Viscosity Reduction and Flow Ability Enhancement of Heavy Crude Oil Using Nano Biomaterial Additive and Microwave Irradiation

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 College of Applied Sciences, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq.

2 College of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq.

3 College of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

As conventional oil and gas supplies are becoming depleted, the need to reduce the viscosity of heavy crude oil has become increasingly significant. This work aims to clarify the mechanism of viscosity reduction in heavy crude oil using a new method: microwave irradiation assisted by okra powder nanomaterial. For this purpose, two setups are designed. The first setup was designed to measure the effect of prepared okra powder (1030.6 nm) on heavy crude oil, with the aim of determining optimal conditions for flowability enhancement. The second setup was designed to show the effect of electromagnetic heating on viscosity reduction. To investigate the microstructure, effective functional groups, and particle size distribution of the prepared powder, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), a Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were used. For the first setup, the results showed that the optimum conditions were achieved at 100 ppm addition, with a viscosity of 19.21 cP. Whilst for the second setup, at a power of 800 Watts and 4 min treatment time, the viscosity reduced to 17.52 cP, while with the use of both nano biomaterial and electromagnetic heating, the reduction achieved was 15.02 cP, which shows the high effectiveness of the electromagnetic heating mechanism on preserving low viscosity and improving flow characteristics even at moderate temperatures. This indicates a viscosity reduction of around 28.68%.

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References

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Journal of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Volume 60, Issue 1
June 2026
Pages 3-21

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History

  • Receive Date: 18 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 03 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 07 October 2025

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