This study investigates the deep catalytic cracking (DCC) of diesel fractions of various origins and compositions into light olefins over Y-zeolite-based catalysts. Product selectivity is governed by the group composition of the feedstock: the diesel enriched in isoparaffins and olefins affords the highest yield of C2–C4 olefins (38–41 wt
Produced water, the largest waste stream in the oil and gas sector, poses significant environmental challenges due to its high salinity, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. Current treatment methods often struggle to effectively remove salts and other contaminants, necessitating innovative, cost-effective approaches. This study investigates the integration of Electrocoagulation (EC) with Adsorption (AD) and Ferrite Nanoparticles (FNP) to enhance the treatment of high-salinity produced water from the Siba Gas Field in Iraq. The EC process was run with Al electrodes for coagulation and then FNP and clay-based adsorbents were added to enhance pollutant removal. Experimental results showed that EC alone removed less than 10
In this study, lanthanum phosphomolybdate (LaPMo12O40, denoted as LaPMo) was synthesized via an evaporation–crystallization strategy using phosphomolybdic acid and lanthanum nitrate as precursors. The obtained material was then used as a solid acid catalyst for the extraction–oxidative desulfurization (ECODS) of model fuels. The structural and physicochemical properties of LaPMo were systematically characterized by FT-IR, XRD, XPS, SEM, EDS, and BET analyses, which confirmed the successful formation of the catalyst and provided insights into its morphology and stability. Under the optimized conditions, a desulfurization efficiency of 96.30
This study investigates the effect of treating heavy, high-viscosity crude oil from the Usinskoye field with a formulation comprising a ternary deep eutectic solvent—pentaerythritol, urea, and choline chloride—and a surfactant. The study was performed by physical simulation of oil displacement from a heterogeneous reservoir model, followed by chromatographic analysis and physicochemical characterization of crude oil samples. The key mechanism of action of the formulation involves degradation of resins via their acid groups. This leads to the transition of saturated hydrocarbons (alkanes) into the light petroleum fraction and the overall redistribution of the crude oil components. The altered component composition of the crude oil improved its physicochemical properties, significantly reducing viscosity and density and, thus, improving the filtration characteristics and increasing the oil displacement efficiency up to 20.2
This study examines the influence of aqueous-phase concentration and salinity on the formation of precipitates in water-in-oil emulsions. Precipitates were isolated from the crude oil and from its emulsions with deionized water and formation waters of varying salinities (52.0–312.6 g/dm3), and then characterized. Water droplets were larger in the emulsions than in the precipitates, and their size depended on the salinity of the aqueous phase. Higher formation-water salinity corresponded to higher asphaltene content and lower resin content in the precipitates, whereas paraffin content remained largely unchanged. The molecular weight of asphaltenes in the precipitates obtained from emulsions with formation waters and deionized water increased significantly compared to that in the parent crude oil. Furthermore, asphaltenes precipitated from formation-water emulsions exhibited higher contents of carboxylic and sulfoxide groups.
This study employs IR spectroscopy to investigate the compositional features of an asphaltene fraction that promotes the formation of stable water–oil emulsions. Emulsification was achieved by mixing distilled water with toluene and heptol solutions of asphaltenes. This asphaltene fraction was found to be enriched in ester fragments and monoaromatic compounds. During standard crude oil deasphaltenization, heptane-soluble compounds became trapped in—or adsorbed onto—the asphaltenes. These compounds were subsequently isolated from the asphaltenes through repeated dissolution of the asphaltenes in toluene and washing in n-heptane, and then characterized. They accounted for up to 20 wt
Magnesia-supported vanadium oxide (VMgO) catalysts with different vanadium loadings, viz. 5, 10, 15, and 20
This study demonstrates the possibility of amines synthesis of wide-boiling-range amines from H2/COx/ammonia mixtures. Using Fe–Co slurry catalysts with an active phase loading of 2 wt
The deposition of asphaltene causes major problems with flow assurance and can severely limit production capacity. The integration of asphaltene precipitation and deposition is necessary for an accurate forecast of asphaltene blockage throughout the wellbore due to the complexity of asphaltene deposition, which involves many processes operating simultaneously. By creating an integrated model for asphaltene deposition, this study examines the process of asphaltene deposition in an oil well that produces from a Mishrif reservoir in Iraq. The aim of this research is to create an integrated model that combines a thermal-hydrodynamic mechanistic model with asphaltene thermodynamic precipitation and transportation models. The proposed model predicted the asphaltene deposition profile along the wellbore (asphaltene deposition thickness and depth). A sensitivity analysis was performed to examine factors including wellhead pressure, tubing diameter, reservoir pressure, water cut and GOR that influence how severe the blockage is. The suggested model has a notable degree of sensitivity to wellhead pressure, tubing diameter and reservoir pressure (maximum reduction in asphaltene deposition is 1 mm by reservoir pressure reduction) and a lesser degree of sensitivity to water cut and GOR (minimum reduction in asphaltene deposition is 0.1 mm by GOR increasing). Additionally, sensitivity analysis showed that the deposition thickness of asphaltene reduces with decreasing wellhead pressure, tubing diameter and water cut and the thickness increases with decreasing reservoir pressure and GOR. The simulation method presented in this study offers a thorough comprehension of the problems with wellbore flow assurance brought on by asphaltene deposition, which in turn offers helpful insights for enhancing production performance estimates.
