AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
CHEMISTRY OF OIL PRODUCTION FROM TAR SANDS

"A Thesis for the Master of Science.  Tar sands from three Utah deposits were processed in a small-scale two-stage fluidized-bed reactor. The oil products obtained were analyzed for several physical and chemical properties, including viscosity, refractive index, density, sulfur content, distillation data, and nmr spectra. The effluent gas was analyzed for individual components, and coke was also analyzed for yield values.  In this reactor, the heat pipe was found to be an effective means of transferring heat, transferring as much as 2000 Btu/hr. This amount of heat was sufficient to supply the heat of cracking as well as most of the heat needed to raise the sand temperature.  There was found little effect of process temperature upon oil viscosity in the Sunnyside and Tar Sand Triangle oils. Aromaticity, however, was found to increase with increasing process temperatures is the Sunnyside oils. Sulfur content of the oils passed through a minimum at a process temperature of 490 degrees C.  Heating values of the effluent gas ranged from 30 to 130 Btu/ft3 and could easily be increased. Coke yields ran from 6 to 18 per cent, decreasing slightly with increasing temperatures."

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TAR SAND DEPOSIT EVALUATION

The work done to this point will have provided a good background on the tar sand deposit for a relatively small investment of time and money. The evaluation will then become much more detailed and very expensive. How detailed the rest of the study will be dependent on how much time and money are available. The project manager must very carefully budget his resources to ensure that the proper amount of data is collected. Although there may be a tendency to cut corners – to drill fewer wells and cut back on the number of samples analyzed – it is very important to properly sample the deposit. This could mean the difference between success or failure of a future recovery project.

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MODELING OF STEAMFLOOD PROCESS FOR THE ASPHALT RIDGE TAR SANDS, UTAH

With the current energy crisis at hand, it is inevitable that unlimited consumption of natural resources at traditionally low prices is approaching an end. Shortages and rising prices have forced the energy industry into a future of developing new energy sources and methods of increasing production from traditional sources. Unconventional resources, including tar sands, must be developed if the world is to have a supply of fossil fuels at the lowest possible economic cost.

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STATUS OF TAR SANDS CONVERSION PROCESS TECHNOLOGY AND RESIDUALS MANAGEMENT

The next overview paper will address itself to the status of tar sands process technologies and residual management. Although tar sands do not represent that vast a fossil fuel energy resource as coal or oil shale, there are known exploited deposits of economic importance. Thus the bitumen impregnated “oil sands” deposits in the Alberta, Province of Canada alone contain several hundred billion barrels of oil in place and represent the world’s largest known reserves of this material, and as many of you know the U.S. has also large deposits of tar sands in Utah. Therefore, tar sands do indeed represent important potential synthetic fuel resources.

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THE PYROLYSIS OF THE BITUMEN-IMPREGNATED SANDSTONE FROM THE P.R. SPRING (UTAH) DEPOSIT IN A FLUDIZED BED

The fluidized bed pyrolysis of bitumen-impregnated sandstones to produce hydrocarbon liquids has been investigated using the bitumen-impregnated sandstone from the P.R. Spring deposit as feed-sand to the pyrolysis reactor. The P.R. Spring tar sand deposit is the second largest deposit in Utah, and is estimated to contain 4.0 – 4.5 barrels of bitumen in-place. Three distinct tar sand samples were used in this investigation because it was found that the physical and chemical properties of the three bitumens were quite different. The South and Rainbow II bitumens were two orders of magnitude more viscous than the Rainbow I bitumen and the asphaltene content of the South bitumen, 82.8 weight percent, was 60 and 38 percent greater than the asphaltene content of the Rainbow I and Rainbow II bitumens, respectively. The process variables investigated included the pyrolysis reactor temperature and the feed sand retention time, 0 in the pyrolysis zone of the reactor. The experimental data were obtained in a continuously fed, fluidized bed reactor operating in a temperature range of 773 – 923 K at solids retention times that ranged from 17-30 minutes. The reactor feed sand through-put was 2.25 kilograms per hour. The particle size of the feed-sand was 300-600 microns.

