Resumo

RUIZ CANAS, María Carolina; GARCIA DUARTE, Hugo Alejandro  e  PATINO RAMIREZ, Christian David. AN INNOVATIVE SIMULATION METHODOLOGY FOR HYBRID TECHNOLOGY WITH NANOCATALYST-ENHANCED SOLVENT (HYB-SEN) AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS IN CYCLIC STEAM STIMULATION. C.T.F Cienc. Tecnol. Futuro [online]. 2024, vol.14, n.2, pp.67-78.  Epub 04-Ago-2025. ISSN 0122-5383.  https://doi.org/10.29047/01225383.1404.

Pursuant to the goals of sustainable development, and in line with current energy needs, it is increasingly necessary to create more energy-efficient processes, and reduce their carbon footprint. New energy-efficient technologies for heavy oil recovery must be developed, such as hybrid technologies, where some additives are used for steam injection processes. One of the hybrid technologies with good potential for energy-efficient heavy oil recovery is cyclic steam injection with solvents enhanced with nanocatalysts (HYB-SEN), which could also generate oil upgrading by pseudo-aquathermolysis reactions. According to the above, this research focused on evaluating the impact on the reduction of greenhouse gases of the hybrid steam technology with naphtha-based nanofluids concerning the conventional cyclic steam injection (CSS).

For this purpose, a simulation model for conventional cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) called the CSS baseline was created, including the pseudo-aquathermolysis reaction and the reaction kinetics based on experimental tests such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), analysis of gases and fluids after coreflooding tests in the presence and absence of nanocatalysts, physicochemical characterization tests of crude oil, naphtha, among others, as well as fluid properties software. On the other hand, the reduction in the production of greenhouse gases by hybrid technology concerning the CSS baseline was calculated. The impact of the hybrid technology on the injection scenarios was determined through the proposed environmental indicators like energy efficiency, reduction of Basic Sediment and Water (BSW), and reduction of carbon footprint reflected in lower carbon -intensity, among others, by numerical simulation.

The results of the hybrid technology with nanocatalysts simulation showed an increase in oil recovery of an additional 3756.5 Bbl of crude oil compared to the conventional technique and a reduction greater than 18% for the CO2 production compared to conventional cyclical steam injection. Further, the environmental impact analysis of the scenario concerning the baseline was evaluated, finding a positive impact on energy efficiency improvement, reduction of BSW, and reduction of carbon footprint reflected in lower carbon-intensity, among others. Additionally, hybrid technology results in an additional benefit with the use of raw materials such as naphtha in crude oil transportation, used at the field, which implies a reduction in their subsequent use due to the improvement of crude oil properties.

The foregoing indicates that hybrid steam technology with naphtha-based nanomaterials not only generates positive impacts on oil recovery compared to the conventional technique, but also has a positive effect by enhancing energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint.

Palavras-chave : Hybrid technology; nanocatalyst; energy efficiency; environmental indicators; cyclic steam stimulation.

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