IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v16y2023i12p4610-d1167620.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Current Status and Future Trends of In Situ Catalytic Upgrading of Extra Heavy Oil

Author

Listed:
  • Zhengbin Wu

    (Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology of Petroleum Exploration and Development in Hubei Province, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Hanzhao Chen

    (Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology of Petroleum Exploration and Development in Hubei Province, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Xidong Cai

    (Research Institute of Exploration and Development, PetroChina Tuha Oilfield, Hami 839009, China)

  • Qiyang Gou

    (Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology of Petroleum Exploration and Development in Hubei Province, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Liangliang Jiang

    (Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Kai Chen

    (Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology of Petroleum Exploration and Development in Hubei Province, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    Research Institute of Exploration and Development, PetroChina Tuha Oilfield, Hami 839009, China)

  • Zhangxin Chen

    (Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Shu Jiang

    (Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology of Petroleum Exploration and Development in Hubei Province, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China)

Abstract

In situ catalytic upgrading of heavy oil decomposes viscous heavy oil underground through a series of complex chemical and physical reactions with the aid of an injected catalyst, and permits the resulting lighter components to flow to the producer under a normal pressure drive. By eliminating or substantially reducing the use of steam, which is prevalently used in current heavy oil productions worldwide and is a potent source of contamination concerns if not treated properly, in situ catalytic upgrading is intrinsically environmental-friendly and widely regarded as one of the promising techniques routes to decarbonize the oil industry. The present review provides a state-of-the-art summarization of the technologies of in situ catalytic upgrading and viscosity reduction in heavy oil from the aspects of catalyst selections, catalytic mechanisms, catalytic methods, and applications. The various types of widely used catalysts are compared and discussed in detail. Factors that impact the efficacy of the in situ upgrading of heavy oil are presented. The challenges and recommendations for future development are also furnished. This in-depth review is intended to give a well-rounded introduction to critical aspects on which the in situ catalytic application can shed light in the development of the world’s extra heavy oil reservoirs.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhengbin Wu & Hanzhao Chen & Xidong Cai & Qiyang Gou & Liangliang Jiang & Kai Chen & Zhangxin Chen & Shu Jiang, 2023. "Current Status and Future Trends of In Situ Catalytic Upgrading of Extra Heavy Oil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-29, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:12:p:4610-:d:1167620
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/12/4610/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/12/4610/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abarasi Hart & Joseph Wood, 2018. "In Situ Catalytic Upgrading of Heavy Crude with CAPRI: Influence of Hydrogen on Catalyst Pore Plugging and Deactivation due to Coke," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Rui, Zhenhua & Wang, Xiaoqing & Zhang, Zhien & Lu, Jun & Chen, Gang & Zhou, Xiyu & Patil, Shirish, 2018. "A realistic and integrated model for evaluating oil sands development with Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage technology in Canada," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 76-91.
    3. Dong, Xiaohu & Liu, Huiqing & Chen, Zhangxin & Wu, Keliu & Lu, Ning & Zhang, Qichen, 2019. "Enhanced oil recovery techniques for heavy oil and oilsands reservoirs after steam injection," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C), pages 1190-1211.
    4. Yury V. Ilyushin, 2022. "Development of a Process Control System for the Production of High-Paraffin Oil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-10, September.
    5. Gu, Hao & Cheng, Linsong & Huang, Shijun & Du, Baojian & Hu, Changhao, 2014. "Prediction of thermophysical properties of saturated steam and wellbore heat losses in concentric dual-tubing steam injection wells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 419-429.
