Conversion of High-Viscosity Oil of Ashalchinsk Deposit in the Presence of Activated Carbon and Supercritical Aqueous Fluid

This article presents the results from the primary treatment of heavy crude oil in the presence of activated carbon and a supercritical aqueous fluid. This makes it possible to reduce the content of sulfur and resinous-asphaltene substances significantly and to increase the amount of light fuel fractions. The work revealed distinctive features of the change in composition and properties of the liquid products of the conversion of crude oil in a hydrothermal fluid at 420°C and also in the presence of activated carbon at the process temperature 375°C. The possibility of reducing the conversion temperature of crude oil due to the presence of active carbon in the reaction medium is demonstrated. It was established that light fractions are formed in the transformed heavy crude oil in a hydrothermal fluid in the presence of activated carbon due to destruction of the resin-asphaltene components. The technology is aimed at environmentally safe and residue-free processing of heavy hydrocarbon resources to obtain high-quality raw materials rich in fuel fractions.