In-situ combustion (ISC) is a promising thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method for heavy oils. However, its field application is still limited due to difficulty in the ignition, low combustion efficiency, unstable combustion front, etc. To improve the success rate of the ISC process, we investigated the effectiveness of copper-based oil-soluble catalysts for catalyzing combustion and in-situ upgrading of heavy oils.

High-pressure differential scanning calorimetry (HP-DSC) and TGA were used to investigate the effect of catalyst on the thermochemistry (onset temperature, temperature range of reaction interval, heat effect, etc.) and kinetic parameters of the combustion process. A Porous medium thermo-effect cell (PMTEC) was designed to study the catalytic combustion of heavy oil in porous media under airflow. And, a visual combustion tube (VCT) was developed to study the catalytic effect of catalysts on the ISC process, including improving combustion front propagation, in-situ upgrading of heavy oils, and oil recovery.

 

Tentative date:

2021 June 14

Registration Deadline:

2021 Jun 12

Eligibility qualification for the participants:

Faculty members, researchers, graduate students, undergrad student

Main presenter:

Dr. Mikhail A. Varfolomeev

Head of Department of Petroleum Engineering, Head of Enhanced oil recovery laboratory, Kazan Federal University. Co-author of more than 220 research papers and 10 invention patents. Member of SPE and EFCE. Supervisor of more than 50 projects in oil industry with main focus on enhanced oil recovery.

Registration is free.