Conventional Crude Oil Research Articles

Re-examining China and the u.s.’s respective green bond markets in extreme conditions: Evidence from quantile connectedness

This study explores the role of green bonds in mitigating risks during extreme conditions, considering China and the US’ robust green bond markets and global risk events. It analyzes the interconnectedness of green bonds with other sectors like conventional bonds, equities, crude oil, and monetary policy. Using the quantile connectedness approach, it reveals how stabilized green bond markets in both countries act as hedges during extreme situations. By examining time-varying spillover effects, it identifies commonalities and differences in linkages between green bond markets and other sectors. These findings endorse green bonds’ integration into finance and hold implications for enhancing portfolio management and risk models.

RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY OPTIMIZATION AND UPGRADING OF AGBABU BITUMEN IN THE PRESENCE OF RICE HUSKS

With the current global trend in energy demand due to the increase in human population and technological inclination in carrying out day to day activities, the conventional crude oil is fast depleting and thus an alternative source of energy is needed for sustainability for the fuel/energy supply. Natural bitumen upgrading could serve as an alternative source for the future fuel supply but the process of upgrading the bitumen needs to be optimized to obtain the best conditions at which the bitumen upgrading process would effectively take place which brought about this study. In this study research work, optimization of Agbabu bitumen in the presence of rice husks using response surface methodology (RSM) was carried out to determine the optimal conditions at which the bitumen could be upgraded. Box-Behnken Designed experiment (BBD) was used as the template to design the experiment where the chosen variable factors were temperature, residence time and rice husks at a range or level of (300 – 350 oC), (30 – 180 min) and (0.6 – 1.0 wt.%) for each of the variable factor respectively and the chosen responses were viscosity, API gravity, residue yield and light oil yield. The Agbabu bitumen was characterized by viscosity at 70 oC to be 86.78 Pa.s, density at 60 oC to be 1.0153 Kg/L, H/C ratio 1.19:1 and API gravity of 7.87 o etc. The optimum conditions at which the Agbabu bitumen could be upgraded for maximum yield of light oil was found to be (temperature 345.716 oC, residence time 30.0 min, and rice husks 1.0 wt.%) at response value of viscosity 8.340 Pa.s, API gravity 24.520 o, residue yield 22.39 w/w% and light oil yield 50.064 w/w%. The light oil yield for the upgraded Agbabu bitumen at the optimum conditions had a desirability of 0.688989, amounting to 68.4% yield. The overall desirability for the whole upgrading process was 0.909415 at the optimum conditions. Thus, indicating an acceptable optimization and upgrading process for Agbabu bitumen.

Behavior and toxicological impact of spilled diluted bitumen and conventional heavy crude oil in the unsaturated zone

Demand for unconventional crude oils continues to drive the production of diluted bitumen (dilbit) within Western Canada, promoting increased transport volumes across the extensive 700,000 km pipeline system of Canada and the USA. Despite this vast extent of terrestrial transport, the current understanding of the behavior and fate of spilled dilbit within shallow groundwater systems is limited. To this end, oil spill experiments with a dilbit (Cold Lake Blend) and a physicochemically similar conventional heavy crude oil (Conventional Heavy Blend) were conducted for 104 days in large soil columns (1 m height × 0.6 m diameter) engineered to model contaminant transport in the unsaturated (vadose) zone. Around two-fold greater concentrations and 6–41 % faster rates of vadose zone transport of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were observed in the dilbit- compared to conventional heavy crude-contaminated columns. As determined by Orbitrap mass spectrometry, the OxSx species abundances in the acid extractable organics (AEOs) fraction of column leachate from both oil types increased over time, ostensibly due to microbial degradation of petroleum. Bioaccumulation of petroleum constituents in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) larvae exposed to contaminated leachate was confirmed through the induction of developmental malformations lasting up to 34 days and increased abundance of cyp1a mRNA observed throughout the experiment. Toxicity was comparable between the two oils but could not be fully attributed to metals, BTEX, PACs or AEOs, implying the presence of uncharacterized teratogens capable of being transported within the vadose zone following terrestrial dilbit and conventional heavy crude oil surface spills.

