Electrorheological behaviors of waxy crude oil gel

The paraffin molecules in crude oil crystalize and precipitate out as the oil cools, resulting in a sharp increase in oil viscosity and further the gelation of the oil. The waxy crude oil gel exhibits complex rheological behaviors, such as viscoelasticity, yield stress, and thixotropy, posing challenges to the flow assurance of pipelines. Previous studies have verified that applying a high-voltage electric field to a flowing liquid oil can significantly reduce its viscosity. In this work, the electrorheological behaviors of waxy crude oil gel are explored by a stress-controlled rheometer equipped with in situ DC electric field manipulation. It is reported for the first time that the gel structure can be significantly weakened upon the application of an electric field for a duration of not less than 10 s, with the yield stress, storage modulus, loss modulus, and apparent viscosity reduced by up to 90%. In addition, the gel structure fracture is observed to transit from brittle-like to ductile-like. A stronger structure weakening effect can be obtained at a higher field strength and lower temperature. The structure weakening effect induced by the electric field can be maintained for a certain period of time after the removal of the electric field, with a recovery of yield stress and moduli less than 10% in 48 h. We hold the view that the electrorheological behaviors of waxy oil should be attributed to the weakened attraction between wax particles induced by the electric field.