Aquathermolysis of High-Viscosity Oil in the Presence of an Oil-Soluble Iron-Based Catalyst

Abstract

A synthetic oil-soluble iron-based catalyst was studied experimentally. A physical model of the catalytic transformation of high-viscosity oil at 200°C was developed. The composition and physicochemical and rheological characteristics of the thermocatalysis products were studied. IR spectroscopy found that the compositions of individual fractions changed. It was shown that the fraction of high-molecular-mass components could be substantially reduced by using the synthetic catalyst in combination with a hydrogen donor. This reduced the viscosity and; therefore, increased the degree of oil extraction.