Determining the effect of a viscosity reducer on water – Heavy crude oil emulsions

Abstract

Viscosity of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils generates several problems in their extraction and transport and this property is due to the formation of water-in-oil emulsions. In this work, the effect of a viscosity bio-reducer on viscosity, in addition to the dispersion and size distribution of water droplets in emulsified samples of heavy crude from northern Mexico, was studied by analyzing the behavior of the fluids through fractal geometry in two dimensions. The results showed a constant distribution profile and a stable dispersion within the fluid for different emulsions. Even at low temperatures, a substantial reduction in the crude viscosity was observed.