yuan, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: Characteristic curve equations were used to calculate the product distribution of Ashal'cha heavy crude oil during non-catalytic aquathermolysis at different reaction times and temperatures. The developed equations accurately estimated the experimental data, and it was found that the unstable primary and secondary products equation performed better in predicting the aromatics and saturate fractions.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Alexis Tirado, Guillermo Felix, Ameen A. Al-Muntaser, Mohamed Said Chemam, Chengdong Yuan, Mikhail A. Varfolomeev, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: Despite significant efforts to understand the reaction mechanism of asphaltenes during aquathermolysis reaction, knowledge about their molecular structures and reaction pathways remains limited. This work extensively reviews and discusses experimental results from different samples of asphaltenes during aquathermolysis reaction to obtain information on their elemental composition, functional groups, and average structural parameters. The findings provide theoretical support for future research on the aquathermolysis of heavy crude oils with various catalysts and highlight the impact of operating conditions, catalyst type, and asphaltene structure on the changes in asphaltenes.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Alexis Tirado, Guillermo Felix, Muneer A. Suwaid, Ameen A. Al-Muntaser, Dmitry A. Antonenko, Igor S. Afanasiev, Mikhail A. Varfolomeev, Chengdong Yuan, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: Oil-soluble catalysts have been found to improve the flow properties of heavy crude oil during steam injection processes. In order to better understand the effects and reaction mechanisms of these catalysts, further studies using complex kinetic models are needed. This study investigated the catalytic effect of copper oleate on aquathermolysis of heavy crude oil, and developed a kinetic model to predict the yield of different fractions and gases. The results showed that copper oleate reduces polyaddition reactions of heavy fractions and favors the production of lighter compounds.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Aaron Macias, Esau A. Hernandez, Vicente Samano, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: The regular solution model with HBT molar volume correlation is used to predict asphaltene precipitation in crude oils and blends. The presence of other compounds greatly affects asphaltene precipitation under the same temperature and pressure conditions. The proposed model accurately predicts asphaltene precipitation using average properties and assumptions.
PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Juan J. Rios, Emilio Leal, Fernando Trejo, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: Due to high emissions of polluting gases from fossil fuel combustion, organizations and governments have established standards for cleaner fuels. This study examines the kinetic models of hydrotreating reactions for producing ultralow sulfur diesel. It includes discussions on reaction systems, catalysts, operating conditions, and proposes a set of kinetic models for simulation.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Fernando Alonso, Francisco Morales-Leal, Jorge Ancheyta, Pablo Torres-Mancera
Summary: This study deeply characterized two refinery streams and discussed their potential use and influencing factors in hydrotreatment.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Emilio Leal, Francisco Morales-Leal, Jorge Ancheyta, Fernando Alonso, Pablo Torres-Mancera
Summary: A detailed methodology for conducting experiments in batch reactors is proposed. Hydrodesulfurization of petroleum distillates is used as an example. The reaction parameters are calculated and a data reconciliation method is described. The experimental procedure is shown to be adequately performed with good agreement between reaction parameters.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Alexis Tirado, Guillermo Felix, Ameen A. Al-Muntaser, Chengdong Yuan, Mikhail A. Varfolomeev, Jorge Ancheyta
Summary: Steam-based technologies, particularly catalytic aquathermolysis, show great promise for increasing the recovery factor of heavy crude oil. This process requires proper experimentation to evaluate operational conditions, catalyst performance, and reaction kinetics. This study provides a comprehensive review of experimental results on diverse upgraded oil samples, discussing the effects of various reaction parameters and highlighting behaviors in gas production and viscosity reduction for future research and development. The reactivity of chemical compounds involved plays a significant role in crude oil upgrading, necessitating detailed analysis for experimental development and scale-up.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