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PRODUCTION OF OIL FROM TAR SANDS

Tar-sand oil cannot be pushed to the production well by the injection of water as in water flooding. It can, however, be produced by mining and aboveground extraction. Four elements must be present for the in situ production of oil from tar-sand deposits: (1) Establishment of communication between walls; (2) reduction of oil viscosity within the formation; (3) maintenance of the flow path once established; and (4) the addition of energy through fluid injection.

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VISCOSITY CHARACTERISTICS OF TAR SAND BITUMEN

"Tar sand, in the most genera! sense, can be described as a heavy bituminous oil locked into the interstices of a rock or sand matrix. The material has a variable degree of consistency ranging from dense rock to unconsolidated sand. Much of tar sand has the consistency of asphalt, in fact, tar sand is sometimes referred to as natural asphalt.  The bitumen, locked into its matrix, is a very heavy, complex material composed primarily of hydrocarbons.  Tar sand is located in many areas of the world. Some of the largest deposits are located in Venezuela and Canada. The bitumen from tar sands, especially in Alberta, Canada, is currently being recovered by strip mining techniques. The United States has an estimated 30 billion barrels of oil in the form of tar sand [1]. This is very significant since we now have about 26.5 bill ion barrels in the national oil reserve [2]. The tar sand deposits are located in several states such as Kentucky, California,  New Mexico, and Texas, however, over 95 percent is located in Utah [I]. There are two primary reasons that the tar sands in the United States cannot be recovered by strip mining, as it is recovered in the Athabascan sands in Alberta, Canada. First, most of the sands in the  U.S. are beneath an overburden of up to several hundred feet. The Athabascan sands are very near the surface. The second primary difference is the structure of the tar sand itself. The Athabascan sands have a film of water separating the bitumen and the sand [3]. This property allows the tar sands to take an unconsolidated form.  The tar sands in the U.S. are typically drier tending to make the bitumen physically attach itself to the sand [1]. Since strip mining tar sand in the U.S. is both economically and ecologically less feasible, other recovery techniques must be investigated. One of the possible extraction techniques being studied is termed in situ recovery. In situ recovery is any method by which bitumen is removed while the deposits are still in place. There are several methods presently being considered, a few of which will be  discussed below."

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ONE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING OF STEAM INJECTION IN TAR SANDS

"A series of laboratory experiments has been performed by the Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Wyoming, to help in gaining the needed technology of the possibilities of using steam to recover oil from the Asphalt Ridge Tar Sands. Building a mathematical model of these Utah Tar Sands steam experiments is a practical way of  reducing the necessary time to make all needed runs with the experimental equipment. The purpose of this study was to develop a one-dimensional numerical steam injection model that verifies and matches the outcome of the experimental work on Utah Tar Sands. Fewer runs will have to be made with the experimental equipment when prediction and verification of results can be made with the model. The study of the effects of such parameters as temperature, pressure, steam flux and steam quality on the production rate of oil from tar sands will be made easier with the use of this model."

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FIELD EXPERIMENT OF UNDERGROUND REVERSE COMBUSTION IN A UTAH TAR SAND

"I would like to begin this presentation by giving a brief overview of what I intend to cover during the next 25 minutes. The main emphasis will be placed, as the title suggests, on a field experiment of in situ reverse combustion that we have just recently completed. However, for the benefit of those of you who may not be familiar with tar sand, would like to lead up to our experiment by dividing the subject of tar sand into four categories: the definition, the resource and occurrence,  the problem, and the solution (?). In my notes I have a question mark after solution to emphasize that it has not yet been found, thus this explains our current research effort in tar sands at the Laramie Energy Research Center. Finally, for the remainder of the talk I will generally  describe our field project."

