Effect of combining different factors on the rheological property of crude oil

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a high-pressure rheometer (MARS 60) was used to conduct rheological experiments on crude oil under varying parameters, including temperature, static pressure, and methane (CH₄) dissolution. Combining the Williams–Landel–Ferry equation (WLF equation), Barus equation, and Kishimoto – Fujita model (F-K model), a new model of combined shift factor was used to quantify the effects of different oil parameters on crude-oil viscosity. The results show that higher temperature, lower static pressure, and lower CH₄ dissolution reduce crude-oil viscosity. Static pressure and CH₄ dissolution have a more significant effect on viscosity in lower-temperature conditions when compared to higher-temperature conditions. Due to the combined effect of the saturation pressure, there is an optimal condition of CH₄ dissolution for reducing the viscosity. The shift factor of CH₄ concentration is defined as the ratio of the viscosity of crude oil under saturation pressure of CH₄ and static pressure, and the results agree with the F-K model. A new model of the combined shift factor was developed with average deviations of the predicted shift factors for Shengli crude oil and Nanyang crude oil being 3.35% and 2.16%, respectively. Finally, the predicted and tested values are basically in agreement.

KEYWORDS:

• Crude-oil
• viscosity
• temperature
• static pressure, CH₄ dissolution
• shift factor

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Natural Science Found of Hebei Province (E2020203013) for the support of this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Natural Science Found of Hebei Province [E2020203013].

Notes on contributors

Bingfan Li

Bingfan Li is currently a lecturer in the School of Vehicles and Energy at Yanshan University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Oil and Gas Storage and Transportation Engineering from China University of Petroleum (East China), in 2021. Bingfan li's research interest is oil and gas pipeline transportation technology research. He has been actively publishing more than eighty papers in the high quality international journals (e.g., Journal of CO2 Utilization, Physics of Fluids, Chemosphere, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, Petroleum Science, etc.)