Aquathermolysis of Heavy Crude Oil with Amphiphilic Nickel and Iron Catalysts

摘要

Two amphiphilic catalysts (i.e., metal dodecylbenzenesulfbnates, noted as C_(12)BSNi and C_(12)BSFe) were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), element analysis (EA), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and thermogravimetric (TGA). Their interfacial activities were determined using a surface tensiometer and an interfacial tensiometer. Both catalysts are interfacial active and thermostable enough for heavy oil aquathermolysis. Their performance on heavy oil aquathermolysis was assessed in an autoclave. According to the viscosity reduction results, the synthesized amphiphilic catalysts are more effective than water-soluble or oil-soluble catalysts, with C_(12)BSNi more efficient than C_(12)BSFe. The average molecular weight, group compositions, and average molecular structure of heavy oil samples were analyzed using EA, FT-IR, and ~1H nuclear magnetic resonance (~1H NMR) before and after aquathermolysis reaction. And the results show that both catalysts caused the change of molecular structures in heavy oil. The change of asphaltene and resin molecular structures and decrease of their contents are crucially important to the reduction of viscosity. C_(12)BSNi causes more changes of the asphaltene than C_(12)BSFe, whereas C_(12)BSFe is beneficial to the breakage of C-S bonds in asphlatenes and resins.