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Heavy Crude Oil: Heavy
crude oil or extra heavy crude oil is oil that is highly viscous, and cannot
easily flow to production wells under normal reservoir conditions. It is
referred to as "heavy" because its density or specific gravity is
higher than that of light crude oil. Heavy crude oil has been defined as any
liquid petroleum with an API gravity less than 20°. Physical properties that
differ between heavy crude oils and lighter grades include higher viscosity
and specific gravity, as well as heavier molecular composition. In 2010, the
World Energy Council defined extra heavy oil as crude oil having a gravity of
less than 10° and a reservoir viscosity of no more than 10 000 centipoises.
When reservoir viscosity measurements are not available, extra-heavy oil is
considered by the WEC to have a lower limit of 4° API. (i.e. with density
greater than 1000 kg/m3 or, equivalently, a specific gravity
greater than 1 and a reservoir viscosity of no more than 10,000 centipoises.
Production,
transportation, and refining of heavy crude oil present special challenges
compared to light crude oil. Generally, a diluent is added at regular
distances in a pipeline carrying heavy crude to facilitate its flow. |
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