10-03-2017

Introduction
to
Petroleum Technology

By
Rakesh K. Gupta

Introduction
Oil and natural gas are the important parts of everyday life.
Their availability has changed the whole world economy.

It is playing a vital role in industrialization and urbanization

through supplying energy for domestic, industrial, transport
sectors and feedstocks for fertilizer, synthetic fiber, synthetic
rubber, polymer, intermediate, explosive, agrochemicals,
dyes, paints, etc.

Processing oil for producing fuel and other values added

products has become very important activity in modern
petroleum. With expected population of 7.6 billion in 2020,
demand of products from petroleum and petrochemical route
is also expected to increase.

The use of petroleum and its derivatives has been reported

since pre-Christian times. Petroleum and its derivatives such

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as asphalt, bitumen have been known and used for almost

6000 years. First documented use of asphalt has been
reported in 3800 BC.The Kerosene lamp invented in 1854.
Modern petroleum refining began in 1859 with discovery of
petroleum in Pennsylvania and further commercialization.
The exploration of petroleum originated in latter part of
nineteenth century.

As a result of technological development and rise in demand

of petroleum and petrochemical products, todays refinery is
highly integrated and complex producing fuel, lubricants and
broad range of petrochemicals.

A standalone refinery configuration in present context will

have (i) flexibility to handle heavy and sour crude oils (ii)
adequate capacity of secondary conversion and residue
upgrading facilities to ensure high overall yields of light and
middle distillates (iii) appropriate upgrading facilities (hydro-
desulfurization, CCR reforming, isomerization, etc.)

World Petroleum Resources

Global demand for petroleum products increased to 90
million barrels/day by 2010 and projected to touch 105
million barrels/day by 2020. World oil demand is expected
to grow by 1.2-1.4 million barrels/day on every year.
(1 Ton 7.2 barrel of crude oil)

Increasing energy demand and stringent environmental

regulations are the major driving force for new investments
in refining technologies.

World crude oil production is given in following table.

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World Petroleum Resources

US geological survey has estimated that world may be
endowed with resources of nearly 5.25 trillion barrels (720
billion tons of oil and gas, of which nearly ). Most of the
world oil reserves known today are concentrated in ten
places and are likely to remain major supplier in future also.

Global refining capacity is given in following table.

World Petroleum Resources

Total refinery throughput is given in following table

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World Petroleum Resources

In order to meet for the rising product demand of light
transportation fuels and declining availability of light sweet
crude oils, the refining industry has two options: Either to
build new grass root refineries to accommodate heavy crude
oils and to process in the existing refineries.

Major product demand and quality scenario: With increasing

demand of light distillates for motor gasoline and
petrochemical feedstock and changing scenario in the
environmental and clean fuel requirement, there has been
continuous upgradation in the technology and future decision
on technology adaption will be governed by the environmental
consideration.

Emerging crude oil and natural gas resources: tar sands or

oil sands, shale oil, shale gas, posing big challenge to
hydrocarbon industry for their effective and economical
utilization

World Petroleum Resources

Following table shows the worlds top petroleum refineries.

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World Petroleum Resources

Petroleum industry in India

Indian petroleum industry is one of the oldest in the world, oil
having struck at Makum, near Margeritta, in upper Assam in
1867.

Indian petroleum industry has made tremendous growth during

last six decade with only one refinery with just a 0.25 million
tons refining capacity at the time of independence.

Item 2006-07 2008-09 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

(million tons)
Crude oil 725.4 773.3 757.4 760 758
Table: India petroleum industry statistics
reserves
Crude oil 146.6 160.8 206.2 204 219
consumption
Crude oil 34.0 33.5 37.7 38 38
production
Petroleum 135.3 150.5 190.4 203 218
products

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Petroleum industry in India

Indias present (2015) refining capacity is 149 million tons
with 17 public sector and two private sector refineries.

Oil and gas exploration

Figure: Sedimentary rocks

Figure: Sedimentary rocks with anticline structure

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Drilling for oil and gas

Much of the success of drilling depends on
quality of mud which is a specially prepared
slurry of water, various chemicals and
adhesives like barytes, bentonites,
xanthanite.

Mud is pumped through drill column to carry

out several important functions as:
removing cutting to surface
cooling and lubricating the bit
Providing buoyancy to string to reduce hook
load
retaining the side wall from caving in
Allowing to examine the hole by lowering a
variety of instruments
Balancing the formation pressure that prevents
the formation fluids from running into well.

Figure: Drilling equipment (derrick)

Drilling for oil and gas

With the increase in the depth of the hole, side walls of the
well tends to collapse. To avoid this, a casing pipe is
introduced into the hole. The annular portion between the
hole and the casing is cemented. Further drilling is carried
out with a smaller diameter bit, casing pipe is introduced
and cemented.

While drilling, the geologists continuously collect, wash and

examine the rock cuttings that come up to surface with mud
and ascertain the nature of the rock (based on the different
physical and electrical properties) and its fossil contents.

All the data obtained are recorded and processed with

computers and subsequently interpreted by geologists,
geophysicists, chemists and reservoir engineers jointly. They
decide on the most likely the areas that could be dug up for
the oil.

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Drilling for oil and gas

At the initial stage oil and gas rises
to the surface the surface under
their own formation pressure. With
continued production, formation
pressure decreases and viscous oil
and gas cease to be self flowing.

As a result, artificial lifting such as

sucker road pump, water or gas
injection or polymer injection is
employed for maintenance of the
pressure.

Figure: Perforations in casing pipes to test formation fluid

Production of crude oil and gas

Crude oil is found in space of porous rock with gas and water.
This is trapped beneath impermeable rocks. When the trapped
formation is pierced, fluid flows out into the well.

The fluid in the well-bore is lifted out either naturally by release

of the gas that lowers the head or with mechanical pump to
maintain the influx into well-bore.

However, the withdrawal of the fluid from the reservoir lower

pressure therein and in turn the influx rate into the well-bore
decreases. This rate eventually decreases to a value insufficient
to pay for cost of lifting the fluid to surface. The recovered oil
accounts to only 15-20% of original oil in place. In some oil
reservoirs which have a continuous aquifer the reservoir oil is
replaced almost volume to volume by water and pressure decline
is very gradual. This increases its recovery efficiency to range of
40-60% of original oil in place.

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Production of crude oil and gas

It is better to use enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods after
primary recovery and it is practiced into two stages:
a) Secondary recovery b) Tertiary recovery
Selection of suitable EOR requires a careful analysis of reservoir
and oil properties.

Secondary recovery: Water is injected into a series of wells in

order to displace the oil to adjoining producing wells.

Secondary recovery with water has two problems:

a) Water does not flush all oil from the pore space.
b) Bypassing of significant portions of the reservoir

Production of crude oil and gas

Methods to recover remaining oil:
a) Miscible/ immiscible displacement processes
b) Thermal recovery processes
c) Chemical flooding processes (This is successful in India)

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Methods for pipeline transportation improvements

Use of pour point depressants/ flow improvers

(Generally, ashless polymeric additives;
a. Alkyl acrylate polymers and copolymers
b. Olefin alkyl maleate copolymers
c. Vinyl ester polymers and copolymers
d. Alkylated polystyrene

Blending of low pour point crudes

Crude oil conditioning

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