Treatment and Disposal of Oily Sludge from IX-Talara Oilfield by Vacuum Pyrolysis

Pretell V.; Ramos W.; Manrique H. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2023)

Resumen

Oily Sludge (OS) is a complex combination of oil and water emulsions with suspended solid impurities. These have high viscosity and stable emulsions that prevent the settling of solid components. It is estimated that one ton of crude oil produces between 0.3% and 0.5% of OS. Pyrolysis is a process in which the raw material is heated to high temperatures (400-1000 °C) in a reactor without oxygen or in an anaerobic atmosphere. This causes the breaking of C-C and C-H bonds in the compound, producing lower molecular weight hydrocarbons in the form of condensed liquids or non-condensable gases. The research aimed to determine whether vacuum pyrolysis is a suitable treatment for disposing of oily sludge from crude oil storage tanks in northeastern Peru. It also evaluated how the pyrolysis operating temperature influences the yield of liquid, solid, and gaseous products. Vacuum pyrolysis was carried out on a sample of oily sludge from oil production operations in Lot IX in Talara, Peru. The yield of liquid, solid, and gaseous products was evaluated, and the liquid hydrocarbon fraction was characterized. The best results were achieved at a temperature of 550 °C and a pressure of 31.33 kPa abs. The yield of liquid products (crude oil and water) was 81.4%, while that of solid products reached 10.3% and that of gases was 8.3%. The liquid hydrocarbon obtained under these conditions has a density of 864 kg/m3, a viscosity at 50 °C of 6.88 cSt, and a higher heating value of 40.16 MJ/kg. It is concluded that pyrolysis is a useful process for disposing of oily sludge.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería