APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REDUCING VISCOSITY

摘要

An apparatus for reducing viscosity of a hydrocarbon liquid containing paraffin molecules or asphaltene molecules in suspension. The apparatus includes a conduit having an inner cavity dimensioned to accommodate a flow of the hydrocarbon liquid along a flow direction, and a series of electrically charged plates housed within the inner cavity with a longitudinal axis of each plate extending along the flow direction. A method of reducing viscosity of a hydrocarbon liquid containing paraffin molecules or asphaltene molecules in suspension, the method including flowing the hydrocarbon liquid through the inner cavity of a conduit and applying an electric field to the hydrocarbon liquid flowing through the inner cavity such that a plurality of paraffin molecules or a plurality of asphaltene molecules undergo a conformational change in microstructure to form a cluster of paraffin molecules or a cluster of asphaltene molecules, thereby reducing the viscosity of the hydrocarbon liquid.