Researchers from Kazan Federal University, together with RITEK-Samara-Nafta and Lukoil-Engineering, have developed new catalysts based on iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, and copper, capable of increasing the production of high-viscosity heavy oil.
The scientists selected the most suitable catalyst composition: a mixture of iron and nickel in a ratio of 85:15. This mixture was field tested in a well at the Aksinovskoye oil field in the Samara region during four months of production. The result: the water content of the extracted oil dropped from 99% to 30%. According to the researchers, high water content is a major problem because it complicates crude oil processing and accelerates equipment corrosion.
Erik Mukhametdinov, project manager and senior researcher at the Research Laboratory for Methods of Improving Oil Recovery at Kazan Federal University, says:
« We plan to continue our research to optimize the catalyst composition and expand its application. This method could very well be used in other high-viscosity oil fields, which would significantly increase its profitability. »
According to the inventors, the use of this new catalyst has led to an increase in production, demonstrating its effectiveness. In addition, the use of catalytic hydrothermal analysis reduces energy costs. Thus, this innovation in metal catalysts opens up new perspectives for the extraction of high-viscosity crude oil.
