In situ catalytic upgrading of heavy crude oil through low-temperature oxidation

The low-temperature catalytic oxidation of heavy crude oil（Xinjiang Oilfield,China） was studied using three types of catalysts including oil-soluble,watersoluble,and dispersed catalysts.According to primary screening,oil-soluble catalysts,copper naphthenate and manganese naphthenate,are more attractive,and were selected to further investigate their catalytic performance in in situ upgrading of heavy oil.The heavy oil compositions and molecular structures were characterized by column chromatography,elemental analysis,and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry before and after reaction.An Arrhenius kinetics model was introduced to calculate the rheological activation energy of heavy oil from the viscosity-temperature characteristics.Results show that the two oil-soluble catalysts can crack part of heavy components into light components,decrease the heteroatom content,and achieve the transition of reaction mode from oxygen addition to bond scission.The calculated rheological activation energy of heavy oil from the fitted Arrhenius model is consistent with physical properties of heavy oil（oil viscosity and contents of heavy fractions）.It is found that the temperature,oil composition,and internal molecular structures are the main factors affecting its flow ability.Oil-soluble catalyst-assisted air injection or air huff-n-puff injection is a promising in situ catalytic upgrading method for improving heavy oil recovery.

Upgradation of Heavy Crude Oil Via Hydrodynamic Cavitation Through Variations in Asphaltenes

In this work,Saudi heavy crude oil(SHCO)was upgraded by the hydrodynamic cavitation technique.The collapse of cavitation bubbles instantly produces extreme conditions such as high temperature,pressure,and jet flow and strong shear forces,which can play a significant role in the upgradation process.The results revealed that the viscosity and Conradson carbon residue of SHCO decreased from 13.61 to 7.22 mm^(2)/s and from 7.16%to 6.48%,respectively.True boiling point distillation findings showed that the vacuum residue(VR)decreased by 1%.Atmospheric-pressure photoionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry,X-ray diffraction,dynamic light scattering,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize the molecular composition,crystalline structure,asphaltene aggregate particle size distribution,functional groups,and morphology,respectively,to understand the effects of hydrodynamic cavitation on asphaltenes.The obtained results demonstrate that hydrodynamic cavitation upgradation reduced the interaction forces between the asphaltene molecules,weakening the crystalline structure of the asphaltene aggregates,reducing the degree of association of the aromatic compounds in SHCO and asphaltenes,and decreasing the average particle size.The delayed coking properties of the VR were further investigated,and the cavitation treatment was found to decrease the coke yield by 1.85%and increase the liquid and gas yields by 1.52%and 0.33%,respectively.Hence,hydrodynamic cavitation can effectively enhance the processing performance of crude oil by improving the properties and structural characteristics of asphaltenes.