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REVIEW OF TREATMENT AND RECYCLING OF PRODUCED WATER FROM HEAVY OIL FIELDS

"Steam stimulation is one developing technology for extraction of heavy oil/bitumen from geological formations. Heavy oil/bitumen in its natural state is too viscous to flow freely. Therefore a method of steam stimulation is employed to reduce the viscosity and enable the oil or bitumen to flow. However, this process generates a large volume of produced water. For economic and environmental reasons it is necessary to  treat and recycle this water for the generation of injection  steam. The successful treatment and reuse of produced water is a major concern with the large scale application of steam stimulation projects. To date, this technology has been developing primarily in the California heavy oil fields and in the Alberta oil sands. Removal of oil, hardness, dissolved oxygen, and in some instances, silica from the water has been found necessary to enable reuse of the water in steam generation schemes.  Several types of steam generating equipment have been  developed and are in use; the most common unit being the once-through steam generator producing a 70 to 80 percent quality steam."

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HIGH RESOLUTION SEISMIC STUDY TO EVALUATE STRUCTURE AT THE LETC SITE NEAR VERNAL, UTAH-FINAL REPORT

High resolution seismic data were utilized to investigate  the structural configuration of tar sands and related geological units at the Laramie Energy Test Center (LETC) tar sand site near Vernal, Utah (Section 23, Township 4 South, Range 20 East). The major objective was to map fault patterns to define areas that  might be prospective for drilling of multiple holes for a  Department of Energy experiment to extract bitumen from tar sands. The study incorporates geologic data to relate the seismic reflection data to structural controls. The field data acquisition and processing were aimed at defining shallow structures (less than 1,000-ft (300 m) deep). Six short seismic lines were "shot" in a grid pattern.

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NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE INJECTION-PRODUCTION HISTORY OF A MULTIPLE-WELL SYSTEM USING THE METHOD OF LINES (ADDENDUM TO THE FINAL REPORT)

A three-dimensional model which simulates the injection-production air flow rate in a tar sand bed was developed by the author in fulfillment of ERDA Contract (E(29-2)).  The model consisted of a non-linear partial differential equation derived from the continuity equation, Darcy's Law and the ideal gas equation of state.  A finite difference scheme based on the work developed  by Bruce et al. was incorporated in a computer code which determines both the injection-production-air flow rates and the pressure distribution in the tar sand bed.  The major drawback of the finite difference scheme is the question of stability, which imposes a severe restriction on the size of the time step required for convergence.  Such a restriction increased the computation time considerably and necessitated a major revision of the previous computer code.  Thus, the finite difference scheme was abandoned in favor of a more stable computer code based on the method of lines.  Furthermore, a two-dimensional formulation replaced the more cumbersome three-dimensional code used on the previous stages.  This was possible because the flow pattern obtained from the three-dimensional model exhibited negligible transverse flow normal to the bedding plane.

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MATHEMATICAL MODELING AND LABORATORY STUDY OF REVERSE AND FORWARD COMBUSTIO IN TAR SAND-MID PROJECT REPORT

It has been estimated that up to thirty billion barrels of oil are contained in tar sand deposits in five states (California , Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas and Utah) (1)*. The deposits in Utah alone are estimated to contain twenty eight billion barrels of oil, and may be compared to  the 300 billion barrel conventional petroleum resource in the US. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Laramie Energy Research Center (LERC) initiated a program in 1971 to develop in situ thermal techniques for recovery of oil from U. S. tar sand deposits. In situ thermal recovery techniques include steam stimulation ("huff and puff"), steam flooding, forward combustion (fire- flooding) , reverse combustion, and firewater flooding. These techniques have been utilized successfully in enhanced oil recovery and may be suitable for heavy viscous bitumen  found in tar sands. In forward and reverse combustion , air is injected at the injection well. The reaction between the oxygen in the air and the coke (in case of forward combustion) and/or a portion of the cracked oil (in case of  reverse combustion) produces heat necessary for viscosity reduction and oil cracking. The air drive produces enough pressure gradient to displace the distilled oil and oil vapor, products of combustion, and connate water towards the production well. In forward combustion the flame front moves in the same direction as the air flow. Oil flow in the colder region ahead of the flame front could result in a plugged flow due to the increased viscosity in this region. In reverse combustion, such a problem  is avoided. The flame front moves in the opposite direction of air flow and oil f lows through the region towards the production wells.

