Aquathermolysis of heavy oil in reservoir conditions with the use of oil-soluble catalysts: part I – changes in composition of saturated hydrocarbons

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the study of aquathermolysis processes of heavy oil produced by CSS technology on Boca de Jaruco oil field. Various catalysts based on cobalt, nickel, iron and copper were used for intensification of in-situ upgrading processes of heavy oil. The first paper in series is presented results of transformation of crude oil and its saturate fraction after thermal treatment with and without catalysts by SARA analysis, MALDI mass-spectrometry, FTIR-spectroscopy and gas chromatography. It is revealed, that catalysts provide more deep conversion of asphaltenes and resins into lighter hydrocarbons. Particularly, for the given heavy oil, catalysts based on iron and nickel organic salts are more effective to reduce the content of high molecular weight components (asphaltenes). Saturates fraction after thermal treatment in presence of the catalysts is enriched with lighter alkanes in comparison to the crude oil treated without catalysts. Obtained results show that crude oil recovered by catalytic aquathermolysis processes will be better quality than the original oil in the place.     

Modern Ab-initio Calculations Based on Tomas-Fermi-Dirac Theory with Quantum,Correlation and Multi-shells Corrections

Thomas-Fermi theory is an approximate method, which is widely used to describe the properties of matter at various hierarchical levels （atomic nucleus, atom, molecule, solid, etc.）. Special development is achieved using Thomas-Fermi theory to the theory of extreme states of matter appearing under high pressures, high temperatures or strong external fields. Relevant sections of physics and related sciences （astrophysics, quantum chemistry, a number of applied sciences） determine the scope of Thomas-Fermi theory. Popularity Thomas-Fermi theory is related to its relative simplicity, clarity and versatility. The latter means that result of the calculation by Thomas-Fermi theory applies immediately to all chemical elements： the transition from element to element is as simple scale transformation. These features make it highly convenient tool for qualitative and, in many cases, quantitative analysis.     

Control of dynamic microsystems

This paper formulates and solves control problems for nonlinear microsystems which comprise micro-electromechanical devices, micromachined transducers and microelectronics. We perform a consistent dynamic analysis and coherent designs with a minimum level of simplifications using high-fidelity mathematical models. The proposed methodology enables practical implementation for multi-input/multi-output systems due to overall conceptual consistency, design coherence, computational efficiency, algorithmic effectiveness and hardware simplicity. Various issues in nonlinear analysis and control are examined and experimentally verified substantiating design concepts for high-performance microsystems. The reported findings are demonstrated for a proof-of-concept closed-loop electrostatic microactuator.     

Application of the wavelet transform for feature extraction in the analysis of hyperspectral laser-induced fluorescence data

Remote-sensing approaches for environmental protection and exploration have evolved rapidly in the last decade. Among the new operational tools, hyperspectral Fluorescent LiDAR System (FLS®) lidar has demonstrated a high sensitivity and the ability to function in complex environments for real-time, robust oil-spill monitoring on airborne or ship-borne analytical platforms. The capabilities of such analytical platforms include real-time analysis of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) data. Although numerous examples of the application of signal theory to the analysis of hyperspectral data appear in the remote-sensing literature, the conventional data analysis strategies are not well adapted to the practical issues of the LIF applications. The aim of this article is to provide a new approach for LIF lidar analytical platforms, which is focused on the specifics of hyperspectral LIF data. The approach is based on structural data analysis and interpretation, through which more detailed spectral matching is performed. This article is based on a simulated experiment in which the spectra of actual seawater and well-known types of petroleum products were combined to demonstrate the wavelet-transform-based analysis of LIF data. The final part of the article demonstrates the application of the wavelet transform to the structural analysis of LIF data from field experiments for the detection and identification of oil products in difficult environmental conditions.     

Congratulations to Vladimir Viktorovich Baulin

Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering -     

Molar enthalpy of vaporization of ethanol-gasoline mixtures and their colloid state

Vapour pressure measurements are used to evaluate the enthalpy of vaporization of ethanol-gasoline mixtures. Partial molar values are also derived. The dispersed structure of ethanol-gasoline fuel is studied for the first time using the method of correlation spectroscopy of scattered light. A large range of dispersed particle sizes in different alcohol-gasoline systems is found. The dependence of the mean radius of drops on ethanol content is determined. It is found that coalescence phenomenon occurs in the systems when extra ethanol is added.     

Use of photodegradable inhibitors in UV-curable compositions to form polymeric 2D-structures by visible light

The process of two-wave photopolymerization of a UV-curable composition with an optically degrading inhibitor is considered. By numerical simulation, it is shown that in the composition layer uniformly exposed to UV-radiation, such systems allow getting segments with different conversion under the action of inhomogeneous visible light. Based on the data on the photopolymerization kinetics of the compositions from triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and bisphenol-A glycidyl dimethacrylate (bis-GMA) with the UV-initiator 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA), it was shown that 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (35Q) with N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA, “Aldrich”, 99%) can serve as an inhibitor that degrades under action of visible radiation. Combining inhomogeneous visible light generated with a conventional DLP-projector and uniform UV-radiation of LED (365 nm) the two-wave lithographic process was implemented to create polymeric 2D-structures in 20 μm layer of the compositions from TEGDMA (70)/bis-GMA (30)/DMPA (0.05 wt%)/35Q (0.5 wt%)/DMA (1 wt%).     

Direct Measurement of Fusion Enthalpy of LaAlO3 and Comparison of Energetics of Melt,Glass, and Amorphous Thin Films

Enthalpy of fusion and melting temperature of perovskite LaAlO₃ were measured using thermal analysis method as 124 ± 10 kJ/mol at 2134 ± 10°C, providing a value of 52 ± 4 J·(mol·K)^?1 for entropy of fusion. Crystallization enthalpy of amorphous LaAlO₃ thin films was found to change from ?24 to ?17 kJ/mol with decrease in film thickness from 100 to 20 nm. Differences in energetics of amorphous LaAlO₃ films and glass cannot be explained exclusively by surface energy contribution but must reflect differences in structure between films and glasses in this system.     

Electrorheological behavior of low filled suspensions of highly anisometric montmorillonite particles

The electrorheological (ER) behavior of modified montmorillonite (MMT) suspensions in polydimethylsiloxane is studied. As established by rotational viscometry, the samples with a dispersed phase concentration from 1 to 8 wt % reveal viscous Newtonian behavior and dramatically change their properties to elastic when electric field is applied. The rheological characteristics of the suspensions over 0–7 kV mm⁻¹ range of electric field strengths are also studied. Novel X-ray diffraction method is developed to evaluate the suspension of the filler in a siloxane medium and to calculate the degree of its exfoliation. The dependence of exfoliation degree, dielectric, and ER characteristics on the type of modifier in the MMT structure is considered. Based on the obtained data, a new model of system behavior with the various types of fillers is proposed and the prospects of utilizing MMT as a filler for ER fluids are demonstrated. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47678.