Non-Newtonian Flow Characteristics of Heavy Oil in the Bohai Bay Oilfield: Experimental and Simulation Studies

Xiankang Xin, Yiqiang Li, Gaoming Yu, Weiying Wang, Zhongzhi Zhang, Maolin Zhang, Wenli Ke, Debin Kong, Keliu Wu and Zhangxin Chen
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Xiankang Xin: College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Yiqiang Li: College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Gaoming Yu: College of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Weiying Wang: College of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Zhongzhi Zhang: College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Maolin Zhang: College of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Wenli Ke: College of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Debin Kong: College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
Keliu Wu: Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Zhangxin Chen: Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-25

Abstract: In this paper, physical experiments and numerical simulations were applied to systematically investigate the non-Newtonian flow characteristics of heavy oil in porous media. Rheological experiments were carried out to determine the rheology of heavy oil. Threshold pressure gradient (TPG) measurement experiments performed by a new micro-flow method and flow experiments were conducted to study the effect of viscosity, permeability and mobility on the flow characteristics of heavy oil. An in-house developed novel simulator considering the non-Newtonian flow was designed based on the experimental investigations. The results from the physical experiments indicated that heavy oil was a Bingham fluid with non-Newtonian flow characteristics, and its viscosity-temperature relationship conformed to the Arrhenius equation. Its viscosity decreased with an increase in temperature and a decrease in asphaltene content. The TPG measurement experiments was impacted by the flow rate, and its critical flow rate was 0.003 mL/min. The TPG decreased as the viscosity decreased or the permeability increased and had a power-law relationship with mobility. In addition, the critical viscosity had a range of 42–54 mPa?s, above which the TPG existed for a given permeability. The validation of the designed simulator was positive and acceptable when compared to the simulation results run in ECLIPSE V2013.1 and Computer Modelling Group (CMG) V2012 software as well as when compared to the results obtained during physical experiments. The difference between 0.0005 and 0.0750 MPa/m in the TPG showed a decrease of 11.55% in the oil recovery based on the simulation results, which demonstrated the largely adverse impact the TPG had on heavy oil production.

Keywords: flow characteristics; heavy oil; rheology; threshold pressure gradient; numerical simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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