The Institute of Petroleum Chemistry SB RAS was established in 1970 for comprehensive studies into chemistry of West Siberia oils.A corresponding-member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Michael F.Shostakovsky was the organizer and the first director of the Institute in 1970-1973. Later the Institute was headed by Professor Yury G. Kryazhev (1973-1978), Dr. Anatoly N. Plyusnin (1978-1981) and by a corresponding-member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Gennady F. Bolshakov (1981-1989).
Since 1989 the Institute is headed by Professor Ekaterina E. Sirotkina.
The scientific trends of the Institute are the following:
Fundamental investigations in oil composition and properties;physico-chemistry of oil systems and surface phenomena; creation of information systems on oil chemistry and geochemistry.
A system for complex studies of oils. Logical structure of integrated GIS data base has been created (nearly 40 Mb) including geological, chemical, physico-chemical information on oils as well as technological and ecological information on the territories of oil fields in the Tomsk region, software to reveal zones of ecological hazard and software for cartographic data mapping.
Original methods for separation, fractionation and testing hydrocarbons, heteroatomic and high-molecular oil components and metalloporphyrins, bitumens and rock organic substances etc. New data on the composition and properties of West Siberia oils and those recovered from other regions of Russia and CIS have been obtained.
Advanced technologies for enhanced oil recovery, trasportation and refining.
Scientific foundations have been developed for advanced ecologically acceptable technologies intended to enhance oil recovery by physico-chemical methods. A set of unique instruments and methods has been developed to study physico-chemical and rheological properties of surface and dimentional phases in the system: oil-rock-suractant solution. A novel promising conception has been developed to use the formation energy or that of injected heat carrier to generate oil-displacing fluid, gels and sols in situ. Five new commercial technologies have been developed to enhance oil recovery of West Siberia oil fields. The technologies passed large-scale field tests and now they are being made commercial in oil fields of West Siberia.
Analytical and technological aspects of environmental control: purification of water, soil and air from oil and oil products, other organic impurities and from heavy metals.
Reusable adsorbents have been developed to collect oil and oil products from water surface. Their production and use have been brought into a commercial level.
Filteradsorbent technology intended to purify sewage from oil products and surfactants.
Devices for scientific researches, i.e. densimeters, microcalorimeters, viscosimeters, cryostats and petroleum quality analysers.
Methods for judicious use of natural caustobioliths, waste of oil refining, coal, peat and other organic raw material processing.
Stabilizers, additives, dyes, ubricants, sensitizers, flotation reagents, surfactants etc.
The Institute has a block of model installation to bring new technologies into a commercial level.
A unique petroleum museum has been created at the Institute containing mone than 3000 petroleum samples and cores. They are also used as the subjects for scientific researches.
Present day equipment, ccreditated laboratories and sertified testing methods.
In 1970 a Department of high-molecular compounds of the Tomsk State University was organized at the Institute for training specialists. The Department is traditionally headed by the director of the Institute.
There is a post-graduate course on petroleum chemistry and a dissertation council at the Institute.
The staff is 259 including 7 Doctors and 56 Candidates of Sciences.
