Research on the affection of rheology of waxy crude by thermal treatment action

Heat treatment technology is a main method to improve the low temperature flow properties of waxy crude oil. Taking BH waxy crude oil for example, the essay illustrates the researches onto the effect of temperature, cooling rate, shearing rate etc on the rheology of waxy crude oils via a range of heat treatment experiments, gives a theoretical analysis of the experimen tal data, and verifies the correctness of the experimental conclusions combined with field application. The analysis shows that temperature is the main factor affecting the heat treatment effect. Heat treatment at medium temperature(50 ℃~60 ℃)will produce a deterioration effect on the pour point of waxy crude oil. Heat treatment at high temperature(70 ℃~95 ℃)can significantly reduce the pour point of waxy crude oil. The cooling rate plays a crucial role in the heat treatment effect of waxy crude oil. When the cooling rate is low(0.5~1.0 ℃/min), the heat treatment effect is better, if the cooling rate is too high(1.2~ 1.5 ℃/min), the heat treatment effect becomes poor. The shearing rate also has a certain influence on the heat treatment effect. Usually a relatively low shearing rate generates better heat treatment effect of waxy crude oil, but with the shearing rate increasing, it worsens. Furthermore, the stability of oil on the heat treatment effect after the heat treatment can not be ignored.