Crude oil flow modelling with the MPTT model

The crude oil is a non-Newtonian fluid exhibiting, during its flow, phenomena which cannot be described with the traditional models which consider the fluid as homogeneous. Thus, it is necessary to use or develop a more realistic approach which can take into account the microstructure characteristics of crude oils in the law of behaviour. The application of a non-linear differential model in the case of crude oil flow can not be used. This paper deals with the modelling approach resulting from rheology of the polymer solutions. The Modified Phan-Thien and Tanner model (MPTT) is considered in this paper for an axisymmetric flow in a pipe. The shear stresses calculation with this model is an important step as it allows to study subsequently some important phenomena as the corrosion or the pressure drop which is controlled by the friction factor under turbulent flow conditions. The calculations were about different crude oils and the obtained results are compared to experiments. Some discussions are given.