Nano-enhanced In-situ and Field Upgradation of Heavy Oil

Nano-enhanced In-situ and Field Upgradation of Heavy Oil

Type	Conference Paper
Author	R.S. Baruah
Author	D. Motwani
URL	http://www.earthdoc.org/publication/publicationdetails/?publication=81250
Date	2015-06-01
Abstract	The primary purpose of upgrading heavy oil is to increase its API gravity for ease of transportation to refineries, thereby expanding marketability of bitumen-based crude to the refineries. There is increasing demand for an integrated approach that simplifies the upgrading scheme, making it adaptable to the production site in terms of economics, environment, and personnel safety. Recent advances in nanotechnology have facilitated the development of two lines of heavy oil upgrading processes that make use of nano-catalysts for producing upgraded oil: In Situ Upgrading and Field Upgrading. There is a rigorous ongoing research in this field so as to study the various parameters that enhance and facilitate the performance of these nano-catalysts in a dynamic and harsh reservoir environment. A number of nano-catalysts have been studied and their performances have been compared. Authors present a holistic view of the studies conducted and their respective outcomes and the future scope.