Experimental investigations of hydrocarbon fluid recovery from hydrothermally treated rocks of the Bazhenov Formation

Abstract

The results of experimental shale-oil recovery from hydrothermally treated rocks of the Bazhenov Formation are discussed. It is shown that the yield depends on the duration of an experiment: the longer the hydrothermal impact is, the higher the oil yield is. The potential of oil recovery from hydrothermally treated rocks of the Bazhenov Formation is as high as 25 mg/g or 2.5 wt %. The addition of reducing agents such as aluminum or oxalic acid provides no increase in the coefficient of oil recovery. It is established that the yield of the oil fraction at 250°C is insignificant; at 300°C, it amounts to 25 mg/g, while at 350°C, it decreases up to 15 mg/g. This means that a temperature of 300°C is preferable, since it provides a higher yield of oil products and oil fractions are largely represented by normal alkanes, while chromatograms that were obtained at 350°C indicate the development of complex processes, including graphitization of kerogen.