Rheological modeling and drag reduction studies of Indian heavy crude oil in presence of novel surfactant

Viscosity and rheology modeling of heavy crude oil were studied at different shear rate and temperature with and without naturally extracted surfactant Mahua. Drag reduction analysis was done in 2”-ID, 2.5 m horizontal pipeline at different temperatures and flow rates. Viscosity was reduced by 60.4% after addition of 1000 ppm Mahua at 50°C. Modeling analysis showed that crude oil-surfactant samples followed Power law model with high regression coefficients. Maximum drag reduction of 94.8% occurred after adding 2000 ppm Mahua to 85% heavy oil+15% water at 40°C and at a flow rate of 50 LPM.