Experimental study on improving flowability of high viscous and gelled crude oil with electromagnetic method

By using the differences in permittivity and permeability between suspended wax crystal particles and continuousphase in waxy crude oil, by precise control of the strength and frequency of external electric or magnetic field appliedto the crude oil, the viscosity of crude oil can be effectively reduced, reaching the goal in improving crude flowabilitywithout heating, or additives adding. By using lab electromagnetic experimental device developed by Temple University, experimental researches have been carried out on two kinds of viscous and gelled crude oil from Daqing and ChangqingOilfields, the results show that with very low power consumption, the device can effectively reduce oil viscosity, especiallyat low temperature condition, providing a good attempt to the exploration of microstructure of oil and improving oilflowability with electromagnetic method.