Novel Organobimetallic Liquid Catalyst for Enhancing Oil Recovery in Sand-Pack Columns

Abstract

The employing of a self-synthesized organobimetallic catalyst as a viscosity reducing agent to upgrade the heavy oil as well as the mechanisms of enhancing heavy oil recovery are investigated in this study. The components in treated and untreated heavy oil (saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes or SARA) were assessed, as well as the effects of organobimetallic liquid catalyst (OLC) on viscosity, density, and interfacial tension (IFT) of heavy oil samples were investigated. The results indicate that the OLC-treated heavy oil exhibited reduced viscosity and density. The findings also demonstrate that the presence of the OLC significantly altered the heavy oil's composition and eliminated several contaminants. The effects of OLC treatment on heavy oil recovery were also studied. OLC enhanced the mobility of heavy oil by reducing the IFT of oil brine and increased the recovery factor by 20.36% when compared to untreated heavy oil. These findings will need to be further refined and tested in terms of OLC concentration and other process parameters, but they shed light on a promising initial step toward commercial applications.