Experimental and theoretical investigation of the Zaoyuan field heavy oil flow through porous media

Abstract

The behavior of the heavy oil in the Zaoyuan field of China is characterized by experimental and theoretical studies of its rheology and viscoelasticity, and flow properties in porous media. The Zaoyuan heavy oil requires a certain start-up pressure gradient prior to flow initiation and essentially obeys the Herschel-Bulkley rheological model. The conventional rheological experiments reveal that the Zaoyuan heavy oil has a weak thixotropy. The static viscoelastic experiments indicate that the viscoelasticity of the Zaoyuan heavy oil weakens with increasing temperature. The dynamic viscoelastic experiments demonstrate that this heavy oil has a nonlinear viscoelastic property, increasing nonlinearly with increasing shear rate. These observations are justified in accordance with the equation motion of the heavy oil for steady one-dimensional radial flow through porous media, yielding information about the heavy oil pressure profile and flow rate.