Heavy Oil Properties and Processing

加拿大油砂和重油储量是加拿大的巨大资源，目前可采储量估计为270亿立方米，仅次于沙特阿拉伯。在经济地开发这些资源的同时尽量减少对环境的影响，存在着相当大的技术挑战。工程师需要可靠的流体特性和相行为数据和模型来应对这些挑战。重油性质和加工研究项目的总体目标是为重油和沥青的回收和加工过程中遇到的条件提供流体性质和相行为数据和模型。该提案基于先前工业研究主席计划的结果，以解决我们对稠油知识的四个关键空白：1)稠油，溶剂和蒸汽在200°C以上的相行为和物理性质；2)储层条件下多孔介质中溶剂/蒸汽重力泄放的动力学行为；3)破碎和部分脱沥青稠油的稳定性和性能；4)油砂开采过程中剪切对油包水乳状液稳定性的来源及影响。该项目还将为5名研究生提供培训，以满足对HQP技术要求越来越高的行业的需求。需要在这四个领域获得数据、模型、基本理解和训练有素的人员，以便能够发展现有的和新的就地和采矿过程。对加拿大的潜在好处是，在降低环境影响的同时，提高了重油和沥青的回收和运输能力，从而释放了数十亿美元的价值。

Canadian oil sands and heavy oil deposits are a huge resource for Canada with currently recoverable reserves estimated at 27 billion cubic meters, placing it second only to Saudi Arabia. There are considerable technical challenges to developing these resources economically while minimizing the environmental impact. Engineers require reliable fluid property and phase behaviour data and models to meet these challenges. The overall goal of the Heavy Oil Properties and Processing research program is to provide the fluid property and phase behaviour data and models for the conditions encountered in the recovery and processing of heavy oils and bitumens. This proposal builds on the results from a prior Industrial Research Chair program to address four critical gaps in our knowledge of heavy oil: 1) the phase behaviour and physical properties of heavy oil, solvent, and steam above 200°C; 2) the dynamic behaviour in gravity drainage of solvent/steam in porous media at reservoir conditions; 3) the stability and properties of heavy oils that have been both visbroken and partially deasphalted; 4) the source of stability and effect of shear on water-in-oil emulsions in oil sands extraction processes. The program will also provide training for five graduate students to meet the need for HQP in an increasingly technically demanding industry. The data, models, fundamental understanding, and trained personnel to be gained in these four areas are required to enable the development of existing and novel in situ and mining processes. The potential benefits to Canada are unlocking billions of dollars of value in increased recovery and transport capacity of heavy oil and bitumen at a lower environmental impact.