Catalytic heavy crude oil upgrading using natural gas

加氢裂化通常被用作改造重质原油的工艺，以降低其粘度，提高其H/C比，并去除伴生杂质。这种工艺成本高，能源效率低，因为需要通过天然气蒸汽重整和高操作压力从一个单独的装置产生昂贵的氢。与工业合作伙伴Imperial Oil的合作研究旨在通过直接使用天然气作为还原剂，有效地将从油砂中提取的重质原油（包括超稠油和沥青）升级为规格可接受的合成原油（即API为30 ~ 34o，硫含量为0.1 ~ 0.2%），并在更低的压力（<3 MPa）下提高产能。在特殊研制的催化剂的促进下，作为天然气主要成分的甲烷可以被活化，利用甲烷与共存的高级烃之间的协同作用，进而对长碳链进行裂解和饱和，去除重质原油中所含的杂原子，同时自身转化生成额外的合成原油。所提出的概念已通过从低阶煤和近大气压下进行的生物质甲烷升级和合成气液化收集的实验数据间接验证。成功实现承诺的目标将大大降低重质原油升级过程的成本，使其更具经济吸引力和环境友好性。更具体地说，如果开发的技术能够成功地用于重油原位改造，项目成果将有可能为Imperial Oil的下游炼油业务部门带来更大的利润空间，并最终使其上游石油生产部门受益。此外，所提出的研究成果将创造一种新的甲烷活化和液化方式，从而导致催化领域的突破及其在清洁能源转化中的应用。

Hydrocracking is conventionally employed as the process to upgrade heavy crude oil for reducing its viscosity, increasing its H/C ratio, and removing associated impurities. Such process is costly and energy inefficient due to the involvements of expensive hydrogen generated from a separate unit through natural gas steam reforming and high operation pressure. The proposed collaborative research with the industrial partner, Imperial Oil, aims to effectively upgrade heavy crude oil including extra heavy oil and bitumen extracted from oil sands to synthetic crude oil with acceptable specifications (i.e. API of 30 ~ 34o and sulfur content of 0.1 ~ 0.2%) and increased productivity at much lower pressure (<3 MPa) through directly using natural gas as reducing agent. Under the facilitation of the specially developed catalyst, methane as the main component of natural gas can be activated and thereafter crack down and saturate the long carbon chain using a synergetic effect occurring between methane and co-existing higher hydrocarbons and remove heteroatoms contained in the heavy crude oil, while itself being converted to produce extra synthetic crude oil. The proposed concept has been indirectly validated through experimental data collected from low rank coal and biomass methane upgrading and syngas liquefaction performed at near atmospheric pressure. The successful achievement of the promised objectives will lead to significant cost reduction of the heavy crude oil upgrading process and make it more economically attractive and environmentally friendly. More specifically, the project deliverables will potentially make greater profit margin to Imperial Oil's downstream refining business sector and eventually benefit its upstream oil production division if the developed technique can be successfully implemented for heavy oil in-situ upgrading. Moreover, the outcomes obtained from the proposed research will create a novel way of methane activation and liquefaction, leading to the breakthrough in the field of catalysis and its application in clean energy conversion.