Physicochemical Characterization of Niger crude for processing and transport

Abstract

Niger crude oil physic chemical properties which influence it processing and flow behavior was investigated in this study. The bulk characterization includes specific gravity, viscosity, pour point, freezing point, wax content, sulfur content, SARA fraction and the Colloidal Instability Index analyses. Results indicate that the crude oil is paraffinic, light and sweet with high wax content (24.8%).The rheological behavior studied from the viscosity variation show that it is very viscous at room temperature. This study suggest that the crude exhibits high processing (light crude) and environmental qualities (sweet crude oil) but has flow problems because of its high wax content.