Unusual thixotropic behavior of a Colombian heavy crude oil. Part I: Rheology and implications on pipeline transport

Thixotropic fluids represent an operational challenge for transportation techniques. A Colombian heavy crude oil that exhibits non-Newtonian behavior is studied and thixotropy is observed. A wide range of novel rheological experiments are used to evaluate this unusual characteristic. This behavior can affect flow assurance, given the drastic changes in kinematic viscosity modifying the required pumping strategies. By implementing different techniques such as loop hysteresis and shear peek hold experiments, thixotropy is assessed. Results show that thixotropy is less dominant at higher temperatures (~80?) highly dependent on testing times and shear rate. Additionally, it is shown that some traditional tests are not suitable for thixotropy analysis due to interference with viscous heating and that resting periods and stress growth vary depending on the temperature. Finally, it is shown that the amount of asphaltenes in solution significantly affect the degree of thixotropy of crude oil.

• Autores: Rueda Mantilla, Juan Felipe
• Fecha de publicación: 2019
• Institución: Universidad de los Andes
• Repositorio: Séneca: repositorio Uniandes
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.uniandes.edu.co:1992/44027
• Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/1992/44027
• Palabra clave: Tixotropía - Investigaciones; Fluídos no newtonianos - Investigaciones; Reología - Investigaciones; Ingeniería
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/