Preliminary Results of the Implementation of Multiphase Plasma Hydrocarbon Processing in Field Attained Heavy Oils

Abstract

Global energy demand continues to rise annually with projections of 50% by 2050. The demand of petroleum and other liquid fuel will increase by 25% and natural gas by 45% within this period of time. Conventional crude oils currently dominate the majority of global daily production; however, unconventional crude oils make up 70% of total global oil resources and only represent 11.45% of global daily consumption and demand. This deficit in exploitation unequivocally drives a demand for new technologies to enhance heavy crude oil production from reservoirs and surface processing that are economically feasible for oil companies to maintain their global energy consumption market share.

An alternative technology is used utilizing non-thermal nanosecond pulsing plasma processing with methane gas flow in field attained heavy crude oil samples in a designed oil-treatment-reactor for high temperature (OTR HT) as a means to investigate the chemical conversion and economic feasibility of heavy crude oil upgrading with a benchmark focus compared to current literature and future implementation feasibility. Results will focus on preliminary experiments of plasma induced chemical conversion focused on atmospheric tower bottom (ATB) as a pilot heavy crude oil while superficially characterizing other heavy crude oils attained in the field: heavy gas oil (HGO), unconverted crude oil (UCO), heavy naphtha (HN), and Massie West crude (MWC). The organization of these results and additional complementary work targets being a project report deliverable to the company sponsor.

Experiments on ATB were conducted at atmospheric pressure at 100°C inside an OTR HT at 3mm and 10mm electrode gap distances under a fume hood and the results were quantified with a full mass balance on the liquid, condensate, gas, and solid constituents. The liquid and condensate constituents were analyzed using a gas chromatograph with a mass spectrometer (GCMS) while the gas was analyzed in a gas chromatograph with a flame ionizing detector (GCFID). Experimental parameters including temperature, electrode gap distance, gas composition, gas flow rate, and electrical circuit capacitance and resistance were predetermined from results of rigorous experimentation by Dr. Kunpeng Wang whom this work is built upon from Dr. David Staack’s Plasma Lab at Texas A&M University. Experiments were also conducted to study the importance of these parameters to establish an optimal operating condition for ATB while keeping the electrical circuit parameters and gas composition constant. Preliminary results indicate the induced chemical reactions by non-thermal nanosecond pulsed plasma favor cracking and conversion of high carbon number heavy hydrocarbons into lighter gasoline and diesel range hydrocarbon species while increasing octane number. This pathway is evident from new species of methyl group terminations from the addition of methane gas in analyzed converted light oil liquid fuel samples. The preliminary results will provide insights into the chemical conversion feasibility and economics of non-thermal nanosecond pulsed plasma induced cracking of ATB crude oil with general implementation strategy for future pilot testing of this technology.