Innovative Techniques for Partially Upgrading Oil Sand Bitumen to Pipeline Transportable Crude
Abstract
Optimizing the use of unconventional oil resources, like oil sand bitumen, is crucial for meeting the global energy demand in an environmentally sustainable and economically viable way. Unconventional oils, including extra-heavy oil and oil sand bitumen, make up over 55% of the world's oil reserves. Therefore, this research focuses on innovative partial upgrading techniques that significantly reduce bitumen’s viscosity and improve its quality for pipeline transportation and refining. The work presented in this thesis examines various potential routes for effectively partially upgrading bitumen through a series of experimental studies. The first investigation starts with using ionic surfactants to enhance the thermal cracking reactions and the dispersion of asphaltenes, which greatly reduces bitumen viscosity by up to 60% and improves the quality of the upgraded bitumen. Then, the research continues to investigate the use of iron-based catalysts for further conversion, focusing on how their oxidation state, particle size, and concentration affect the upgrading efficiency. The results highlight the great potential of Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a cheap, robust, and sustainable catalyst and its effectiveness in promoting hydrogenation and cracking reactions resulting in up to 59% vacuum residue conversion. The research goes further to introduce a novel approach through the utilization of waste fly ash cenospheres which are coated with a layer of Fe3O4. These new innovative catalysts are then used to catalyze bitumen upgrading with the help of various organic H-donor solutions, with SEM, EDX, XRD, and XPS characterizing the catalysts' properties and their impact on the upgrading process. Additionally, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was developed and fine-tuned to predict the physical properties of the upgraded bitumen with high accuracy, showcasing the potential of machine learning in optimizing the upgrading processes. Finally, the thesis investigates the use an alternative form of heating using microwave irradiation assisted by carbon-based microwave susceptors, which significantly lowers viscosity and enhances bitumen quality at reduced temperatures with minimal environmental impact. These findings not only demonstrate the feasibility of various partial upgrading techniques but also offer insights into optimizing catalyst properties, contributing significantly to the development of sustainable and economically viable solutions for bitumen partial upgrading.