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IN SITU COMBUSTION OF TAR SANDS

An isothermal combustion tube experiment was constructed to determine the reaction rate of carbon in tar sand specimen from P.R. Spring deposit in Utah.  The reaction rate fits an Arrhenius type equation where the orders of reaction with  respect to both oxygen partial pressure and carbon concentration are determined.  The dependence of the specific reaction rate on both temperature and total pressure is examined and an activation energy for the reaction is evaluated.

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DEVELOPMENT OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL TO SIMULATE AIR FLOW IN AN IN SITU TAR SAND OIL RECOVERY EXPERIMENT-FINAL REPORT

"Tar sands are naturally occurring oil bearing rocks. The oil in the interstices of the consolidated (or non-consolidated) rock bed is rendered immobile by virtue of its high viscosity (in excess of half a million centipoises in some cases). Because of this, primary oil production techniques  cannot be utilized to recover oil from tar sand beds. Instead , oil can be produced either by conventional mining followed by thermal cracking of oil in the rock, or by the in situ method described below. The Laramie Energy Research Center (LERC) investigated both in situ and mining techniques and concluded that the in situ technique is more superior than the mining techniques . In particular, indications show that the in situ technique is less costly and results in minimum environmental impact ."

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ANALYSIS OF REVERSE COMBUSTION IN TAR SANDS

Theoretical investigations of reverse combustion have been relatively scarce.  Four major works in this area have been identified; namely models developed by Berry and Parrish[1], Warren, Reed and Price [2], Kotowski and Gunn [3], and Land [4].  These models were examined as a starting point for our analytical investigation of reverse combustion in Tar Sands.  All four models are linear and assume a quasi-steady state.  The latter assumption implies that the temperature and concentration profiles are unchanged with respect to a coordinate system moving with the constant combustion zone velocity.  These models solve the energy balance and mass balance in order to obtain temperature and concentration profiles together with combustion zone velocity.

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POST OPERATIONAL PROCEDURAL ANALYSIS FOR THE VERNAL TAR SANDS SITE BURN 2-C

"This report was prepared for the Tar Sands Project Group of the Laramie Energy Research Center by Science Applications, Inc. The purpose of this report is to identify problems encountered during process operations at the Vernal Tar Sands Test Site during the reverse burn field experiment from July 1977 through April 1978 near Vernal, Utah. Meaningful suggestions will be provided for  each of those problems identified in the report. The intent of this report is to develop recommendations for process operational improvements for future tar sands  experiments by critically reviewing the Vernal 2-C reverse burn field experiment."

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REACTION RATE OF THE COMBUSITON OF TAR SANDS IN THE PRESENCE OF AIR

An isothermal combustion tube experiment was constructed to determine the reaction rate of carbon in tar sand specimen from P.R. Spring deposit in Utah.  The reaction rate fits an Arrhenius type equation where the orders of reaction with  respect to both oxygen partial pressure and carbon concentration are determined.  The dependence of the specific reaction rate on both temperature and total pressure is examined and an activation energy for the reaction is evaluated.

