Heavy oil extraction
Unconventional oil (heavy oil, oil sand, oil shale) can represent in the next future an indispensable resource, capable of substituting conventional oil, whose reserves are continuously decreasing.
CPTM, together with IDS Ingegneria dei Sistemi and ENI, is studying innovative techniques for the production and exploitation of unconventional oil, investigating in particular the possible interactions and sinergies betweeen electromagnetic heating methods and oil production and refining techniques.
Main projects
Oil production from oil sand reservoirs through radiofrequency heating
- Physical, chemical and dielectric characterization oil oil sand samples
- Design of radiating well elements
- Thermal and electromagnetic modeling
- Pilot scale experimentation and model validation
In situ catalytic upgrading of heavy oil through electromagnetic stimulation
- Catalytic materials screening
- Pilot scale experimentation
Electromagnetic irradiation for enhanced oil recovery of mobile heavy oil
- Design of production well and radiating elements
- Thermal, electromagnetic and fluid dynamic modeling
Publications
- A. Cerutti, M. Bandinelli, M. Bientinesi, L. Petarca, M. De Simoni, M. Manotti, G. Maddinelli, A New Technique for Heavy Oil Recovery Based on Electromagnetic Heating: System Design and Numerical Modelling, 11th International Conference on Chemical & Process Engineering (IcheaP-11), Milan, June 2-5, 2013.
- M. Bientinesi, L. Petarca, A. Cerutti, M. Bandinelli, M. De Simoni, M. Manotti, G. Maddinelli, A New Technique for Heavy Oil Recovery Based on Electromagnetic Heating: Pilot Scale Experimental Validation, 11th International Conference on Chemical & Process Engineering (IcheaP-11), Milan, June 2-5, 2013.
- M. Bientinesi, L. Petarca, A. Cerutti, M. Bandinelli, M. De Simoni, M. Manotti, G. Maddinelli, A radiofrequency/microwave heating method for thermal heavy oil recovery based on a novel tight-shell conceptual design, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 107, 18-30, 2013.
