In Situ Upgrading of Heavy Crude Oil: Comparative Study of the Performance of Cu-, Fe-, Ni-, or Zr-Containing Water-Based Catalysts

摘要: The world continues experiencing a steady decrease in the availability of conventional light or even medium crude oils, and hence, refineries inevitably face the challenge of processing increasing amounts of (extra) heavy crude oils while preserving their economic targets. This requires changes/improvements in existing refining technologies for converting heavy crude oil, which may be conveniently preceded by an improvement in its flowing properties in the underground reservoir itself. In this context, this research focuses on the use of liquid …