Experimental study on the reliability of thermal analysis techniques in the in-situ combustion of heavy oil

ABSTRACT

In situ combustion (ISC) is an effective method to enhance heavy oil (HO) recovery. Thermal analysis (TA) techniques are considered ideal tools for study the HO oxidation. However, the reliability of TA data has been affected by the strong adhesion of high viscosity HO to the substrate and crucible. Consequently, there has been a deviation in the DTA peak temperature for both low and high-temperature oxidation of HO and HO/clay mixtures at 7°C, 19°C, and 8°C, 11°C respectively. Additionally, negative values of reaction activation energy (E_α) were observed, reaching up to −1395.94 ± 836.2 kJ mol⁻¹. This study aimed to identify factors that impact TA data reliability and oxidation kinetics. By implementing solutions such as ultrasonic stirring and needle tip loading, this study was able to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of TA data and E_α value. The results of this investigation provide valuable insight for future ISC.

KEYWORDS:

• heavy oil oxidation
• in-situ combustion (ISC)
• reliability
• thermal analysis
• non-isothermal kinetics

Highlight

• Factors affecting the thermal analysis data (TGA) for heavy oil and its mixtures are explained

• Factors affecting the errors of non-isothermal kinetic parameters (NKP) are clarified

• Accuracy and reliability of TGA and NKP of heavy oil and its mixtures are improved

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:

Credit Author Statement

Xianghui Zhang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Reviewing, project administration and Editing. Junjie Wang: Writing- Original draft preparation, Data curation. Ling Wang, Zhongquan Li and Wei Hu: Project administration and Funding acquisition. Yanqiu Dai, Yuanyu Kou and Hongkui Li: Resources. Shengjun Lei: Data curation. Qian Feng: Software.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42090051 and 41972039), Open Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection (Chengdu University of Technology), China (Grant No. SKLGP2018K022), and Research Projects of PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company, China (Grant No. AHH019).

Notes on contributors

Junjie Wang

Junjie Wang is a master's student at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of in-situ combustion of heavy oil.

Xianghui Zhang

Xianghui Zhang is a vice professor at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of in-situ combustion of heavy oil and thermal analysis techniques.

Wei Hu

Wei Hu is a professor at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of engineering geology.

Ling Wang

Ling Wang is a professor at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of mineral materials.

Zhongquan Li

Zhongquan Li is a professor at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of geological exploration engineering.

Yanqiu Dai

Yanqiu Dai is a master's student at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of in-situ combustion of heavy oil.

Yuanyu Kou

Yuanyu Kou is a master's student at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of mineral materials.

Shengjun Lei

Shengjun Lei is a master's student at Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of mineral materials.

HongKui Li

HongKui Li is a vice professor Chengdu University of Technology, engaged in the research of geological exploration engineering.

Qian Feng

Qian Feng is an engineer at NETZSCH Scientific Instrument Trading Co., LTD, Chengdu Branch, Chengdu, engaged in the research of thermal analysis techniques.