Orimulsion
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Orimulsion is a registered
Source of the bitumen
Like coal and oil, bitumen occurs naturally and is obtained from the world's largest deposit in the
Preparation
Raw bitumen has an extremely high
Advantages
As a fuel for electricity generation, Orimulsion has a number of attractive characteristics:[citation needed]
- the known reserves of bitumen are very large;
- it is currently priced to be competitive with internationally traded coal;
- it is relatively easy and safe to produce, transport, handle and store;
- it is easy to ignite and has good combustion characteristics;
- it can be used in power stations designed to run on coal or heavy fuel oil, with suitable modification.
Disadvantages
While Orimulsion is little different to fuel oil in relation to environmental impacts when burnt, being similarly susceptible to pollution mitigation techniques, it is more problematic in spill situations.[3] If a spill occurs during shipping over water, the Orimulsion mixture de-emulsifies, causing the bitumen to separate and no longer remain in suspension.
Orimulsion is classified as a
Decreasing usage
Orimulsion is currently used as a commercial boiler fuel in power plants worldwide, including countries such as
Another reason given by current PDVSA management is that with rising crude oil prices, it has been found that mixing or diluting Orinoco bitumen (extra-heavy oil) with a lighter crude oil can make this blend more profitable as a crude oil on the world market than by selling it as Orimulsion. An example of this is the popular Merey blend (Orinoco bitumen and Mesa crude oil). ConocoPhillips along with PDVSA operate the Merey Sweeny 58,000-barrel-per-day (9,200 m3/d) (bpd) delayed coker, vacuum tower and related facilities at ConocoPhillips' refinery in Sweeny, Texas, U.S.A. for processing and upgrading heavy sour Merey crude oil.[5]
Air pollutant control technology that is commonly available can limit emissions from Orimulsion to levels considered "
References
- ^ Christopher J. Schenk; Troy A. Cook; Ronald R. Charpentier; Richard M. Pollastro; Timothy R. Klett; Marilyn E. Tennyson; Mark A. Kirschbaum; Michael E. Brownfield & Janet K. Pitman. (11 January 2010). "An Estimate of Recoverable Heavy Oil Resources of the Orinoco Oil Belt, Venezuela" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ "Hebe Vessuri, Maria Victoria Canino (2005). El caso de la Orimulsion. Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas".
- ^ "The Combustion of Orimulsion and ITS Generation of Air Pollutants".
- ^ The Torrevaldaliga Nord plant in Civitavecchia
- ^ "BNamericas - PDVSA, Phillips Open Sweeny Deep Conversion ..." BNamericas.com. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ Tavel, Nelson (11 August 1999). "ORIMULSION® FACT SHEET: Air Emissions Overview" (PDF). emfuel.
Further reading
- "Orimulsion issue a closed chapter, says N.B. premier". CBC.ca. August 10, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- "News Pdvsa unit lands biggest Asian supply contract for Orimulsion". Oil & Gas Journal. February 12, 1996. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- Oil and Gas Journal: Emulsion fuel options still viable for heavy oil
- "Utility may be forced to explain Orimulsion boondoggle". CBC.ca. February 16, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- "Venezuela ceases orimulsion production". El Universal. September 26, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2015.