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EVALUATION OF ADDITIVES TO ENHANCE THE IN-SITU STEAM PROCESS APPLIED TO U.S. AND CANADIAN TAR SAND AND HEAVY OIL RESERVES SEVENTH QUARTERLY PERIOD FOR THE PERIOD 7 MAY-3 AUGUST 1984

This report represents the quarterly progress in a DOE/LPO sponsored program to identify additives to in situ steam processes which enhance oil production mechanisms or process control.  The program is oriented toward site specific applications of additives to heavy oil and tar sand resources.  Actual reservoir materials from California and Saskatchewan (heavy oils) and Utah and Alberta (tar sands) were utilized in experimental work.  The program plan consists of three successive additive screening phases.  The first screening phase, consisting of a literature review, identified additive applications to the specific resource candidates.  The categories of selected additives included gases, solvents, surface active solvent, surfactants and reactive chemicals.  Chemical and physical evaluations conducted during the second screening phase assessed additive performance at elevated temperatures and interactions with resource matrix, water and oil.  Phase two screening has been completed fro solvents, surface active solvents, surfactants and reactive chemicals and continues with gases.  Additives demonstrating superior performance have been subjected to process simulations in unscaled physical models during the third and final screening phase.  Additive enhancement of steam processes is established by comparisons with baseline evaluations without additives.  The baseline evaluations with the four heavy oil and tar sand resources have been completed.  Process simulations using surfactant and solvent additive have been completed.

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EVALUATION OF ADDITIVES TO ENHANCE THE IN-SITU STEAM PROCESSES APPLIED TO U.S. AND CANADIAN TAR SAND AND HEAVY OIL RESOURCES SIXTH QUARTERLY REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 6 FEBRUARY-4 MAY 1984

This report represents the quarterly progress in a DOE/LPO sponsored program to identify additives to in situ steam processes which enhance oil production mechanisms or process control.  The program is oriented toward site specific applications of additives to heavy oil and tar sand resources.  Actual reservoir materials from California and Saskatchewan (heavy oils) and Utah and Alberta (tar sands) were utilized in experimental work.  The program plan consists of three successive additive screening phases.  The first screening phase, consisting of a literature review, identified additive applications to the specific resource candidates.  The categories of selected additives included gases, solvents, surface active solvent, surfactants and reactive chemicals.  Chemical and physical evaluations conducted during the second screening phase assessed additive performance at elevated temperatures and interactions with resource matrix, water and oil.  Phase two screening has been completed for solvents, surface active solvents, surfactants and reactive chemicals and continues with gases.  Additives demonstrating superior performance have been subjected to process simulations in unscaled physical models during the third and final screening phase.  Additive enhancement of steam processes is established by comparisons with baseline evaluations without additives.  The baseline evaluations with the four heavy oil and tar sand resources have been completed.  Process simulations using surfactant and solvent additive have are in progress.

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EVALUATION OF ADDITIVES TO ENHANCE THE IN SITU STEAM PROCESSES APPLIED TO U.S. AND CANADIAN TAR SAND AND HEAVY OIL RESERVOIRS - FIFTH QUARTERLY REPORT FOR THE PERIOD OF NOV. 7, 1983 - FEB. 3, 1984

This report represents the quarterly progress in a DOE/LPO sponsored program to identify additives to in situ steam processes which enhance oil production mechanisms or process control.  The program is oriented toward site specific applications of additives to heavy oil and tar sand resources.  Actual reservoir materials from California and Saskatchewan (heavy oils) and Utah and Alberta (tar sands) were utilized in experimental work.  The program plan consists of three successive additive screening phases.  The first screening phase, consisting of a literature review, identified additive applications to the specific resource candidates.  The categories of selected additives included gases, solvents, surface active solvent, surfactants and reactive chemicals.  Chemical and physical evaluations conducted during the second screening phase assessed additive performance at elevated temperatures and interactions with resource matrix, water and oil.  Phase two screening has been completed for solvents, surface active solvents, surfactants and reactive chemicals and continues with gases.  Additives demonstrating superior performance have been subjected to process simulations in unscaled physical models during the third and final screening phase.  Additive enhancement of steam processes is established by comparisons with baseline evaluations without additives.  The baseline evaluations with the four heavy oil and tar sand resources have been completed.  Process simulations using surfactant and solvent additive have been initiated.

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