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Hristova E, Stoyanov SR, McFarlane R, Nikooyeh K. Investigation of Unresolved Interface "Rag Layer" in Athabasca Oil Sand Bitumen In Situ Recovery. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:32201-32209. [PMID: 39072100 PMCID: PMC11270725 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c04946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 06/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), the leading commercial in situ bitumen recovery process, involves the underground injection of steam and produces at the well head a hot fluid containing water, hydrocarbons, and sand. This fluid is subjected to separation by diluent addition and gravity in several parallel treaters. Occasionally, the separation may be disrupted in one or few treaters by the occurrence of an unresolved interface or "rag layer" while continuing without disruption in the rest of the treaters. In the current study, we investigate "rag layer" occurrence based on the quantification of laboratory-scale and SAGD field tests and imaging of the "rag layer" morphology. The quantification results show that the formation and volume of the "rag layer" are affected by solids, mixing speed, and solvent addition. The microscopic images demonstrate the presence of both water-in-oil or oil-in water emulsions with a distinct transition between the continuous phases. The visual detection boundaries of the "rag layer" are defined as the threshold between the agglomerated and individual droplet layers. The extent of agglomeration increases in the proximity to the oil-water interface. The contribution of hydrophobic fine inorganic solids (less than 10 μm) to forming a "rag layer" is supported by their accumulation observed at the treaters' oil-water interface, compared to the feed. In well-controlled field operations, the perceived randomness of "rag layer" occurrence could be associated with the fluctuation of fine solid contents in the feed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeniya Hristova
- Natural
Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY Devon, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, Alberta T9G 1A8, Canada
| | - Stanislav R. Stoyanov
- Natural
Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY Devon, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, Alberta T9G 1A8, Canada
| | - Richard McFarlane
- InnoTech
Alberta, 250 Karl Clark Road, Edmonton, Alberta T6N 1E4, Canada
| | - Kasra Nikooyeh
- InnoTech
Alberta, 250 Karl Clark Road, Edmonton, Alberta T6N 1E4, Canada
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Sharma E, Shown B, Sulakhe S, Naik VM, Thaokar RM, Juvekar VA. Forecasting the Problem of Excessive Oil Entrainment in a Desalter Using Spinning Drop Method. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:12768-12778. [PMID: 38524489 PMCID: PMC10956094 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Frequent desalter upsets in the refineries processing opportunity crude oils are often triggered by a rapid and uncontrollable buildup of the rag layer, a thick water-in-oil emulsion, at the oil-brine interface. This is caused by spontaneous emulsification of brine in oil. This study investigates a unique observation from a spinning drop (SD) tensiometer, revealing the low apparent interfacial tension and rigidity of SD caused by spontaneous emulsification. Fine droplets of brine generated through spontaneous emulsification decorate the SD surface and form a stable, low-energy bilayer. Simulated rag layers using the brines from upset incidences exhibit similar behavior, indicating that spontaneous emulsification is driven by chemical species in brine, which promote osmotic water transport. The rate of rag layer buildup correlates with the rate of spontaneous emulsification, with the temperature coefficient of interfacial tension reduction serving as a sensitive indicator. An imminent upset in the operation can be forecasted by measuring this temperature coefficient, enabling preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekta Sharma
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, Maharashtra, India
| | - Biswajit Shown
- Refining
R&D Centre, Reliance Industry Limited, Jamnagar 361142, Gujarat India
| | - Swapnil Sulakhe
- Refining
R&D Centre, Reliance Industry Limited, Jamnagar 361142, Gujarat India
| | - Vijay M. Naik
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, Maharashtra, India
| | - Rochish M. Thaokar
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, Maharashtra, India
| | - Vinay A. Juvekar
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, Maharashtra, India
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McGurn MK, Baydak EN, Sztukowski DM, Yarranton HW. The effect of inorganic solids on emulsion layer growth in asphaltene-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions. CAN J CHEM ENG 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.22906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Elaine N. Baydak
- University of Calgary; 2500 University Dr. NW; Calgary AB Canada