Emulsification characteristics and dehydration of shale oil emulsions under high-frequency electric field

In the face of depleting conventional oil and natural gas reserves, the exploitation of shale oil resources increasingly important. However, the high stability of shale oil emulsions presents a significant challenge to its extraction. In this paper, the differences between shale oil and conventional crude oil and the reasons for the stability of shale oil emulsions were explored. In addition, different dehydration technologies for shale oil emulsions were compared and optimum operating parameters were determined through laboratory-scale experiments. The results show that shale oil emulsions contain much smaller droplets (< 2.25 μm) compared with conventional crude oil emulsions. Further, the high wax content of shale oil allows it to form a high-strength interfacial film at the oil-water interface under the combined action of fracturing fluids and natural emulsifiers, making the emulsion highly stable. Demulsification experiments showed that the use of high-frequency alternating current (AC) pulsed electric fields is an effective method for breaking shale oil emulsions. The optimal demulsification parameters were found to be an electric field frequency of 4 kHz, a field strength of 150 kV·m-1, a residence time of 50 min, an operating temperature of 55 °C, and a demulsifier concentration of 100 ppm. Under these conditions, the dehydrated shale oil was able to meet the standards for commercial crude oil.

Advanced Research on the Production, Transportation and Processing of High Waxy Oil. A Review

Global demand for crude oil has grown significantly over the past two decades. However, conventional light crude oil production is declining, and more and more deposits of heavy and waxy oil, including high waxy ones, are being developed, creating new technological challenges at every level of the process, from production to transportation and refining. Among the various problems, the main one is wax deposition. Since the costs of maintenance, repair, and achieving the required low-temperature properties of commercial oil products are very high, solving this problem becomes critical. The paper discusses the existing problems of production, transportation, and refining of waxy crude oil and analyzes the methods of their solution.

Technical transformation of heavy/ultra-heavy oil production in China driven by low carbon goals: A review

With the growing global energy demand and limited production of conventional crude oil, the extraction of unconventional heavy and extra-heavy oil is receiving unprecedented attention. China is the fourth largest producer of heavy oil. High viscosity and complex formation environments increase the difficulty of exploiting heavy oil. To alleviate the economic cost and environmental pollution pressure brought by heavy oil production, China has achieved significant advancement in the innovation of heavy oil recovery, including accelerating the transformation of thermal technology to non-thermal technology and the use of new energy technology to achieve the goal of low-carbon economy and green environmental protection. Based on the background of heavy oil in China, this paper recharacterizes the high-viscosity mechanism of heavy oil. From different aspects, including basic principles, main characteristics, applicability, limitations, and challenges, this paper comprehensively reviews existing heavy oil recovery technologies, including thermal recovery, in-situ upgrading, cold recovery, and new energy technologies.Currently, in China, the main target of heavy oil recovery is achieving the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals, which can be described as low energy consumption, low emission, and low pollution. To facilitate the low-carbon transition in the extraction of heavy/extra-heavy oil and attain environmental sustainability goals, it is essential to increase the proportion of non-thermal factors in thermal recovery technologies, develop efficient in-situ catalysts, adopt clean cold extraction techniques, and advance the development of new energy technologies.

Influence of heavy Canadian crude oil on pristine freshwater boreal lake ecosystems in an experimental oil spill.

