Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Egyptian Journal of Petroleum

journal homepage: www.sciencedirect.com

Flow modeling of high-viscosity fluids in pipeline infrastructure of oil

and gas enterprises q
Ilia Beloglazov, Valentin Morenov ⇑, Ekaterina Leusheva
Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Today, the issues related to solving the problem of finding an effective distribution of oil flows through
Received 6 October 2020 the system of oil pipelines in order to reduce the total energy consumption are relevant. The solution to
Revised 19 September 2021 this problem is connected with selection of rational pumping modes for various technological sections of
Accepted 8 November 2021
oil pipelines using modern methods of mathematical programming or new techniques for improving the
Available online 19 November 2021
energy and transport characteristics of oil.
Reducing energy consumption during pumping of crude through oil trunk pipelines can be achieved by
Keywords:
various methods. Numerous investigations in this direction are mainly carried out to save energy on sep-
High-viscosity oil
Heavy oil
arate single-line pipelines. However, due to the development of the network of trunk oil pipelines in the
Rheology world over the past decades, the issues of energy efficient management of oil flows throughout the entire
Oil field pipeline oil pipeline system of oil and gas enterprises become urgent.
Flow model This paper analyses parameters for pipeline transport of high-viscosity and heavy oils. The article pro-
ANSYS poses a method for assessing the rheological properties of oil for further planning of pumping taking into
account the preservation of oil quality and an increase in energy and transport characteristics. The pro-
posed solutions and tasks for predicting changes in the viscosity-temperature characteristics of the flow
for blends of different oil types are especially relevant in the current conditions of an increase in the share
of oil production with complex rheological characteristics. Results of the presented investigations may be
used for planning the measures of efficient transportation of high-viscosity and heavy oils.
Ó 2021 Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open
access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction these properties of HVO when assessing their possible hazardous

Improving the technological conditions for the transportation of
high-viscosity oils and operational efficiency require the creation
of highly efficient methods for pumping rheologically complex sys-
tems based on energy-saving technology. Automation for the pro-
cesses of collecting and processing information from the transport
of oil systems is also closely related to the problem of reducing
hydraulic resistance and, accordingly, energy consumption [1].
Nowadays, depletion of conventional hydrocarbon reserves
causes the necessity to develop hard-to-recover oil deposits, such
as heavy and high-viscosity oil (HVO) [2]. The reserves of these
types of oils are more than two times the reserves of traditional
oil [3]. As a rule, HVO are characterized by high viscosity and den-
sity, increased content of various metals such as vanadium, nickel,
gold, zinc, copper, etc [4–6]. It is necessary to take into account
Peer review under responsibility of Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute.
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: beloglazov@spmi.ru (I. Beloglazov), morenov@spmi.ru (V.
Morenov), Leusheva_EL@pers.spmi.ru (E. Leusheva).
influence on the environment [7]. Among the parameters describ-
ing the rheological properties of oil, in practice, parameters charac-
terizing its structural properties are most often used [8,9].
Whereas production costs for heavy oil extraction are usually
higher than those for conventional oil, introduction of enhanced
oil recovery techniques (e.g. SAGD, THAI, etc.) leads to increased
recovery rates and, consequently, to decreasing costs [10].
These methods are needed to provide for flowability and sus-
tainable production of heavy oil. Thus, various treatment tech-
niques, aimed at effecting rheological properties of high-viscosity
or heavy oil, are necessary for efficient production. Physical and
chemical treatment considers several methods to ensure efficient
recovery of HVO and heavy oil [11]. Thermal effect is quite a com-
mon way to provide for stable hydrocarbon production, especially
when considering complicated climate conditions with low tem-
peratures of ambient air, such as the Arctic region [12]. Many oil
fields there are characterized by hard-to-recover reserves, such
as heavy oil and high-viscosity oil. Another way for sustainable
recovery is the application of pour point depressants and exposing

