hey guys,
we know that oil has high viscousity and viscous fluid is not good for fluid flow velocity in pipe ..
i have read a book that to reduce viscous fluid, we can increase the temperature, but oil is sensitive with temperature and it can be burnt..
i want to ask you all, how to reduce viscous of fluid safely?

Diluent

Hydraulic fluids normally operate at 150-180F. Some to 210F. Without burning, severe oxidizing.

Ted

Some crude oils have a hig wax content. Chemicals can be added to change the shape of the wax crystal as it forms from a three dimensional snow flake to a platelet. These chemicals are known as pour point suppressants.

They were initially developed to prevent diesel and other fuels from "freezing" during winter months. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=e0G0wkXWKCMC&a...

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
---B.B. King
http://waterhammer.hopout.com.au/

On the Venezuela Extra Heavy Oil Pipeline we designed for a combination of parameters. We could heat to 90°C and also planned to use one of two diluents. The Zuata Oil Field's crude is unconventional, in that it flows at reservoir conditons, but with an API 8.5°, it is heavier than water and once at surface pressures and temperatures, will not flow. Slightly different than Canadian heavy, which does not flow in the ground, or on the surface either. The preferred diluent was a lighter produced oil known as Mesa crude, API 30°. We also investigated using naptha. The Mesa crude was mixed with Zuata at a ratio of 38 BBL to Zuata's 62 BBLS, resulting in a API 16° product known as Merey blend.

We built two 131 mile pipelines, one to bring the diluent from the coast to the oil field, and the other line to transport the mix from the field back to the coast. Later on a delayed coking upgrader refinery was constructed at the port of Jose. At the time (2001) it processed 120,000 BOPD of blend into 100,000 BOPD of "syncrude". Cost of the project was $2.2 billion.

Mixing with hot water was contemplated earlier, but the mix was not very marketable, basically having to compete against the price of coal, as it was primarily targeted as a non-refined, direct replacement fuel for coal-fired electrical plants.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it's not safe ... make it that way.

@1gibson and @biginch, what is definiition about diluent?

PofE, it would help if you were to supply some information about your requirements. What is the fluid? What are your operating conditions and what is its physical properties at those conditions? What properties would you like to have? What are your constraints (you mention temperature 'burning' the fluid), etc.

Any liquid that can be used to "dilute" another, often used to diminish one or several selected properties of the fluid being "diluted", such as taste, color, or viscosity, etc.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it's not safe ... make it that way.