In this work, Kraft lignin (KL) formed from biomass of date palm frond biomass (DPFB) was explored as a sustainable and natural surfactant for its application in chemical flooding oil-enhanced oil recovery. Objective: the research seeks to assess KL concentrations that influence oil-displacing effectiveness and additional oil recovery from ranges of sandpack samples. FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the KL chemical composition. The quantities measured are oil recovery factor (RF), total volume of displaced oil (DO2), and the difference between recovery with NaOH and NaOH + KL (RF2–RF1). The experimental method is to prepare aqueous solutions of different NaOH concentrations and KL ratios and inject them into sandpacks at different flooding stages, including primary, secondary, and tertiary flooding stages. The outcomes show that KL ratio up to 0.2 and 1.0 wt
Amphiphilic α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP) nanosheets were fabricated via a straightforward three-step approach: first, highly crystalline α-ZrP was synthesized by refluxing; next, the bulk α-ZrP was exfoliated into single- or few-layer nanosheets; finally, these exfoliated nanosheets were converted into Janus amphiphilic materials through a partial hydrophobic modification with octadecyltrichlorosilane. A range of characterization techniques was used to verify the morphological and chemical structural properties of the amphiphilic nanosheets. The Janus α-ZrP nanosheets were then combined with a surfactant and evaluated in low-permeability sandstone cores at three different concentrations. The mechanisms underlying enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using the α-ZrP-surfactant composite were analyzed, including the formation of Pickering emulsions and the increased viscosity of the displacing phase. Both emulsion formation and viscosity enhancement of the flooding fluid contribute to improved micro-displacement efficiency. Overall, the findings suggest that amphiphilic modified α-ZrP nanosheets combined with surfactant hold potential for EOR applications in low-permeability reservoirs.
This review examines the current state of fundamental research into p-xylene synthesis via toluene alkylation with methanol, alongside the prospects for its commercial implementation. We discuss the reaction mechanism, the influence of the catalyst’s physicochemical properties, and the effects of varying reaction conditions on performance. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies for achieving two goals simultaneously: maintaining high catalytic activity while optimizing methanol utilization—the primary obstacle to commercialization—and maximizing the p-xylene yield among aromatic products. Finally, we address key practical considerations for scaling up this process using zeolite catalysts.
A series of NiMo-based sulfide catalysts supported on USY–Al2O3 with varying SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratios were synthesized via incipient wetness impregnation. The raw materials, supports, and final catalysts were comprehensively characterized using low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine (FTIR-Py), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The catalytic performance of the synthesized samples was evaluated in the hydrotreating and hydroisomerization of a triglyceride feedstock. The tests were carried out in a fixed-bed flow-through reactor at 280–340°C and 4 MPa, with a feed liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of 1.0–2.0 h–1 and a H2/feedstock volumetric ratio of 600 nL/L. The incorporation of zeolite did not impair hydrodeoxygenation performance, while the yield of isomeric products increased with rising SiO2/Al2O3 ratio in the USY zeolite.
