Flow enhancer influence on non-isothermal systems for heavy crude oil production

Production of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils generally entails high costs, especially in the winter season, due to heat losses. This work studies the effect of a flow enhancer (a chemical formulation based on biodiesel and oxidized biodiesel of soy oil) on the viscosity of heavy crude oil from different wells in Northern Mexico. The observed results indicate a non-linear decreasing behavior of viscosity concerning temperature and volume fraction of the viscosity reducer. It is also presented a theoretical model that predicts the flow increase that can be achieved using the enhancer in systems in which crude oil temperature is higher than the temperature of the environment. Results showed adequate correspondence between experimental and predicted data. It was found that the enhancer increases the volume of crude oil that can be processed without varying pressure gradient.

Ground Vehicle Driving Aids: Assessing Driver Workload and Performance in Degraded Visual Environments

To enable indirect-driving maneuverability and threat detection in degraded visual environments (DVE), TARDEC’s ground DVE program is developing and testing a range of sensors and driver aid display systems. The current paper presents the first in a series of three simulator studies. It examined driver performance with two of the candidate driving aids, the Lane/Road Departure Warning System (LRDWS) and Optic Flow Enhancer (OFE), in three levels of degraded visual environment. Results indicated that the LRDWS best supported drivers in degraded visual environments, eliciting the lowest workload ratings and highest system usability ratings and facilitating faster driving in severe DVE conditions, with no apparent speed-accuracy tradeoff.