Cavitating jet technology is used to change the quality and to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil because bubble collapse can cause extreme conditions such as high pressure and temperature. The experimental study on the viscosity reduction of heavy oil using a cavitating jet was performed through a self-designed experimental system for heavy oil viscosity reduction by a cavitating jet. Tetrahydronaphthalene was used as the hydrogen donor, and after adding different amount of tetrahydronaphthalene, the viscosity change of the heavy oil was studied before and after treatment by the cavitation jet. The experimental results show that cavitating jet technology can be used to improve the quality and reduce the viscosity of heavy oil, and the addition of tetrahydronaphthalene can effectively reduce the viscosity of heavy oil. With the increase in the amount of tetrahydronaphthalene added, the viscosity reduction effect on the heavy oil improved, and the viscosity reduction rate increased. When a certain amount of tetrahydronaphthalene was added, the viscosity of the heavy oil decreased gradually and plateaued with the increase in the cycles of cavitation jet treatment. The addition of tetrahydronaphthalene can dilute the heavy oil and effectively reduce the viscosity and improve the quality of heavy oil by providing active hydrogen to close the macromolecular hydrocarbon free radicals generated by the cavitation effect.
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