A novel method for shear test of gelled crude oil

Key words:  gelled crude oil  direct shear test  direct shear apparatus  shear damage  shear stress  rheological characteristics

Abstract:

The shear damage test methods of gelled crude oil on the rotary rheometer and the conduit flow model experimental set up were studied. Many factors such as the compressibility, the shrinkage of the oil and the monodirectional shear stress during test may affect the test results. The shear damage test methods for rock, soil and other materials were analyzed. A novel method for shear test of crude oil was put forward using soil direct shear method for reference. And a direct shear apparatus was developed. On the developed direct shear apparatus, the impact of the inherent resistance was eliminated, shear stress was tested using a digital dynamometer, the shear rate was controlled by a stepper motor precisely, and the temperature was mastered by a air bath. The results show that the reliability and the accuracy of the apparatus are good. The test results can reflect the shear yield process well.