Vol 63, No 1 (2023)

Enhanced recovery methods are an important stage in the oilfield development and exploitation program. They allow generating an increase in production related to the decrease of the remaining oil in the reservoir, which was not possible to remove in previous production schemes. Among them, steam injection is one of the methods used, whose main objective is to reduce the viscosity of the crude oil. In the literature there are researches where is evident an interaction between the steam and the crude oil in the reservoir, giving way to the occurrence of chemical reactions called Aquathermolysis. This transformation is a chemical result that occurs at temperatures between 200 to 325°C typical for steam injection. However, the investigations have been focused more on the fluid-fluid interaction than the rock-fluid synergy. The present work aims to better understand the synergy generated in the fluid-rock interaction through a systematic review of the research found in the literature associated with the use of rock fragments, minerals, or porous media in steam injection conditions. For analyzing the data, a descriptive bibliometric study was made with the selected studies where a rock sample was used. As a result, the addition of the mineral and rocks over the reactions generates a catalytic effect observed in the physical and chemical crude oil properties changes. This additional effect is generated for the presence of some minerals in the rock sample and this behavior could change according to its composition. Also, the gas production and its variation under different operational parameters are evidence of rock presence benefits over the process.

This study investigated the activity of H-MFI catalysts modified by the top-down method in the liquid-phase Prins reaction between propene and formaldehyde. The physicochemical characterization of the catalyst demonstrated that grinding the catalyst reduces the specific surface area and affects the micropore to mesopore ratio in the samples. Reducing the grain size was found to increase the initial substrate consumption rate and reduce the diffusion limitations in the system. At the same time, grinding shifts the product composition towards a higher proportion of byproducts. An assessment of the kinetic curves enabled the researchers to propose a number of equations that accurately reflect catalyst deactivation. Both the reaction rate and deactivation rate vary directly with the zeolite dispersion, while the deactivation of the sample is more sensitive to the grain size.

A zeolite-based mesostructured (MSU) molecular sieve material was synthesized, characterized, and used in the preparation of Pt (0.6 and 1 wt %) supported catalysts for hydroconversion of n-heptane under the experimental conditions of 300–450°C and 760 mmHg. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, and NH3-TPD (temperature-programmed deposition) techniques. The activity test shows that catalysts have good activity and selectivity for isomerization reaction. Also, increasing metal sites, selectivity tends to the production of aromatization reaction in the heterogeneous catalytic process. Based on experimental results, a kinetic model of this reaction was carried out. Based on other publications and combining the examined features, a network of the reaction was proposed. It can be claimed that the results of converging the feed from the kinetic model are in good agreement with the experimental results. Some of the superiorities of this model compared to other models are the determination of kinetics parameters, source of isomers, aromatic, and cracked products distinctly with emphasis on the effect of site activity and residence time over metal-acid sites.

The study investigates the potential for promoting V2O5/Al2O3 catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides with ammonia (NH3-SCR). It was found that the activity of low-V2O5 (2–4 wt %) catalysts can be markedly enhanced (by a factor of 3–4) by their promotion with tungsten oxide. It was shown that a promoted V–W/Al2O3 catalyst that contains 4 wt % of V2O5 can achieve a NOx decomposition efficiency of 90% or even higher in the range of 360–500°C at a GHSV above 100,000 h–1

A porous aromatic framework, namely PAF-30, was structurally modified by the introduction of complexing groups based on dipyridylamine, dipicolylamine, and acetylacetone. The materials synthesized in this manner were used as supports of molybdenum catalysts for epoxidation: PAF-30-dpa-Mo, PAF-30-dpcl-Mo, and PAF-30-AA-Mo. All the materials were examined by various analytic methods, such as IR spectroscopy, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic activity was tested in epoxidation of cyclohexene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, and styrene. The reusability of the catalysts was assessed using the case of cyclohexene epoxidation.

Using a combination of IR spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering methods, the study investigates the initial steps of the neutralization of commercial additives, such as overbased calcium alkylbenzene sulfonate and calcium alkyl salicylate, by a number of model acids. The model acids included sulfuric acid, nitric acid (both simulating acidic products of marine fuel combustion), and acetic acid. For the sulfonate additive, it was shown that the amorphous CaCO3 core crystallizes, predominantly into vaterite, with a simultaneous slight increase in the size of the additive’s solid core. In the case of the salicylate additive, no CaCO3 crystallization was observed, and the solid core was slightly reduced in size. The paper proposes an explanation for these transformations, which rests on the difference in the strength of the acids that constitute the shell of the additive’s nanoparticles, and in the water solubility of the calcium salts produced.