The overall impact of a crude oil spill into a pristine freshwater environment in Canada is largely unknown. To evaluate the impact on the native microbial community, a large-scale in situ model experimental spill was conducted to assess the potential role of the natural community to attenuate hydrocarbons. A small volume of conventional heavy crude oil (CHV) was introduced within contained mesocosm enclosures deployed on the shoreline of a freshwater lake. The oil was left to interact with the shoreline for 72h and then free-floating oil was recovered using common oil spill response methods (i.e. freshwater flushing and capture on oleophilic absorptive media). Residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations returned to near preoiling concentrations within 2 months, while the microbial community composition across the water, soil, and sediment matrices of the enclosed oligotrophic freshwater ecosystems did not shift significantly over this period. Metagenomic analysis revealed key polycyclic aromatic and alkane degradation mechanisms also did not change in their relative abundance over the monitoring period. These trends suggest that for small spills (<2l of oil per 15 m2 of surface freshwater), physical oil recovery reduces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations to levels tolerated by the native microbial community. Additionally, the native microbial community present in the monitored pristine freshwater ecosystem possesses the appropriate hydrocarbon degradation mechanisms without prior challenge by hydrocarbon substrates. This study corroborated trends found previously (Kharey et al. 2024) toward freshwater hydrocarbon degradation in an environmentally relevant scale and conditions on the tolerance of residual hydrocarbons in situ.

Energy performance analysis of solar assisted gas-fired boiler heating system for floating roof oil tank

An innovative solar assisted gas-fired boiler heating system for floating roof oil tank is proposed to achieve the low carbonization of the conventional crude oil heating method. However, the dynamic energy transport performance of the proposed heating system affected by the key engineering parameters (crude oil capacity load, mass flow rate of heat transfer fluid (HTF), crude oil initial temperature) is unclear, which hinders the engineering application of this technology. In this regard, a simulation platform for solar assisted gas-fired boiler heating system for floating roof oil tank is established, and the above mentioned engineering parameters are investigated. The results show that under the condition of combined heating of evacuated tube solar collector (ETSC), phase change heat storage tank (PCHT), and auxiliary heat source (AHS), the system can achieve stable operation by means of controllers. With the increase of crude oil capacity load, the time for the crude oil to reach its design temperature is delayed, and up to 84.21% time lag is recorded. Apart from the contribution of AHS, the maximum annual heat supply of 43.37% is provided by PCHT and ETSC, presenting good energy-saving potential. Increasing HTF mass flow rate and crude oil initial temperature is a good strategy to reduce the output of AHS, in which the annual heat supply proportion of AHS decreases by 2.25% and 2.05%, respectively. The operating stability of proposed system is enhanced under the condition of higher HTF mass flow rate, compared to the 3.5 kg/s HTF mass flow rate, the safe reserve time increases by 31.44% for 7 kg/s and 34.24% for 14 kg/s HTF mass flow rate, respectively.

Characterization of chemical composition of high viscosity heavy oils: Macroscopic properties, and semi-quantitative analysis of molecular composition using high-resolution mass spectrometry

Heavy oil is an important resource in current petroleum exploitation, and the chemical composition information of heavy oil is crucial for revealing its viscosity-inducing mechanism and solving practical exploitation issues. In this study, the techniques of high-temperature gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry equipped with an electrospray ionization source were applied to reveal the chemical composition of typical heavy oils from western, central, and eastern China. The results indicate that these heavy oils display significant variations in their bulk properties, with initial boiling points all above 200 °C. Utilizing pre-treatment and ESI high-resolution mass spectrometry, an analysis of the molecular composition of saturated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, acidic oxygen compounds, sulfur compounds, basic nitrogen compounds, and neutral nitrogen compounds within the heavy oil was conducted. Ultimately, a semi-quantitative analysis of the molecular composition of the heavy oil was achieved by integrating the elemental content. The semi-quantitative analysis results of Shengli-J8 heavy oil and a conventional Shengli crude oil show that Shengli-J8 heavy oil lacks alkanes and low molecular weight aromatic hydrocarbons, which contributes to its high viscosity. Additionally, characteristic molecular sets for different heavy oils were identified based on the semi-quantitative analysis of molecular composition. The semi-quantitative analysis of molecular composition in heavy oils may provide valuable reference data for establishing theoretical models on the viscosity-inducing mechanism in heavy oils and designing viscosity-reducing agents for heavy oil exploitation.

In-Situ and Ex-Situ Processes during Production, Transportation and Refinery of Heavy Oil

Heavy oil and natural bitumen are expected to be alternatives to the depleting conventional crude oil resources for the coming decades, mainly due to their sustainability, safety and huge number of reserves worldwide [...]

