Frequency Dependence of Oil Conductivity at High Pressure

Abstract

Electric conductivity of materials is defined by a competition of several mechanisms of charge carrier movement: phoretic, ionic and electron‐hole jumping. The relative contribution of them is not constant when thermodynamic conditions are changing. Paraffine and naphtene hydrocarbons are typical dielectrics. Formation of supermolecular structures is accompanied by ordering of asphaltene‐resin and polyaromatic molecules. Solvate shells contain the molecules with less molecular masses. The disperse particle from the centre to periphery is characterized by reduction of conductivity from the values peculiar to “good” semiconductors in a nucleus, “average” in intermediate phase to typical for dielectrics in the disperse media. Threshold of the mobility of charge carriers is determined by temperature, pressure, strength of the external field, width of the forbidden zone, and nature of components of the disperse media and phase. Spectra of conductivity of model asphaltene solutions and Kumkolskaya oil in frequency range from 10−3 up to 106 Hz are measured for pressures up to 1 GPa in temperature interval from 250 to 320 K. Particularly at the analysis of spectra of conductivity the technique offered by Sheu and Mullins is used. Dependences were approximated by power‐law functions according to the concept of Jonscher's “the universal response.” Influence of pressure and temperature to the exponents is analyzed. Values of activation energy are determined. Received data can be useful for prognosis of oil phase behavior at high pressures.