Viscosity Mixing Rule and Viscosity-Temperature Relationship Estimation for Oil Sand Bitumen Vacuum Residue and Fractions

Removing heavy components through solvent separation is a potential routine for the viscosity reduction of Canadian oil sand bitumen. The mixing rule for the viscosity of extracted fraction is the basis of process simulation and optimization. In this study, supercritical fluid extraction fractionation was applied to separate Canadian oil sand bitumen vacuum residue (VR) into various fractions. The viscosity blending behavior of extracted fractions was experimentally evaluated. Several available viscosity mixing rules were tested. To predict the viscosity-temperature profile of derived fractions at different blending ratio, we proposed a new mixing rule based on empirical equation parameters. We also correlated the viscosity-temperature parameters to conventional bulk property, providing a method for the rapid viscosity estimation for VR, extracted fractions, and their mixtures.