Application of a thermally stable surfactant-peptizer for the development of heavy oil reservoirs using the example of the Aksenovskoye field

UDK: 675.043.4:622.276

DOI: 10.24887/0028-2448-2026-4-88-92

Key words: heavy oil, asphaltenes, peptization, surfactants, in-situ upgrading, enhanced oil recovery methods, aquathermolysis

Authors: T.A. Kholmurodov (Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, RF, Kazan); A.V. Vakhin (Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, RF, Kazan); D.K. Nurgaliev (Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, RF, Kazan); R.G. Nurgaliev (RITEK LLC, RF, Volgograd); D.A. Volkov (LUKOIL-Engineering LLC, RF, Moscow); E.A. Savchenko (LUKOIL-Engineering LLC, RF, Moscow)

Steam-based thermal technologies are widely used in the development of heavy and extra-heavy oil reservoirs. Particular attention is paid to improving the efficiency of thermal energy utilization injected into the reservoir, including through the implementation of in-situ upgrading processes. The use of transition metal-based catalysts contributes to a reduction in oil viscosity and an increase in its mobility. This leads to an increase in oil recovery. A promising approach is the application of reagents capable of disrupting the supramolecular structures of asphaltenes. This enhances the accessibility of weak carbon–heteroatom bonds and promotes their subsequent degradation under hydrothermal conditions. This study investigates the effect of a thermally stable surfactant-peptizer on the physicochemical properties of heavy oil from the Aksenovskoye field under pilot field conditions. Oil samples were collected over a four-week period, four months after reagent injection. Rheological properties, group composition (SARA), and various characteristics of asphaltenes were analyzed. To elucidate the nature of intermolecular interactions in asphaltene structures, quantum chemical calculations were performed, including Hirshfeld surface analysis, which enabled to identify potential interaction sites and explain the tendency of asphaltenes to aggregate. The obtained results confirm that the action of the surfactant-peptizer (TU 20.59.59-003-02066730-2025) leads to the dispersion of asphaltene aggregates, increased oil mobility under reservoir conditions, and enhanced oil recovery.

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