Technology of complex modification of bituminous insulating materials

In recent years, scientists have been actively developing integrated technologies, which consist of the thermal methods of reservoir stimulation with wave processes. However, the effect of microwave radiation on the oil and bitumen systems is not studied enough, that requires a more in-depth scientific research in this area. The efficiency of extraction of high molecular hydrocarbons from bituminous sands at microwave exposure is evaluated. The features of the element composition, component, structural-group and hydrocarbon composition of bitumen changes depending on their chemical types and modes of microwave exposure are found out. New data on the change in the structure and properties of asphaltenes under microwave exposure and the composition of the liquid products of their destruction is gained.
Materials and methods
1. Experiments on microwave treatment of bituminous sands held in the microwave oven Elenberg MS-1400 with an output power of 600 W at the intensive irculation of air in the system. Rock samples subjected to microwave radiation in three modes: 15, 30 and 60 min, which corresponded to the following temperatures: 145, 230 and 3600C. 2. Determination of organic matter in the rock before and after the experiments carried out by thermal analysis derivatograph Q-1500D produced by MOM. 3. The extracts from the rocks and liquid conversion products of asphaltenes were studied by use of liquid-adsorption chromatography on silica gel ASA with release of hydrocarbons and the resins of two groups: benzene and alcohol-benzene. 4. Determination of the structural-group composition of extracts from rocks and asphaltenes were determined by FTIR spectroscopy on the infrared spectrometer Vector 22 (Bruker) in the range of 4000-400 cm-1 with a resolution of 4 cm-1. 5. The study of individual hydrocarbon composition of n-alkanes and acyclic isoprenoid saturated fractions of oils and bitumens was made by use of chromatograph AutoSystem XL produced by Perkin Elmer firm using a flame ionization detector (FID) and higheffective silica capillary column with a phase of SE 30. 6. The elemental composition of asphaltenes was determined by burning at the semiautomatic CHN analyzer.
Results
In this paper researches on influence of microwave effects on the extraction of natural bitumen from bituminous sands, as well as the properties and composition of asphaltenes subjected similar treatment are done. The features of changes in the composition of the investigated products depending on their length of microwave treatment are found out. The most efficient is short-time microwave affecting which increases the yield of extract, with a simultaneous increase in its composition of hydrocarbons, and lower asphaltene content, and with the increase of aromaticity and oxidation degree of bitumen extracted from rocks.
Сonclusions
Currently new integrated methods for increasing of oil recovery, combining thermal methods of stimulation with the wave methods are developing. This study has shown that microwave treatment of formation can be used as a promising improvement of existing technologies.