Abstract
Upgrading heavy oil is a subject of high importance for fossil fuel industry due to the rapid depletion of light oil reservoirs and the consequent increased demand for upgrading heavy oil. In this review, the advancement made in heavy oil upgrading and the proposed sustainable emerging technologies dedicated to heavy oil processing have been discussed in a comprehensive and informative manner with consideration to the encountered associated with properties of heavy oil including its significant content of undesirable large molecular weight hydrocarbons, its high viscosity, and its elevated impurity level. The shortcomings of conventional crude oil upgrading technologies are outlined, in relation to the upgrading of heavy oil. The various technologies used for the extraction of heavy oil from reservoirs, as well as refinery technologies for improving the quality and marketability of heavy oil products are summarized encompassing modified conventional methods and emerging technologies. Thermal and catalytic processes were compared and evaluated based on the literature for heavy oil processing. Furthermore, emerging technologies for heavy oil processing were listed and discussed comprehensively. The proper selection of the refining technology for heavy oil processing is crucial for the quality of the final products and it is evident from the literature that the selection criteria vary from one heavy oil reservoir to the other depending on the properties of the crude oil.
Recommended Citation
Y. Yatimi et al., "Advancement In Heavy Oil Upgrading And Sustainable Exploration Emerging Technologies," Arabian Journal of Chemistry, vol. 17, no. 3, article no. 105610, Elsevier; King Saud University, Mar 2024.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2024.105610
Department(s)
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Publication Status
Open Access
Keywords and Phrases
Catalytic; Crude; Hydroprocessing; Non-catalytic; Refining
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1878-5352
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2024 Elsevier; King Saud University, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Publication Date
01 Mar 2024
Comments
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Grant None