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Technical Papers

Heavy and Extra-heavy Oil

By 21 de February de 2022No Comments

Heavy Oil or Extra Heavy Oil is any type of crude oil that does not flow easily. It is called “heavy” because its density or specific weight is higher than that of light crude oil. While oil density is important in assessing resource value and estimating refining throughput and costs, the fluid property that most affects producibility and recovery is oil viscosity.

Heavy oil is an abundant source of energy, but it is more expensive to produce than light or conventional oil. The vast majority of heavy oils are not recoverable in their natural form or through conventional production methods.

Since heavy oil is less valuable, harder to produce, and harder to refine than conventional oils, a big question arises.

The answer to this big question consists of two parts: The first is that, given the current situation, many heavy oil deposits can now be profitably exploited. The second part of the answer is that these resources are very abundant. Conventional oil accounts for only about 30% of the world’s total oil resources. The rest corresponds to heavy oil, extra heavy oil and bitumen.

Heavy and extra-heavy oils promise to play a very important role in the future of the oil industry and many countries are already tending to increase their production, review reserve estimates, test new technologies and invest in infrastructure, to ensure that they do not leave behind its heavy and extra-heavy oil resources. Heavy oil reservoirs have a great advantage over their lighter counterparts, this is their longevity. These heavy oil fields can remain in production for 100 or more years.

Heavy oil recovery methods are divided into two main types, based on temperature. This is because the key fluid property, ie viscosity, is highly dependent on temperature. These are: The hot heavy oil recovery method, which is Thermal, and the cold heavy oil recovery method, which is Mining.

In this sense, Nakasawa has made the incorporation of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils into the market, its great technological advances in relation to the generation of thermal energy, making them available to leverage the oil companies of the world to carry out the exploitation of crude oils. heavy and extra heavy with total profitability and in an Accessible, Efficient and Safe way in perfect harmony with the environment.

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