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpe.2021.11.001
1110-0621/Ó 2021 Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva
Nomenclature
ef frictional stress, Pa;
ep structural internal strength stress, Pa;
en dispersed flow viscosity stress, Pa;
d1 coefficient of frictional stress;
d2 coefficient characterizing the internal strength of a
structured flow;
s shear stress, Pa;
c shear-strain rate (shear rate), s
1;
l dynamic viscosity, Pa∙s;
lap apparent (dynamic) viscosity, Pa∙s;
sy yield stress at shear rate, equal 0;
K consistency index;
heavy hydrocarbons to high-voltage electric fields, which can be
considered more environment-friendly than thermal methods [13].
Issues of heavy oil flow simulation are especially important.
Whereas the main concern is extraction, production and trans-
portation, modeling techniques ensure successful development.
Each stage of oil production has its own peculiarities concerning
flow simulation, thus it is necessary to consider specific technolog-
ical process individually. The lifting of well fluid from the borehole
bottom to the wellhead presents quite a challenge for flow simula-
tion. Possible changes in the mode of well operation, such as stops
and start-ups of the pumps, lead to changes in rheological charac-
teristics of the fluid and, consequently, flow regimes that pose a
danger for stable and efficient production [14]. The specifics of
non-Newtonian fluids flow simulation in annular medium, such
as in the oil well, are needed to calculate possible changes in the
pressure loss during transient processes, which should be noted
during well operations or application of enhanced oil recovery
techniques [15].
Although the problem of investigating the properties of non-
Newtonian fluids and their behavior during the flow in the well-
bore was considered in some works, the proper calculation of the
rheological characteristics of heavy oils and HVO and their corre-
sponding flow simulation models during lifting in the well is still
a challenge. Many rheological models can be applied for predicting
the flow charactersitics of high-viscosity and heavy oils. Models of
Bingham-Shvedov, Ostwald–de Waele, Herschel–Bulkley,
Schulman-Casson have been used most often. Correct selection of
the model for calculation influences the accuracy of the results,
thus influencing the efficiency of HVO production [16–18].
The Yarega field is located in the Komi Republic of the Russian
Federation (Timan-Pechora province), where there are deposits of
high-viscosity oils. Heavy oil (density 964.4 kg/m3 at 20
C) of
naphthenic-aromatic base produced at the Yarega field follows
the northern supply route through the Barents Sea, which implies
an alternative supply to both European and American markets. The
Varandey sea terminal was put into operation on the coast of the
Pechora Sea in the Arctic, specially designed for the transportation
of oil from the Timan-Pechora province. The emergence of new
transportation opportunities involves mixing with paraffinic oil
from the Varandey field with Yarega. The oils of these fields are
distinguished by high viscosity, with a high content of sulfur com-
pounds and a low content of light hydrocarbons. Most of the oils
from Arctic deposits can be characterized by anomalous properties
- high pour point and high viscosity. At the same time, the ten-
dency of changes in the characteristics of the extracted oil remains,
with each year the pour point and viscosity only increase (Fig. 1).
This worsens the transport performance of the pumped oils, which
leads to an increase in both economic and labor costs during the
44
Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51
n Power Law index;
k normalizing time constant;
q liquid density, kg/m3;
m velocity vector;
p pressure, Pa;
r Del (nabla) operator;
S strain rate tensor;
Pabs absolute pressure after  meters from the pipeline inlet,
Pa;
Pin absolute pressure at the pipeline inlet, Pa.
construction and operation of equipment required for pumping
such oils [19,20].
Increase in production of rheologically complex oils makes the
issues of modeling and predicting changes in the rheological flow
curve of non-Newtonian oils when they are mixed relevant at pre-
sent [21].
Thus, the aim of this paper is to assess the physical, specifically,
the rheological properties of HVO, as well as their mixtures, and
their influence on flow parameters during pumping through the
oil field pipeline. It should be noted that the oils under considera-
tion are non-Newtonian anomalously viscous liquids, interaction
of which can cause a deterioration in the flow characteristics of
the blend obtained from them. In this regard, the question arises
of finding optimal solutions for influencing the oil flow in order
to improve the physical, chemical, structural and mechanical prop-
erties of the heavy hydrocarbons. The results of the conducted
research can be used for the subsequent selection of the most
effective solution to improve the transport characteristics of the
oils. For example, one of the promising solutions is treatment by
ultrasound [22].
2. Methods and materials
This work studied the change in physical and structural-
mechanical properties (Table 1) for four blends of Yarega and Var-
andey oils with a concentration of heavy Yarega oil in a blend of 10,
15, 25 and 50% at 20 °C, respectively.
A rotary viscometer Rheotest RN4.1 (Fig. 2) was used to conduct
experiments in the study of the rheological characteristics of the
oil from the Yaregskoye field.
Investigations of shear stresses depending on the shear rate in
the HVO flow were carried out in accordance with ISO
3104:2020(en) Petroleum products — Transparent and opaque liq-
uids — Determination of kinematic viscosity and calculation of
dynamic viscosity [23].
The results of the study for rheological characteristics were pro-
cessed using specialized software. To obtain results close to oper-
ating conditions, the shear rate corresponded to a fluid velocity
of 0.2 m/s to 1.5 m/s. Mentioned fluid velocities are created when
transporting a fluid with a flow rate of 2000 to 9200 m3/day
through a pipeline with a nominal diameter of 426 mm.
Based on the results of laboratory investigations, rheological
curves were plotted at temperatures 10, 15, 20 and 30 °C.
2.1. Analytical dependencies
The main method for the mathematical description of the rheo-
logical flow curves for non-Newtonian oils is to replace the true
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51

Fig. 1. Properties of oil blends pumped through the Timan-Pechora trunk pipeline in different periods of operation.

