Search Results (5)

The possibility of improving the rheological characteristics of waxy oils by using low-viscosity oil as a diluent to optimize oil transportation has been studied. We have previously demonstrated the processes of paraffin deposition in the highly paraffinic oil of the Kumkol oilfields group. In this study, we examine the physicochemical properties and rheological parameters of highly paraffinic West Kazakhstan oil and light Aktobe oil (with different compositions of Aktobe oil—1 to 50%). Our data show that the Aktobe oils are characterized by a low paraffin content (5.6%), a low temperature of yield loss (−30 °C), and low density (820.2 kg/m³) compared with the West Kazakhstan oil mixture (17.3%; +15 °C; 880.2 kg/m³). The effective viscosity of the Aktobe oils at −5 °C was 0.021 Pa·s, while for the West Kazakhstan oil, it was 5.459 Pa·s at +5 °C. The addition of the low-viscosity Aktobe oil as a diluent led to a decrease in the temperature of loss of fluidity (+9 °C) of the highly solidified non-Newtonian West Kazakhstan oil, as well as a decrease in the viscosity (0.367 Pa·s). Accordingly, with the addition of Aktobe oils to the composite oil, the content of naphtheno-aromatic hydrocarbons increased, which led to an improvement in the aggregative stability of the oil dispersion and enhanced the viscosity properties of the oil. Full article

The oil pipeline transportation of highly waxy oils when it is cold is accompanied by the deposition of paraffins in the inner surface of the pipeline. This study of the initial properties of the oil; the composition, structure, and nature of the components of normal alkanes in oil; and their influence on the aggregative stability of the resulting system makes it possible to find the best solutions to optimize the conditions of oil transportation with the lowest energy costs. This study shows that, according to the content of solid paraffin (14.0–16.2%), the oils of the Kumkol group of fields in Kazakhstan are highly waxy. They are characterized by high yield loss temperature values (+9–+12 °C), which also correlate with the values of the rheological parameters (τ₀ 1.389 Pa, 3.564 Pa). The influence of the temperature and shear rate on the shear stress and effective viscosity of the initial oils was studied. At temperatures below 20 °C, depending on the shear rate, there is an increase in the effective viscosity values (0.020 Pa∙s, 0.351 Pa∙s). The influence of the nature of solid hydrocarbons on the parameters of the paraffinization process and of the intensity of the paraffinization of the metal surfaces was studied. Our study shows that the main share of n-alkanes in the Kumkol and Akshabulak oils falls on paraffins of the C15–C44 group. The greater the temperature difference between the oil and the cold steel surface (≤40 °C), the lesser the amount of asphalt–resin–paraffin deposits (ARPDs) that fall out on the surface of the rod, although the content of long-chain paraffins prevails in these ARPDs. At the same time, the consistency of the released asphalt–resin–paraffin deposits (ARPDs) becomes denser, which makes their mechanical removal more difficult. Furthermore, the results of this study of the cooling rate shows that the rapid cooling of oils leads to the formation of a large number of crystallization centers, which leads to an increase in the values of the yield loss temperature and kinematic viscosity of the oils. Full article

A number of actinobacteria of the genus Gordonia are able to use dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives as the only source of sulfur, which makes them promising agents for the process of oil biodesulfurization. Actinobacteria assimilate sulfur from condensed thiophenes without breaking the carbon–carbon bonds, using the 4S pathway encoded by the dszABC operon-like structure. The genome of the new dibenzothiophene-degrading hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacterial strain Gordonia amicalis 6-1 was completely sequenced and the genes potentially involved in the pathways of DBT desulfurization, oxidation of alkanes and aromatic compounds, as well as in the osmoprotectant metabolism in strain 6-1 and other members of the genus Gordonia, were analyzed. The genome of G. amicalis strain 6-1 consists of a 5,105,798-bp circular chromosome (67.3% GC content) and an 86,621-bp circular plasmid, pCP86 (65.4% GC content). This paper presents a comparative bioinformatic analysis of complete genomes of strain 6-1 and dibenzothiophene-degrading Gordonia strains 1D and 135 that do not have the dsz operon. The assumption is made about the participation in this process of the region containing the sfnB gene. Genomic analysis supported the results of phenomenological studies of Gordonia strains and the possibility of their application in the bioremediation of oil-contaminated environments and in the purification of oil equipment from oil and asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits. Full article

A number of difficulties may be encountered in the final stages of oil field exploitation, including the formation of asphalt–resin–paraffin deposits (ARPDs). It is expedient to use complex technologies to remove the already formed deposits and prevent the formation of ARPDs. This paper focuses on the complex technology of oil field exploitation. This technology combines both the removal of organic deposits and the prevention of the formation of these deposits in the well bottomhole formation zone (BHFZ) system. The calculations for determining the process parameters of selling the ARPD inhibitor solution into the BHFZ are presented in this article. This complex technology includes the process of ARPD removal by flushing the well and the subsequent injection of the developed ARPD solvent into the BHFZ. In addition, the technology is complemented by a method of preventing the formation of these deposits. This method consists of squeezing the ARPD inhibitor and then pumping it by the selling fluid from five to ten times of the volume. This article contains a detailed calculation of the methodology and provides the diagrams for the solvent and inhibitor injection. Full article

Within the past few decades, the production of high-wax oils at offshore fields in Vietnam has been fraught with severe problems due to the intense formation of asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits (ARPD) in the downhole oil and gas equipment. The formation of organic wax deposits in the tubing string led to a significant decrease in gas-lift wells production, efficiency of compressor units, transport capacity of the piping systems, along with an increase in equipment failure. Subsequently, the efficiency of gas-lift wells dramatically decreased to less than 40% as a whole. The existing methods and technologies for combating organic wax deposit formation in downhole equipment have many advantages. However, their use in producing high-wax anomalous oil does not entirely prevent the wax formation in the tubing string and leads to a significant reduction in oil production, transport capacity, and treatment intervals. The results of theoretical and experimental studies presented in this article demonstrate that a promising approach to improve the efficiency of gas-lift wells during the production of high-wax oil is to use the technology of periodic injection of hot associated petroleum gas (APG) into the annulus of an oil-producing well. The effectiveness of the proposed method of combating wax formation in gas-lift wells highly depends on the combination of a few factors: the determination of wax deposit formation intensity in the well and the implementation of a set of preparatory measures to determine the optimal injection mode of hot APG (flow rate and injection depth) into the annulus between tubing strings and technological pipes. The injection depth of the hot APG should not be less than the depth of wax formation in the tubing string. The optimal injection rate of hot APG is determined by analyzing and mathematically modeling the APG injection system based on well-known thermodynamic laws. Full article