Relations between asphaltene content, viscosity reduction rate of heavy oil and ultrasonic parameters

Ultrasonic treatment could decrease the viscosity of heavy oil and previous study on had focused on one heavy oil sample and involved less on the influence of asphaltene content. This study examined the effect of asphaltene content on viscosity reduction rate by ultrasonication. A comparison on samples with various asphaltene content and vibration parameter was made. The results showed that the optimal vibration frequency might decrease as the asphaltene content increased, whereas the optimal vibration intensity and the optimal treatment time were suggested to be enlarged. A semi-quantitative correlation was matched, which helped for numerical simulation about ultrasonic treatment.