Study on Enhanced oil recovery by steam flooding in heavy oil reservoirs

With the development of social economy, the demand for energy is increasing day by day. Under this background, the development of conventional petroleum resources has been unable to meet the needs of social development, and the importance and necessity of exploitation of heavy oil reservoirs has become increasingly prominent. However, the viscosity of heavy oil is larger, the fluidity is worse than that of conventional crude oil, and it is more difficult to exploit. In this regard, in order to further improve the exploitation level of heavy oil reservoir, relevant enterprises and technicians need to strengthen the research on steam flooding exploitation technology, and improve the recovery efficiency of heavy oil reservoir by using the technical advantages of steam flooding. In view of this, this paper first briefly analyzes the mechanism of steam flooding to improve the recovery efficiency of heavy oil reservoirs, and then expounds the main factors affecting the recovery efficiency of steam flooding. On this basis, combined with specific cases, the feasibility of steam flooding to improve the recovery efficiency of heavy oil reservoirs is verified for reference.

Evaluating crude oil distribution tendencies in a multi-phase aquatic system: Effects of oil type, water chemistry, and mineral sediment

Planning for effective response to crude oil spills into water depends on evidence of oil behavior, including its tendency to become distributed throughout an aquatic system. An improved laboratory method is employed to quantitatively assess crude oil distribution among different layers that form after mixing within a multi-phase system of water and sediment. Mixtures of conventional crude oil or diluted bitumen with different water types in the presence or absence of mineral sediment are first mixed by a standard end-over-end rotary agitation protocol. After a settling period, each mixture's visibly distinct floating, surface oil (e.g., slick or emulsion), subsurface bulk water, and bottom layers are then separated. Finally, the masses of oil, water, and sediment constituting each layer are isolated, quantified, and compared. The novel results reveal how component properties affect oil distribution among layers to inform spill behavior models, risk assessments, and response plans, including applications of spill-treating agents.

Kaoline-based catalyst for a high stability desulfurization of sour heavy naphtha in a three-phase oscillatory baffled reactor

To meet the rapidly increasing demand for energy and the dramatic depletion of conventional crude oil, it is imperative to utilize sour naphtha. With no coke being produced, oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of naphtha lowers its sulfur content and average molecular weight. In this article, we outline a method for heavy naphtha non-extractive ODS using a very stable catalyst. The technique involves the use of a solid catalyst with oxygen gas as the oxidant. This necessitated relatively high mixing intensities; hence a three-phase Oscillatory Baffled Reactor (OBR) was used. The catalyst was based on the zeolite ZSM-5, prepared from natural kaolin by a series of delamination and activation steps and impregnated with Fe. A TiO2 nanolayer was applied, using the sol-gel method, to prevent rapid deactivation. The reactor performance was evaluated to minimize the sulfur content in the naphtha fuel. Due to the protective coating, the sulfur conversion stabilized at 90%. The results of this work establish the use of natural clay-based catalysts in a continuous, three-phase ODS, particularly with regard to proving long-term stability. It also showed that modest ODS can be achieved using an environmentally friendly oxidant, at mild operating conditions, whilst maintaining stability.

On Kinetics of Upgrading Reactions by Supercritical Water Technology of Highly Sour Qayara Crude Oil over an Activated Carbon-Based Catalyst

Currently clean energy and zero emission fuel is a priority as there is a growing level of pollutants in air, sea and soil. Also, the conventional Iraqi crude oil is going to deplete according to the statistical analysis. Thus, methods of upgrading should attract attention in Iraqi fuel sector. The method of supercritical fluids (SCF) is one of the advanced approaches to upgrade the unconventional crude oil and removal of high levels of sulfur compounds. The present work aims at developing a kinetic model for upgrading reactions by supercritical water technology of a sour Iraqi crude oil. This aim was achieved via conducting sets of experiments in a hydrothermal autoclave reactor over a cobalt/activated carbon catalyst. The AC was used as a support for Co as an active metal. A set of upgrading kinetics experiments were applied at different temperatures (290-350 °C) and reaction times (0-45 min). Upon evaluation of the prepared catalysts for kinetics of upgrading by supercritical water technology, it was found that the process flows pseudo first order mechanism. Also, the activation energy of the chemical reaction was found to be 204.1 kJ/mol which is much less compared to previous studies