    6. Abdulrahman, Muhammed Moshin & Meribout, Mahmoud, 2014. "Antenna array design for enhanced oil recovery under oil reservoir constraints with experimental validation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 868-880.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Khoshim Kh. Urazov & Nikita N. Sviridenko & Yulia A. Sviridenko & Veronika R. Utyaganova, 2024. "Influence of a Precursor Catalyst on the Composition of Products in Catalytic Cracking of Heavy Oil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Gang Fang & Guang Li & Zhi Kou & Huishu Liu & Jimiao Duan & Yan Chen, 2024. "Flow Characteristics of Oil-Carrying by Water in Downward-Inclined and Horizontal Mobile Pipeline," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-19, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Zhengxu & Gao, Deli & Diao, Binbin & Zhang, Wei, 2020. "The influence of casing properties on performance of radio frequency heating for oil sands recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    2. Zhang, Lisong & Li, Jing & Sun, Luning & Yang, Feiyue, 2021. "An influence mechanism of shale barrier on heavy oil recovery using SAGD based on theoretical and numerical analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    3. Yao, Yue & Sun, Deqiang & Xu, Jin-Hua & Wang, Bin & Peng, Guohong & Sun, Bingmei, 2023. "Evaluation of enhanced oil recovery methods for mature continental heavy oil fields in China based on geology, technology and sustainability criteria," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PB).
    4. Afra, Mohammad & Peyghambarzadeh, S.M. & Shahbazi, Khalil & Tahmassebi, Narges, 2021. "Thermo-economic optimization of steam injection operation in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using nano-thermal insulation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    5. Peng Li & Yanyu Zhang & Xiaofei Sun & Huijuan Chen & Yang Liu, 2020. "A Numerical Model for Investigating the Steam Conformance along the Dual-String Horizontal Wells in SAGD Operations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-38, August.
    6. Wang, Wenyang & Pang, Xiongqi & Chen, Zhangxin & Chen, Dongxia & Ma, Xinhua & Zhu, Weiping & Zheng, Tianyu & Wu, Keliu & Zhang, Kun & Ma, Kuiyou, 2020. "Improved methods for determining effective sandstone reservoirs and evaluating hydrocarbon enrichment in petroliferous basins," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    7. Sun, Fengrui & Yao, Yuedong & Chen, Mingqiang & Li, Xiangfang & Zhao, Lin & Meng, Ye & Sun, Zheng & Zhang, Tao & Feng, Dong, 2017. "Performance analysis of superheated steam injection for heavy oil recovery and modeling of wellbore heat efficiency," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 795-804.
    8. Asongu, Simplice A & Odhiambo, Nicholas M, 2019. "Governance,CO2 emissions and inclusive human development in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 25253, University of South Africa, Department of Economics.
    9. Wang, Sijia & Jiang, Lanlan & Cheng, Zucheng & Liu, Yu & Zhao, Jiafei & Song, Yongchen, 2021. "Experimental study on the CO2-decane displacement front behavior in high permeability sand evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    10. Jia Liu & Jianguo Wang & Chunfai Leung & Feng Gao, 2018. "A Fully Coupled Numerical Model for Microwave Heating Enhanced Shale Gas Recovery," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-28, June.
    11. Li, Jing & Zhang, Lisong & Yang, Feiyue & Sun, Luning, 2020. "Positive measure and potential implication for heavy oil recovery of dip reservoir using SAGD based on numerical analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    12. Zhou, Yuhao & Wang, Yanwei, 2022. "An integrated framework based on deep learning algorithm for optimizing thermochemical production in heavy oil reservoirs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    13. Anufriev, I.S. & Kopyev, E.P. & Alekseenko, S.V. & Sharypov, O.V. & Vigriyanov, M.S., 2022. "New ecology safe waste-to-energy technology of liquid fuel combustion with superheated steam," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    14. Yiwei Wang & Yuan Wang & Sunhua Deng & Qiang Li & Jingjing Gu & Haoche Shui & Wei Guo, 2022. "Numerical Simulation Analysis of Heating Effect of Downhole Methane Catalytic Combustion Heater under High Pressure," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, February.
    15. Bera, Achinta & Babadagli, Tayfun, 2015. "Status of electromagnetic heating for enhanced heavy oil/bitumen recovery and future prospects: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 206-226.
    16. Zhenni Ye & Xiaoli Liu & Huan Sun & Qinxi Dong & Weisheng Du & Qijian Long, 2022. "Variations in Permeability and Mechanical Properties of Basaltic Rocks Induced by Carbon Mineralization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    17. Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin & Angie Tatiana Ortega-Ramírez & Paula Alejandra Perilla Rodríguez & Shalom Jireth Reyes López & Laura Estefanía Guerrero-Martin & Raúl Salinas-Silva & Stefanny Camacho-G, 2023. "Analysis of Environmental Sustainability through a Weighting Matrix in the Oil and Gas Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, June.
    18. Zhang, Rongda & Wei, Jing & Zhao, Xiaoli & Liu, Yang, 2022. "Economic and environmental benefits of the integration between carbon sequestration and underground gas storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    19. Ying Shi & Hong He & Yu Li & Fei Ding & Zhuo Zhou & Nuolin Xiong, 2023. "High-Temperature-Resistant Epoxy Resin Gel Behavior and Profile Control in Heavy Oil Steam Drive," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-14, December.
    20. Wang, Sen & Qin, Chaoxu & Feng, Qihong & Javadpour, Farzam & Rui, Zhenhua, 2021. "A framework for predicting the production performance of unconventional resources using deep learning," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 295(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:12:p:4610-:d:1167620. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.