In-Situ Oil Upgrading using Tetralin (C 10 H 12 ) Hydrogen Donor and Fe(acac) 3 Catalyst at Steam Injection Pressure and Temperature Objectives In-situ upgrading has advantages over conventional surface upgrading technology. First, in-situ upgrading enhances oil recovery, increases well production, and lowers lifting and transportation costs from reservoir to refinery. It eliminates the cost <strong>of</strong> building catalytic reactors or vessels. The in-situ process can be applied onshore or <strong>of</strong>fshore as well as in remote locations where surface facilities may be prohibited. Second, in-situ upgrading can be applied on a wellto-well basis, and thus can be adjusted for declining production rates whereas surface processing are designed for a specified range <strong>of</strong> crude volume. Third, implementation <strong>of</strong> in-situ upgrading reduces energy consumption since the same energy from steam injection is used to produce and upgrade the oil. Finally, in-situ upgrading is more environmentally friendly, yielding lower quantities <strong>of</strong> byproducts that reduce disposal expenditures. The main objectives <strong>of</strong> the research are as follows: » Follow up on research by Ahmad Mohammad, for example, in-situ oil upgrading using tetralin (C 10 H 12 ) and Fe(CH 3 COCHCOCH 3 ) 3 [i.e., Fe(acac) 3 ] catalyst at steam injection pressure and temperature as found in the field. » Make runs in which we inject a slug or slugs <strong>of</strong> tetralin/catalyst followed by steam injection. » Simulate longer injection periods in the experiments by making runs for several days, stopping at the end <strong>of</strong> each day. » Make runs using a reactor cell and synthetic oil made <strong>of</strong> several pure components (similar to Ramirez’s PhD research). Analyze any change in synthetic oil composition by GC analysis. This type <strong>of</strong> experiment will help us determine which components are upgraded by tetralin/catalyst, and then extrapolate the results to actual oil. » For both displacement and reactor cell experiments, investigate the effect <strong>of</strong> steam-surfactant injection to lower IFT and thus increase recovery factor. Approach For reactor cell experiments, one single hydrocarbon component will be used for each run. The hydrocarbon component, water, tetralin, and catalyst are mixed in the cell and then pressurized and heated to reservoir steam flooding conditions for a period <strong>of</strong> time. At the end <strong>of</strong> the run, a sample <strong>of</strong> the liquid from the cell is removed and its composition analyzed using a GC. For injection tests, the experimental apparatus (Fig 1) is made up <strong>of</strong> four main parts: injection cell, fluid injection system, fluid production system, and data recording system. The experimental procedure is as follows: (1) Prepare sand/water/oil mixture, (2) Tamp mixture into injection cell and pressure test, (3) Install injection cell into vacuum jacket and pressure test whole system, (4) Set heating jacket to reservoir temperature and leave overnight, (5) Condition steam generator and pressurize injection cell, (6) Start tetralin or tetralin-catalyst injections (only for injection runs), and (7) Start steam injection and collect samples. Accomplishments Set up reactor cell, GC and other equipment, and investigated chemical requirements for research. Reviewed papers and books on oil upgrading using tetralin/catalyst. (continued on next page) Project Information 1.3.17 Experimental Studies <strong>of</strong> Non-Thermal EOR Methods for Heavy and Light Oil Recovery Related Publications Mohammad, A. A. and Mamora, D. D. In-Situ Upgrading <strong>of</strong> Heavy Oil under Steam Injection with Tetralin and Catalyst, Paper presented at the 2008 International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposiums, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 20-23 October. Contacts Daulat Mamora 979.845.2962 daulat.mamora@pe.tamu.edu Zhiyong Zhang CRISMAN INSTITUTE <strong>Crisman</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2009</strong> 31
Fig. 1. Set up <strong>of</strong> displacement apparatus. 32 <strong>Crisman</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
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