Rheological behavior of water-in-oil emulsions of heavy and extra-heavy live oils: experimental evaluation.

  • Wilson A. Cañas Marín Ecopetrol S.A.
  • Libia Sofía Sandoval Rodríguez Universidad Industrial de Santander.
  • Ramiro Martínez Rey Universidad Industrial de Santander.
Keywords: Live emulsions, Rheology of emulsions, Heavy live oil, Capillary viscometer, Petroleum reservoir

Abstract

Stable emulsions were prepared with heavy and extra-heavy live oils by using a set-up recently built at Ecopetrol S.A. - Instituto Colombiano del Petróleo (ICP). This equipment permits to prepare water-in-oil emulsions at reservoir conditions without any change on the overall hydrocarbon composition.

The live emulsions were prepared with water contents up to 26% in volume. Then, a capillary viscometer was used to study the rheological behavior of these emulsions at different shear rates and pressures up to 24.2 MPa.  The experimental results permit to conclude that the prepared and evaluated emulsions have a Newtonian behavior for the conditions of water contents, shear rates, pressures and temperature (60°C) here studied.  For these emulsions, a logarithmic behavior of the viscosity with respect to pressure and water content was also observed.

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How to Cite
Cañas Marín, W. A., Sandoval Rodríguez, L. S., & Martínez Rey, R. (2014). Rheological behavior of water-in-oil emulsions of heavy and extra-heavy live oils: experimental evaluation. CT&F - Ciencia, Tecnología Y Futuro, 5(4), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.29047/01225383.37

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Published
2014-06-15
Section
Scientific and Technological Research Articles

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