Investigation on the biodegradation levels of super heavy oils by parameter-striping method and refined Manco scale: a case study from the Chepaizi Uplift of Junggar Basin

The Carboniferous volcanic reservoir in the Chepaizi Uplift became an exploration hot target in recent years for its substantial amount of oils discovered. However, most of the Carboniferous heavy oils were biodegraded to PM7 or higher with orders of magnitude variation in oil viscosities. Two oil groups (I and II) exactly corresponding to the western and eastern Chepaizi Uplift were distinguished according to their source diagnose. Furthermore, three oil families (II1, II2 and II3), with the biodegradation level of PM7, PM8–8+, PM9+, respectively, were classified based on molecular compositions and parameter-stripping method of strongly bioresistant parameters. Allowing for this extremely high biodegradation case, more biodegradation refractory compound class were added to establish a refined Manco scale to quantitatively evaluate the biodegradation extent. Refined Manco number (RMN2) positively correlated with the oil density, NSO contents, and absolute concentrations of diasteranes and gammacerane, negatively correlated with the absolute concentrations of diahopane, summed tricyclic terpanes and pentacyclic terpanes. This refined scale showed higher resolution than the PM one to differentiate the biodegradation extent of Carboniferous heavy oils from the Chepaizi Uplift, especially those with same PM values but different oil viscosities.

Structural and Microstructural Study on the Arc-Plasma Synthesized (APS) FeAl2O4–MgAl2O4 Transitional Refractory Compound

In this work, a pleonastic compound, a compound with a composition between hercynite and spinel sensu stricto FeAl2O4–MgAl2O4, was synthesized by a non-conventional method of arc-plasma synthesis (APS). The structure of the obtained spinel compound was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer effect measurements. The microstructure was observed by applying scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) method. It was found that the arc-plasma synthesized material was characterized by a monophasic character, a low-inversion parameter and a compact microstructure.

Corrosion Behavior of Pure Cr, Ni, and Fe Exposed to Molten Salts at High Temperature

Corrosion resistance of pure Fe, Cr, and Ni materials exposed in NaVO3molten salt at 700°C was evaluated in static air during 100 hours. The corrosion resistance was determined using potentiodynamic polarization, open circuit potential, and lineal polarization resistance. The conventional weight loss method (WLM) was also used during 100 hours. The electrochemical results showed that Fe and Cr have a poor corrosion resistance, whereas pure Ni showed the best corrosion performance, which was supported by the passive layer of NiO formed on the metallic surface and the formation of Ni3V2O8during the corrosion processes, which is a refractory compound with a higher melting point than that of NaVO3, which reduces the corrosivity of the molten salt. Also, the behavior of these materials was associated with the way in which their corresponding oxides were dissolved together with their type of corrosion attack. Through this study, it was confirmed that when materials suffer corrosion by a localized processes such as pitting, the WLM is not reliable, since a certain amount of corrosion products can be kept inside the pits. The corroded samples were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy.