Estudio experimental sobre la eficiencia de un tratamiento de ultrasonido en un sistema de flujo continuo para la reducción de viscosidad de crudo pesado
The transportation of heavy crude oils through pipelines is very hard due to their high viscosity and low mobility. Nowadays, high intensity ultrasound is being explored as a new potential alternative to reduce the viscosity of heavy crude oils and facilitate the transport by pipeline. This work s...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universidad Industrial de Santander
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Revista Ion |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://revistas.uis.edu.co/index.php/revistaion/article/view/3766/4145 |
| Summary: | The transportation of heavy crude oils through pipelines is very hard due to their high viscosity and low mobility.
Nowadays, high intensity ultrasound is being explored as a new potential alternative to reduce the viscosity of
heavy crude oils and facilitate the transport by pipeline. This work studies the effects of ultrasonic energy on the
viscosity of heavy crude oil. This is done through a systematic experimental study in a pilot scale continuous
flow system, in which the influence of process variables such as treatment temperature (308 y 319K), exposure
time (5.66 y 16.98s), and sonic intensity (170-250 y 400-680kW/m
2
) is analyzed. The study revealed that the
treatment temperature in the proven range has not a significant effect in the efficiency of ultrasonic vibrations
to reduce the heavy crude viscosity. On the other hand, it was found that the increase of exposure time favors
the viscosity reduction. It also observed that sonic intensity in the established levels has an effect favorable or
unfavorable depending of the exposure time magnitude. This investigation represents an important advance in
the industrial application of ultrasound technology, since it is the first study that shows essential information about
the effectiveness of a continuous ultrasonic treatment process to reduce the viscosity of heavy crude oil. |
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| ISSN: | 0120-100X 2145-8480 |