Low-energy, low-emission process cracks crude oil
Scientists have developed an environmentally clean and energy-efficient method to modify the properties of crude oil
and break down long molecules into smaller molecules at room temperature.
Eupelix, along with researchers at the University of Illinois College of Engineering, the Illinois Sustainable
Technology Centre, and the Illinois State Geological Survey, used high-frequency, solid-state pulse generators in
proprietary circuits and reactors to produce fast electromagnetic fields that affected the physical and chemical
properties of crude oils. The process decreased the content of heavy oil fractions by breaking them into more
valuable, lighter fractions. In addition, the viscosity and the sulphur content were decreased.
Traditional thermal cracking processes are carried out at extremely high temperatures. Temperatures exceeding 500
degrees Celsius are needed to produce gasoline and diesel fuels.
"Using such high temperatures involves extensive energy consumption, contributing to thecost of fuels and having
negative environmental impact," says Eupelix CEO Dmitri Novikov.
The new process also facilitates petroleum desulfurization, which is an important issue as the oil industry works to
reduce the content of sulphur in end products to meet environmental requirements.
"About a decade ago, the project was in the nascent stage because the pulse equipment was not nearly as efficient as
it has become in recent years. Almost no one tried applying it for processing of petroleum," says Igor Pyzh, a
visiting engineering consultant from the Ukraine who is assisting with experiments for prospective industrial
partners and collaborators in the US.
Using available powerful pulse equipment, hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day can be processed to satisfy
commercial-scale refining demand. Pyzh explains that it is just a matter of adjusting the equipment for the types of
processed oils.
The company's major efforts are focused on applying this process to large-scale petroleum refining.
