Impact of Reservoir Heterogeneity on Bitumen Content in the Mackay River Oil Sands,Athabasca(Canada)

The Lower Cretaceous Manville Group of Upper Mc Murray Formation is one of the main bitumen reservoirs in Athabasca.In this study,the relationship between reservoirs heterogeneity and bitumen geochemical characteristics were analyzed through core and microscopic observation,lab analysis,petrophysics and logging data.Based on the sedimentology framework,the formation environment of high-quality oil sand reservoirs and their significance for development were discussed.The results indicate that four types lithofacies were recognized in the Upper Mc Murray Formation based on their depositional characteristics.Each lithofacies reservoirs has unique physical properties,and is subject to varying degrees of degradation,resulting in diversity of bitumen content and geochemical composition.The tidal bar(TB)or tidal channel(TC)facies reservoir have excellent physical properties,which are evaluated as gas or water intervals due to strong degradation.The reservoir of sand bar(SB)facies was evaluated as oil intervals,due to its poor physical properties and weak degradation.The reservoir of mixed flat(MF)facies is composed of sand intercalated with laminated shale,which is evaluated as poor oil intervals due to its poor connectivity.The shale content in oil sand reservoir is very important for the reservoir physical properties and bitumen degradation degree.In the context of regional biodegradation,oil sand reservoirs with good physical properties will suffer from strong degradation,while oil sand reservoirs with relatively poor physical properties are more conducive to the bitumen preservation.

Study on low temperature performance of Gussasphalt on steel decks with hard bitumen

Using a Hamburg wheel-track test device, the resistance to rutting of Gussasphalt is tested and compared. Gussasphalt with hard bitumen has good resistance to rutting. The related resistance abilities to cracking at low temperature of Gussasphalt are tested and compared through flexural experiments and the composite structure fatigue test with temperature dropping. Gussasphalt with high performance polymer modified bitumen has a longer fatigue life and a lower breaking temperature; they can be used in the future surfaces for steel bridge decks in Germany.

Modification of Bitumen with Desulfurized Crumb Rubber in the Present of Reactive Additives

Bitumen was modified with desulfurized crumb rubber (DCR) in the present of reac tive additives. The effect of the kinds and content of the reactive additive on prop erties of DCR modified bitumen (DCRMB) was investigated. The morphology of DCRMB was characterized by SEM and the changes of the chemical structure of DCRMB wit hout and with the addition of the reactive additive were analyzed by FTIR. The e xperimented results show that the softening point,the elasticity recovery and th e storage stability of DCRMB were improved significantly by the addition of the reactive additive. This is because that a network structure of rubber in DCRMB w as formed and the chemical reaction between C=C double bonds in bitumen and DCR has happened after the reactive additive was added into DCRMB.

Formation of Natural Bitumen and its Implication for Oil/gas Prospect in Dabashan Foreland

Natural bitumen is the evolutionary residue of hydrocarbon of sedimentary organic matter. Several kinds of bitumen with different occurrences, including bitumen in source rock, migration bitumen filled in fault, oil-bed bitumen and paleo-reservoir bitumen, are distributed widely in the Dabashan foreland. These kinds of bitumen represent the process of oil/gas formation, migration and accumulation in the region. Bitumen in source rock fiUed in fractures and stylolite and experienced deformation simultaneously together with source rock themselves. It indicated that oil/gas generation and expelling from source rock occurred under normal buried thermal conditions during prototype basin evolution stages prior to orogeny. Occurrences of bitumen in source rock indicated that paleo- reservoir formation conditions existed in the Dabashan foreland. Migration bitumen being widespread in the fault revealed that the fault was the main channel for oil/gas migration, which occurred synchronously with Jurassic foreland deformation. Oil-bed bitumen was the kind of pyrolysis bitumen that distributed in solution pores of reservoir rock in the Dabashan foreland depression, the northeastern Sichuan Basin. Geochemistry of oil-bed bitumen indicated that natural gas that accumulated in the Dabashan foreland depression formed from liquid hydrocarbon by pyrolysis process. However, paleo-reservior bitumen in the Dabashan forleland was the kind of degradation bitumen that formed from liquid hydrocarbon within the paleo-reservior by oxidation, alteration and other secondary changes due to paleo-reservior damage during tectonics in the Dabashan foreland. In combination with the tectonic evolution of the Dabashan foreland, it is proposed that the oil/gas generated, migrated and accumulated to form the paleo-reservoir during the Triassic Indosinian tectonic movement. Jurassic collision orogeny, the Yanshan tectonic movement, led to intracontinental orogeny of the Dabashan area accompanied by geofluid expelling and paleo-reservoir damage in the Dabashan foreland. The present work proposed that there is liquid hydrocarbon exploration potential in the Dabashan foreland, while there are prospects for the existence of natural gas in the Dabashan foreland depression.

Diesel and Jet Fuels from Bitumen-derived Middle Distillates

Narrow fractions of light gas oils obtained from various upgrading processes of Athabasca oilsands bitumen were investigated as diesel and jet fuels. The relationship among the boiling range, cetane number, smoke point, and other properties such as aromatics content, aniline point, and the sulfur and nitrogen content was also studied. The study reveals that when appropriate processes and distillation boiling ranges are selected, oilsands bitumen can produce diesel and jet fuels that meet stringent environmental regulations and future product specifications. New correlations to predict CN and smoke point were developed as a function of density, boiling ranges by simulated distillation, and mono- and total aromatics by supercritical fluid chromatography. The correlations apply to bitumen-derived middle distillates that have a wide range of boiling points.

A New Approach for Evaluating Rejuvenator Diffusing into Aged Bitumen

Rejuvenator diffusing into aged bitumen was evaluated by determining penetration and chemical components of aged bitumen with rejuvenator coat before and after diffusing experiment. Effects of temperature, time and viscosity of rejuvenator on the diffusing ability of rejuvenator into aged bitumen were investigated. Results indicated that the diffusing ability of rejuvenator into aged bitumen could be enhanced with the increasing of temperature and time, however, the diffusing of rejuvenator into aged bitumen would be restricted due to the volatilization of light component and aging of rejuvenator under high temperature （over 170 ℃）. Rejuvenator with low viscosity diffused into aged bitumen more easily.

Re–Os Dating of Bitumen from Paleo–Oil Reservoir in the Qinglong Antimony Deposit, Guizhou Province, China and Its Geological Significance

Abundant organic inclusions are present in the Qinglong antimony deposit. However, the source rocks of these organic matters have not been reliably identified. Recently, a paleo--oil reservoir was found in the Qinglong antimony deposit. In view of similar components of gaseous hydrocarbon, we propose that the organic matters observed in inclusions in Qinglong antimony deposit would come from this paleo-oil reservoir. We used the Re-Os dating method to determine the age of the bitumen from this paleo-oil reservoir, and obtained an isochron age of 254.3~2.8 Ma. The age indicates that the oil- generation from source rock occurred in the early Late Permian, earlier than the Sb mineralization age （-148~8.5 Ma） in the Qinglong antimony deposit area. After oil generation from Devonian source rock, first and secondary migration, the crude oil have probably entered into the fractures and pores of volcanic rocks and limestone and formed a paleo-oil reservoir in the western wing of Dachang anticline. As burial process deepened, the crude oil has turned into natural gas, migrates into the core of Dachang anticline and formed a paleo-gas reservoir. The hydrocarbons （including CH4） in the reservoirs can serve as reducing agent to provide the sulfur required for Sb mineralization through thermal chemical reduction of sulfates. Therefore, the formation of oil-gas in the area is a prerequisite for the Sb mineralization in the Qinglong antimony deposit.

Effect of Layered Double Hydroxides on Ultraviolet Aging Resistance of SBS Modified Bitumen Membrane

Layered double hydroxides （LDHs）/styrene-butadiene-styrene （SBS） eopolymer modified bitumen was prepared by melt blending. The effect of LDHs on the ultraviolet （UV） aging behavior of SBS modified bitumen was investigated. The changes of chemical structures of modified bitumen before and after UV aging were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）. The results show that LDHs obviously reduce the variation of softening point and low temperature flexibility of SBS modified bitumen under different UV radiation intensities, which indicates that the UV aging resistance performance of SBS modified bitumen is improved effectively by LDHs. Compared with SBS modified bitumen, the changes of carbonyl, sulfoxide and butadienyl of LDHs/SBS modified bitumen decrease significantly after UV aging according to FTIR analysis, demonstrating that the oxidation and degradation reactions of SBS modified bitumen were restrained effectively by adding LDHs.

