In this work, the effects of ultrasonic irradiation assisted by α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) on the evolution of viscosity and thermal properties of crude oil are evaluated. A viscous crude oil with a high amount of asphaltene (∼20% by mass) was used for ultrasonication over different exposure times and nanoparticle concentrations. The viscosity of the oil before and after ultrasonic irradiation was measured with and without nanoparticles. Experimental results indicated that the viscosity of irradiated oil containing nanoparticles at optimum conditions was lower than the viscosity of nanoparticle-free irradiated oil. The thermal behavior of the irradiated crude oil mixed with nanoparticles at optimum conditions was examined using the TGA/DTA methods. The results showed a non-complementary effect of ultrasonic irradiation and nanoparticles on the weight loss and the amount of residual oil at both the end of the pyrolysis and oxidation stages, representing that addition of the α-Fe₂O₃ NPs to the crude oil and the ultrasonication of the crude oil work in the opposite direction. Based on the TG/DTA data, the kinetic parameters of the pyrolysis and oxidation reactions were estimated. It was found that the simultaneous use of ultrasonic irradiation and nanoparticles sharply decreased the activation energy of the oxidation reactions, but had almost no effect on the activation energy of the pyrolysis reactions. The results of this paper provide an insight into the effectiveness of in-situ combustion enhanced oil recovery, which depends on viscosity reduction and the rate at which heat is generated.

在这项工作中，α-Fe ₂ O ₃辅助超声照射的效果评估了纳米颗粒（NPs）对原油粘度和热性质演变的影响。使用含有大量沥青质（约 20% 质量）的粘性原油在不同的暴露时间和纳米颗粒浓度下进行超声处理。在有和没有纳米颗粒的情况下测量超声波辐照前后油的粘度。实验结果表明，在最佳条件下，含有纳米颗粒的辐照油的粘度低于不含纳米颗粒的辐照油的粘度。使用 TGA/DTA 方法检查了在最佳条件下与纳米颗粒混合的辐照原油的热行为。原油中的₂ O ₃ NPs 和原油的超声作用方向相反。基于 TG/DTA 数据，估计了热解和氧化反应的动力学参数。发现同时使用超声波辐照和纳米颗粒会急剧降低氧化反应的活化能，但对热解反应的活化能几乎没有影响。本文的结果提供了对原地燃烧提高采收率的有效性的深入了解，这取决于粘度降低和热量产生的速率。