Viscosity model for petroleum gases

Abstract

The production processes for petroleum gases employ a broad range of simulation packages to reduce capital, time, and cost associated with actual recovery and pipeline transportation. Viscosity model is an important component of these packages. In this work, we have presented an empirical model for predicting the viscosity of petroleum gases, developed from the three-parameter Yaws equation. New constants were derived for various petroleum gases, as well as for gaseous carbon dioxide. Results obtained with the new model were compared with the viscosity predictions from the Yaws model, and the Miadonye and Clyburn correlation. For four petroleum gases and carbon dioxide at temperatures of 110 K to 1,500 K, the model gave an excellent viscosity prediction with overall average absolute deviations of 0.34% and 0.98%, respectively. The model is simple to incorporate into design and simulation packages, and more accurate than any correlation currently used in petroleum industry for predicting the viscosities of petroleum gases.