Granulated catalytic materials based on Al2O3 + SAPO-11 with Pt deposited either onto Al2O3 with the subsequent mixing with SAPO-11 or onto granulated composite support Al2O3 + SAPO-11 were prepared. The catalyst supports were prepared with the addition of polystyrene template to the mixture of support precursors or without template. The materials were characterized by Fourier IR spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine, mercury and nitrogen porosimetry, X-ray diffraction analysis, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and CO chemisorption. In all the samples, platinum was uniformly distributed over the granule cross section. The most pronounced platinum aggregation was observed in supports prepared without template and in those prepared by admixing SAPO-11 to Pt/Al2O3 (compared to the deposition onto the composite support). The template catalysts are characterized by increased CO/Pt stoichiometry (according to the СО chemisorption data) and larger particle size (according to electron microscopy data), which is due to high surface defectiveness and formation of Pt particles of unusual flat morphology. Strong metal–support interaction in these samples was confirmed by the presence of high-temperature H2 uptake peaks (above 750°С) in the temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) experiments; such peaks were absent in the TPR spectra of the analogs prepared without template. The template samples have also high total specific pore volume (0.6–0.8 cm3/g). Catalytic trials have shown that, under the conditions of the С18+ feed dewaxing, the target liquid product is formed exclusively in the presence of catalysts prepared by the template procedure, which demonstrates essential advantage of this approach and apparent shift of the process toward isomerization.
A predictive scheme results from combination of NMR log and core data, introduced to understand the association between most important outputs of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) log data with core data, which is used in the Mishrif Formation from five oil fields in Iraq in Buzurgan, Halfaya, West Qurna, Majnoon, and finally North Rumaila. The oil wells were studied from Buzurgan field (Bu-24, Bu-39, Bu-40, Bu-41, Bu-51). The methods are based on statistical techniques such as multivariate regression to cluster the variables of NMR (as FFI). We combined KCOAT, KSDR and Øe (pivotal properties) with the core data. The study focused on the flow units, storage units. The NMR fingerprint results show some of interactive depth in the permeability and porosity in Majnoon with a correlation. West Qurna and North Rumaila show heterogeneity, whereas Halfaya and Majnoon are more uniform.
The influence of plastic viscosity, a vital rheological property of drilling fluids, is particularly important in determining the cleaning of the borehole and the efficiency of the drilling processes. To prevent operational difficulties, the plastic viscosity must be measured accurately and in a timely manner. Unfortunately, conventional laboratory techniques employed for its assessment are challenging to complete as the drilling progresses. To meet this need, this research introduces a novel artificial neural network (ANN) model that estimates plastic viscosity based on six commonly measured mud properties: March funnel viscosity, mud density, solid content, water content, oil content, and salinity (NaCl). A broad range of data was compiled from 142 experimental data points of different drilling mud samples in order to create and test the model. For training, the model employed 100 data points out of the total 142, while for testing, the remaining 42 were put into use. Results showed that the ANN-based model had exceptional prediction accuracy where model fitting to the training dataset produced a high correlation coefficient (R) of 0.99 and generalization to the testing dataset gave a more than satisfactory R value of 0.98. The results confirm that the ANN model proposed in this study is capable of predicting plastic viscosity with reasonable accuracy, providing a quick and efficient substitute to traditional laboratory testing procedures. This predictive model can be significantly helpful in dealing with real-time issues related to decisions made in the drilling operations, the design of mud, and problems with fluid viscosity in drilling.
Heavy crude oil, due to its higher viscosity, poses challenges for transportation via pipelines and production from reservoirs. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dilution and heating methods in assessing the influence of organic solvents on the heavy crude oil properties. Specifically, it focused on viscosity, API gravity, Conradson carbon residue, and sulfur content, as well as viscosity reduction. Heavy crude oil samples were collected from the oil field of Al-Ahdab. The heavy crude oil was treated with various fractions of n-heptane and toluene, along with a mixture of 50
The research aims to develop a highly efficient corrosion protection coating with minimal environmental impact using nanoparticles and natural materials. In this study, pomegranate peels extract, chitosan, and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) (i.e., Pom-Chit-AP) were effectively incorporated for loading onto zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67). Electrochemical tests revealed that the epoxy coating containing ZIF-67@Pom-Chit-AP outperformed the pure epoxy coating and the epoxy containing only ZIF-67. The corrosion resistance (Rct) of the composite coating (i.e., E-ZIF-67@Pom-Chit-AP) after 1 h immersion in 3.5
Nanofluids, dispersions of nanoparticles in base fluids, show great potential for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) due to their ability to alter rock wettability, reduce interfacial tension, and improve sweep efficiency. This study assessed silica (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and graphene oxide (GO) nanofluids through stability analysis, wettability and interfacial tension measurements, core flooding experiments, and economic evaluation. SiO2 and GO demonstrated a good stability under high salinity and elevated temperatures, whereas TiO2 exhibited partial aggregation. GO achieved the most significant improvements, reducing carbonate wettability from 125° (oil-wet) to <45° (water-wet), lowering interfacial tension from 18.5 to 9 mN/m, and yielding incremental recoveries of 6–12
