Feasibility of Using the Frank-Kamenetskii Theory To Predict the Spontaneous Ignition of the Crude Oil-Sand Mixture

摘要

Light crude oil usually has more saturate-type components, which have much lower activation energy than the other components. In a lower temperature range, light crude oil will generate more enthalpy than heavy crude oil. The heat generated by the low-temperature oxidation of light crude oil may promote the oxidation process to a high-temperature oxidation range. Thus, light oil has more potential to achieve spontaneous ignition than heavy crude oil. This paper studies the feasibility of using the Frank-Kamenetskii theory to predict the spontaneous ignition of light crude oil. Oven experiments can directly show whether a certain oil can achieve spontaneous ignition under certain conditions. If the Frank-Kamenetskii theory is able to predict the spontaneous ignition of crude oil, petroleum engineers could much more easily design a proper process for air injection process (AIP) projects. This paper will first review the theory of Semenov and Frank-Kamenetskii. Then, the oven test results will be compared to Frank-Kamenetskii theoretical predictions. Finally, conclusions will be drawn on the feasibility of applying the Frank-Kamenetskii theory to study the spontaneous ignition of crude oil. The Frank-Kamenetskii theory is found to be not feasible to predict the spontaneous ignition of a crude oil-sand mixture.