Phase Behavior and Thermophysical Properties of Peace River Bitumen + Propane mixtures

• Author / Creator

  Dini, Yoann

• Oil sands bitumen is increasingly recovered by injecting steam into reservoirs using the
  energy intensive Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process. Interest in improving
  recovery and energy efficiencies have led to an interest in injecting light hydrocarbons
  along with or instead of steam as a basis for the development of improved production
  technologies. Propane and mixtures including propane as a principal component are
  among the leading potential injectants. In this work, the phase behavior, phase
  composition and phase densities of propane + Peace River bitumen mixtures are studied
  using a variable-volume X-ray view cell in the temperature range between 303 K and
  393 K at pressures ranging from 1 to 6 MPa. This apparatus permits the study of mixtures
  that are opaque to visible light and provides real time phase volume and liquid phase
  density measurements. Pressure-temperature at fixed composition, and pressurecomposition
  at fixed temperature phase diagrams, and temperature-composition and
  pressure-temperature phase projections are presented, along with the saturated
  compositions and densities of the co-existing bitumen saturated propane liquid (L1) and
  propane saturated bitumen liquid (L2) phases. The phase behavior of this pseudo binary
  mixture can be categorized as Type III according to the van Konynenburg-Scott
  nomenclature. One of the key findings is the unexpected magnitude of the volumes of
  mixing, particularly for the L1 phase. Saturated L1 and L2 phases are both significantly
  less dense than liquid water phases at the same temperatures and pressures. The data set
  is expected to provide a benchmark for process development and process design
  calculations for ongoing bitumen production and de-asphalting applications.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Phase behavior
  • Thermodynamics
  • Bitumen
  • Propane

• Graduation date

  Fall 2015

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3125QN2X

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.