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The primary purpose of the present study is to investigate the unsteady flow and heat transfer characteristics of non-Newtonian power-law fluid over an oscillating flat plate. The power-law fluid model is employed to distinguish the non-Newtonian fluid behavior, which has wide applications in nature and technology, such as crude oil exploitation, polymer processing and some bio applications. In this work, the governing equations are set up using the non-Newtonian fluid model. The radial basis function collocation method (RBFCM) and the finite element method (FEM) are used to solve the coupled equations. The numerical results of the fluid velocity and fluid temperature fields are analyzed in detail. For authentication of the proposed schemes, the results are compared with earlier research works. To further verify the validity of the FEM and the RBFCM results, the flow behavior of crude oil was studied and the obtained results were found to be consistent with each other using both methods. Our results provide further guidance for evaluation aspects dealing with crude oil in a pipe, which are basic tools in oil and gas explorations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe efficient development of oil resources is significant for alleviating the increasingly serious contradiction between oil supply and demand and ensuring national oil security. Surfactant flooding technology is one of the essential methods to enhance oil recovery and has been widely used in oil and gas development. The screening and development of traditional surfactants for oil displacement are mainly focused on reducing interfacial tension based on the theory of capillary number while ignoring the emulsification effect of surfactants. For different types of residual oil/remaining oil, the main contradictions faced by the target reservoir should be thoroughly analyzed to clarify whether the performance of surfactants used for oil displacement is mainly to reduce interfacial tension or strong emulsification capacity, and then screen surfactants suitable for reservoir characteristics and crude oil properties. In this article, the principle and application of surfactant flooding technology are reviewed from two aspects of interfacial tension and emulsification performance, the interrelationship between interfacial tension and emulsification capacity is explored, and the evaluation indicators and existing problems of surfactant used for oil displacement are analyzed in detail. Most of the evaluation methods for emulsification in the past were based on water extraction rate. A method for evaluating the emulsification ability of surfactants to crude oil is introduced. It is expected to provide scientific guidance for the screening and development of surfactants for oil displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]