Preparation and Anti-ultraviolet Aging Performance of Organic Layered Double Hydroxides/Bitumen Composites

Layered double hydroxides(LDHs) with the physical property of high ultraviolet(UV)reflectance were used to enhance the anti-UV aging performance of bitumen. In view of the poor compatibility of LDHs with bitumen, three organic anions, namely, sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate(SDBS), sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS) and sodium dodecyl sulfonate(SDSO), were used as modifiers to prepare organic LDHs(OCLDHs) through regeneration process, and the crystal structure, chemical composition, morphological feature and UV shielding capability of synthesized OCLDHs were analyzed. Then the OCLDHs were added into bitumen to evaluate the storage stability and anti-UV aging property of OCLDHs/bitumen composites.The results show that the organic anions are inserted into the interlayers of LDHs, the intercalation expands the interlayer distance of LDHs, makes the particle shapes become more irregular and complicated, and enhances the absorption ability within the range from 200 to 300 nm while has little influence on the UV reflection ability.Result of high temperature storage stability indicates the organic modification ameliorates the compatibility of LDHs with bitumen. Compared with LDHs, OCLDHs decrease the deteriorations of bitumen’s properties during UV exposure test, exhibiting better effect in enhancing anti-UV aging performance of bitumen. Furthermore,among the three OCLDHs, LDHs intercalated by SDBS exhibit the most effective improvement due to the best compatibility with bitumen and comparatively good UV shielding effect.

Microstructure and Properties of Desulfurized Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen

The microstructures of general crumb rubber(CR), dynamic desulfurized crumb rubber(DDCR) and high speed agitation desulfurized crumb rubber(HSADCR) modified bitumens were investigated by a fluorescence microscope, and the physical properties of these three modified bitumens were studied.The results show that the dynamic desulfuration can improve the swelling capacity of crumb rubber in bitumen by destroying the sulfuratized bond of the crumb rubber,but the reunion of rubber particles during dynamic desulfuration also makes the swelling and the DDCR in bitumen difficult, so properties of the DDCR modified bitumen are not superior to the general crumb rubber modified bitumen.However,high speed agitation desulfuration can not only improve the swelling capacity of crumb rubber in bitumen,but also avoid the reunion of rubber particles,so some properties of bitumen can be improved by the modification of HSADCR.

Effect of Organophilic Montmorillonite on Thermal-oxidative Aging Behavior of SBS Modified Bitumen Crack Filling Material

Styrene-butadiene-styrene （SBS） modified bitumen crack filling material with organophilic montmorillonite （OCFM） was prepared by melt blending. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the interlayer spacing of organophilic montmorillonite （OMMT） in OCFM is widened and an exfoliated structure may be formed. Thermal-oxidative aging behavior of OCFM and SBS modified bitumen crack filling material （SCFM） was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the rate of thermal-oxidative aging of OCFM is much slower than that of SCFM, which can be attributed to barrier of exfoliated structure of OCFM to oxygen.

Effect of Organo-montmorillonite on the Morphology and Aging Properties of Various Bitumens

Effect of organo-montmorillonite （OMMT） on the morphology and aging properties of various bitumens was studied. The morphology of the binders was characterized by atomic force microscopy （AFM）. The influence of OMMT on physical properties of the binders before and after long-term aging and ultraviolet （UV） aging was investigated. It was observed that the effect of OMMT on the morphology and aging properties of bitumens depended on the base bitumen. In one case, OMMT affected the dispersed phase in bitumen. In the other case, OMMT affected the bitumen matrix. In both cases, OMMT caused stiffening of the modified phase. Compared with modification of the dispersed phase, modification of the matrix phase showed an obvious improvement on the physical properties as well as the better UV aging properties of bitumens, which was opposite to the long-term aging result.

