Kazan Federal University and Zarubezhneft collaborate in water-soluble catalyst for viscous oil

This innovative idea, implemented in laboratories at Kazan Federal University, will help oil companies increase the production of highly viscous oil while simultaneously improving its quality without complex infrastructure changes. The research demonstrates the high technological efficiency of thermal steam treatment using a water-soluble nickel-based catalyst. Important laboratory results were published in Scientific Reports.

"A water-soluble catalyst is injected into a well at a highly viscous bituminous oil field, after which steam is injected into the well. This accelerates aquathermolysis reactions, while the water-soluble catalyst is adsorbed on the rock surface," explains Aidar Tazeev, Junior Research Associate at the In-Situ Combustion Laboratory.

How and where the catalyst settles, at what temperatures its efficiency increases, and how heavy oil molecules are "broken" into lighter ones—the published work provides answers to all these questions. Specifically, the scientists demonstrated that common industrial nickel sulfate can serve as an inexpensive catalyst precursor, performing its function directly in the oil reservoir. When introduced into a porous medium, the nickel compound is not washed out with the produced oil at high temperatures and coats the surface of the mineral base, prolonging its technological effectiveness.

"The developed water-soluble catalyst has a comprehensive effect, not only increasing oil recovery but also irreversibly reducing the viscosity of the recovered oil. This innovative approach allows for oil refining to begin in the reservoir, which is essential for the production of highly viscous hydrocarbons," adds Research Associate Ilgiz Minkhanov.

The high degree of catalyst adsorption on the rock surface prolongs its technological effectiveness during repeated thermal steam treatment—this is the idea behind the study. KFU scientists were among the first to achieve such results in this area of research. Using the catalyst increases the recovery of highly viscous oils by more than 36%.

"This study demonstrates for the first time the effectiveness of in-situ upgrading of bituminous oil using thermal steam treatment combined with the injection of a water-soluble nickel sulfate catalyst in carbonate reservoirs, and also evaluates its adsorption and behavior in a porous medium. It was found that during core filtration studies, approximately 99% of the nickel-containing catalyst precursor remains in the rock," says Junior Research Associate Amin Al-Muntaser.

In addition to enhanced oil recovery, the physicochemical properties of bituminous oil significantly change after hydrothermal treatment with preliminary injection of a nickel sulfate solution. "We studied various catalyst injection modes. As a result, we recorded a viscosity reduction of more than 20 times compared to the original oil after experiments under optimal conditions. We also observed a decrease in the proportion of asphaltenes and the resin fraction. Overall, the use of water-soluble systems eliminates the need for organic solvents, which are used to deliver oil-soluble catalyst precursors to the reservoir. Therefore, the technology has significant practical potential," notes project lead Mikhail Varfolomeev.

Today, the proposed technology is fully prepared for pilot industrial application, which is planned for 2025-2026.

More information:
Hydrothermal upgrading and adsorption of a water-soluble nickel-based catalyst precursor in a porous media of carbonate oil-saturated rock
www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-26102-0

Provided by Kazan Federal University