The impact of operational parameters on asphaltene deposition and bitumen recovery by cyclic solvent injection

SAGD(蒸汽辅助重力排水)工艺已被广泛应用于油砂资源的开发。该行业开发了改进的技术，如溶剂辅助工艺，以减少SAGD工艺中的水和能源消耗，以减轻其对环境的影响。这项研究旨在通过了解控制沥青质沉淀的因素作为此类工艺中的一个潜在问题，进行实验室和模拟研究，以优化循环溶剂工艺。拟议的实验中使用的岩石和流体样本来自艾伯塔省冷湖的清水地层。研究小组将在模拟野外条件下使用定制设计的可视化单元进行循环溶剂注入(CSI)实验。该池允许对CSI实验期间形成的沥青质进行可视化和采样。该团队将分析在CSI实验前后记录的沥青-溶剂-岩石相互作用的图像、采出油和剩余油的组成和沥青质含量，以及岩心表面的形态。预计这项研究的结果将有助于油砂生产商通过控制注入压力、浸泡时间和耗尽策略等操作参数来优化循环溶剂工艺，以减少该过程中的沥青质沉积。这项创新研究将由两名博士生进行，预计将为加拿大带来显著的环境和经济效益。

SAGD (steam assisted gravity drainage) process has been commonly used for the development of oil-sand resources. The industry has developed modified techniques such as solvent-aided processes to reduce consumption of water and energy in the SAGD process to mitigate its environmental impacts. This research aims at conducting laboratory and modelling studies to optimize cyclic solvent processes by understanding the factors controlling asphaltene precipitation as a potential problem in such processes. Rock and fluid samples used in the proposed experiments are from the Clearwater Formation at Cold Lake, Alberta. The research team will conduct cyclic-solvent-injection (CSI) experiments using a custom-designed visualization cell under simulated field conditions. The cell allows visualization and sampling of asphaltene formed during CSI experiments. The team will analyze recorded images of bitumen-solvent-rock interactions, composition and asphaltene content of produced and remaining oil, and morphology of the core surface before and after the CSI experiments. It is expected that the outcomes of this study will help oil-sand producers to optimize cyclic solvent processes by controlling operational parameters such as injection pressure, soaking time, and depletion strategy to mitigate asphaltene deposition during this process. This innovative research will be conducted by two PhD students, and is expected to bring significant environmental and economic benefits to Canada.