The effect of chemical dispersion and temperature on the metabolic and cardiac responses to physically dispersed crude oil exposure in larval American lobster (Homarus americanus)

Despite their potential vulnerability to oil spills, little is known about the physiological effects of petroleum exposure and spill responses in cold-water marine animal larvae. We investigated the effects of physically dispersed (water-accommodated fraction, WAF) and chemically dispersed (chemically enhanced WAF, CEWAF; using Slickgone EW) conventional heavy crude oil on the routine metabolic rate and heart rate of stage I larval American lobster (Homarus americanus). We found no effects of 24-h exposure to sublethal concentrations of crude oil WAF or CEWAF at 12 °C. We then investigated the effect of sublethal concentrations of WAFs at three environmentally relevant temperatures (9, 12, 15 °C). The highest WAF concentration increased metabolic rate at 9 °C, whereas it decreased heart rate and increased mortality at 15 °C. Overall, metabolic and cardiac function of American lobster larvae is relatively resilient to conventional heavy crude oil and Slickgone EW exposure, but responses to WAF may be temperature-dependent.

Heavy oil recovery using gas injection methods and its challenges and opportunities

The relevance of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and its development are always important considerations when it comes to the approaches used to improve heavy crude oil recovery. As a direct consequence of this, there is a growing demand for the discovery of unconventional resources such as bitumen, shale, and heavy oil. With the diminishing availability of conventional crude oil stocks, it is necessary to make efficient and fruitful use of heavy oil resources. Heavy oil recovery poses challenges due to the high viscosity and low mobility of the oil, making traditional recovery methods less effective. Gas injection has emerged as a promising technique to enhance heavy oil recovery, where different gas injection methods are evaluated to improve the oil displacement efficiency. Several gas injection methods have been employed in heavy oil recovery, including natural gas injection, carbon dioxide (CO2) injection, and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). Each method has its benefits and difficulties. Natural gas injection is relatively simple and cost-effective, but it may face limitations in terms of the amount of gas available and the gas-oil miscibility. CO2 injection has shown promising results due to its miscibility with heavy oil, which leads to improved oil recovery through swelling and viscosity reduction. The benefits of gas injection methods include increased oil recovery, reduced environmental impact, and potentially lower operational costs. These methods can also enhance the recovery of stranded heavy oil reserves, thereby contributing to global energy security. However, challenges associated with gas injection methods include high viscosity and low mobility, reservoir heterogeneity, the potential for gas channeling, and high capital and operational costs. Despite the challenges, gas injection methods offer significant opportunities for heavy oil recovery. Overcoming these challenges requires advanced reservoir characterization, optimized well design, efficient gas injection strategies. Technological advancements, such as advanced reservoir characterization techniques, improved well design, and optimized gas injection strategies, can help overcome these challenges and enhance heavy oil recovery using gas injection methods. The gas injection methods that are used to recover heavy crude oil have been evaluated in the research along with their benefits and the difficulties that can arise while employing the gas injection methods. This paper focuses on the challenges and opportunities of gas injection methods for heavy oil recovery.

