science

Orimulsion

Orimulsion is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Orimulsion rather than just read about it. In short: Orimulsion is a registered trademark name for a bitumen-based fuel that was developed for industrial use by Intevep, the Research and Development Affiliate of Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), following earlier collaboration on oil emulsions with BP. Source of the bitumen Like coal and oil, bitumen occurs naturally and is obtained from the world's largest deposit in the Orinoco Belt in Venezuela.

Key takeaways

Orimulsion belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Orimulsion to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Orimulsion from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Orimulsion is a registered trademark name for a bitumen-based fuel that was developed for industrial use by Intevep, the Research and Development Affiliate of Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), following earlier collaboration on oil emulsions with BP.

Source of the bitumen Like coal and oil, bitumen occurs naturally and is obtained from the world's largest deposit in the Orinoco Belt in Venezuela. The deposit is estimated to be more than 1,300 billion barrels (190 billion m3) of bitumen, an amount approximately equivalent to the world's estimated proven oil reserves.

Preparation Raw bitumen has an extremely high viscosity and specific gravity between 8 and 10 API gravity at ambient temperatures, making it unsuitable for direct use in conventional power stations. Orimulsion is produced by mixing the bitumen with approximately 30% fresh water and a small amount of an alcohol-based surfactant. Earlier versions used a phenol-based surfactant, which suffered from human health concerns while also delivering less efficient transport properties of the fuel.

Advantages As a fuel for electricity generation, Orimulsion has a number of attractive characteristics:

the known reserves of bitumen are very large; it is currently priced to be competitive with internationally traded coal; it is relatively easy and safe to produce, transport, handle and store; it is easy to ignite and has good combustion characteristics; it can be used in power stations designed to run on coal or heavy fuel oil, with suitable modification.

Disadvantages While Orimulsion is little different to fuel oil in relation to environmental impacts when burnt, being similarly susceptible to pollution mitigation techniques, it is more problematic in spill situations. If a spill occurs during shipping over water, the Orimulsion mixture de-emulsifies, causing the bitumen to separate and no longer remain in suspension. Orimulsion is classified as a non-Newtonian fluid, and if its temperature drops below 30 °C, it undergoes a process referred to as 'setting'. Once set, it becomes extremely difficult to pump, and restarting operations or restoring the flow through the pipeline becomes impossible.

Decreasing usage Orimulsion is currently used as a commercial boiler fuel in power plants worldwide, including countries such as Japan, Italy and China. Its usage was previously more widespread, and there was an increasing demand for it. However, following the Venezuelan general strike of 2002–03, many engineers from PDVSA were dismissed. Since Orimulsion had been highly regarded by these engineers, it lost favor among key political leaders. Consequently, the Venezuelan government has been attempting to gradually phase out the Orimulsion program, except for its sales to China. The Venezuelan government maintains close ties with China, similar to its relationship with Cuba. As a result, China continues to receive supplies of Orimulsion, while the rest of the world either had their supply terminated or is still in the process of winding down. Despite these developments, Orimulsion still holds great potential for domestic consumption. Another reason given by current PDVSA management is that with rising crude oil prices, it has been found that mixing or diluting Orinoco bitumen (extra-heavy oil) with a lighter crude oil can make this blend more profitable as a crude oil on the world market than by selling it as Orimulsion. An example of this is the popular Merey blend (Orinoco bitumen and Mesa crude oil). ConocoPhillips along with PDVSA operate the Merey Sweeny 58,000-barrel-per-day (9,200 m3/d) (bpd) delayed coker, vacuum tower and related facilities at ConocoPhillips' refinery in Sweeny, Texas, U.S.A. for processing and upgrading heavy sour Merey crude oil. Air pollutant control technology that is commonly available can limit emissions from Orimulsion to levels considered "Best Available Control Technology", as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

References

Further reading "Orimulsion issue a closed chapter, says N.B. premier". CBC.ca. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2015. "News Pdvsa unit lands biggest Asian supply contract for Orimulsion". Oil & Gas Journal. 12 February 1996. Retrieved 14 April 2015. Oil and Gas Journal: Emulsion fuel options still viable for heavy oil "Utility may be forced to explain Orimulsion boondoggle". CBC.ca. 16 February 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2015. "Venezuela ceases orimulsion production". El Universal. 26 September 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2015.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Orimulsion

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Orimulsion claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Orimulsion before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Orimulsion ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Orimulsion

In research: Orimulsion appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Orimulsion in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Orimulsion is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics PDVSA, Petroleum products, Venezuelan brands, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Orimulsion outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Orimulsion in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Orimulsion means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Orimulsion out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Orimulsion in simple terms?

Why does Orimulsion matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Orimulsion?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Orimulsion.