Bitumen Recovery from Indonesian Oil Sands Using ASP(Alkali, Surfactant and Polymer) Agent

A self-developed ASP agent was used to separate bitumen from Indonesia's oil sands by its comprehensive effect and the separation condition was well investigated. The bitumen extraction conditions for industrial application were recommended to cover a mixing temperature of 80℃, a mixing time of 40 min, a mass ratio of ASP agent to oil sands of 4:10, and a floating time of 10 min. Under the above conditions, the bitumen recovery was about 86% and the residual bitumen content in tailings was about 6%. The relationship between the residual bitumen content and the particle size of tailings was studied in order to find the way to reducing the residual bitumen content in tailings. The results showed that the residual bitumen content in tailings decreased with a decreasing tailings particle size. After being milled for 30 min with a mortar, the tailings was reprocessed via extraction by means of the ASP agent, and the residual bitumen content in tailings decreased from 5.47% to 1.25%, which could comply with the disposal requirements.

Shear resistance properties of TPS modified bitumen binders and asphalt mixtures

Shear resistance properties of the virgin bitumen and modified bitumen binders with Tafpack Super(TPS) modifier and SBS modified bitumen were discussed.Dynamic shear rheometer(DSR) was used to measure the laboratory creep data for these binders over a wide range of constant shear stresses at 20 ℃ to characterize the shear creep behaviors of all kinds of asphalt binders,and the rutting test system was used to investigate the permanent deformation of porous asphalt mixtures using the above bitumen binders for a fixed compressive stress.The shear strain rate and shear creep modulus were used to characterize the shear creep behavior of the TPS modified bitumen,and the rutting test results were used to show the consistency of porous asphalt mixtures with the bitumen binders.Results indicate that a distinction of shear creep strain can be made among different contents of TPS modified bitumen at the same stress level,where the shear creep strain-time response curve of the SBS modified bitumen binder is between the curves of the 8% TPS and 12% TPS modified bitumen binders.The shear strain rate and the shear creep modulus of the TPS modified bitumen binders are obtained to compare with those of the SBS modified bitumen binder which results in the same trend as the shear creep strain-time response curve.Permanent deformation results of all the porous asphalt mixtures from the rutting test show reasonable agreement with the findings of the shear strain rates and shear creep modulus over the range of shear stress levels.

Investigation of rheological properties of TPS modified bitumen

Rheological properties of the virgin bitumen and TPS modified bitumen binders with several percentages of TPS additives were studied.All TPS modified bituminous binders were prepared on a laboratory scale.Dynamic shear rheometer(DSR) strain sweep test was made to measure the linear viscoelasticity areas of various bitumen binders at -20-70 ℃,then temperature sweep test and frequency sweep test were made in the linear viscoelasticity areas.Complex modulus master curves were drawn to analyze and compare various bitumen binders' rheological properties.Based on the test results,the ideal percentage of TPS additive was brought forward.The results show that TPS modified bitumen binders have more excellent properties at high,medium and low temperatures compared with original bitumen.The dosages of TPS additive are vital to their properties.

Compatibility Evaluation between Direct Coal Liquefaction Residue and Bitumen

The compatibility between direct coal liquefaction residue(DCLR) and five kinds of pure bitumen(Shell-90,SK-90, ZSY-70, DM-70 and KLMY-50) was evaluated in this study. The rheological characteristics, glass transition temperatures(T_g), solubility parameters(SP) and SARA(saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes) fractions of DCLR,five kinds of pure bitumen and their blends(named as DCLR modified bitumen) were measured using the dynamic shear rheometer(DSR), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), viscosity, and SARA tests, respectively. And the compatibility between DCLR and pure bitumen was characterized with three approaches, viz. the Cole-Cole plot,T_g, and the solubility parameter difference(SPD) method. Since each method has its own working mechanism, the compatibility ranking for the DCLR and five kinds of pure bitumen is slightly different according to the three approaches. However, the difference is pretty close and sometimes can be ignored. The general compatibility ranking decreases in the following order: Shell-90≈SK-90>DM-70≈ZSY-70>KLMY-50, which is affected by the asphaltenes content and the colloid index(I_c) value in the pure bitumen. Pure bitumen with lower asphaltenes content and colloid index(I_c) value has better compatibility with DCLR.