the pumped oil on the velocity can be determined from the Ber-
Table 1 noulli and Leibenson equations [24,25]
Physical and structural-mechanical properties for 4 blends of Yarega and Varandey
oils.
In most cases, HOS obey the law of a pseudoplastic fluid [26]. To
describe the HOS motion, a theoretical rheological model is pro-
Blend Oil ratio in a blend Kinematic viscosity, Pour point,
C posed, according to which
(Yarega/Varandey) mm2/s
Blend 1 10/90 7.874 +7 e ¼ em þ ep þ en ð1Þ
Blend 2 15/85 11.921 +9
Blend 3 25/75 18.345 +11 where eT, - frictional stress, ep - structural internal strength stress,
Blend 4 50/50 29.486 + 15 en - dispersed flow viscosity stress.
Due to the thixotropy of the system, it can be assumed that eT
and ep tend to zero with an increase in the velocity gradient and,
therefore, will be described by an exponential dependence on the
shear rate. When certain values of the velocity gradients are
reached, HOS will move similarly to Newtonian fluid, and its inter-
nal stresses will be characterized only by viscous friction.
Frictional stress can be determined from the equation

em ¼ d1 e
sc_ ð2Þ

where d1 - coefficient of frictional stress; s- shear stress, Pa; c_ -

shear-strain rate (shear rate), s
1.
If we consider a short time interval Ds, then it can be assumed
that the relative decrease in the internal stress will be proportional
to the shear gradient, whereas

ep ¼ d2 e
Dsc_ ð3Þ

where d2 – coefficient characterizing the internal strength of a

structured flow.
For liquids similar to Newtonian ones, dependence of the shear
stress on the velocity gradient [22] has the form

en ¼ lc_ ð4Þ

where l – dynamic viscosity, Pa∙s. Substituting expressions (2) - (4)

into equation (1), we obtain

e ¼ d1 e
sc_
d2 e
Dsc_ þ lc_ ð5Þ

Equation (5) reflects the dynamics of internal structural transforma-

Fig. 2. General view of the viscometer Rheotest RN 4.1.
rheological dependence with some empirical formula, close to the
experimental flow curve and simple enough for mathematical
processing.
The most important property of oil that affects the energy con-
sumption of oil pumping is its viscosity, which characterizes the
resistance to the flow of liquid layers relative to each other. Its
direct influence on energy consumption during pumping is
described by hydraulic equations. The effect of the viscosity of
45
tions in HVO and makes it possible to determine the shear stresses
depending on the velocity gradients.
Use of machine learning methods for processing rheological
curves allowed adapting the algorithm for determining the coeffi-
cients of the proposed control 5 for various experimental curves.
2.2. Methods of numerical modeling
It is necessary to create a model that would be adequate to the
experimental data, which will further allow investigating ways to
reduce pressure losses during oil production, e.g. by changing the
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva
velocity and mode of oil pumping or changing the diameter of the
pipeline.
There are many models implemented in various software for
defining non-Newtonian behavior of a fluid. The working medium
investigated can be both a viscous Newtonian fluid and a non-
Newtonian viscoplastic fluid, behavior of which is described by
one of the three most common rheological models [27–29]. The
effective viscosity can take different forms depending on the rheol-
ogy of the working medium. One of the frequently used mathemat-
ical model for the flow of non-Newtonian oils is the Ostwald-de
Waele model for describing the flow of pseudoplastic oil [30]:
s ¼ sy þ K c_ n ð7Þ
where: sy – yield stress at shear rate, equal 0, K – consistency index
(is a measure of the average viscosity of the fluid) (proportional to
the viscosity of the liquid); n – Power Law index (is a measure of the
deviation of the fluid from Newtonian). For n = 1, the liquid is
Newtonian.
In the ANSYS software, the Ostwald-de Waele equation has the
following form:
l ¼ lap ¼ Kðkc_ Þn
1 ð8Þ
where:lap – apparent (dynamic) viscosity, Pa∙s, k – normalizing
time constant. Here a non-Newtonian is a fluid for which the shear
stress is not linearly proportional to the shear-strain rate (shear
rate). For such fluids, the apparent viscosity is the ratio of the shear
stress to shear rate for a given shear rate.
To represent the experimental dependence, the Ostwald-de
Waele equation was chosen, and using the generalized reduced
gradient (GRG) method, coefficients considering the minimum
mismatch were obtained from experiments for the dynamic viscos-
ity l (Fig. 3):
l ¼ 11; 348c_ 0;362
1 ð9Þ
Fig. 3. Approximation of the experimental viscosity curve.
46
Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51
Thus, setting equation (9) as the law of viscosity change in the
model, the shear rate should increase with the distance, changing
from the center of the pipe to its boundary.
As can be seen in the Fig. 3, the selection of coefficients by the
GRG method for the Oswald-de-Waele model based on experimen-
tal data showed the error of this approach (R2 = 0.8831). The poly-
nomial function approach (6) showed better convergence. An
equation of this kind can be used as a custom expression when set-
ting up a model in ANSYS.
2.3. Mathematical and numerical modeling
The mathematical model of a non-Newtonian fluid flow pro-
cesses is a set of Navier – Stokes equations in the stress tensor
component form, the continuity equation, the rheological equation
of the medium and the boundary conditions set in a cylindrical
coordinate system [31,32]. The equation of state for a non-
Newtonian fluid is applicable to multiphase high-viscosity media,
which, as mentioned above, is set in the form of an Ostwald-de
Waele power law (9).
The computational area is a section of an oil field pipeline,
designed to transport hydrocarbons from the wellhead to the treat-
ment plant at the oil field. Often, these are pipelines with a diam-
eter of up to 426 mm with an excess pressure of the medium up to
10 MPa. Under these conditions, the velocity of the HVO will be up
to one meter per second.
To determine the hydrodynamic characteristics of the HVO
influenced by the hydraulic resistance along the length of the pipe-
line, and to compare the results for different HVO flowing under
different conditions, a numerical model was created. Its creation
includes several stages.
At the first stage, the modeling area is built, which includes the
construction of solid geometry, and the creation of a mesh in
ANSYS. The considered scheme of fluid flow in the pipeline is
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva
Fig. 4. Mesh of an axisymmetric section of the pipeline.
shown in Fig. 4. An axisymmetric section of the pipeline with an
inner diameter of 400 mm was built in the CAD software.
The flow domain of the annulus is discretized using the hexahe-
dral elements where the mesh is refined near walls to capture a
high gradient of output results in these regions, which leads to
obtaining accurate results as outlined in Fig. 4.
The flow domain of the present study is bounded by an inlet, an
outlet, an inner cylinder wall, and an outer cylinder. An inlet veloc-
ity and pressure outlet boundary conditions are assigned to the
inlet and outlet, respectively. No-slip conditions are assumed at
the inner and outer walls where the outer wall is considered as a
stationary wall. Input data for the computational model is shown
in Table 2.
Mesh quality was assessed based on the skewness parameter.
For 70% of elements, this indicator is less than 0.1.The maximum
value of the skewness is 0.43.
In turbulent flow, in most cases, the values of shear rates are
achieved that completely destroy the structure of the oil (for sim-
ulated oil
6 s
1) and the viscosity becomes constant [33]. There-
fore, when studying non-Newtonian behavior of oil, the main
interest is the laminar flow regime, in which low shear rates exist
and the oil actively manifests its anomalous properties.
From a practical point of view, modeling the flow of oil in a lam-
inar regime is justified by the fact that during oil production, a tur-
bulent flow regime is first achieved in the pipeline or submersible
pump, and during lifting and transportation, heavy oil has time to
structure and a flow core is formed; particles in which move with
almost the same velocity in a laminar mode.
Below we consider a fully developed stationary flow of an
incompressible fluid in a laminar regime through a channel of con-
stant cross section. The rheology of the working medium is
described by a generalized Newtonian model, in which the med-
ium is considered as a non-linear viscous fluid with introduction
of the effective viscosity of the fluid, which generally depends on
the rate of the medium’s deformation. In this formulation, the lam-
inar flow regime is described by Navier-Stokes equations:
r  ðq!
vÞ¼0
Table 2
Input data for the computational model.
Geometry characteristics
Inner cylinder dimeter, m 0.4
Length, m 3.0
Fluid properties
Fluid density, kg/m3 945
Flow regime laminar
Initial velocity, m/s 0.3–1.5
Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51
!
dv !!
q þ r  ðq v v Þ ¼
rp þ rs ð11Þ
dt
!
where q – liquid density kg/m3, v – velocity vector, p – pressure,
Pa, r – Del (nabla) operator. For the generalized Newtonian model,
the viscous stress tensor s is determined as follows:
s ¼ 2l S ð12Þ
where S – strain rate tensor. The components of the strain rate ten-
sor S have the form:


