02 Liquid fuels (transpoti, refining, quality, storage)

pattern locally indicate rapid subsidence (up to ca. 1.2 n&a) of the outer shelf and slope area since 350 ka BP. The subsidence is most likely a response to the rapid deposition of glacigenic sediments during the Plio-Pleistocene. It is inferred that sediment loading was an important factor behind the diapirism in the Vema Dome area. Porosity (up to 28%) was preserved by the inhibition of quartz overgrowth cementation and pressure dissolution by grain-rimming, eogenetic, microcrystalline quartz and associated chalcedony, or smectite. Early diagenetic silica precipitation is related to the dissolution of sponge spicules, which were concentrated in stormreworked hybrid arenites and in interbedded spiculite deposits. Locally, massive quartz cementation and recrystallization occurred as a consequence of hot fluids circulation related to Triassic magmatism.

03/02161 Liquefaction of Estonian oil shale kerogen in suband supercritical ether medium 2. Composition of liquid products
Luik, H. er al. Oil Shale, 2002, 19, (4), 355-372. Liquid benzene-soluble products of kukersite kerogen liquefaction in the medium di-Et ether, dioxane-1,4 and ethylene oxide were separated into asphaltenes, malthenes, phenols, aliphatic. and aromatic hydrocarbons, water-soluble neutral oxygen and high-polar compounds. High-molecular compounds separated were submitted to additional pyrolysis to investigate the composition of secondary compounds. Total products, fractions separated from them and pyrolysates were analysed by IR spectroscopy and gas chromatography to investigate the effect of various ethers on their chemical modification. The most characteristic similarities and differences between primary and secondary products of liquefaction were established. The final liquid products were formed as a result of thermal decomposition of previously oxyalkylated intermediates, those being different whether ethylene oxide, dioxane-1,4 or di-Et ether were used as liquefaction medium.

03/02165 Thermal hydrocracking of Cold Lake vacuum bottoms asphaitenes and their subcomponents
Rahimi, P. M. and Gentzis, T. Fuel Processing Technology, 2003, 80, (1) 69-79. The thermal chemistry of bitumen and heavy oils is extremely complicated, mostly because of the complex nature and the unknown molecular structure of different components that are present in these materials. In order to understand the molecular transformation of bitumen during upgrading better, the following approach was adopted: separate the bitumen into different components (asphaltenes and maltenes), characterize them in detail and react each fraction separately. In the present work, the results of thermal reaction of asphaltenes and its subfractions (Al-A4) separated by column chromatography are presented. Thermal hydrocracking of asphaltenes derived from Cold Lake vacuum bottoms (CLVB) was investigated, neat and in a hexadecane solvent at 440C (30 min and 13.8 MPa Hz). The amount of coke measured as methylene chloride insolubles remained relatively constant at about 25 wt%, whether the asphaltenes reacted neat or in hexadecane. Increasing asphaltenes concentration in hexadecane had little effect on coke formation. Results from the present study were compared with those reported previously from the laboratory for the same CLVB asphaltenes, which were thermal hydrocracked in CLVB maltenes and in decalin, and produced significantly less coke than in hexadecane. Unlike the reaction in hexadecane, changing the concentration of asphaltenes in maltenes had a significant effect on coke formation. The results from the previous study were rationalized in terms of competing reactions between maltenes and asphaltene-derived radicals for hydrogen, solvating effects of the media on coke formation, and viscosity effects on the radical-radical combination to form coke. Hexadecane as a solvent was relatively inert when compared to maltenes under the same severity conditions and did not stabilize the reactive radicals or prevent retrogressive reactions. The thermal hydrocracking of CLVB asphaltenes subcomponents (Al-A4) was also investigated in hexadecane. A better correlation was obtained between the coke yield and the molecular weight than either microcarbon residue or the aromaticity of the subcomponents. Based on the lack of additivity in coke yield, it was concluded that a synergistic effect among the subcomponents was most likely responsible for the reduced coke yield obtained from processing the asphaltenes feed.

