Optimizing In Situ Combustion with Manganese (II) Oxide Nanoparticle-Catalyzed Heavy Oil Oxidation

Abstract

The combustion front is a crucial parameter in determining the efficiency of in situ combustion techniques during enhanced oil recovery. Nowadays, catalytic systems are widely believed to be an efficient tool to stabilize the combustion front. This study aimed to investigate the synthesis and catalytic activity of manganese (II) oxide nanoparticles in the high-temperature oxidation of heavy oils. The synthesis and catalytic activity of manganese (II) oxide nanoparticles in the high and low-temperature oxidation regions of heavy oil were investigated in this study. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized and studied by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), nitrogen adsorption and desorption measurements, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermal analysis combined with the Kissinger isoconversional method. The obtained results showed that the synthesized nanoparticles had an average size of 17 ± 4 nm and a specific surface area of 38.2 ± 0.1 m2 g−1, with a pore size distribution of ~8 nm. The low and high-temperature oxidation processes’ activation energies were found to be 98.9 ± 0.7 kJ/mol and 151.9 ± 0.6 kJ/mol, respectively, in the presence of nanoparticles. However, these parameters were found to be equal to 110.1 ± 1.8 kJ/mol and 142.8 ± 8.3 kJ/mol, respectively, in the absence of nanoparticles. These data were processed further by calculating the corresponding reaction rates. The obtained results indicated that the rate of heavy oil oxidation was higher in the presence of the synthesized nanoparticles, which could play a critical role in stabilizing the combustion front in the in situ combustion process.