1 @ui @uj
Sij ¼ þ ð13Þ
2 @xj @xi
The intensity of the strain rates for the medium is the second
invariant of the strain rate tensor
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
c ¼ 2SS ¼ 2Sij Sij ð14Þ
In (14) Sij corresponds to gradients of mean velocity and mean
shear rate, which together contribute to the shear rate tensor.
3. Results
Investigations of the rheological properties of oils have shown
that asphaltenes and paraffins in a dispersed state cause non-
Newtonian behavior with decreasing temperature. Rheological
curves show a characteristic increase in shear stress with increas-
ing flow velocity, which indicates an increase in pressure losses on
the hydraulic resistance of the flow during oil transportation
through the pipeline system. With an increase in the flow velocity
of the fluid, at the initial stage there is a significant increase in vis-
cosity with its further stabilization at all flow velocities.
Fig. 5 shows the experimental dependencies of the shear stress
s in the HVO flow on the shear rate c at different temperatures.
Heavy oils are highly plastic non-linear viscous non-Newtonian
fluids, the rheological properties of which are described by the
well-known Shvedov-Bingham equation [6]. However, in the area
of low shear stresses, the dependence has a non-linear form, which
is not taken into account in the mentioned model. This region,
which is difficult for modeling, is replaced by extrapolation of
the straight-line part of the graph to zero shear rate, or other val-
ues of the parameters included in the Shvedov-Bingham model are
calculated.
ð10Þ
Fig. 5. Experimental dependencies of the shear stress s in the HVO flow on the
shear rate c at different temperatures T.
47
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva
As an example, let us present the analytical (6) dependence of
the shear stress on the shear rate for low values of the shear rate,
obtained for the experimental characteristics of the HVO flow at a
temperature of 20 °C (see Fig. 5).
Fig. 6 shows a comparison of the analytical dependence for the
shear stress of heavy oil based on the results of laboratory mea-
surements on a Rheotest RN 4.1 rotational viscometer according
to the proposed model (5) and to the Bingham-Shvedov model.
As can be seen in the figure, the first limit corresponding to the
stress, at which the flow begins has anomalous properties. Most
typical rheological models do not allow account for the non-
linearity of non-Newtonian oils. It can be seen in the figure that
the Shvedov-Bingham model is linear in this area.
Fig. 7 shows the velocity profile for different initial fluid flow
velocities in laminar mode. Viscous resistance is stronger at the
interface of fluid-pipe than at the interlayer boundaries. Before
the flow reaches turbulent mode (if that happens) core layer moves
with higher velocity than the boundary layers with increasing
pressure drop.
Oil velocity values are plotted in Fig. 7. The obtained velocity
profiles are shown in Fig. 8. The presented profiles differ from
the parabolic profiles of the Newtonian fluid [34]. In particular,
Fig. 8 shows the velocity profiles for initial flow velocities of 1.5
and 1 m/s. These velocity profiles describe a mixed flow; however,
calculations show that even at high pressure gradients, a region of
non-Newtonian flow remains near the center of the flow. In other
words, during the flow of a non-Newtonian fluid with increasing
velocity, the region of the non-Newtonian flow narrows, being
localized to the center of the flow. It was also found that the exper-
imental rheological data are in good agreement with the models
(6) and (9), under the given boundary conditions, when the initial
fluid velocity is about 0.3–0.4 m/s.
Before evaluating the effect of oil viscosity on other parameters,
one needs to make sure that obtained results are adequate by tak-
ing the viscosity curve from the model and comparing it with the
curve obtained by substituting various values of the shear rate c
into equation (12), which, in turn, represents an approximation
to experimental data.
At first glance, it can be assumed that the viscosity decreases
towards the center of the pipeline, where the velocity (Fig. 8) is
higher, but in the case under consideration, the viscosity (Fig. 9)
is a function of one variable – the shear rate; and with an increase
in the shear rate c, the viscosity m decreases, and the shear rate in
Fig. 6. Experimental and analytical rheological dependencies of shear stress on
shear rate.
48
Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51
the flow core is practically absent despite the highest velocity
(Fig. 9).
Another important characteristic that needs to be measured is
the pressure distribution. Pressure drop per meter of pipeline is
calculated as the difference between the absolute pressure at the
initial and end points.
Provided that the initial pressure is 1 MPa, which corresponds
to an initial flow velocity of 0.4 m/s, the pressure along the length
of the pipeline will gradually decrease in accordance with the
equation Pabs = X + Pin, where Pabs is the absolute pressure in  me-
ters from the pipeline inlet, Pa, and Pin is the absolute pressure at
the pipeline inlet, Pa. Given the initial conditions for the flow of
a non-Newtonian fluid, when the pressure drops by 1 atm, the flow
will move by about 275 m.
Discrepancies between the experimental data and the values of
viscosity obtained in the course of the modeling are less noticeable,
however, these discrepancies are associated, first of all, with the
error of the approximation itself. Ostwald-de Waale model is not
optimal for describing the experimental data under consideration
at low shear rates. However, it can be concluded that the calculated
values of the viscosity in the course of the numerical simulation
with a limited degree of error follows the equation (6), which
was set to determine the viscosity.
The results obtained during the modeling process without dis-
crepancies with the theoretical base correctly reflect the real
dependence of the viscosity on the shear rate gradient and clearly
demonstrate the distribution of other parameters. To improve the
model, the best solution would be to neglect the approximation
of the experimental data and to introduce it into the model in
the form of one of the proposed dependencies. The refined model
should be used in the form of an arbitrary function (6). This will
bring the calculated values as close as possible to the experimental
ones.
4. Discussion
Modeling the process in developed turbulent regimes is of no
interest, since structural bonds are destroyed and the viscous effect
of the pumped oil on the hydraulic characteristics of the pipeline
decreases. Properties of fluids in a turbulent regime of movement
lose their non-Newtonian properties. Thus, it is necessary to ensure
the redistribution of flows for different types of oils and their
blends - the most viscous components must be pumped in devel-
oped turbulent modes. It is also especially important to take into
account the exponential increase in viscosity with a decrease in
the operating temperature of oil pipelines. When pumping non-
Newtonian oils into the pipeline system, to calculate the effective
viscosity, it is also necessary to take into account the nature of
the change in the rheological flow curve when mixing different
types of oils with simultaneous change in operating temperatures.
Thus, rheological equation of motion for heavy oil is theoreti-
cally substantiated, reflecting the dynamics of the internal struc-
tural transformations. Comparison of the calculated and
experimental data confirms the validity of the proposed approach
to modeling the rheological properties of the heavy oils’ flow.
Based on the analysis of the obtained data, several characteristic
stages of changes in the structural properties of oil can be distin-
guished. At low shear rates (Fig. 5), a structured layer of a certain
strength is observed. As can be seen in the figure, the dependence
has a non-linear form, which is not taken into account in the exist-
ing equations for describing a non-Newtonian fluid (the Bingham –
Shvedov equation). This difficult-to-model area is replaced by
extrapolation of the straight-line part of the graph to zero shear
rate, or other parameter values from the standard model are used
[35].
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51