Laboratory and Field Investigations of Polymer and Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen

In this paper, properties of new kind of modified bitumen are presented. Bituminous binder was modified with mix modification using polymer and additive of crumb rubber. Terminal blend process at the refinery was applied to produce the mixed modified binder. Laboratory tests were focused on the characterization of the properties of 45/80-55 CR binder with comparison to reference 50/70 and conventional polymer modified 45/80-55 bitumen. Based on conventional binder tests such as penetration, softening point and Fraass breaking point as well as BBR （bending beam rheometer） and DSR （dynamic shear rheometer） tests, rheological properties were investigated. For determination of stability of the polymer and crumb rubber, modified bitumen tube testing method was used. Based on the results analysis, improvement of the viscoelastic properties of polymer and crumb rubber modified bitumen was observed. Conventional properties and stability tests showed that it is possible to pass standard requirements for polymer modified bitumen. Mixed modification and terminal blend allow to use crumb rubber as a modifier with elimination of the separation of crumb rubber during transportation and storage at high temperature. In this paper, experience from filed sections with use of the asphalt mixture with new kind of modified bitumen is presented.

Extraction of Chemical Constituents of Bitumen Using a Mixed Solvent System

Several solvents had been used to extract the SARA (Saturate, Aromatic, Resin and Asphaltene) constituents of bitumen. The quantification of such extracts also abounds in open literature but in this work an attempt was made to determine the quality of extraction as a feed stock for processing bitumen using a mixed solvent system. A mixture of heptane and toluene was used to compare with the standard method using heptane. The components were analysed for functional groups of compound types presented in them using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry technique (FTIR). The quality of bitumen component extract was not significantly affected by the method of extraction as recommended by the ASTM. The components are mixture of different class of hydrocarbons such as saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons which conformed to what had earlier been reported by other researchers.

Bulk and molecular composition variations of gold-tube pyrolysates from severely biodegraded Athabasca bitumen

Gold-tube pyrolysis experiments were performed on two Athabasca oil sand bitumens at 300℃to 525℃with 2℃/h rate and 25℃step under 50 MPa.Pyrolysis temperature of 425℃is critical for weight loss of bulk bitumen and hydrocarbon generation and destruction.Polar compounds are the main source of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbon,gas and coke fractions.Molecular compositions in pyrolyzates vary systematically with increasing pyrolysis temperatures.High molecular weight n-alkanes(C26^+) are gradually destructed during pyrolysis due to thermal cracking.Moderate molecular weight n-alkanes(C21-C25)show the highest thermal stability in designed pyrolysis temperatures.The loss of low molecular weight n-alkanes(C20^-)might be caused by volatilization during pyrolysis,which may alter commonly used molecular parameters such as∑n-C20^-/∑n-C21^+,Pr/n-C17 and Ph/n-C18.Aromatic hydrocarbons were generated from 300 to 425℃,then condensation and dealkylation have been initiated at 425℃as evidenced by decreased summed alkylnaphthalenes to alkylphenanthrenes ratios and increased unsubstituted aromatics to substituted homologs ratios in higher temperatures.The occurrence of anthracene and benz[a]anthracene in pyrolysates indicates pyrogenic origin,while fluoranthene shows unexpected behaviors during pyrolysis.Ratios derived from them are not always reliable for pyrogenic source input diagnosis in environmental samples.

High-efficiency Extraction of Bitumen from Oil Sands Using Mixture of Ionic Liquid [Emim][BF_(4)] and Dichloromethane

An ionic liquid(IL),1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate([Emim][BF_(4)]),was used to enhance bitumen recovery from oil sands by dichloromethane solvent extraction.A multiphase system could be formed by simply mixing the components at ambient temperature,consisting of sands and clays,mixtures of ionic liquid and dichloromethane,and concentrated bitumen layer.The results demonstrated that[Emim][BF_(4)]increased the bitumen recovery up to 92%.Much less clay fines were found in the recovered bitumen than those formed by using dichloromethane solvent extraction alone,and the dichloromethane residue was not detected in the spent sands.We proposed that[Emim][BF_(4)]had an ability to reduce the adhesion of bitumen to sand,resulting in an improved separation efficiency.Furthermore,[Emim][BF_(4)]could facilitate the transfer of the extracted bitumen to the surface interface,and then the bitumen was auto-partitioned to a separate immiscible phase for ease of harvesting.This technology circumvented the issue of high consumption of distillation energy due to separation of bitumen phase and low boiling point of dichloromethane.[Emim][BF_(4)]and dichloromethane could be readily recycled through the system and used repeatedly.After ten cycles,the bitumen recovery remained above 88%.Initial scale-up work suggested that this approach would form the basis for a viable large-scale process.