Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been granted a patent for a new technology, EZ Flow™, that addresses one of the primary logistical challenges in the energy sector: the high viscosity of heavy crude oil. This innovative two-part process promises to significantly reduce the cost and energy required for transportation through existing pipeline infrastructure.
The technology is designed to tackle the issue without the cost-prohibitive chemical treatments, large volumes of diluent, or energy-intensive heating traditionally required. The EZ Flow™ process begins with the injection of a proprietary, low-concentration chemical additive into the heavy crude. This is followed by a controlled hydrodynamic cavitation stage, which uses a rotor to generate microscopic bubbles. The shockwaves produced when these bubbles collapse locally heat and intensely mix the additive into the crude, reducing its viscosity by 40-60% for extended periods.
Courtesy of SwRI
For engineers, the primary advantage lies in its non-invasive approach. The process does not change the chemical composition of the heavy crude oil, and the chemical components added do not affect downstream processing at refineries. Early data indicates the viscosity reduction can be maintained for at least six months. This breakthrough could ease supply chain shocks and improve the economic viability of utilizing domestic heavy crude reserves by enabling its transport through existing pipelines with significantly lower energy demands.
