Effects of crude oil family composition and carbon number distribution on its low temperature flow characteristics

Due to the difference in family composition and carbon number distribution, different kinds of crude oil can be quite different in low temperature flow characteristics. Taking the Crude Oil Aershan-Saihautara as a studying object, the oil family components and carbon number distribution of each crude oil sample are measured. By using grey correlation model and taking crude pour point and viscosity as assessment criteria, the influence degree of each single factor in crude oil family composition and carbon number distribution on crude pour point and viscosity are analyzed systematically and the contribution of each factor to the low temperature flow characteristics of crude oil is worked out. The results show that in the crude oil components, wax content is the factor which influences low temperature flow characteristics most, while colloid and asphaltene contents have lower impact. In addition, the impact of oil content on low temperature flow characteristics cannot be ignored. In the carbon number distribution of crude oil, quality of oil with carbon number under C₁₆ has the highest impact on the low temperature flow characteristics of crude oil, while the impact of amorphous wax with the carbon number of C₁₆-C₂₅ and C₃₁-C₃₃ is higher than that of microcrystalline wax with the carbon number of C₂₆-C₃₀ and C₃₄-C₅₃.