Upgrading Oil Sands and Heavy Oil | Bioprocessing Upstream Decay
Upstream decay and damage to upgrader infrastructure from naphthenic acids is considered to be one of the greatest causes of greenhouse gas emissions inefficiencies by industry and academic experts.
Currently, industry uses American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-664 to determine total acid number (TAN), which measures all acidic components of a synthetic crude oil (SCO). However, not all naphthenic acids components in SCOs are corrosive. Nevertheless refineries base their decision to process certain SCOs on the TAN number.
In order to demonstrate to industry that Athabasca bitumen and its upgraded SCO is equal in quality to other crude oils in order to ensure Canadians to benefit from its full value, CanmetENERGY scientists have focused their research efforts in the following areas:
- development of modified and improved methods for measuring quantitatively napthanic acid in extra heavy oils and bitumen
- development of methods and techniques for the removal of napthanic acids in extra heavy oils and bitumen
- napthanic acid and sulphur speciation and their interaction in bitumen and heavy oil processing
- investigate how corrosive Athabasca SCOs are (Synbit, Dilbit, Gas oils, etc.) and compare these with known corrosive crude oils
- investigate not only which napthanic acids but also in what boiling range these acids are more corrosive