Crude Oils

Optimizing drilling fluids

Drilling fluid design and selection starts with defining what is required of the fluid. The rheological properties of the fluid will influence cleaning, transportation of cuttings, hydraulic power, bit cooling as well as borehole wall support and friction. Numerous additives are used in order to optimize the drilling fluid for specific purposes. The drilling fluid must be viscous enough to lift the cuttings to the surface, but at the same time its viscosity must not be too high in order to keep friction pressure losses at a minimum. Besides laboratory solutions, Anton Paar also provides online viscosity process sensors providing real-time data.

Controlling mud systems

Mud systems (WBM, OBM, SOBM) are used to cool and lubricate drilling tools. One of the major challenges with mud systems is the build-up of very fine micron solids (less than 5 microns) known as LGS (low gravity solids). The generation of LGS in the mud creates slower penetration rates, high pump pressures, increased solid surface areas, plastic viscosity, and increased yield point and gel strengths. All these factors can cause the driller to get stuck. To avoid this, Anton Paar offers particle size analyzers that detect LGS in drilling muds.

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR)

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods can be implemented to mobilize the oil and displace it towards production wells, for example by reducing interfacial tension and capillary contrasts, and/or by increasing the viscosity of the displacing fluid. Fracturing fluids, a mixture of a carrier fluid and a proppant, are blended in specific proportions targeted to the dynamics of each individual well. Real-time viscosity measurements with Anton Paar online viscometers allow oilfield service companies to mix their carrier fluid on-site, thereby reducing fluid availability risks or problems and costs associated with excess fluid disposal.

The rheological characterization of fracturing fluids is directly connected to the efficiency of the oil recovery process: Anton Paar rheometers measure the highly elastic fracturing fluids under controlled temperature and pressure, thereby perfectly simulating working conditions.

Improving oil transportation and monitoring during loading and unloading

Transportation of crude oils is influenced by the high molecular weight of paraffins and asphaltenes that tend to crystallize at lower temperatures. Testing paraffin inhibitors with Anton Paar rheometers helps to minimize or prevent wax crystallization to ensure trouble-free transportation in pipelines. With a microscope that is connected to the rheometer you can even gather optical insights into the microstructure at various temperatures.

During oil transportation Anton Paar’s highly precise density sensors are able to detect differences in oil products within the shortest time. This ensures that every error is detected in real-time during transportation to storage tanks before any extensive contamination can happen.

Crude oil’s flow behavior is important for extraction and transport in pipelines even under varying temperature conditions. With Anton Paar’s inline viscometers viscosity determination during the transport process is possible in real-time.

Characterizing crude oil for classification and quality control

Both a crude oil’s viscosity and its API (American Petroleum Institute) degree are important classification parameters. Anton Paar density meters and viscometers automatically convert the measured data to density, API gravity, or specific gravity.

In crude and residual oils the concentrations of silicon, aluminum, vanadium, nickel, iron, and sodium are used to define their quality and value. Anton Paar’s microwave-based sample preparation instruments digest crude oils in the quality needed for modern measuring techniques such as ICP-OES or ICP-MS to determine even low limits of the available trace elements.

Anton Paar also offers instruments for fractional distillation, for determination of volatility and flammability of petroleum products and refractive index, as well as for determination of a chemical fingerprint of substances by Raman spectroscopy.