Chapters authored
Flow of Heavy Oils at Low Temperatures: Potential Challenges and Solutions
Global demand for non-conventional heavy and extra-heavy oil has been marginal until the end of twentieth century because of their composition complexity and high viscosity that cause many operational difficulties in the production with decline of their economic viability. However, growing energy demands in the beginning of the twenty-first century motivate many countries to handle such non-conventional resources. Heavy extra-heavy crudes usually have higher pour points due to high content of high molecular weight components, such as waxes, asphaltenes, and resins. The structural changes for these components cause abrupt rise in oil viscosity and simultaneous deposition of wax and asphaltene on the inner walls of pipelines. This can cause clogging of pipes accompanying oil flowability reduction with extra burden on the pumping system and consequently increases its power requirement and cost. This chapter presents technological challenges in transportation, describing the different mitigation strategies that have been developed to improve the low-temperature flow properties of heavy crude oils (heating, dilution, oil-in-water emulsion, and upgrading and core annular flow).
Part of the book: Processing of Heavy Crude Oils