Woelflin Liquid Viscosities - Technical Information
The Woelflin viscosity method gives accurate prediction of viscosity for water-hydrocarbon emulsions. It may apply when the hydrocarbon is a black oil system. The method is based on a ratio curve. You may use the default ratio curve or add your own curve. Curves may be based either on averaged (PURE) component data or on generalized methods for (PETRO) hydrocarbons.
There are Woelflin correlations for tight, medium, and loose emulsions.
Keywords for the various methods are:
TWOELF |
Tight Woelflin Petro Correlation |
MWOELF |
Medium Woelflin Petro Correlation |
LWOELF |
Loose Woelflin Petro Correlation |
TSWO |
Tight Woelflin Pure Correlation |
MSWO |
Medium Woelflin Pure Correlation |
LSWO |
Loose Woelflin Pure Correlation |
TKWO |
Tight Woelflin Kinematic Viscosity Correlation |
MKWO |
Medium Woelflin Kinematic Viscosity Correlation |
LKWO |
Loose Woelflin Kinematic Viscosity Correlation |
Users must specify the type of emulsion (tight, medium, or loose) and may specify the inversion point. The correlations handle emulsions with volumetric water or brine content between zero (pure crude) and the inversion point. If no inversion point is given, a default is used.
Beyond the inversion point (normally 60-70 volume percent water or brine), the emulsion becomes a continuous phase; and the liquid viscosity should be estimated with other methods. Usually, estimating the viscosity of the water or brine is adequate above the inversion point.
Supply a Viscosity / Hydrocarbon Viscosity Ratio Curve
A default curve from the original Woelflin reference is used to calculate the viscosity unless the user supplies a curve (at least two data points) of the ratio of viscosity to hydrocarbon viscosity as a function of the water volumetric fraction. To enter your own viscosity ratio curve, click on the Enter Data… button for liquid viscosity after choosing a Woelflin viscosity method in the Thermodynamic Data - Transport Properties window.
References
Brill, J. P., and H.D. Beggs,"Two-Phase Flow in Pipes", 1991, section 2.13.
Woelflin, W.: "The Viscosity of Crude-Oil Emulsions," Drill. and Prod. Prac., API (1942), p 148.
Additional information
For additional information regarding Woelflin Liquid Viscosities, please see ….
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