Reducing the viscosity of missan heavy crude oil using low molecular weight hydrocarbon compounds

There are large amounts of hydrocarbons in heavy oil reservoirs, but because of their low mobility, they are difficult to extract from the ground. Due to the extremely high viscosity of these heavy oils, transportation issues arise even after they have been produced. Several low-cost chemical solvents are being tested to see if they can lower the viscosity of heavy oil. Missan Iraqi heavy crude oil, which has high viscosity but a low API (23.14), is being treated with chemical additives in the current study. The sample of heavy crude oil obtained from Missan oil fields was firstly treated with heat only and compared with Basrah (Rumaila) medium oil. Solvents such as naphtha, kerosene, xylene, and toluene are among the chemical additives being tested in the present study. The viscosity of the heavy crude oil was determined at 15 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C, and 45 °C after the addition of 4%, 8%, or 12% of these chemicals, respectively. Naphtha, followed by toluene, xylene, and kerosene, were the most effective chemicals in reducing oil viscosity. Oil recovery and transportation costs for heavy oil reservoirs can both be reduced with the use of these chemical additives, as was shown in this study results.