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Evdokimov IN, Fesan AA, Kronin AM, Losev AP. Common Features of “Rag” Layers in Water-in-Crude Oil Emulsions with Different Stability. Possible Presence of Spontaneous Emulsification. J DISPER SCI TECHNOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/01932691.2015.1116081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Kailey I, Behles J. Evaluation of the Performance of Newly Developed Demulsifiers on Dilbit Dehydration, Demineralization, and Hydrocarbon Losses to Tailings. Ind Eng Chem Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.5b00435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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He L, Lin F, Li X, Sui H, Xu Z. Interfacial sciences in unconventional petroleum production: from fundamentals to applications. Chem Soc Rev 2015; 44:5446-94. [DOI: 10.1039/c5cs00102a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
With the ever increasing demand for energy to meet the needs of growth in population and improvement in the living standards, in particular in developing countries, the abundant unconventional oil reserves (about 70% of total world oil), such as heavy oil, oil/tar sands and shale oil, are playing an increasingly important role in securing global energy supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin He
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology
- Tianjin University
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin)
| | - Feng Lin
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
- University of Alberta
- Edmonton
- Canada
| | - Xingang Li
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology
- Tianjin University
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- National Engineering Research Centre of Distillation Technology
| | - Hong Sui
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology
- Tianjin University
- Tianjin
- P. R. China
- National Engineering Research Centre of Distillation Technology
| | - Zhenghe Xu
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
- University of Alberta
- Edmonton
- Canada
- Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology
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Schmidt E, Wacker B, Peuker U. Die nichtwässrige Aufbereitung kanadischen Ölsands. CHEM-ING-TECH 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/cite.201300182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Kailey I, Blackwell C, Behles J. Collaborative Interactions between EO-PO Copolymers upon Mixing. Ind Eng Chem Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1021/ie402851a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ishpinder Kailey
- Baker Hughes Canada
Company, 7020 45th Street, Leduc, Alberta T9E 7E7, Canada
| | - Catherine Blackwell
- Baker Hughes Incorporated, 12645 West Airport Boulevard, Sugar Land, Texas 77478, United States
| | - Jacqueline Behles
- Baker Hughes Canada
Company, 7020 45th Street, Leduc, Alberta T9E 7E7, Canada
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Kailey I, Blackwell C, Behles J. Effects of crosslinking in demulsifiers on their performance. CAN J CHEM ENG 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.21873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ishpinder Kailey
- Baker Hughes Canada Company; 7020 45th Street; Leduc; Alberta, Canada; T9E 7E7
| | - Catherine Blackwell
- Baker Hughes Incorporated; 12645 West Airport Boulevard; Sugar Land, Texas; 77478; U.S.A
| | - Jacqueline Behles
- Baker Hughes Canada Company; 7020 45th Street; Leduc; Alberta, Canada; T9E 7E7
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Kupai MM, Yang F, Harbottle D, Moran K, Masliyah J, Xu Z. Characterising rag-forming solids. CAN J CHEM ENG 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.21842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Morvarid Madjlessi Kupai
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering; University of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Canada; T6G 2V4
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering; University of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Canada; T6G 2V4
| | - David Harbottle
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering; University of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Canada; T6G 2V4
| | - Kevin Moran
- Titanium Corporation; Suite 1400, Baker Centre, 10025-106 Street; Edmonton, Alberta; Canada
| | - Jacob Masliyah
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering; University of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Canada; T6G 2V4
| | - Zhenghe Xu
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering; University of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Canada; T6G 2V4
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Kailey I, Feng X. Influence of Structural Variations of Demulsifiers on their Performance. Ind Eng Chem Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1021/ie3028137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Xianhua Feng
- Baker
Hughes, 7020 45th
Street, Leduc, Alberta, Canada T9E 7E7
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