Density and Viscosity of Athabasca Bitumen Samples at Temperatures Up to 200°C and Pressures Up to 10 MPa

Abstract

Summary This paper presents the measurements of bitumen thermophysical properties (density and viscosity) over a wide range of temperatures (ambient to 200°C) and pressures (atmospheric to 14 MPa). The measurements have been conducted on three Athabasca bitumen samples taken from different locations. A new method was proposed to correlate the density data as a function of temperature and pressure, with a maximum absolute deviation of 1.7 kg/m3. The viscosity data were also correlated with two correlations available in literature considering the effect of pressure and temperature on viscosity of bitumen, with an average absolute relative deviation of 9.2%. The measured data and correlations are applicable for the prediction and optimization of oil recovery in the solvent- and thermal-based bitumen-recovery processes such as expanding- solvent steam assisted gravity drainage (ES-SAGD) and heated vapor extraction (VAPEX).