Fig. 7. Contours of the oil velocity distribution in the oilfield pipeline for an initial fluid flow velocity of 0.4 m/s.

With an increase in the shear rate, the friction forces gradually

Fig. 8. Velocity profiles for different initial fluid flow velocities. R - pipe radius (m),
r - radial location within the pipe (m).
increase and the strength of the structured layer decreases, fol-
lowed by its dispersion. At certain shear gradients, HOS transforms
into a liquid–solid medium, which is a suspension of solid particles
of paraffin and asphaltenes in light hydrocarbons, characterized by
the Newtonian nature of motion.
Fig. 10 shows how the oil viscosity decreases with increasing
shear rate gradient, reaching a low value at a rate of about 6 s
1.
At large values of the shear rate gradient, the studied oil can be
considered a Newtonian fluid with a viscosity of 2.5 Pas [1]. This
behavior of oil is explained by its structural features. Asphaltene
micelles, stabilized by solvation layers consisting of aromatic,
naphthenic hydrocarbons and resins, form a flexible lattice under
the action of the Van der Waals force. This lattice is destroyed
when structured oil layers move relative to each other. As a result,
oil viscosity drops until the lattice is completely destroyed. To
restore the bonds, oil should be at a rest. This can be achieved
not only by stopping production, but also by moving it in a laminar
mode, when adjacent oil layers have co-directional velocity vectors
that do not differ much in magnitude. For these considerations, oil
transportation is carried out in a turbulent mode [36,37].

Fig. 9. Contours of the oil viscosity distribution in the oilfield pipeline.

