Том 53, № 3 (2017)

The results of tests of a new E30 bioethanol fuel developed at OAO VNII NP (All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Oil Refining OJSC) in a full-scale injection engine are reported. The test results allowed determination of efficiency, fuel economy, and toxicity of exhaust gases for engines running on experimental specimens of bioethanol fuel vis-à-vis automotive gasolines.

This work is devoted to development of an alternative blended aviation fuel containing rapeseed- oil-based biocomponents and to a study of their physicochemical properties. The basic characteristics of a petroleum aviation fuel and three types of biocomponents are studied and analyzed for conformance to standard requirements of a Jet A-1-grade aviation fuel. It is shown that modification of air-jet engine (AJE) fuels with rapeseed oil esters enhances the density and viscosity of the fuel, raises the pour point, and broadens the fractional composition by virtue of elevation of the end-of-boiling temperatures, which is explained by increased energy of interaction between the molecules of the hydrocarbon fuel and the fatty acid esters. It is demonstrated that AJE fuels modified with up to 30 vol. % biocomponents meet the requirements of normative documents on the studied properties and can be used as a source of AJE energy.

Syntheses are reported for catalysts derived from platinum and palladium nanoparticles supported on a mesoporous phenol formaldehyde polymer modified by an ionic liquid. These catalysts are used for the hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds, specifically, acyclic and cyclic isoprenoids: isoprene, 2,5 – dimethyl–2,4–hexadiene, limonene, α –terpinene, γ –terpinene, as well as phenylacetylene, transstilbene, and 1,4–diphenyl–1,3–butadiene. High activity was found for these catalysts in hydrogenation reactions. The palladium catalysts were more active than their platinum analogs. The products of complete hydrogenation predominate in the hydrogenation of isoprenoids on the palladium catalysts, while monoene products predominate in the reactions on platinum catalysts.

Possible variants of gasoline pyrolysis intensification, i.e., implementation of the process with separation and reinjection of the ethane or propane formed into the pyrolysis retort for further conversions, and recirculation of both hydrocarbons simultaneously, i.e., joint gasoline, ethane, and propane pyrolysis, are studied. The yields of the target products (ethylene and propylene) in all three cases are compared with the yields of hydrocarbons in the industrial process without recirculation. The profit an enterprise can get by applying this method is calculated.

Dewaxing of a diesel fuel (DF) of heavy fractional composition (HFC) in an electric field using Dodiflow-4971 depressants and higher fatty alcohols (HFAs) as process activators is studied. It is shown that dewaxing of DF of HFC allows production of DF with improved low-temperature properties. The yield of dewaxed diesel fuel (DDF) at –15°C reaches 75.8 wt% with cloud-point depression of 17°C; at –5°C, the DDF is 77.8 wt% with 11°C depression. The electric charge of alcohols generated during crystallization and the temperature range of thermoelectric effects where the charge persists have a combined effect on the DF dewaxing indices. The dewaxing and quality indices of the DDF are greater for higher values of these characteristics. It is shown that the effectiveness of HFAs as dewaxing activators increases in the order tetradecanol < hexadecanol < octadecanol < C₁₉₊ HFA fraction < C_10-18 HFA fraction.

Often difficulties and measurement uncertainties arise in determination of capillary pressure in laboratory experiments. In order to avoid this problem, we have developed a new mathematical model for calculating capillary pressure. The adequacy of fit for this model has been confirmed experimentally and by comparing with literature data. Based on the model, we propose a new and simpler method for calculating the relative permeability of rock.

With increasing depth of oilfield development, sublayers are becoming the main object of 0o9alkali-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding. Compared with major layers, sublayers differ in permeability, which may cause clogging of low-permeability layers when ASP solution containing polymer of the same molecular weight is injected into these layers. To solve this problem, injection allocators are widely used in oilfields. In this work, the jet nozzle channel was modeled using FLUENT 6.3 software. The ASP solution flowing through the jet nozzle channel in the injection allocator was simulated using a mathematical model based on the Navier-Stokes equation and renormalization group (RNG) turbulence and power-law fluid models. The effect of nozzle diameter on the distribution of differential pressure, velocity, average strain rate, turbulence power, and apparent viscosity of the flow were analyzed. It was found that with an increase in the nozzle diameter the differential pressure and velocity of the flow decrease before and after passing through the nozzle, whereas the average strain rate increases gradually. The simulation results can provide theoretical guidance for optimal design of the nozzle.

In the recent decades, the merit of enhancing drilling rate by wellbore gas scavenging has been described comprehensively in many papers. This method began to be used widely and successfully in field conditions. In comparison with air and natural gas, due to its inertness and inflammability, gaseous nitrogen has become the most preferred fluid for drilling. The biggest shortcoming of using nitrogen gas as drilling fluid is high cost of its production. If the nitrogen gas circulated out of the wellbore could be recycled by some ground-based equipment and injected into the wellbore again, nitrogen gas drilling may become more viable. In this work, we developed a new nitrogen gas circulation drilling technology and carried out a systematic study of the proposed project, namely, the technological process, development of separation equipment and control system, etc. To verify the feasibility of this technological system, a comprehensive on-site experiment was designed and implemented for testing the prototype system.

We have studied the influence of an electrostatic field on the process of methane adsorption on the surface of coal under various conditions. We have determined the values of the Langmuir adsorption constants for the coal samples and have analyzed the adsorption mechanism. We found that gas adsorption is intensified in an electric field. We established that one of the Langmuir constants for tectonically deformed coal is larger than for raw coal, while the other constant, which usually remains unchanged, tends to increase when exposed to the field. We estimated the surface free energy of the system and we established that it increases with an increase in the electric field intensity. According to the thermodynamics of spontaneous processes, usually the Gibbs free energy of a system tends to decrease as a result of intensification of adsorption, and therefore application of an electric field leads to its increase.

The impact of oil pollution on the physicochemical properties of various types of arid-land zonal soils and their ability for self-purification are evaluated. A vegetation experiment based on bioindication principles concerning the reaction of crops to an oil-contaminated environment indicated that crops with varying sensitivities can sprout and grow on oil-contaminated soils.

Kinetic inhibitors of gas hydrate formation in oil and gas production processes are reviewed briefly. A general description of the mechanism of inhibitor action is given. The structural distinctions of both synthetic polymeric inhibitors and natural inhibitors are indicated. Prospects of development of new kinetic inhibitors of hydrate formation are shown.

Natural attenuation that follows first-order kinetics occurs in groundwater contaminated by BTEX monoaromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes). Various mechanisms such as adsorption, biodegradation, volatilization, dilution, convection, etc. can contribute to the attenuation. The contribution of each mechanism to the overall toluene attenuation process was assessed. It was established that adsorption played the most important role and was followed by dilution, convection, diffusion, and other effects. The contribution of volatilization was not as significant at 1.78%; of biodegradation, 3.34%.