Prospective electric heavy oil upgrading at ambient pressure by high energy electron beam

Abstract

To alleviate increasing problems of greenhouse gas emissions, two approaches should be deployed: the development of sustainable energy technologies such as wind and solar to reduce the share of fossil fuels, and greener refining and upgrading technologies of fossil/bio-fuels. Here, we introduce an electric method that uses high energy electron beam to achieve heavy oil upgrading in a methane environment at ambient pressure with nearly zero GHG emissions. Two extra-heavy crude oil samples were treated by the electron beam at different conditions. Conversion and yields to gasoline and diesel range fuels were quantified. Detailed economic analysis shown that using low specific energy input (SEI or dose), 500 kJ/kg, <$1.5/barrel, this upgrading process converts heavy fractions (>C40, ∼20 $/barrel) to stable intermediate products (C10–C24, ∼75 $/barrel) in diesel range. No coke was found in treated oil. Product yields (C10–C24) were ∼9 molecules/100 eV, comparable with thermal methods. Sufficient product separation is crucial to the success of this method. This method is electrically driven, easily adaptable to renewable intermittent electricity. It has potentially zero GHG emissions, and is attractive for on-site upgrading of heavy/bio fuels and integration with distributed renewable energy.