49
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva
Fig. 10. Contours of shear rate between oil layers.
If considering drilling fluids in well circulation; as the velocity
profile becomes flatter (Fig. 7), the fluid velocity will be higher over
a larger area of the annulus, which significantly improves the qual-
ity of wellbore cleaning. This is one of the reasons for non-
Newtonian fluids with low Power Law index to provide such a
high-quality wellbore cleaning.
The proposed modified rheological model has advantages in
taking into account nonlinear components; it accurately describes
the rheological properties of high-viscosity oils and can be used for
drilling fluids at low shear rates, primarily because it predicts the
existence of the yield stress characteristic of such fluids.
5. Conclusion
Article made an attempt to solve the problem of modeling
changes in the viscosity of a multicomponent blend, since a large
number of oils with different viscosities enter the system of oil
pipelines, mixing in different sections of the pipeline network. This
is important for the issue of flows redistribution for different types
of oils and their blends. At the same time, as mentioned before, the
viscosity does not have linear additivity, which complicates the
choice of multicomponent mixing models. Therefore, further work
may be related to the development of a machine learning algo-
rithm that allows finding coefficients from experimental rheologi-
cal curves for the proposed dependence.
General trend of reducing resources at deposits of low-viscosity
Newtonian oils causes an accelerated involvement of the produc-
tion of high-viscosity non-Newtonian oils, for which there were
no technologies for their cost-effective production and transporta-
tion earlier. With an increase in the share of production for highly
solidifying oils with non-Newtonian properties, it is necessary to
accurately determine their rheological characteristics that affect
their transportation through pipelines.
Practical study of the oil viscosity shows that its structure,
which determines its non-Newtonian behavior, is present until
the shear rate gradient reaches a certain value at which the struc-
ture will be destructed. The viscosity after the destruction of the
structure becomes constant and lowest for a given oil, under con-
stant other conditions (S, T, P, V). The obtained model reflects the
50
Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51
same principles, and most importantly, calculation of all values
depending on viscosity is performed not with its averaged value,
but acting at a given point.
The data presented show that a laminar mode of oil flow has a
high viscosity and, consequently, there are large pressure losses as
the shear rate gradient, sufficient for complete destruction of the
structure is achieved only in the near-wall region, and the core
of the flow, where the bulk of the oil is transferred.
In a turbulent mode within the flow, active mixing will be
observed, which entails the destruction of the structure and a
decrease in pressure losses. The problem of transporting viscous
oils is that over time, the turbulence of the flow decreases and a
structured zone with a laminar flow regime and high viscosity
forms in the center. Based on the created model, it is possible to
check the effectiveness of various measures aimed at reducing
pressure losses during oil production associated with its non-
Newtonian behavior.
Funding
The research was performed at the expense of the subsidy for
the state assignment in the field of scientific activity for 2021
№FSRW-2020–0014.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Ilia Beloglazov: Conceptualization, Investigation, Software, Val-
idation, Writing – original draft. Valentin Morenov: Conceptual-
ization, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Writing
– review & editing. Ekaterina Leusheva: Formal analysis, Project
administration, Visualization.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
References
[1] V.S. Litvinenko, A.V. Kozlov, V.A. Stepanov, Hydrocarbon potential of the Ural–
African transcontinental oil and gas belt, Journal of Petroleum Exploration and
Production Technology (7) (2017), https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-016-0248-
4.
[2] M.K. Rogachev, T. Nguyen, Van, A.N. Aleksandrov, Technology for preventing
the wax deposit formation in gas-lift wells at offshore oil and gas fields in
Vietnam, Energies 14 (16) (2021), https://doi.org/10.3390/en14165016, Article
number 5016.
[3] T. Nguyen, Van, M.K. Rogachev, A.N. Aleksandrov, A new approach to
improving efficiency of gas-lift wells in the conditions of the formation of
organic wax deposits in the Dragon field, J. Pet. Explor. Prod. Technol. 10 (8)
(2020) 3663–36721, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-020-00976-4.
[4] T. Aleksandrova, A. Aleksandrov, N. Nikolaeva, An Investigation of the
Possibility of Extraction of Metals from Heavy Oil, in: Mineral Processing and
Extractive Metallurgy Review, Taylor and Francis Inc., 2017, pp. 92–95, https://
doi.org/10.1080/08827508.2016.1262860.
[5] B. Issa, V.Y. Bazhin, T.A. Aleksandrova, V.G. Povarov, Assessment of possibility
of obtaining alloying components in the process of desalting of heavy
hydrocarbon raw materials. Part 1, CIS Iron Steel Rev. 19 (2020) 8–12.
[6] M.R. Yakubov et al., ‘Resources and opportunities of vanadium and nickel
concentration in field conditions during heavy oil partial upgrading processes
before transportation’, Neftyanoe Khozyaystvo - Oil Industry, Neftyanoe
Khozyaistvo 12 (2015) 132–135.
[7] A. V.A., P. M.A., A. A.V., Metallisation and environmental management of
mining site soils, J. Geochem. Explor. 174 (2017) 121–127.
[8] R.N. Magomedov, A.Z. Popova, T.A. Maryutina, K.M. Kadiev, S.N. Khadzhiev,
Current status and prospects of demetallization of heavy petroleum feedstock
(Review), Pet. Chem.Maik Nauka-Interperiodica Publishing 55 (6) (2015) 423–
443, https://doi.org/10.1134/S0965544115060092.
[9] M.N. Nikitin, P. D. G. A. V. P. (2012) ‘Rheological properties of heavy high-
viscosity oil from Yaregskoye oil field’, Zap. Gorn. Inst., 195, pp. 73–77;
I. Beloglazov, V. Morenov and E. Leusheva
[10] A. Ilinova, A. Chanysheva, Algorithm for assessing the prospects of offshore oil
and gas projects in the Arctic, Energy Rep. 6 (2020) 504–509, https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.egyr.2019.11.110.
