Experimental Study on Viscosity Reduction of Iranian Heavy Export Crude Oil by Using Imidazolium Based Ionic Liquids Supported On ZIF-8 Organic Framework

Chemical - Thermal Technology is used to upgrade the quantity and to decrease the viscosity of Iranian extra-heavy crude oil in atmospheric pressure. In this present work, Ex-situ preparation of [OMIM][NTf2]-ZIF-8 (IL@ZIF-8) nanostructures were performed solvothermally by using an oil-soluble long chain Ionic Liquids, [OMIM][NTf2] and a zeolitic imidazolate framework, ZIF-8. This complex was used in thermal cracking of heavy oil as a chemical additive. Injection of a little amount of the IL@ZIF-8 to extra-heavy oil caused to produce gaseous compounds, naphtha, middle distillates, lubricating oil and tar. The viscosity measurement results show an evident viscosity reduction by 91% for extra-heavy oil after chemical-thermal cracking at 370°C during maximum 120 min. The technique is ideally suited for cracking extra-heavy Iranian Crude oils such as Nowrooz-Soroosh oilfields. To the best our knowledge, no report was found about chemothermally cracking heavy crude oils especially by using IL@ZIF-8 metal organic frameworks.