Article
Engineering, Chemical
Rui Guo, Wei Fu, Le Qu, Yongfei Li, Weihua Yuan, Gang Chen
Summary: In this study, Fe(III) oleate was used as a catalyst and methanol was introduced as a hydrogen donor in aquathermolysis. The results showed that methanol can increase the viscosity reduction rate of aquathermolysis. The addition of methanol promoted the breakage of long-chain alkanes in heavy oil, decreased the content of asphaltene and resin, and improved the fluidity of oil samples.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jianwei Wang, Xiaodong Tang, Jingjing Li, Lan Dai, Guizhong Deng
Summary: The effects and upgrading mechanism of biomass in the aquathermolysis of heavy oil were studied. The results showed that biomass is more suitable as a source of hydrogen and oxygen compared to water, but the active hydroxyl group in biomass reduces the upgrading efficiency.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xian Zhang, Hongchang Che, Yongjian Liu
Summary: The addition of transition metal oxide submicro-particles as catalysts in aquathermolysis significantly upgrades the quality of heavy oil and achieves in situ upgrading. Furthermore, a five-lump model is proposed to estimate the kinetic parameters of aquathermolysis effectively and is well-matched with the experimental data.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Temurali Kholmurodov, Arash Tajik, Abdolreza Farhadian, Oybek Mirzayev, Pooya Tahay, Alexey V. Vakhin, Alimorad Rashidi
Summary: This study aims to fill the research gap of using aromatic ligands in catalyst synthesis for catalytic aquathermolysis of heavy oil. The developed oil-soluble catalyst (Ni-OSC) using catechol as a novel ligand effectively interacts with heavy oil fractions, reducing the content of resin and asphaltene and increasing the amounts of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons. GC-MS analysis revealed an increase in low molecular weight hydrocarbons and a higher concentration of alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of Ni-OSC, improving the quality and recovery of heavy oil.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Hao Shi, Zengqiang Mao, Longchao Ran, Candong Ru, Shengwei Guo, Hua Dong
Summary: The increasing energy consumption has made heavy oil more important in the world energy system, but its exploitation is challenging due to high viscosity. This study develops a Ni-based nanocatalyst for heavy oil aquathermolysis, which effectively reduces the viscosity of heavy oil. The fabricated catalyst shows excellent catalytic performance, resulting in a significant decrease in heavy compositions and increase in light compositions, leading to up to 86.47% reduction in oil viscosity. The magnetic nature of the catalyst allows for easy separation, minimizing its effect on oil refining.
FUEL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhichao Zhou, Michal Slany, Eva Kuzielova, Wangyuan Zhang, Liwa Ma, Sanbao Dong, Jie Zhang, Gang Chen
Summary: The study found that sodium clay showed the best catalytic effect on the aquathermolysis of heavy oil, while methanol was the most suitable alcohol to enhance viscosity reduction efficiency. Under optimal conditions, the viscosity reduction rate can reach 87.32%.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yiya Wang, Riyi Lin, Liqiang Zhang, Xinlu Han, Jinyu Li, Chenxing Huang, Qiwei Dong, Pengyu Chen, Huanan Li, Xinwei Wang
Summary: This study investigates the catalytic viscosity reduction of heavy oil at low temperatures using a series of ZrO2-MoO3-based catalysts loaded on raw or modified lotus stem biochar. The results show that catalyst IV, consisting of KH570-MLSB, ZrO2, and MoO3, exhibits the best catalytic effect at 200 degrees C.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Firdavs Aliev, Amirjon Ali Akhunov, Oybek Mirzaev, Alexey Vakhin
Summary: The study proposed the synthesis of green amphiphilic catalysts based on Ni and Al metals, characterized by FTIR analysis and tested for efficiency under simulated conditions. Results showed that Al ABSA contributed the most to viscosity reduction, and Al-based catalyst exhibited the best activity in hydrogenation and decarbonization.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Liwa Ma, Michal Slany, Rui Guo, Weichao Du, Yongfei Li, Gang Chen
Summary: This study focuses on the synergistic effect of external catalysts and in-situ inorganic minerals in aquathermolysis for enhancing heavy oil recovery. The results show that B@Cu(II)L is the most effective catalyst combination, reducing the viscosity of heavy oil at a lower temperature. Additionally, the reaction leads to the cracking of macromolecules in heavy oil into smaller molecules, decreasing the amounts of resin and asphaltene while increasing the saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Liwa Ma, Shu Zhang, Xiaolong Zhang, Sanbao Dong, Tao Yu, Michal Slany, Gang Chen
Summary: The study synthesized a series of bentonite-supported transition metal complexes for aquathermolysis of heavy oil, among which B@Fe(III)L was the most effective. Under optimal conditions, 0.5% catalyst and 10% ethanol reacted at 250 degrees C for 4 h can reduce the viscosity of heavy oil by 84.5%. The catalyst enhances the destruction process of resin and asphaltene, promotes more complete cracking reaction of most macromolecular components, and increases the proportion of light fraction of heavy oil. The prepared catalyst can achieve efficient in-situ viscosity reduction, promoting further research and applications in this field.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Rui Yuan, Zhengda Yang, Bin Guo, Xinwei Wang, Liqiang Zhang, Riyi Lin
Summary: The study shows that increasing the superheat of steam in the SSE-SAGD method can improve oil recovery but also leads to increased production costs. A new development scheme with a step increase in superheat can help mitigate the impact of aquathermolysis reactions and enhance oil production efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wangyuan Zhang, Qi Li, Yongfei Li, Sanbao Dong, Sen Peng, Gang Chen
Summary: The study investigates the effects of transition metal complexes and bentonite on aquathermolysis, finding that they exhibit good co-catalytic activity, reducing heavy oil viscosity and improving oil quality.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ronal de la Cruz Parejas, Francisco Jose Moura, Roberto Ribeiro de Avillez, Paulo Roberto de Souza Mendes
Summary: Heavy and extra heavy oils account for 70% of global reserves, but their high viscosity and complex composition pose challenges for recovery. Conventional methods only recover around 30% of crude oil, while enhanced oil recovery techniques offer higher recovery rates. This study explores the use of nanoparticles during steam injection to enhance cracking and reduce oil viscosity.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sofia G. Mecon Mendez, Luis M. Salas-Chia, Jaime J. Martinez Vertel, Daniel R. Molina Velasco, Adan Y. Leon, Paola A. Leon
Summary: This study focused on the effect of mineralogy in oil upgrading under two hybrid steam injection technologies. The presence of mineral phase with catalyst increased the API gravity by 27% and reduced the crude viscosity by 39%, while the absence of mineral phase achieved an API gravity increase of 10% and a viscosity reduction of 41% in the hybrid technique.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wangyuan Zhang, Qi Liu, Yongfei Li, Ya Wu, Qi Li, Gang Chen
Summary: A clay-supported catalyst was developed to bridge the gap between laboratory research and field applications of aquathermolysis catalysts. The catalyst improved viscosity reduction rate and increased saturated hydrocarbon content in heavy oil, leading to improved crude oil fluidity. The formation of acidic centers and ligand bonds on the clay surface may contribute to the catalytic action. This study has implications for the development of new aquathermolysis catalysts.
REACTION KINETICS MECHANISMS AND CATALYSIS
(2023)