[11] V.S. Litvinenko, M.V. Dvoynikov, V.L. Trushko, Elaboration of a conceptual
solution for the development of the Arctic shelf from seasonally flooded
coastal areas. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology,
International Journal of Mining Science and Technology (2021), https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.ijmst.2021.09.010, In press.
[12] X. Du, J. Liu, C. Liu, Study on Dynamic Simulation for Produced Oil-gas-water
Mixtures Treatment Process in Offshore Heavy Oil Thermal Recovery, in:
Proceedings of the International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference,
2018, pp. 48–51.
[13] Y. Xie, J. Zhang, C. Ma, C. Chen, Q. Huang, Z. Li, Y. Ding, H. Li, S. Han, Combined
treatment of electrical and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) to improve
the cold flowability of waxy crude oils, Fuel 267 (2020), Article No. 117161.
[14] J. Conde, M. Banks, Producing heavy oil - The subsea brownfield challenge /
Society of Petroleum Engineers, Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition
and Conference, 2018.
[15] R. Ershadnia, M.A. Amooie, R. Shams, S. Hajirezaie, Y. Liu, S. Jamshidi, M.R.
Soltanian, Non-Newtonian fluid flow dynamics in rotating annular media:
Physics-based and data-driven modeling, J. Petroleum Sci. Eng. 185 (2020),
Article No. 106641.
[16] K. Kim, H. Choi, Direct numerical simulation of a turbulent core-annular flow
with water-lubricated high viscosity oil in a vertical pipe, J. Fluid Mech. 849
(25) (August 2018) 419–447.
[17] T. Hemphill, A. Pileharvi, W. Campos, Yield power law model more accurately
predicts drilling fluid rheology, Oil Gas J. 91 (1993) 34.
[18] R. Winiowski, K. Skrzypaszek, T. Maachowski, Selection of a Suitable
Rheological Model for Drilling Fluid Using Applied Numerical Methods,
Energies 13 (2020) 3192, https://doi.org/10.3390/en13123192.
[19] S.B. Baba Hamed, M. Belhadri, Rheological properties of biopolymers drilling
fluids, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 67 (3-4) (2009) 84–90, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
petrol.2009.04.001.
[20] A.A. Boytsova, N.K. Kondrasheva, J. Ancheyta, Pyrolysis Kinetics of Heavy Oil
Asphaltenes under Steam Atmosphere at Different Pressures, Energy Fuels 32
(2) (2018), https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b02716.
[21] N.K. Kondrasheva, F. Baitalov, A. Boitsova, Comparative assessment of
structural-mechanical properties of heavy oils of Timano-Pechorskaya
Province, J. Mining Inst. Saint-Petersburg Mining Univ. 225 (2017) 320–329,
https://doi.org/10.18454/pmi.2017.3.320.
[22] D. Stratiev et al., Investigation of relations between properties of vacuum
residual oils from different origin, and of their deasphalted and asphaltene
fractions, Fuel 170 (2016) 115–129, https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.fuel.2015.12.038.
[23] M.V. Kozachok, E.I. Krapivskiy, V.O. Nekuchaev, Influence by physical flap on
rheological characteristic transported heavy of the oils p. cp-156-00196, in:
4th International Conference and Exhibition: New Discoveries through
Integration of Geosciences, Saint Petersburg 2010, European Association of
51
Egyptian Journal of Petroleum 30 (2021) 43–51
Geoscientists and Engineers, EAGE, 2010, https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-
4609.20145605.
[24] ISO 3104:2020(en) Petroleum products — Transparent and opaque liquids —
Determination of kinematic viscosity and calculation of dynamic viscosity.
https://www.iso.org/standard/67965.html. Access date: 31.08.2021.
[25] I.N. Evdokimov, N.Y. Eliseev, D.Y. Eliseev, Rheological evidence of structural
phase transitions in asphaltene-containing petroleum fluids, J. Petrol. Sci. Eng.
30 (3–4) (2001) 199–211, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0920-4105(01)00132-2.
[26] I.N. Evdokimov, A.P. Losev, Microwave treatment of crude oil emulsions:
Effects of water content, J. Petrol. Sci. Eng. 115 (2014) 24–30, https://doi.org/
10.1016/J.PETROL.2014.02.006.
[27] C. Nouar, I.A. Frigaard, Non-linear stability of Poiseuille flow of a Bingham
fluid: theoretical results and comparison with phenomenological criteria, J.
Nonnewton. Fluid Mech. 100 (1-3) (2001) 127–149.
[28] A.A. Draad, G.D.C. Kuiken, F.T.M. Nieuwstadt, Laminar-turbulent transition in
pipe flow for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, J. Fluid Mech. 377 (1998)
267–312.
[29] S.R. Islamov, A.V. Bondarenko, D.V. Mardashov, Substantiation of a well killing
technology for fractured carbonate reservoirs, in: Vladimir Litvinenko (Ed.),
Youth Tech. Sess. Proceedings- Proc. 6th Youth Forum World Pet. Counc. Futur.
Leaders Forum, 2019, CRC Press, London, 2019, pp. 256–264, https://doi.org/
10.1201/9780429327070-35.
[30] M.P. Escudier, I.W. Gouldson, A.S. Pereira, F.T. Pinho, R.J. Poole, On the
reproducibility of the rheology of shear-thinning liquids, J. Non- Newtonian
Fluid Mech. 97 (2-3) (2001) 99–124.
[31] Chhabra R.P., Richardson J.F. Non-Newtonian flow and applied rheology. 2nd
edn.Butterworth-Heineman Escudier M.P. Flow of shear-thinning fluids in a
concentric annulus / M.P. Escudier, I.W. Gouldson, D.M. Jones // Experiments in
Fluids. – 1995. – Vol. 18. – P. 225–238.n, Oxford. 2008.
[32] H.A. Barnes, J.F. Hutton, K. Walters, An introduction to Rheology, Elsevier,
1989.
[33] R.R. Tashbulatov, R.M. Karimov, A.R. Valeev, B.N. Mastobaev, (2020) ‘Modeling
rheological properties of thixotropic oils at direct measurements on a rotary
viscometer for evaluating the start-up modes of the trunk oil pipeline’,
Neftyanoe Khozyaystvo - Oil Industry, Neftyanoe Khozyaistvo 4 (2020) 80–84,
https://doi.org/10.24887/0028-244810.24887/0028-2448-2020-410.24887/
0028-2448-2020-4-80-84.
[34] M.M. Cross, Rheology of non-Newtonian fluids- A new flow equation for
pseudoplastic systems, J. Colloid Sci. 20 (5) (1965) 417–437.
[35] B.J. Daly, F.H. Harlow, Transport equations in turbulence, Phys. Fluids 13
(1970) 2634–2649.
[36] T. Radmir et al., Modeling rheological properties in blending of anomalously
viscous oils, J. Eng. Appl. Sci. Medwell J. 13 (Special issue 5) (2018) 4728–4732,
https://doi.org/10.3923/jeasci.2018.4728.4732.
[37] J. Ancheyta, in: Modeling of Processes and Reactors for Upgrading of Heavy
Petroleum, Modeling of Processes and Reactors for Upgrading of Heavy
Petroleum, CRC, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1201/b13879.