EVALUATION OF A NORTH-SEA-OIL FOR RECOVERY BY IN-SITU COMBUSTION USING HIGH-PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY

Pressurised differential scanning calorimetry has been used to study t he effects of sand particle size, pressure and oxygen partial pressure on the heat evolution during combustion of North Sea crude/sand mixtu res. Both low (LTO) and high temperature oxidation (HTO) regions were identified for all measurements. Decreasing particle size of the sand ana increased pressure increased the extent of LTO and thus favoured f uel lay down. Increase of oxygen concentration increased the heat evol ved up to 50% oxygen; further increases in oxygen level had no effect.