Critical quantities on the yielding process of waxy crude oils

Abstract

The yielding behavior of waxy crude oils below the gelation temperature is a fundamental aspect for the production in oil basins located in deep water. Under this state, the material exhibits a diversity of complex non-Newtonian features turning the determination of its rheology a challenging task. We performed different tests monitoring the critical stress and strain where a major rupture occurs. We could infer from these experiments a minimum critical stress value that can be associated to the static yield stress of the material. In addition, the material exhibited a remarkably constant critical strain value, turning this last parameter into a more representative fingerprint of the material.