03/02162. Rheoiogicai aspects of dense lignite-water ;yeresrons; time dependence, preshear and solids loading
Goudoulas, T. B. et al. Rheologica Acta, 2003, 42, (l-2), 73-85. A study of the rheological properties of dense lignite-water suspensions is reported here to evaluate the parameters that affect the rheological of these suspensions. Different types of particle size distributions were achieved via wet grinding with particle sizes down to 1 urn. Polyelectrolytes and surfactants were used to improve the stability and rheological of suspensions. The achieved solid volume fraction, 4, with acceptable rheological behaviour was 0.45, while the ratio of 4/o, was ~~0.85; & is the maximum solid volume fraction. Various types of flow tests were performed on lignite-water suspensions with various preshear times and stress levels. Typical shear rates varied in the range between lo-* to lo* s- The low shear behaviour is quite . different from the high shear behaviour for the most concentrated suspensions, with a plateau value at low shear rates indicating the appearance of a yield stress. These plateau values, however, depend on shear history, which is responsible for the development of different structures in the sample. The viscosity curves corresponding to the ascending and descending parts of the flow curve are different; these flow curve parts can be described either by well-established models or by modified ones. The non-Newtonian time-dependent behaviour of the lignite-water suspensions is attributed to the high value of the ratio #J/&,, the polydispersity of the particle size distribution, and the nonspherical shape of the lignite particles.

03/02163 Study on relationship between the concentration of hydrocarbon grou s in heavy oils and their structural R parameter from H N 1R spectra
Yang, Y. et al. Fuel, 2003, 82, (6), 721-727. More than 60 heavy oils samples, belonging to the hydrogen adding tail oil, catalytic oil slurry, catalytic heavy oil slurry and catalytic heavy tar waxy oil, which taken from different processing units in Nanjing Refinery, are analysed by 1H NMR and column chromatography. The analytical data of the heavy oils by two methods are compared and correlated, while good relationships between the specific area proton s percentage in NMR spectra and the contents of paraffinic and H alicyclic hydrocarbons ((P+N)%), aromatic hydrocarbons (A%) are found. The NMR method in calculating the amount of (P+N) and H A in heavy oils proved fast, convenient and reliable.

Transport, refining, quality, storage

03/02166 Analysis of stuck pipe in deviated boreholes

03/02164 The role of depositional settin and diagenesis on the reservoir uaiit of Devonian san stones from the Soiim6es Basin, &aziflan Amazonia
Lima, R. D. et al. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2002, 19, (9) 10477 1071. Devonian sandstones of the Uere Formation are important oil exploration targets in the Solimoes Basin, western Brazilian Amazonia. The basin fill comprises Ordovician to Permian sedimentary successions, Triassic diabase dykes and sills, and Cretaceous to Recent continental deposits. This study deals with the Upper Devonian interval, which consists of sharp-based, progradational sandstones, attributed to a storm-dominated shelf complex formed during an overall transgressive system tract, overlain by Frasnian-Famennian black shales. In spite of their large lateral extent, the exploration of these sandstones is complicated by intense diagenesis, which strongly affected reservoir quality. The main processes of porosity reduction are mechanical and chemical compaction and cementation by quartz overgrowths, carbonates (siderite and dolomite) and fibrous ihite.

Aadnoy, B. S. et al. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering. 2003, 37, (34), 1955212. This paper presents new equations to determine the depth to the stuck point in deviated wellbores based on pulling tests and torsion tests. In addition, methods to free a stuck pipe are given. In particular, it is shown that bends in the wellbore lead to more friction that, with the new equations, results in a deeper stuck point in a deviated well compared to a similar vertical well. Analytical equations are derived to compute forces in the drill string from top to bottom, including models for wellbore friction and pipe strength. Knowing all the forces involved in a stuck-pipe case, analysis is presented to determine the action that has the largest impact to free the pipe. One of the main conclusions is that the most important element to free the string is to keep the bottom-hole pressure as low as possible. The paper presents three methods to free the pipe, which where developed from the analysis: (1) maximum mechanical farce method, (2) minimum density method and (3) maximum buoyancy method. A detailed field case from the Yme field in the North Sea will demonstrate these methods and show the effect on the stuck point using each method. It is believed that introducing a more analytical approach to stuck pipe problems will lead to more efficient drilling and improved well economy.

03/02167 especially

Molecular tags for organic solvent systems, petroleum products

Smith, M. .I. PCT Int. Appl. W O 03 22,942 (Cl. C09Dll/C@), 20 Mar 2003, Appl. 2001/26,636. Fuel and Energy Abstracts

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