The Ramadan effect on commodity and stock markets integration

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the dependence structure and volatility spillovers among two strategic commodities (crude oil and gold) and a set of Islamic and conventional regional stock market indices, while examining the Ramadan effectDesign/methodology/approachThe empirical strategy consists of two complementary measures of dependence and connectedness. This study first uses copulas to examine the dependency between the markets considered, then spillovers compute the magnitude of the connectedness among them.FindingsThe copulas analysis shows that Frank’s copula appears to better capture the relationship between most asset returns and highlights the almost absence of extreme dependence and, therefore, the existence of diversification opportunities. Moreover, the connectedness analysis suggests that gold is a net volatility receiver and provides, thereby, greater diversification benefits compared to crude oil. In addition, the high levels of time-varying connectedness support strong integration among the financial markets studied, specifically during the COVID-19 crisis period. Furthermore, the connectedness among the markets studied increases during the Ramdan subperiods, supporting shift contagion among financial markets considered during this religious holiday.Practical implicationsThe results provide investors with a better understanding of the nature as well as the magnitude of the interdependences between commodity markets and a set of Islamic and conventional regional stock markets. Indeed, it is of paramount importance for investors to clearly understand how Islamic and conventional markets are segmented or integrated during stress and stress-free periods, as well as the effect of the month of Ramadan on the interdependence among markets, to better assess risks, diversify portfolios and implement more effective hedging strategies.Originality/valueWhile a considerable body of literature examines financial contagion and volatility transmission between financial markets, there is still much to be said regarding connectedness among commodity and stock markets, particularly when it comes to studying the effects of religious holidays on the interaction between conventional and Islamic assets. This paper fills in this gap by focusing on the dependence structure as well as the connectedness between Islamic stock indices, conventional stock indices, gold and crude oil for six different regions, while examining the Ramadan effect.

Universal “Plug and Play” Real-Time Entire Automotive Exhaust Effluents, Industry Vents and Flue Gas Emissions Liquefiers: The Game Changer Approach-Phase Two Category

Universal “Plug and Play” Real-Time Entire Automotive Exhaust Effluents, Industry Vents and Flue Gas Emissions Liquefiers: The Game Changer Approach-Phase Two Category

Environmentally Friendly Method for Enhanced Heavy Oil Recovery by In-Situ Upgrading Process Based on Catalytic Steam Injection

Any crude oil with an API gravity below 20 is considered heavy crude, and crude oil with an API gravity below 10 is considered extremely heavy. Conventional oil is lighter and less dense than unconventional oil resources such as heavy oil, extra-heavy oil, and bitumen. When the world’s conventional crude oil stocks are depleted, heavy oil resources will be well-positioned to continue satisfying demand for petroleum products. The economic viability of heavy oil depends on its quality being increased. The use of a catalytic steam injection in-situ upgrading technique to improve heavy oil recovery is discussed here. Previous research has shown that in-situ upgrading has a high catalytic ability to upgrade heavy crude oil by decreasing viscosity, increasing the amount of saturates (obviously low carbon number alkanes), and causing the thermal decomposition of high molecular weight substances such as asphaltenes and resin. There may be advantages to in-situ upgrading over more traditional methods of surface upgrading.

An Insight Into Wax Precipitation, Deposition, and Prevention Stratagem of Gas-Condensate Flow in Wellbore Region

Abstract Unlike conventional waxy crude oil, the condensate undergoes a complex phase evolution process in high-temperature and high-pressure conditions of a deep gas-condensate reservoir, which makes it more difficult to predict and prevent the wax precipitation. This study measured the component composition, physical properties, and carbon number distribution of the closed sampled condensates from the wellbore region. The fluid component in wells was corrected by combining with the gas–oil ratio of the actual production data. The wellbore temperature and pressure profiles were accurately predicted using the corrected component, and the phase envelope relationship of gas-condensate flow was reasonably determined. A cold finger apparatus was designed to test the wax deposition characteristics. The main test unit consists of a completely closed high-pressure autoclave and a cold finger with a maximum 140 °C temperature-tolerant and 16,000 psi pressure-tolerant ability. The wax deposition characteristics were formulated, including wax appearance temperature (WAT), critical conditions for wax deposition, wax crystal morphology, and wax deposition rate. The primary mechanisms causing wax deposition in the wellbore region of deep gas-condensate reservoirs are still thermal diffusion and molecular diffusion. A wax crystal improved wax inhibitor consisting of hydrocarbons and polymers was collected and employed. The wax crystal improved wax inhibitor showed remarkable wax prevention performance, reducing WAT by up to 80% and achieving a 90% wax inhibiting rate within the experimental measurement concentrations. These results offer insights into the wax precipitation behavior, wax deposition characteristics, and wax prevention of the condensates.