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Downhole upgrading of Orinoco-based extra-heavy crude oil using hydrogen donors under steam injection conditions: Effect of the presence of catalysts

Abstract:

An extra-heavy crude oil underground upgrading concept and laboratory experiments are presented which involves the addition of a hydrogen donor additive (Tetralin) to an Orinoco Based extra-heavy crude oil under steam injection conditions (280-315°C and residence times of at least 24-h). It was found that the presence of the natural formation is necessary to further enhance the properties of the upgraded crude oil. With this idea in mind, two iron-containing catalysts were used and the results showed an increase in the API gravity of 8°, up to 26% desulphurization, 27% reduction in the asphaltene content, and six-fold reduction in the viscosity of the upgraded product in comparison with the control reactions using inert sand. The iron catalysts were characterized by XPS, EDAX, and Mössbauer spectroscopy before and after the upgraded reactions. The results indicated an increase of 20% on the iron particle sizes with the concomitant reduction on the catalytic activities and the presence of hematite (Fe2O3) as the predominant phase.