Towards Realisation of Untapped Oil Resources via Enhanced THAI-CAPRI Process Using Novel Catalysts

Extensive unexploited resources of heavy oil and bitumen exist, for example in Canada and Venezuela, as well as heavier deposits under the North Sea UK, which could potentially be utilized as the production of conventional light crude declines. Heavy oil and bitumen are more difficult to recover than conventional crude, requiring mining or specialized in-situ recovery techniques followed by upgrading to make them suitable for use as a fuel. Toe to heel air injection (THAITM) is an in-situ combustion and upgrading process in which air is injected to a horizontal well to feed combustion of a small fraction of the oil (up to 15 %). The heat generated causes the oil to flow along the well, where thermal upgrading reactions occur, leading to upgrading of the oil (by 4-6 API). CAPRI is a catalytic add-on to THAI in which catalyst is packed around the well to effect further catalytic upgrading reactions, such as hydrotreatment, however previous studies showed that the catalyst lifetime and process effectiveness are limited by coke deposition upon the catalyst. Additionally the costs and challenges of packing the well with pelleted catalyst prior to starting up also make the CAPRI process less economically attractive.
The current proposal seeks to develop cheap, effective nanoparticulate catalysts which could be conveyed into the well by air or as slurry during operation, thereby avoiding the requirement for packing the well with catalyst prior to start up and to reduce the amount of deactivation and bed blockage that occurs by coke deposition upon pelleted catalysts. Initially, readily available iron oxide nanoparticles will be tested as a base-case. Nanoparticulate catalysts will also be prepared by supporting the metal upon bacteria, using a method in which metal containing solution is reduced in the presence of a bacterial culture, followed by centrifuge and drying which kills the live bacteria. The method has the advantages of being able to utilize scrap metal solutions and thus facilitate recycling of metals from waste sources, and it may be tuned to engineer nanoparticles of desired size and properties (e.g. crystal structures). Here we seek to develop, test and scale up the production of biogenic Fe catalysts for the upgrading of oil in the THAI process. Furthermore, waste road dusts contain deposits of catalytic metals from the exhaust of vehicular catalytic converters and these will be converted into cheap mixed metal catalysts by economically proven biohydrometallurgical methods for testing in the THAI process.
Key to the effectiveness of utilizing nanoparticle catalysts will be the ability to contact them with oil in the mobile oil zone and flame front of the well, where the reaction is taking place. Studies of the rock void structure will be carried out using techniques such as X-Ray microtomography. Monte Carlo and Lattice Boltzmann simulations will be used to study the pneumatic conveying of particles into the reservoir and to study penetration and distribution of particles within the void space of the rocks. Conveying of slurry catalysts and process performance will be modeled using STARS reservoir simulation software.
Evaluation of the different catalysts will be performed experimentally under real conditions using a rig developed under a previous project. The effect of variables such as gas:oil ratio, temperature, pressure and gas composition will be studied experimentally, in order to select the best catalyst and understand the conditions required for maximum upgrading. The experiments will also indicate whether catalyst deactivation occurs during use and enable conditions to be tuned to avoid deactivation.

The project will deliver new catalysts, technology and intellectual property, which will be highly marketable to industry. The project is of direct commercial relevance to Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd, who are testing THAI-CAPRI technology in Alberta, and intend to carry out field trials of the process. The use of recycled materials such as metal wastes and road dusts to provide a cheap catalyst, together with deactivation resistance will improve the economics of the CAPRI process. The 'holy grail' would be if the upgraded bitumen has an API gravity approaching 20 degrees, where it can be pumped without using diluent, providing substantial cost savings. Other companies such as Shell, Exxon and Husky oil, have stakeholder interests in the oilsands and would be interested in technology to exploit them, which could occur through licensing of THAI-CAPRI technology.
The project is particularly timely. The rising oil prices and uprisings in Middle Eastern countries, increase concern for the security of supply of lighter crude oils and cost of transportation fuels. Plans by governments to re-introduce building programmes of nuclear power will be delayed or shelved by renewed debates following the recent disaster at Fukushima. The recovery and upgrading of Canadian heavy oils could provide a solution, being a reliable source of fuel from a stable country. However concerns exist about oilsands extraction and carbon dioxide emissions, in particular from mining and steam assisted gravity drainage methods, which require large volumes of natural gas to be used for steam generation. By contrast, the THAI-CAPRI process has a lower environmental impact because it does not require stripping of the forest land above the well and does not use external natural gas supplies to generate steam, thereby having a lower carbon emission.
The project team has considerable expertise in technology transfer activities, particularly Prof Macaskie, who holds a London Technology Network Business Fellowship, which targets various networking and outreaching events to access potential collaboration and exploitation events. Prof. Malcolm Greaves (co-inventor of the THAI CAPRI process) has 30 years experience of improved oil recovery techniques, has links with Petrobank in Canada, as well as other oil companies (e.g. Shell), which could provide routes for exploitation of the technology developed under this project.
The technology transfer and IP rights concerning the project will be managed by the Technology Transfer companies of the 4 Universities. The project will deliver three research fellows, who will be highly trained in bio-catalytic manufacture as well as skilled in surface analytical techniques, chemical synthesis and business development. It is expected that Joint Venture Licensing or spin out will occur around 2014.
The work will be widely disseminated through a range of events, which will include academic publications and conferences, technical presentations at subject group meetings (e.g. IChemE), media dissemination (radio and TV), and school visits. For example, the work of Angela Murray on road dust recovery has featured widely in the media, both in the national press and on BBC TV Midlands Today and previous work by Greaves and Wood on THAI CAPRI on BBC Radio 4 Material World. Pro-actively and following a hugely successful EPSRC delivery of impact award (clean energy) we will deliver an interactive workshop in to schools and also anticipate a Royal Society Summer Exhibition ('Oil can be green') combining this project with two concurrent projects ('Wood/Macaskie') on CO2 trapping into value products.