Measurement of the Rheology of Crude Oil in Equilibrium with CO(2) at Reservoir Conditions

A rheometer system to measure the rheology of crude oil in equilibrium with carbon dioxide (CO(2)) at high temperatures and pressures is described. The system comprises a high-pressure rheometer which is connected to a circulation loop. The rheometer has a rotational flow-through measurement cell with two alternative geometries: coaxial cylinder and double gap. The circulation loop contains a mixer, to bring the crude oil sample into equilibrium with CO(2), and a gear pump that transports the mixture from the mixer to the rheometer and recycles it back to the mixer. The CO(2) and crude oil are brought to equilibrium by stirring and circulation and the rheology of the saturated mixture is measured by the rheometer. The system is used to measure the rheological properties of Zuata crude oil (and its toluene dilution) in equilibrium with CO(2) at elevated pressures up to 220 bar and a temperature of 50 °C. The results show that CO(2) addition changes the oil rheology significantly, initially reducing the viscosity as the CO(2) pressure is increased and then increasing the viscosity above a threshold pressure. The non-Newtonian response of the crude is also seen to change with the addition of CO(2).