Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Ijpt forum
Viscosity values of crude oils and crude oils containing lations for dead or gas-free crude oil as a function of API
dissolved natural gas are required in various petroleum gravity and temperature, and for live oil viscosity as a
engineering calculations. In evaluation of fluid flow in a function of dissolved gas and dead oil viscosity. A de-
reservoir, the viscosity of the liquid is required at various scription of the data used, which were obtained from Core
values of reservoir pressure and at reservoir temperature. Laboratories, Inc., is given in Table 1.
This information can be obtained from a standard labora- The correlation for dead oil viscosity was developed by
tory PVT analysis that is run at reservoir temperature. plotting IOglo (T) vs loglo log 10 (/LaD + 1) on cartesian
There are cases, however, when the viscosity is needed at coordinates. The plots revealed a series of straight lines of
other temperatures. The most common situation requiring constant slope. It was found that each line represented oils
viscosities at various pressures and temperatures occurs in of a particul~ API gravity. The equati9n developed is
the calculation of two-phase, gas-liquid flowing pressure
traverses. These pressure traverses are required in /LaD = lOx - 1, ~ . . .(1)
tubing-string design, gas-lift design, and pipeline design. where
Calculation of these pressure traverses involves dividing x = Y T-l.l63
the flow string into a number of length increments and Y = 10 z
calculating the pressure gradient at average conditions of
pressure and temperature in the increment. Calculation of
Z = 3.0324 - 0.02023 'Yo.
pressure gradients requires knowledge of oil viscosity. In The correction of the dead oil viscosity for dissolved
many cases, the only information available on the fluid gas was developed by taking advantage of the fact that a
properties are the separator gas gravity and stock-tank oil linear relationship exists between IOglO /LaD and IOglOJ.L for
gravity; therefore, correlations requiring a knowledge of a particular value of dissolved gas, R s . Live oil viscosity
crude oil composition are not applicable. may be calculated from
The most popular methods presently used for predicting
oil viscosity are those of Beall for dead oil and Chewand J.L = A /LaD B, (2)
Connally2 for live or saturated oil. Beal correlated dead oil
viscosity as a function of API gravity and temperature.
TABLE 1 - DESCRIPTION OF DATA USED
Chew and Connally presented a correlation for the effect
of dissolved gas on the oil viscosity. The dead oil viscosity Variable Range
and the amount of dissolved gas at the temperature and Solution GOR, scf/STB 20 to 2,070
pressure of interest must be known.
When these correlations were applied to data collected
Oil gravity, API
Pressure, psig
Temperature, OF
16 to 58
to 5,250
70 to 295
for a study of dissolved gas and formation volume factor, Number of oil systems = 600
considerable errors and scatter were observed. These Number of dead oil observations = 460
data, therefore, were used to develop new empirical corre- Number of live oil observations = 2,073
JPT Forum articles are Ilfnited to 1,500 words including 250 words for each table and figure, or a maximum of two
pages in JPT. A Forum article may present preliminary results or conclusions of an investigation that the author
wishes to publish before completing a full study; it may impart general technical information that does not war-
rant publication as a fulllength paper. All Forum articles are subject to approval by an editorial committee.
Letters to the editor are published under Dialogue, and may cover technical or nontechnical topics. SPEAIME
reserves the right to edit letters for style and content.
SEPTEMBER,1975 1141