Abstract
The present study discussed the rheological changes of Tahe crude oil which were treated with ultrasonic waves and nickel oleate. The properties of crude oil such as freezing point, thixotropy, viscosity, flow pattern and viscosity-temperature dependence were tested and analyzed. In addition, SARA fractions, FTIR analysis and XRD patterns were applied to give detailed information on asphaltene structure. The results revealed that crude oil had high content of asphaltene and behaved as pseudoplastic fluid at low temperature. Ultrasonic waves can break the chain of asphaltene molecules which resulted in that asphaltene content decreased by 19.22% and light components content increased. In terms of macroscopic rheology, it can be seen that freezing point and viscosity reduced, thixotropy weakened, and rheological properties improved. After the addition of nickel oleate, the asphaltene content was further reduced by 31.67% through hydrogenation reaction. Meanwhile, the intermolecular interaction was reduced to inhibit the formation of gelled structure. As a result, the rheological properties of oil samples can be further improved.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
