A custom-made high pressure and high temperature PVT setup for reactive phase behavior studies

溶剂在沥青原位开采中的应用已成为发展趋势。溶剂的使用为油砂行业带来了诸如减少温室气体排放、减少能源消耗和显著减少废水等好处。不可否认，溶剂的应用帮助阿尔伯塔省的油砂生产商在最近的低油价和严格的环境法规下维持运营。沥青/水/溶剂体系的相行为研究是一个非常复杂的过程，比轻质油更具挑战性。由于混合物的粘性、沥青质的高含量、高温下水和沥青质的相互作用以及沥青中环烷酸与水溶剂的反应，导致了复杂性的出现。过去对沥青/溶剂体系进行的相行为研究很少或根本没有注意到这种混合物的反应性质。沥青由许多复杂的分子组成，它们在水相中与极性组分发生反应。最近，我们观察到沥青质和环烷酸与水相相互作用。这种相互作用通过水热裂解反应生成原位表面活性剂和气体，如CO2、H2S和H2，并产生稳定的乳液，这可能导致相行为数据的误解。油砂作业公司还报告了大量的酸气产量，并且在处理产出的乳状液方面面临挑战，这些乳状液可能源于所观察到的现象。因此，有必要在相行为测量中解决混合物的反应性质。这种反应性质使我们无法使用现有的传统实验压力-体积-温度（PVT）装置进行此类实验。传统的PVT装置是为无反应进给而设计的。为了解决这一不足，我们提出了一种新的定制实验PVT装置，使我们能够研究沥青/水/溶剂体系的反应相行为。该新设备将是沥青/水/溶剂系统领域的第一个反应相行为实验装置，并丰富了卡尔加里大学40 HQP的研究。该实验装置最显著的好处是为油砂行业提供知识和质量数据，帮助他们开发和实施新的沥青回收技术，这些技术消耗更少的能源和水，产生更少的废物，减少温室气体排放。这些惠益与加拿大减缓气候变化战略完全一致，并将提高加拿大在环境友好方面的国际声誉。此外，新的实验装置将使我们的团队处于溶剂基和溶剂辅助稠油和沥青开采研究的前沿。

Application of solvents have gained momentum for in-situ recovery of bitumen. Utilization of solvents has provided the oil sands industry with benefits such as reducing greenhouse gases emission, less energy consumption, and significant reduction of wastewater. Undeniably, the solvent application has assisted oil sands producers in Alberta to sustain their operation under recent low commodity prices and stringent environmental regulations. Phase behavior study of bitumen/water/solvent systems is a very complicated process and much more challenging than the light oils. Complexities arise due to the viscous nature of the mixtures, high asphaltenes content, interaction of water and asphaltenes at high temperatures, and reaction of aqueous solvents with naphthenic acids in bitumen. The phase behavior studies of bitumen/solvent systems conducted in the past have given little or no attention to reactive nature of this mixture. Bitumen consists of many complex molecules which react with the polar components in aqueous phase. Recently, we have observed that the asphaltenes and naphthenic acids interact with aqueous phase. The interaction generates in-situ surfactants and gases such as CO2, H2S, and H2 through aquathermolysis reactions and produces stable emulsions that may lead to misinterpretation of phase behavior data. Oil sands operators also reported high volume of acid-gas production and faced challenges in treatment of the produced emulsions that may have roots in the observed phenomena. Therefore, it is necessary to address the reactive nature of the mixtures in phase behavior measurements. This reactive nature prevents us in using our existing conventional experimental Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) setups for conducting such experiments. The conventional PVT setups are designed for a non-reactive feed. In order to address this deficiency, a new custom-made experimental PVT setup has been proposed to enable us to study the reactive phase behavior of bitumen/water/solvent systems. The proposed new equipment will be the first reactive phase behavior experimental setup in the area of bitumen/water/solvent systems and enrich the research by 40 HQP at the University of Calgary. The most notable benefits of the proposed experimental setup are in providing knowledge and quality data to the oilsands industry to help them develop and implement new bitumen recovery technologies that consume less energy and water, generate a reduced amount of waste, and less GHG emission. These benefits are well-aligned with the Canada climate change mitigation strategy and will improve the international reputation of Canada in the environmental friendliness. Furthermore, the new experimental setup will put our team at the forefront of solvent-based and solvent-aided heavy oil and bitumen recovery research.