PYROLYSIS AND COMBUSTION KINETICS OF CRUDE OILS, ASPHALTENES AND RESINS IN RELATION TO THERMAL RECOVERY PROCESSES

Knowledge of crude oil pyrolysis and combustion kinetics is necessary in oil production for thermal methods of enhanced oil recovery. During oil recovery by in situ combustion, a crude oil undergoes chemical changes (pyrolysis reaction) and physical changes (dilution by the cracking products, vapourization and condensation of some fractions). Both phenomena are important for oil production. This work aims at studying the effect of the oil composition, characterised on the basis of light hydrocarbon, resin and asphaltene contents, on the pyrolysis kinetics of the oil and combustion kinetics of the fuel, examined under idealised reservoir conditions. The results of these investigations show that the colloidal composition of oil as well as the transferability and heat transfer characteristics of the pyrolysis medium have a pronounced influence on the fuel formation and composition.