Transportable upgraded crude : Aquaconversion technology overview

The vast reserves of extra-heavy crude oil in Venezuela require lower-capital-cost technologies to make them available to the oil market. Most heavy oil commercialization in Venezuela is done by dilution. Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) Intevep has developed Aquaconversion, a catalytic steam conversion process capable of converting residue and heavy or extra-heavy crude oil in the producing field into transportable upgraded crude, thus reducing the use of light crude as diluents which can be valued in the market. The process produces higher residue conversion at the same product stability compared with other thermal conversion process such as visbreaking. For this purpose, Aquaconversion requires the addition of a water steam and the presence of a catalytic component that can be added as homogeneous chemical additives. This paper provided background information on the Orinoco oil belt and the thermal cracking process and Aquaconversion technology. Applications of the technology were also described with particular reference to wellhead use for making transportable upgraded crude, and the refinery application to replace visbreaking units. It was concluded that Aquaconversion technology is better than the visbreaking process because it reduces dehydrogenation and condensation reactions, increasing the product stability which increases the reaction temperature and vacuum residue conversion. It also reduces viscosity. 4 refs., 4 tabs., 9 figs.